Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)

[Mr. Death]

I'm thinking that maybe it would be like base Thaumaturgy, except with the ability to finish/cast the spell later--sort of taking the circle with you to cast the effect at a later date. The problem, though, is I can't figure out how to limit the amount of power you could put on the Runes that you take with you.

Maybe divide it like that way? Static runes and portable runes? Static runes (like her Wards and Living Lightning) work like the usual Thaumaturgy, and can hold more power because they're rooted to something, but portable runes have a lower threshold for power?

Let me see what I can come up with...

RUNE MAGIC [-4]
Description: A long time ago, Odin stabbed himself with a spear and hanged himself from The World Tree as a sacrifice to himself. By doing so, he acquired the power of Rune Magic. Now Odin gives some of that runic power to his Valkyries, making them able to serve him better. These runes can be inscribed either on static structures, or on smaller plates for the Valkyrie in question to use in the field.
Sponsor: Rune Magic comes from Odin, greatest of the Aesir and master of runes.
Agenda: The agenda of Odin is not entirely clear, but it definitely includes making preparations for Ragnarok. Users of Rune Magic might be called upon to find new Einherjar for Odin's armies or to gather weapons for the final battle.
Evocation:
Thaumaturgy: Rune Magic allows for the user to use Thaumaturgic rituals to create rune effects, provided the target of the effect is in proximity to the rune. The runes may be always-on (such as with Wards), or single use effects, after which the rune must either recharge or be reforged. Portable runes take up Enchanted Item slots and are treated the same way.
Evothaum: Portable runes can be used by an evocator as fuel for a spell, provided the spell is in line with the original design of the rune--a rune for a veil may be used to fuel a disguise spell, for instance, but not a fireball, and vice versa. The Evocator would not incur the initial mental stress for this spell, as the power, equal to the shifts in the rune's effect, is coming from the rune, but would have to make a control roll and potentially incur backlash or fallout.
Extra Benefits: Because the magic is held in the structure of the rune, a Rune Magic user does not hex technology absent of other spellcasting powers. Additionally, Rune Magic provides a +1 to the complexity of any runic effect.

[Tedronai]

At the very least, the Evothaum needs more detail defining its special mechanics.
To me, this benefit appears mostly to allow declaration-less spontaneous-potion effects that can also be fed from conventional (non-potion) enchanted items limited by the loose thematic associations of the declared carried enchanted items.

[Mr. Death]

Well, it is a first draft, after all.

I was thinking the Evothaum mechanic would be basic power for power. Like in Heorot, let's say that Gard's disguise rune had 5 shifts of power, but was something generic--maybe she made it for use against humans, or it's a basic "don't look at me" kind of veil that's not going to fool the Malks, whatever. Harry takes it, and effectively gets a free 5-shift veil--he's gotta roll Discipline for it to shape it, but he doesn't have to pay the Mental stress for calling up the power because it's already there in the rune.

[Tedronai]

I'm not sure if its intended to allow conversion of items akin to Harry's force rings, but I believe it currently does.  Then again, I'm not sure whether this is an issue, or not.

[Mr. Death]

I'm not sure what you mean.

[Tedronai]

The repurposing of portable runes, as written, functions for conventional enchanted item runes (those that would function akin to Harry's force rings) as well as for 'potion' runes.  If this is intended, or even just unobjectionable, as I feel it to be, the already-needed additional details would also have to include more detailed explanations of those interactions.

[Mr. Death]

Oh, okay. Yeah, that's more or less what I intended. I'll make that clearer when it's revised. In a way, Runes would be a hybrid of conventional enchanted items and potions. Note to self: Also modify the description to mention inscribing runes on other objects (forgot about Gard's axe in Heorot).

RUNE MAGIC [-4]
Description: A long time ago, Odin stabbed himself with a spear and hanged himself from The World Tree as a sacrifice to himself. By doing so, he acquired the power of Rune Magic. Now Odin gives some of that runic power to his Valkyries, making them able to serve him better. These runes can be inscribed on static structures, on smaller plates for the Valkyrie in question to use in the field, or on items themselves, such as weapons and shields.
Sponsor: Rune Magic comes from Odin, greatest of the Aesir and master of runes.
Agenda: The agenda of Odin is not entirely clear, but it definitely includes making preparations for Ragnarok. Users of Rune Magic might be called upon to find new Einherjar for Odin's armies or to gather weapons for the final battle.
Evocation:
Thaumaturgy: Rune Magic allows for the user to use Thaumaturgic rituals to create rune effects, provided the target of the effect is in proximity to the rune. The runes may be always-on (such as with Wards), or single use effects, after which the rune must either recharge or be reforged. Portable runes take up Enchanted Item slots and are treated the same way. Runes inscribed into items are rechargeable Enchanted Items, while runes inscribed into small plates are equivalent to potions and disposable.
Evothaum: Portable runes can be repurposed by an evocator as fuel for a spell, provided the resultant spell is in line with the original design of the rune. As a general guide, an evocator cannot change the element or the type of evocation (block, attack, counterspell, maneuver), but can affect the details and targets (changing it from a single-target attack to a Zone or Spray attack, for instance). The Evocator would not incur the initial mental stress for this spell, as the power, equal to the shifts in the rune's effect, is coming from the rune, but would have to make a control roll and potentially incur backlash or fallout.
Extra Benefits: Because the magic is held in the structure of the rune, a Rune Magic user does not hex technology absent of other spellcasting powers. Additionally, Rune Magic provides a +1 to the complexity of any runic effect.

[wyvern]

May or may not be relevant, but a PC in a game I'm playing in just picked up a version of rune magic, defined as follows:

-2 Ritual (rune magic): a fairly broad form of ritual, with a focus on divinations (reading the runes), wards, and fate / entropy altering effects.  Its primary limit relative to full thaumaturgy is that you can't use it with symbolic connections - your magic functions through runes, not runes plus a lock of hair or whatever.  So tracking spells, death spells against someone not physically present, etc., are all right out - though, given someone present, you might be able to make a "tracking spell" that will later predict where they're going to be.

However, this is just a thematic rituals power; it's not a sponsored magic, doesn't have an agenda, doesn't allow sponsor debt, etc.

[Sanctaphrax]

Interesting ideas, but very vague and hard to understand.

What exactly does this power do?

[Mr. Death]

Are you talking to me or Wyvern?

Wait, nevermind, brainfart. That said, Sanctaphrax, any initial thoughts on my write-up? I'm having trouble deciding how to determine the number of runic slots that should come with the power (though I'm considering suggesting 9, since Odin hung himself from the tree for 9 days, there's the 9 realms, and 9 is just generally an important number in Norse myth).

[Tedronai]

stats-wise, from my evaluation, it should probably come with 14

4 from ritual + 4 from channeling (as represented solely by the evothaum benefit), + 8 from 2 'refinement-equivalent-effects' - 2 from the complexity bonus

(cost evaluation:
ritual - 1
evothaum - 1
2 'refinement-equivalent-effects' - 2)

[Mr. Death]

If that's the math you're using, maybe make it 10 instead. I figure it's more Thaumaturgy than ritual, given it can do other things (though for the moment I can't think of any besides Wards), so that would knock off one of those Refinements. Then again it's got the 'must be nearby' limitation, so I'm not sure.

[Sanctaphrax]

Are you talking to me or Wyvern?

Wait, nevermind, brainfart. That said, Sanctaphrax, any initial thoughts on my write-up? I'm having trouble deciding how to determine the number of runic slots that should come with the power (though I'm considering suggesting 9, since Odin hung himself from the tree for 9 days, there's the 9 realms, and 9 is just generally an important number in Norse myth).

Was talking to you. I have no idea what capabilities your version of Rune Magic gives its user.

I don't see why this power shouldn't just give the standard 4 focus slots.

[Mr. Death]

I thought it was pretty clear that it allows for Thaumaturgy and making enchanted items/potions. With the caveat that the magic effects have to be localized to the rune--so Wards and such, fine, but you couldn't do something like a remote attack spell without bringing the rune to someone.

The reason I'm suggesting extra spell slots is because the power doesn't really have an Evocation component at all. The Evothaum thing is something you'd probably need to have Evocation or Channeling for to use yourself (note how in Heorot, Gard needs Dresden to do it). Since the power's going to end up getting most of its in-game benefit via enchanted items, it should have more capacity for those items.

Ack, brainfart again. Yeah, I'm actually pretty okay with it having 4 Focus slots (ergo, 8 Enchanted slots).

[Sanctaphrax]

The fact that you, the guy who wrote the power, is using the word "probably" when describing the basic effects of the power is really bad.

Let me try to clarify things with a summary.

-Rune Magic grants Ritual (Runes). Ritual (Runes) can be used for wards and for crafting and for some forms of divination.

-Rune Magic grants no evocation.

-Rune Magic allows its user to sacrifice an enchanted item slot when completing a ritual in order to store the ritual for later release.

-A stored ritual can be used for its actual effect or it can be used as an excuse to cast a ritual with the speed and methods of evocation. Rituals cast this way cost no mental stress.

-Rune Magic cannot be used to hex and never causes accidental hexing.

-Rune Magic grants a free specialization in Rune Magic complexity.

Is that accurate?