Author Topic: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?  (Read 2724 times)

Offline Rungok

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« on: August 13, 2011, 11:08:24 AM »
So after reading through the first book and talking with my GM, I decided that I would play an Emissary of Power.
Fleshing the idea out, I decided on Morpheus, the god of dreams, or perhaps his father Hypnos. From references in Changes, I would hypothesize that other gods from other pantheons were still kicking, yet greatly reduced. I also wanted him to have some kind of magic to go along with his emissary-ness. I think powers that deal in dreams/illusions/etc. and spells (learned before becoming an emissary) would be more evocations.

We are in refresh 10 or something. Anyone have any build suggestions for making this guy? I'm very new to the system but am really a big fan of the dresdenverse. Some help would be appreciated. If you have some ideas on this, please let me know.

Offline Masurao

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 282
  • Liberate tetemet ex inferis!
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2011, 11:34:10 AM »
Well, where do you want to go with the character? Will his magic define him entirely, or is it a perk from his emissary-ness? Will he have only Evocation or more? And do you want him/her to be combat-capable or more of a supporting character that creates aspects for others?

Offline Taran

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 9863
    • View Profile
    • Chip
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2011, 01:45:40 PM »
Sponsored Magic would be great for doing lots of effects that go with your theme.  You could use it to enter peoples dreams or whatever else seems appropriate.  If you also choose to take evocation it might boost any Spirit evocations revolving around illusions/veils.

Glamours would be a good choice as well.

Offline UmbraLux

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1685
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2011, 02:13:03 PM »
So after reading through the first book and talking with my GM, I decided that I would play an Emissary of Power.
Fleshing the idea out, I decided on Morpheus, the god of dreams, or perhaps his father Hypnos. From references in Changes, I would hypothesize that other gods from other pantheons were still kicking, yet greatly reduced. I also wanted him to have some kind of magic to go along with his emissary-ness. I think powers that deal in dreams/illusions/etc. and spells (learned before becoming an emissary) would be more evocations.

We are in refresh 10 or something. Anyone have any build suggestions for making this guy? I'm very new to the system but am really a big fan of the dresdenverse. Some help would be appreciated. If you have some ideas on this, please let me know.
Well, it looks like you'll want Marked by Power and Sponsored Magic to cover your requests above.  You may also look at Cloak of Shadows, The Sight, and possibly Spirit Form to represent dream travel.  Though you'd want to work details of the last one out with your GM. 

As a caster, you'll want good Discipline, Conviction, and Lore skills.  As someone who potentially manipulates people through dreams, you'll want Deceit, Empathy, Intimidation, Presence, and Rapport (not necessarily all of them...but the ones which fit your favored methods of manipulation).  A stunt or two for your favored skills may help as well. 

Hope that gives you a few ideas!
--
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”  - Albert Einstein

"Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength."  - Eric Hoffer

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2011, 07:31:05 PM »
Other suggestions:

-Demesne power to represent personal dreamscape.
-Swift Transition or Worldwalker power to allow entry to the dreams of others.
-Dream Or Reality or Reality Warper to impose dream physics on the real world. (CUSTOM POWER ALERT.)
-Incite Emotion reflavour to forcibly put people to sleep.

Would be glad to help with the technical aspects of character-making.

Offline Rungok

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2011, 09:02:21 PM »
Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

I guess I'd like him to be predominantly able to use his sponsor's power to put aspects on opponents, or to cause... what's that called? Mental Stress? damage/consequences. Something like put people into dream states or illusions/glamours to distract and redirect them, cause them to hurt their allies/selves. Maybe as the lord of dreams, he could grant me the ability to communicate with other people's subconscious mind directly?

When it came down to physical conflict, I think having a bit of kinetomancy so he could move faster, swing a weapon in a more deadly fashion. Like how Aristedes did. Except I'd also use it for avoiding conflicts too.

I would love some technical help to build the character.
We have a starting refresh of 10.
I was going to be a focused talent type who got dragged into the vampire wars, and during the conflict almost died during one of the conflicts. While in a real bad way, he was visited by his patron, and offered a chance to survive, and to gain greater power, in exchange for serving him as his emissary in the mortal world. While other gods may have lost more power or less, Morpheus never had the most to begin with, but lost the least since mortals never stop dreaming.
He accepted, and survived.
His concept would be something like "Dreamer's Diplomat" or something similar. May need help with better wording.
His trouble could be his servitude to Morpheus, but that would imply that he dislikes his new job. He doesn't. He enjoys it thoroughly.
Maybe it could be that the White Council views him with suspicion/concern. After all, many of the elders would be able to notice the effect of a sponsor upon him with marginal effort.
Or perhaps he was the emissary specifically because Morpheus' two brothers also had one each. Ikelos and Phantos have a long standing competition where they move their emissaries like chess pieces in an attempt to win at some kind of convoluted and unknowable game.

... any further help would be great.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2011, 05:04:10 PM »
You need Marked By Power. (1 refresh)

The mental attacks, maneuvers, and illusions can be represented with either Glamours + Incite Emotion or Sponsored Magic. (3-6 refresh)

The subconscious communication is not easily modeled with canon powers. (? refresh)

That kinetomancy trick would be Inhuman Speed and maybe Inhuman Strength modified by a custom rebate-granting power. Unfortunately, no such custom power currently exists. I intend to make one soonish, though. Probably modeled after either Human Form or Feeding Dependency. (1-3 refresh)

Total refresh cost would be between 5 and 10 refresh, not counting the subconscious communication.

Story and aspect ideas sound pretty good.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2011, 08:50:24 PM »
You still doing this?

Posted thoughts on the magical speed enhancement thing to the spoiler board.

Offline Onkel Thorsen

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 13
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2011, 06:19:49 PM »
I'd suggest going the Glamors route, Greater Glamors even - depending on how good you want him to be at it - in that you're making people dream although they're awake.
And you might also want to look over the True Faith powers, 'cause you're basically something in between a Faerie Knight and a Knight of the Cross.
As for subconscious communication I suggest taking Supernatural Sense, which is a good catch-all for unusual senses (I've had someone use it to literally speak with and understand animals.)
The ability to visit the dreams of others could be simulated with the Worldwalker power adding the limitation that it only allows passage into a dreaming person's Dreamscape - that should reduce it to -1 Refresh cost.
DV Geek code:

DV Onkel_Thorsen V1.2 YR3 FR(M)0.xx(0) BK++(--) RP++++ JB- TH++ WG+(!) CL+ SW BC- MC---- SH[Murphy++(+++), Lea+, Molly--(+++)]

I have the rank of Focused Practitioner
My Dresden Files purity rating is 33.6%

Offline Taran

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 9863
    • View Profile
    • Chip
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2011, 12:59:25 PM »
I'd maybe make your supernatural speed part of a Feeding Dependency (dreams).  That way you wouldn't want to use it all the time and you'd role against your "hunger".  Maybe the hunger is just you stealing dreams and offering them to your god...causing a bit of mental damage as you do so.

Offline Rungok

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #10 on: September 02, 2011, 07:38:19 PM »
So in the end I made a somewhat complicated character. He is a kinetomancer f.p. with demonic heritage. He has the fp template and eop template. Took only channeling and he has a few shadow related abilities, as his parent was a shadow demon.

Offline Rungok

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
Re: First Character Ever, new to the system, can I get a hand?
« Reply #11 on: September 02, 2011, 09:02:16 PM »
Sorry for the seemingly pointless post, my connection was pretty crappy.

What I was trying to do was describe what I made and ask for help with growth and progression.

The character is a half shadow demon, born as part of a direct experiment by the Denarians to make a more powerful host for one of the coins. The knights of the cross interfered about fifteen years prior. The plan was in ruins, and he was handed to a small talent family in arizona, not knowing what the kid was. (the knights didnt find out about his father.)

The Denarians had given up/forgotten about the kid (for now), but he already has a bunch of other issues at hand.
Refresh 10, 35 skill points.
I have the Focused Practitioner and Emissary of Power Templates.
As such I have Channeling: Kinetic Magic (-2) and Marked by Power: Demon Heritage (-1)
As part of his heritage he has the following abilities.
Cloak of Shadows (-1)
Supernatural Toughness (-1)
 The Catch: Only in darkness/shadows.
Supernatural Recovery (-1)
 The Catch: Only in darkness/shadows.

The way I have it figured, he can be a real boss when he's in darkness or shadowy areas (+4 physical stress, 2 Armor and rapid recovery of stress)
but otherwise is a pretty normal caster. The cloak of shadows helps him be really sneaky, and lets him see in the dark (Which would be kinda necessary to be a shadow demon, one would think.)

but this leaves me some refresh free to use, so anyone got any suggestions? I'd like something to spruce up my spellcasting a little bit.

Also, I would appreciate some help understanding how spellcasting works in regards to my character. I know he has Evocation only for kinetics, but I don't have a great grasp on how it works mathmatically, such as how much power can I put into a spell, the scope, etc. I mean how much of a boost is a five shift increase to my run speed? How good is a six shift block spell?

I have discipline +5, Conviction +4, and Lore +4.