Newbie to the game: Non-Evil Necromancer

[Oblyss]

Unless I've been horribly mistaken for some time now, you don't get fate points if you buy out of a compel.  Buying out of a compel doesn't change that.  Unless I'm totally misunderstanding you.

That wasn't the idea. I called on my sponsor for extra power. Gave me 3 points of debt. My GM used 2 of the free compels on stuff they were going to compel anyway, so I didn't get the fate points for the compels.

[Oblyss]

Question about thaumaturgy:

How does the drawing power part work exactly?

Is there a limit on how much power you can draw?

My GM made me come up with 55 shifts of power saying, that Wizards are capped at drawing in what they can do for one Evocation for the whole ritual and have to use other power sources for the rest, like my vampire sacrifices. So they only let me draw in 6 power and I had to  come up with the rest in sacrifices or consequences or it failed.

I argued this isn't how I think it works according to what I've read. They said the Thaumaturgy rules constantly mention it.

[narphoenix]

You can draw up power up to Conviction without paying stress... Per exchange. You get multiple chances to draw up power, and you can take as long as you want with the power. I have never heard a "power up to Conviction for the whole ritual". That's just... Dumb.

[Oblyss]

Thanks for clearing it up.

[Deadmanwalking]

This is described on p. 271 if you need a textual source.

[Oblyss]

This is described on p. 271 if you need a textual source.

Thanks a bunch.

[Deadmanwalking]

Thanks a bunch.

No problem, happy to help. 

[JDK002]

It sounds to me like the GM is getting the 'prep phase' and the 'casting phase' muddled together.  The prep phase is researching info, gathering essential items, mental preparation, ect.  This is where you're lore capped so to speak.  So if your lore is 5, a 55 shift ritual would require 50 points worth of declairations to meet (25 declairations at +2 each) or a hefty amount of role playing.

The actual casting is similar to evocation.  You decide the power level, roll, if you succeed you add that many shifts of power to the total.  Repeat until you hit 55 or flub a roll. 

A word of caution: A 55 shift ritual is really high unless you have several players involved in the casting phase.  By RAW I think Victor Sells heart-explody spell was a complexity of 30.  Narrativly speaking, if you screw up a 55 shift spell it should kill you stone dead instantly or turn you into a vegitable.  Or at the very least destroy whatever building you are in, and possibly the surrounding area.

[Oblyss]

Yeah I'm still waiting to see what their response on the thaumaturgy is, we had to postpone a game because of real life obligations. Should be picking it back up in a day or two, if not next week.

In the end we decided to go ahead and "trade in" the kemmler magic for, as someone suggested(and thanks for the suggestion!), "True Death magic". The other idea was to drop psychomancy part of it for ectomancy instead.

This won't be immediate, it'll be at the least a few sessions from now and at some certain story point, my character's going to get hired on to be the new "Death". Basically a catch all psychopomp from non-specific lore position, but I want them to be a little more than that, without anything that breaks the first law or gets too silly. So I'll see how that goes, probably to help fill in the job I'll make them a sort of "spirit detective" as part of their new job. It'd be nice since currently she has no real job other than "Person for local mafia to shoot at."

That job along with an item of power for some other nifty new powers, they'll then take up an emissary of power role for this position and be all set for -2 refresh.

Sounds like it could be fun and open a lot of new stuff, and probably help get away from the kemmler background. A lot of this is also post-GM revisions and I've come to agree and prefer them. I dont know for sure how long away it is, -2 refresh and I still haven't gotten my first one. Still haven't decided what kind of Item of Power it should be, so far been edging between sword and a scythe. Though, as neat a scythes are they just seem so impractical to my now older self. A sword also seems like it'd be a lot easier to walk down the street with than a scythe if it became necessary. Though I am a fan of the 'rule of cool'.

Also, if anyone has some cool/fun suggestions for these ideas I'd love to hear them. You guys have proven to be full of fun ideas. Even if it's thematic ideas rather than mechanical ones, since the mechanics seem pretty good right now. In particular, I'd love any High Aspect suggestions anyone has since I have to change that was part of Emissary.


In case anyone cares, the powers on the item are here:

(click to show/hide)

[-0] Purpose. This weapon is meant to harvest souls and send them on their way to the afterlife.
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a large steel weapon. Weapon 3.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual predicated upon perverting its purpose.
[+2] One-Time Discount. It's as long as some people are tall. You can't just slip it into your pocket.
[-4] Inevitability.(Supernatural Toughness) The wielder has the inevitability of Death. They will shrug off fatal blows with Supernatural Toughness.
[+2] The Catch: Blessed swords, holy items, Faith Magic. (Coming up with a catch for this was difficult, but in the end this is the one that made the most sense and seems to be what everyone in every video game ever goes with in regards to Death incarnations whether they are good, evil, or neutral in portrayal)
[-1] On a Pale Horse. (Flight) Ability to fly.

Note: This following part is not on the item itself, this is part of the emissary role.
[-1] Marked by Power. The new Death on the Block.

[Deadmanwalking]

"Your Friendly Neighborhood Death" would be the obvious one...

And personally, I'd go with the classic black hooded cloak for the Item of Power, the 'mantle of Death' as it were...this obviously wouldn't be a useful weapon, but you could walk around in it, and it seems thematically better suited to the power-set. Thematically speaking, weapons give offensive powers, mostly, movement and defense are better provided by something like this.

[Oblyss]

"Your Friendly Neighborhood Death" would be the obvious one...

And personally, I'd go with the classic black hooded cloak for the Item of Power, the 'mantle of Death' as it were...this obviously wouldn't be a useful weapon, but you could walk around in it, and it seems thematically better suited to the power-set. Thematically speaking, weapons give offensive powers, mostly, movement and defense are better provided by something like this.

On the Robes, I thought about that and you have a good point. I think I will take you up on that suggestion, and just see about a random non special weapon if I want to cover that part. Thanks.

As for the aspect I dunno, I'm still reading around and trying to think of something that really feels like a homerun choice. Been looking at idioms/expressions about Death only a few have seemed close to "Fuego!".

"It's your Funeral.."
"Nothing is certain but Me and Taxes."

Ok and of course "Don't Fear the Reaper"

[Deadmanwalking]

All those are good, shiny Aspects...but none of them actually define you as a servitor/emissary of Death. That requires something more title-y. High concepts really need a title, and thus are often a bit less cool-sounding than other Aspects...but they usually need to be to fulfill their function of actually defining who and what the character is.

They really need to be something that you could put "He's the..." or "She's a..." in front of and have it make sense. He's the Fallen Prince of the Raith Family. He's a Knight of the Cross. She's Daddy's Little Denarian. He's the Combat Leader of the Alphas. Etc.

[Oblyss]

All those are good, shiny Aspects...but none of them actually define you as a servitor/emissary of Death. That requires something more title-y. High concepts really need a title, and thus are often a bit less cool-sounding than other Aspects...but they usually need to be to fulfill their function of actually defining who and what the character is.

They really need to be something that you could put "He's the..." or "She's a..." in front of and have it make sense. He's the Fallen Prince of the Wraith Family. He's a Knight of the Cross. She's Daddy's Little Denarian. He's the Combat Leader of the Alphas. Etc.

Okay, I see thanks. I'll think about it some more and figure out something along those lines.


Edit: Probably something like Easy-Going, Polite, Outcast, Smart Ass for the 'evocative' part. So something like "Outcast Grim Reaper". Since I really already have an aspect for something like smart ass.

Edit2: Reading up on the resource page, found some new ideas.
Death's Replacement

[Haru]

Because I see it so often in someones signature here on the forum:

"What can the harvest hope for, if not the care of the reaper man." (Terry Pratchett)

Not as a high concept, but one of the other 6 you have available. Maybe even the trouble aspect, meaning he is not just death incarnate, but he cares about the people he has to take over to the other side.

As a high concept, maybe something akin to "Death's errand boy"?

[Oblyss]

Because I see it so often in someones signature here on the forum:

"What can the harvest hope for, if not the care of the reaper man." (Terry Pratchett)

Not as a high concept, but one of the other 6 you have available. Maybe even the trouble aspect, meaning he is not just death incarnate, but he cares about the people he has to take over to the other side.

As a high concept, maybe something akin to "Death's errand boy"?

Hmm, thanks for the thoughts. Considering my character's personality and such I don't think it'd really go as far as to replace their current trouble. Though it could easily replace one of her other aspects, I even have one in mind that could use the boot.