Focused Practitioner / Channeling vs. Ritual

[Mona Case]

Since all members of our gaming group enjoy the Dresden books our GM has decided to give the RPG a try, but I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my brain around what's allowed with which kind of magic.

For example, I had considered making a "botanimancer", a focused practitioner that deals with plants. The first couple spells that popped to mind were 1) a ritual-type planting of a garden that would eventually result in plants with bigger blooms, tastier vegetables, etc. and 2) a defensive spell that would cause roots to tangle or trip pursuers. It seems that the first would be a ritual-type spell and the latter an evocation; does that sound correct? Would I need to take both channeling and ritual?

Or would botanimancer be too specific? Would "geomancer" be better since, technically, the first theoretical spell would also be involving nutrients in the earth? Or is it just a matter of flavor and how it works in your head?

And at what point do ideas move from "clever application of your focus" to "cheesing it"? I can't come up with an example for this plant-mage idea, but let's use something that happened in White Knight.

(click to show/hide)

When Harry created a huge gout of fire on the boat in order to draw the heat from the surrounding water and create a walkable surface of ice, it seems that's something any GM would veto. After all, what's keeping the spell from stealing the heat from nearby individuals as well and turning them into instant Popcicles?

Or am I way overthinking this and just need to go with the flow?  It seems this format of game is less rules-lawyery and more, "sure, that sounds good."

[Deadmanwalking]

Since all members of our gaming group enjoy the Dresden books our GM has decided to give the RPG a try, but I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my brain around what's allowed with which kind of magic.

Well, you can have both. And indeed, that's often the way to go for some concepts.

For example, I had considered making a "botanimancer", a focused practitioner that deals with plants. The first couple spells that popped to mind were 1) a ritual-type planting of a garden that would eventually result in plants with bigger blooms, tastier vegetables, etc. and 2) a defensive spell that would cause roots to tangle or trip pursuers. It seems that the first would be a ritual-type spell and the latter an evocation; does that sound correct? Would I need to take both channeling and ritual?

To do both those as spells? Yeah, you'd need both. though you could easily design an Enchanted item for the second one if you want to just have Ritual aside from that one effect.

Or would botanimancer be too specific? Would "geomancer" be better since, technically, the first theoretical spell would also be involving nutrients in the earth? Or is it just a matter of flavor and how it works in your head?

Definitely a matter of flavor and how it works in your head. That's even true in character to some extent. Magic is powered by belief after all.

And at what point do ideas move from "clever application of your focus" to "cheesing it"?

When the power trespasses on another specialty's territory to the extent there'd be no point in taking said specialty is a good benchmark, at least for me.

I can't come up with an example for this plant-mage idea, but let's use something that happened in White Knight.

(click to show/hide)

When Harry created a huge gout of fire on the boat in order to draw the heat from the surrounding water and create a walkable surface of ice, it seems that's something any GM would veto. After all, what's keeping the spell from stealing the heat from nearby individuals as well and turning them into instant Popcicles?

His not wanting it to? He could indeed do that if he wanted to, but he didn't and had the control not to. Also, there's no Ice or Cold Element...which means it fits into the existing ones as appropriate, much like lightning. Fire is thus clearly one of the Elements you can use for Ice effects, (if a counterintuitive one, much like Earth for Lightning) and actually makes a great deal of sense as such.

Or am I way overthinking this and just need to go with the flow?  It seems this format of game is less rules-lawyery and more, "sure, that sounds good."

You're overthinking it a bit, but not too badly. There's a balance to be achieved between caring about the rules and going with the flow.

[John Galt]

Whether it's geomancer or botanimancer is entirely aesthetic, really.   First off, you'll still be a channeller of Earth magics, and second you're making the same exact rolls and getting the same exact effects whether you only use roots to trip up your opponents or electromagnetic fields.

Personally, if I were GMing, and someone came up withs something as creative as Harry does in WN, I'd run with it.  It's ultimately up to the GM.  The game is really loose and is meant to be highly customizable while still allowing for rigid enough rules for them to be fairly objective.

[Victim]

Fire, in terms of heat direction, seems to make sense for creating Ice.  There's no Ice element to infringe upon.

[JustinS]

Some of it is flavor, and some of it is how you decide to limit yourself. If you are a botanimancer instead of a more general biomancer or geomancer, then when you want to do spells of the broader catagory, and because of your high concept you can't, you get fate points.

As for cheesing it, magic is powerful and flexible. You should be able to pull off a broad selection of effects, even with ritual and channeler. Go read the section on declarations for cool and interesting.  If you feel an effect could be justified but cheesy, feel free to offer a 'but...' to the GM. "Yes, the plant knows what he said, but I need to repot it in the public gardens before it will tell me..."

[GoldenH]

As for the botanimancer, go for it, biomancer is one of the possible specialties and obviously includes all plants. So you're actually being overly specific.

As for the spoiler, keep in mind that even though yuo are targeting the entire zone, your attack may not be very good. You need to hit a 3 to do a scene aspect, but if other people's defenses are higher, you use those too. I'd just say that the GM allowed him to target another Zone (open water) where his friends weren't. Perhaps even even spent the points to make a new zone, first. If his friends had in fact been in the target Zone, it would have affected them, but depending on what the GM allowed them to use as Defense, maybe not much if at all..

[Mona Case]

I appreciate the input... thank you!

[CMEast]

To be a pedant (and because it flows better) I think the term you're looking for is floramancer