Focus or Enchanted or... Oh my!

[Masurao]

Okay, so I finally started reading through the rules last night, which was a big relief indeed. Such simple elegance, I love it! But that aside, I began thinking about a character concept I have had in mind for some time. The short of it is a wizard-type bodyguard.

One of his defensive focus items would be a chainmail shirt, taking up 4 slots and providing +2 to power and control for defensive spirit evocations. So, a bigger shield bracelet, so to speak. That one was rather 'easy' to figure out (though I might have made it wrong anyway...), the next one wasn't.

While the character would focus on defensive magic, he needs something to put the scare on supernatural nasties. Not something to seriously hurt them, but to pierce their Catches enough to give them pause. The idea I had was inspired by Magneto in X-Men 2, where escapes his plexiglass prison with a small amount of liquid metal, and it boils down to this:
- the 'item' is a liquid, metal-like substance, not unlike quicksilver
- it would contain traces of cold iron, blessed/inherited silver, holy water
- as a weapon, it would take to form of small bullets, not unlike musket balls

At first I thought it would be cool, if it could harden to provide some defense in the form of a block, but it might be a better flavour if I used it for maneuvers to distract opponents, hamper aiming, etc. However it would be used, though, it would only work through an application of evocation magic, most logically the element of metal, or earth. If the character could harden the stuff for defense, it would be a stronger weapon to, perhaps rating 2, otherwise, I'd say 0 or 1, but satisfying the Catch of enemies. (Like the Sunburst in a Handkerchief).

So my question to you all would be: how would you stat this? If at all?

[EdgeOfDreams]

There's three different tiers you could stat this out as:

1) Equipment.  Your character declares (with fate points, resources rolls, or just agreement with the GM) that he carries vials of holy water laced with iron filings and silver shavings.  This would cost you no refresh and no items slots, as it is nothing more than mundane equipment.  Your character could throw these with the Weapons skill or maybe even load them as alternate ammo into a mace sprayer.  You could also manipulate them with some sort of evocation, to add catch-satisfying power to water attacks, for example. The downside here is that the GM can easily compel you to run out, leave them at home, or have them taken from you by an opponent who captures/searches you.

2) Enchanted item.  For the cost of one or more enchanted item slots, you could have a magic mace sprayer filled with this stuff.  It would be the equivalent of an evocation attack with power equal to your lore and one shot per session, unless you mess with additional slots or lowering the power.  It would satisfy appropriate catches.   The uses-per-session rules nicely handle the idea of running out of ammo, but compels are still possible.  Targeting rolls could be done with Discipline or Weapons, whatever you and your GM agree on.  The downside of this approach is a slight lack of versatility, because an enchanted item only replicates 1 spell, and it's the exact same spell every time the item is used.  To have multiple different applications of the item (e.g. maneuvers in addition to attacks), you would need to spend more slots on other spells it replicates.

3) Item of Power.  This is the highest cost option, taking refresh, but it's also potentially the most powerful.  Here you'd be defining your liquid metal as a set of additional powers, agreed upon between you and the GM.  Possibilities include Refinement for evocation spells that use the item and something similar to (perhaps less powerful than, however) the Sword of the Cross's ability to downgrade/remove enemy's toughness powers by satisfying their catch.  The nice thing about this option is that while the GM can take it away from you, he is obligated to let you get it back somehow eventually, unless you agree on the permanent loss being part of the story and get your refresh points back.  Also, this is a very very flexible option, as it could potentially apply its bonuses to a wide variety of evocation spells, attacks, maneuvers, etc. etc.

[Masurao]

3) Item of Power.  This is the highest cost option, taking refresh, but it's also potentially the most powerful.  Here you'd be defining your liquid metal as a set of additional powers, agreed upon between you and the GM.  Possibilities include Refinement for evocation spells that use the item and something similar to (perhaps less powerful than, however) the Sword of the Cross's ability to downgrade/remove enemy's toughness powers by satisfying their catch.  The nice thing about this option is that while the GM can take it away from you, he is obligated to let you get it back somehow eventually, unless you agree on the permanent loss being part of the story and get your refresh points back.  Also, this is a very very flexible option, as it could potentially apply its bonuses to a wide variety of evocation spells, attacks, maneuvers, etc. etc.

First: thanks for the insights! Second, your third option seems closest to my wishes, but how would you define its cost? I can see how the refinements would work, but satisfying any Catch? 2 Refresh? More, less?

[EdgeOfDreams]

First: thanks for the insights! Second, your third option seems closest to my wishes, but how would you define its cost? I can see how the refinements would work, but satisfying any Catch? 2 Refresh? More, less?

If I recall correctly, the Sword of the Cross's costs can be broken down to determine the value of each of its powers.  I think it works out to where the ability to satisfy any catch for the cost of a fate point (once spent, lasts the whole scene) is -3 refresh.  I'd have to check again to be sure or consult with other forumites with more experience in this matter.

[sinker]

There are actually a couple more options as well.

It could also be an aspect that you could invoke to trip catches and boost your spells, or a focus item that you simply use to boost your attack spells. Consider that with any option you could probably make a declaration (especially if you have a personal aspect that speaks to preparedness or similar) and then invoke that to trip a catch.

The sword of the cross as a package costs 3 refresh, but that includes the True aim stunt/power, the All creatures are equal before god power and a discount of +2 which I would never apply to a liquid that would be so easy to conceal.

Actually looking at the sword of the cross power, I'm starting to wonder about the cost. Divine purpose is certainly not a power, Holy and It's a sword seem to simply be aspects of what it is. After that you only have two powers and the refresh cost (without including the discount) is +5. So what costs so much?

[Richard_Chilton]

It gets around every catch - even for outsiders.

As in the "I was fighting demons.  Were they the super-powered outsider demons everyone talks about? Shrugs.  They were demons and I killed them." scene from Proven Guilty.   Members of the senior council could barely effect them but the Knight of the Cross? When he swung they had no magical toughness or recovery powers - just a few stress boxes and they were taken out just like that.

Sounds like something that should be expensive.


As for an IoP that shoots liquid like that - I can see the ability being in the -3 or -4 range for the common (iron, holy water, etc), more for the rarer ones (gold etc) and not be able to do the unique ones ("I shoot you with this water that affects you like someone was pulling the noose around your neck!" - things like that shouldn't happen).

Of course that's before discounts.

Richard

Richard

[EdgeOfDreams]

Good input, Richard and Sinker.

I would just like to add that really, we're talking about a category of power (meeting/reducing catches) that has never been clearly statted out in the books as being worth a particular amount of refresh.  With this kind of stuff, it comes down to negotiating with the GM about what your group feels is appropriate, and being willing to change it if it turns out to be underpowered, overpowered, or just not feel right.

[rickayelm]

You could also combine option one and two through alchemy. You create potions that have holy water or other catch satisfying ingredients in them. So a destructive potion with iron as one of the ingredients would satisfy the catch of a faerie.

[Masurao]

Don't forget, I was imagining it being used as Magneto did with his liquid metal, like so: http://bit.ly/oyzByf

[Silverblaze]

easily done.

Water evocation:

Effect: Removes the water (blood) from the human (or non human) body.

Just be ready for a lawbreaker stunt.

[Sanctaphrax]

Why not just stat it as an Earth magic focus with some snazzy description?

Also, I count Holy as a 1-point power.

All Creatures Are Equal Before God just might be broken at higher power levels. I ignore this problem for now.

[sinker]

Also, I count Holy as a 1-point power.

That's what I was starting to think, but even then True aim and All creatures... are both 2 refresh? Or All creatures... costs 3?

[Sanctaphrax]

1 Holy
1 True Aim
3 All Creatures...

[sinker]

Sounds good, thanks.

[Masurao]

easily done.

Water evocation:

Effect: Removes the water (blood) from the human (or non human) body.

Just be ready for a lawbreaker stunt.

No, no, not the whole extraction thing, what comes afterwards. When he smashes the prison with his balls of steel!