Author Topic: Sponsored Magic? Or Schizophrenia? Help with a Character  (Read 4752 times)

Offline ARedthorn

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Re: Sponsored Magic? Or Schizophrenia? Help with a Character
« Reply #15 on: August 11, 2011, 06:01:52 AM »
I've got a number of ideas...

Rechan's got a point- kinetomancy in a water spirit seems odd at least... But you can use that oddity. What if that specific power is stolen?

Couple ways you could do that with a spirit:
It's part of the spirit's nature to take stuff- doesn't even need to be a mischief spirit to be a klepto... More like a raven or summat. Kleptomaniacs (I can't get the word kleptomancer out of my head) talk all the time about it not being a conscious thing... So given a supernatural instinct spirit in his head could result in all kinds of hijinks... Maybe he doesn't black out when Adamsk is in control, but that doesn't mean he notices when his left hand swipes a wallet on the subway while he's talking to an npc- you slide him an FP to compel the spirit's klepto aspect, have nick roll alertness to see if he notices, and deal from there. He might not wake up with dismembered bodies all around, but someone's wallet in his pocket will be problematic.
Further, there's the spirit the kinetomancy came from... Probably wants it back...'may even have been the spirit that nearly killed Adamsk in the lake.
Idea- the stolen power may be the only way the otherwise very powerful spirit Adamsk stole it from can affect the physical world (completely incorporeal when manifesting this side of the nevernever)... Hence retreating here being safe.

Alternately- maybe Adamsk was forced to steal it for a 3rd party to pay off a debt... And the spirit heist went sideways... Now both the spirit victim and client are after getting it from Adamsk, at any cost.

Not saying these are the best ideas out there, but they are complex story seeds that provide plenty of plot ideas and complications for Nick as a result of Adamsk's presence. It's all about the spirit's nature, and the why.

Offline ARedthorn

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Re: Sponsored Magic? Or Schizophrenia? Help with a Character
« Reply #16 on: August 11, 2011, 09:06:56 AM »
I also like the idea of the spirit's nature AS A SPIRIT coming up inconveniently. For example, lies and oaths... It can't tell then or break them (at least, not without consequences so dire as to just make it deadly... I like the idea that the fae issue with iron has something to do with an ancient broken oath to iron, for example)...

That said, Nick is still mortal. I'd let him lie and break promises like anyone... Adamsk won't limit that, but he won't get it either... And may fly into a blind panic. If he could speak, it might go something like this:
"YOU SAID YOU'D BE AT THE PARTY. YOU PROMISED YOU'D BE ON TIME. ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED???"
"Umm. It was a lie... To make her feel better. I'll call and say I'm sick or something."
"WHAT? IF WE DON'T GO, SHE'LL HAVE POWER OVER US!!! SHE COULD KILL US WITH A THOUGHT! ohgodohgodohgod..."

But instead, he'll just feel blind panic, even aggression since everything that might keep him from honoring his word to the letter would be a threat.

Hell- it's simple to do, too- it's just a compel of his head roomate aspect.

As for thresholds... I think it would supress, not scrape off... After all, Dresden says all the time in the books that there's nothing stopping a Black Court Vamp from crossing a threshold, except that for them, leaving their power at the door is fatal. Theyd die, not bounce off.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2011, 09:33:52 AM by ARedthorn »

Offline computerking

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Re: Sponsored Magic? Or Schizophrenia? Help with a Character
« Reply #17 on: August 11, 2011, 09:57:30 AM »
I can't get the word kleptomancer out of my head

Thanks, that thought must be contagious; now I have it.


Hmmm, Kleptomancer, "Tales of the Power Thief"...

Oh, the ideas that flow from that... Well, you're forgiven.
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PS: %^#@ Orbius. This may or may not be relevant to the discussion, but whatever.

Offline newtinmpls

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Re: Sponsored Magic? Or Schizophrenia? Help with a Character
« Reply #18 on: August 12, 2011, 03:28:55 PM »
"As for thresholds... I think it would supress, not scrape off... After all, Dresden says all the time in the books that there's nothing stopping a Black Court Vamp from crossing a threshold, except that for them, leaving their power at the door is fatal. Theyd die, not bounce off."

I see what you mean with respect to critters. The original example I was thinking of was a magic item. The difference (if the DM wanted to play it that way) being that a critter's actual body is a sort of natural place for it to be - it might lose power, but that's it. Whereas a spirit put into a weapon is in an 'unnatural' place (yeah, I know the whole concept of magic is unnatural if you want to look at it that way) so it could be emptied or scraped out.

It all depends on what's most fun for the PC, DM and so on.