Appeal to the Brain Trust - Potential powers for Djinn

[SunlessNick]

I'm currently working on an Arabian Nights themed Dresdenverse game, and have hit a stumbling block with djinn in that it contrast to the "mortals have free will, creatures have a nature" theme, it's an important part of the folklore of djinn that even the most powerful do have free will.  For the most part, I've sacrificed the folklore to the mythos, but nevertheless, I'm looking for some ways to push the line a bit.  So far, I have three approaches, and am looking for second opinions.

The Wish:

A portion of a djinni's power that it can only use by giving up its free will and ceding that power to a mortal's will instead.  Unlike modern takes, this does require that the djinn play fair with whomever makes the wish (that's more in keeping with the folklore I've seen in fact - when djinn were malicious, they'd just attack people rather than offering a wish and twisting it - when wishes were twisted, it tended to be a punishment by fate on a wisher who'd proved they didn't deserve it, rather than by the djinni).  The djinni can carry out a wish so as to add stuff it wants to - eg if it wants an underground palace, it can find someone who wants an overground palace, get them to wish for it, and dig out the former to provide material for the latter.  And the wish will be flavoured by the djinni's nature unless the wisher specifies otherwise - eg an Ifrit will grant wishes in a fiery way, because it wouldn't think to do otherwise unless told to.

I'm not sure how to render it though.  Should the wish be a discount a-la Item of Power or Catch, or should it be a power that grants access to several extra Refresh not normally available?  Or something else?


Ruled by Passion weakness:

Essentially a weakness that means refusing a compel costs an extra Fate point over normal.  Meaning it can't be done as often and needs more taken compels to catch up.  Makes free will possible but taxing.

What should that give back in terms of Refresh?


Passion stress track:

Not compatible with the previous, this adds a stress track similar to Feeding Dependency.  Using the linked powers causes stress that can only be alleviated by acting out according to the djinni's nature.  Makes free will possible, but exhaustible.

What should that give back?  And how to handle alleviating the stress and consequences?  Compels without Fate points or something less obvious?


Lastly:

Not to do with free will, but how would you cost a power that lets you apply the "with evocation's methods and speed" to a mundane skill?  Eg Craft, where rather than conjuring the aforementioned palace out of thin air, you build it mundanely, but impossibly quickly.

[devonapple]

Not to do with free will, but how would you cost a power that lets you apply the "with evocation's methods and speed" to a mundane skill?  Eg Craft, where rather than conjuring the aforementioned palace out of thin air, you build it mundanely, but impossibly quickly.

That's the simplest: Sponsored Magic. One of the most common applications of Thaumaturgy is a supernaturally high Skill check. Dresden's Tracking Spell is a Thaumaturgical Investigation check. His teleportation potion was a Thaumaturgical Athletics check.

Almost any skill check could theoretically be replicated by a powerful Thaumaturgical ritual (social skills would be a gray area - and doesn't most djinn lore say "I can't make anyone fall in love with you" anyway?).  Using pre-existing components would (to me) justify allowing the creation to remain indefinitely, rather than collapse into ectoplasm as a summoned item would.

[PolaroidNinja]

All the mechanics you've listed here are pretty cool, though I'm not sure what the mechanical balance of these would be. But to be honest I think that suggesting specific aspects that describes most of this would be sufficient to get what you're describing here.

Things like "FREE WILLED FREE SPIRIT" or "FIERY SOUL" or "FLAMES OF PASSION"

Then all of these things could be compelled to emulate all the things you've made rules for.

YMMV..

As for wishes, why not make it a form of sponsored magic? Have the character be able to use ALL thaumaturgy at speed and methods as long as the request is in line with a wish from a human. Then you can impose something like the 3 wishes per person, or the human must spend a fate point to make the wish or some such.

Then when the character uses too much magic (through wishes or his own powers/evocation) and takes him/herself out by mental stress, just always make their taken out scene be them falling prey to their passions. Also make sure all consequences that come from this things like "HEATED ANGER" or "BELLIGERENCE" to keep the theme going.

Of course if you just want to have a special mechanic for this for the sake of having a special mechanic then I'm sure some others on the board can help you further!

[SunlessNick]

Of course if you just want to have a special mechanic for this for the sake of having a special mechanic then I'm sure some others on the board can help you further!  -  PolaroidNinja

I wasn't thinking of a special mechanic per se - more like the djinni having some magic/powers within the normal Refresh bounds that it can use normally - but also a bit more that exceeded the Refresh limit, while being discounted by the fact that the djinni has to rely on some else's will in order to have access to it.  The powers themselves would be the normal ones from the game.  (Oh, and it doesn't work if you find someone and say "I'll give you 100 dollars if you make this wish").

However, this:

As for wishes, why not make it a form of sponsored magic? Have the character be able to use ALL thaumaturgy at speed and methods as long as the request is in line with a wish from a human.

... coupled with this:

Almost any skill check could theoretically be replicated by a powerful Thaumaturgical ritual (social skills would be a gray area - and doesn't most djinn lore say "I can't make anyone fall in love with you" anyway?).  Using pre-existing components would (to me) justify allowing the creation to remain indefinitely, rather than collapse into ectoplasm as a summoned item would.  -  devonapple

... sounds like it will cover everything I want from wishes.  Thanks y'two.  I might make it Rituals rather than Thaumaturgy though, just focussing on the "impossible skill use" part - that means a djinni could only grant something that is, aside from how it's obtained, mundane.

[The bit about not making someone fall in love is definitely in - or more generally, they can't violate anyone else's free will.  However, social skills based on being expressive or a master storyteller might work]

K,thanx