Author Topic: Help me balance these guys!  (Read 11058 times)

Offline Deadmanwalking

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 3534
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #30 on: December 23, 2012, 12:05:19 AM »
And here's the fixed version:

Name:
Sir Mordred Malebranche of the Round Table

High Concept:
The Dark Hunter

Trouble:
I Used To Go Bump In The Night

Other:
Razorgloom
Raised By Goblins;
Give Me My Bloody Spells Back
“You Are The Brute Squad”
Daddy Erlköenig
Arthur’s Bane
“Name’s Captain Reynolds, Ma’am”

Skills:
Fantastic: Conviction, Discipline
Superb:, Weapons, Lore
Great: Athletics, Intimidation, Stealth,
Good: Endurance, Survival, Presence,
Fair: Alertness, Deceit, Fists,
Average: Burglary, Contacts, Scholarship,

Stunts:
Hunter (Survival)
Inexhaustible Power: You always have a bit more juice to draw upon. You may take two additional mild mental consequences when facing the stress incurred from using Evocation.*


Powers:
Incite Emotion (Fear/Dread) [-3] (At Range, Lasting Emotion)
Emotional Vampire [-1]

Marked By Power [-1]
Wyld Magic [-4]
Refinements [-1]

Feeding Dependency [+1], affecting
Inhuman Strength [-2]
Inhuman Speed [-2]

Inhuman Toughness [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
The Catch is Silver and holy objects [+3]

Item of Power: Razorgloom [-1]

Total: -17 Refresh
Fate Points: 1

Focus Items:
Bracer of the Hunt, Right [+1 Offensive Power, +1 Offensive Control with Wyld Magic]
Bracer of the Hunt, Left  [+1 Defensive Power, +1 Defensive Control with Wyld Magic]

Enchanted Items:
Replica Browncoat [6 shift Block or Armor 3, 5 uses per session] [4 Item Slots]

Stress:
Mental: OOOO + 3 additional mild consequences (2 only usable for magic)
Physical: OOOO(OO)
Social: OOOO
Hunger: OOOO +1 additional mild consequence
Armor: 1, or by spell or item effect.

Razorgloom(Laevateinn) [-1]
Razorgloom is the Sword of Wyld’s Shadow- The Dark Hunter’s equivalent to the Sword of Summer’s Flame or the Sword of Winter’s Frost. It carries these abilities-

Purpose [-0] Razorgloom’s true purpose is the killing of Faeries. Take a -2 to any Rapport or Empathy check when dealing with the Sidhe as the sword empathically urges you to kill them. It will refuse to function for any Sidhe who does not work without the sanction of the Erlking.  It also enjoys destroying lights.

All Creatures Are Prey [-2] Razorgloom was forged not to defend, or retaliate, or even to kill- It was made to destroy, and it excels in it’s task. It ignores all mundane armor effects and reduces the level of Toughness of any creature by one (Supernatural becomes Inhuman, Inhuman vanishes) [This seemed under-costed, since it applies to everything]

Shadow-Sharpened [-0] Razorgloom is one of  the sharpest things in the world- It was sharpened on, in order, wool, velvet, silk, wind, sunlight, a whisper, a breath, and a smile. In light, it acts as a Weapon:2 katana. In shadow or darkness, it is Weapon:4. [This, on the other hand, seemed overcosted. It could be Weapon 3 for free, being Weapon 2 sometimes and Weapon 4 others seemed a fair trade for that.]

Mageslayer [-1]  Razorgloom was made to kill Sidhe, masters of magic. The svartalves who forged it took this into account, and enchanted it similarly to a Warden’s sword- it may be used with Weapons as a defense against spells, and may also attack existing spells with Weapons using the Counterspell rules. [This...sat slightly wrong. This version is more...synchronized. Still might be too powerful though. Hmmmm. That might be balanced out by the (completely unnecessary, mechanically) social penalty listed under Purpose.]

One Time Discount [+2] Hiding a full-sized katana is tricksy.

Unbreakable [-0] Razorgloom cannot be broken or destroyed except in a specific ritual involving Summer’s light and soulfire.
« Last Edit: December 23, 2012, 07:45:05 AM by Deadmanwalking »

Offline Hick Jr

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1330
  • Actually just a jar full of bees attached to a CPU
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #31 on: December 23, 2012, 12:33:32 AM »
Nice! I'm finishing up the fifth guy now.
On a different note from how awful I am at balance, I wrote a template!
(oh god why does that seem so ironic)

Specifically, a template for this custom power level. I got the idea when i realized that there don't seem to be orcs in the DV. Also, i recently read Unseen Academicals, so I'm in a fey (orc?) mood. It's more of a monster statblock than a playable template, but c'est la vie. It's inside the spoiler.
(click to show/hide)

it's actually a really strange prospect to have someone play one of these, if only because there's so few of them.
« Last Edit: December 23, 2012, 04:25:55 AM by Hick Jr »
Hi! My home is called an apiary! I collect honey, and defend the Queen!

Not-so-secretly a power hungry megalomaniac with a Modular Abilities addiction.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #32 on: December 23, 2012, 12:47:35 AM »
ooh! It's Sanctaphrax! I liked those books too, but I'm not very far in the series (Midnight over Sanctaphrax)

I think you're the first person here to mention getting the reference. I hereby award you one internet.

I strongly disagree, as do the Evil Hat folks (for those who care). You're quite right it deserves mention, though.

If you've discussed this before, I'd be interested in seeing a link to the discussion.

Offline Hick Jr

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1330
  • Actually just a jar full of bees attached to a CPU
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #33 on: December 23, 2012, 01:02:41 AM »
SOON I WILL AMASS ALL THE INTERNETS

(SPOILER ALERT: HICKJR IS SECRETLY COWL ATTEMTPING A VERY ROUNDABOUT WAY OF GLOBAL CONTROL, NONE OF THE FOOLISH WIZARDS WILL SUSPECT THE INTERNET)

(SPOILER ALERT SECUNDUS: MISTER IS FERROVAX, MURPHY'S MOM IS THE ERLKING)
Hi! My home is called an apiary! I collect honey, and defend the Queen!

Not-so-secretly a power hungry megalomaniac with a Modular Abilities addiction.

Offline Hick Jr

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1330
  • Actually just a jar full of bees attached to a CPU
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #34 on: December 23, 2012, 01:14:14 AM »
Also, if the idea where he's an ancient Arthurian knight who is actually more chivalrous than Harry Dresden is a little too ridiculous, the Dark Hunter is rather easily rewritten as Jack the Ripper.
Hi! My home is called an apiary! I collect honey, and defend the Queen!

Not-so-secretly a power hungry megalomaniac with a Modular Abilities addiction.

Offline Deadmanwalking

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 3534
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #35 on: December 23, 2012, 02:09:04 AM »
If you've discussed this before, I'd be interested in seeing a link to the discussion.

Link.

Particularly, read Fred's post on defensive items, which involves using one as a Block, and then later as Armor.

Offline Hick Jr

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1330
  • Actually just a jar full of bees attached to a CPU
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #36 on: December 23, 2012, 02:27:32 AM »
Here's the fifth guy. His backstory is under the spoiler.

(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)
on second thought, i am probably going to scrap that because it's awful. The concept is solid but in practice it's a little insane. (Is it just me or do skill pyramids get really really weird at high power levels? Like i'm trying to figure out why the weredinosaur is a trained ninja) And i like the mordred rewrite. It's closer to what i had in mind for him. I do still have one question-You've got specific elements down for Wyld Magic, which is, like Summer and Winter, it's own element. Typo?

edit secundus- I added the social penalty because I reread every section of the DV involving a magic sword or blade, and learned that if you keep one long enough, it gains a measure of sentience. If not sentience, a purpose. Medea's Bodkin seeks chaos and wildness, Morgana's athame seeks...well. I found it fitting that Laevateinn should seek the death of the Sidhe. After all, it's The Sword of Wyld's Shadow. Killing the Sidhe is the Wyld equivalent of Hunting The Most Dangerous Game.

Regarding the earlier comment on how closely to the actual Iron Druid books i'd like to remain, insta-death for a First Law violation is kind of weird. Atticus can't explicitly just unbind someone into their component elements. That's an easy First Law violation. But he could suck them to the waist in earth and decapitate them and there wouldn't be a problem. Which is what the Wardens do, now that i think about it. So essentially obey those rules if you use the character, i guess?
« Last Edit: December 23, 2012, 06:22:44 AM by Hick Jr »
Hi! My home is called an apiary! I collect honey, and defend the Queen!

Not-so-secretly a power hungry megalomaniac with a Modular Abilities addiction.

Offline Deadmanwalking

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 3534
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #37 on: December 23, 2012, 07:44:15 AM »
So...you want me to remake that one, too?

Yeah, the Element thing's a typo, I was in a hurry. I'll fix it.

And I didn't say the social penalty didn't make sense...I said it was mechanically unnecessary. And thus helped pay for a potentially too good ability.

As for Atticus...I'd say he can just always be compelled by his High Concept not to kill folks with magic.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #38 on: December 23, 2012, 08:57:51 AM »
Lawbreaker is basically instant death anyway, for a 1-Refresh PC. Either way the character isn't playable anymore. So if Atticus has 1 Refresh then swapping out death for the Lawbreaker Power ought to be a fair trade.

I don't think Sponsored Faith should cost anything. Debt is, at least in theory, no different in value from FP.

PS: Link's interesting. Explains some of the current balance problems with enchanted items. I note with interest that Fred's on my side when it comes to unique abilities that let Luccio make rule-breaking items.

Offline Deadmanwalking

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 3534
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #39 on: December 23, 2012, 09:18:03 AM »
Lawbreaker is basically instant death anyway, for a 1-Refresh PC. Either way the character isn't playable anymore. So if Atticus has 1 Refresh then swapping out death for the Lawbreaker Power ought to be a fair trade.

Very reasonable.

I don't think Sponsored Faith should cost anything. Debt is, at least in theory, no different in value from FP.

Certainly no more than -1.

PS: Link's interesting. Explains some of the current balance problems with enchanted items. I note with interest that Fred's on my side when it comes to unique abilities that let Luccio make rule-breaking items.

True! But mostly only in its ability to choose which of the two abilities you use (something my version removes and replaces).

Offline Tedronai

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2343
  • Damane
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #40 on: December 23, 2012, 09:32:56 AM »
Certainly no more than -1.

I wouldn't even cost such a 'power' at -0.  I wouldn't even call it a power.

The Dark Powers are always willing to help.  Always.  Even Pure Mortals.  Some are likely especially eager to help Pure Mortals.
Even Chaotic Neutral individuals have to apologize sometimes. But at least we don't have to mean it.
Slough

Offline Deadmanwalking

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 3534
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #41 on: December 23, 2012, 12:03:08 PM »
I wouldn't even cost such a 'power' at -0.  I wouldn't even call it a power.

The Dark Powers are always willing to help.  Always.  Even Pure Mortals.  Some are likely especially eager to help Pure Mortals.

Yeah, but it's rather specifically the Light powers in this case...the kinder agenda may be worth something. Or not. I'd probably allow it at -0, personally, I was just saying, even going as extreme a cost as possible, no more than -1.

Offline Tedronai

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2343
  • Damane
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #42 on: December 23, 2012, 07:52:06 PM »
-0 seems a rather extreme cost to me for the ability to incur Compels.
ALL Compels are weighted equally, no matter the agenda.  If it doesn't sufficiently inconvenience you, then it's not worth the Compel.  That's the RAW.
Even Chaotic Neutral individuals have to apologize sometimes. But at least we don't have to mean it.
Slough

Offline Hick Jr

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1330
  • Actually just a jar full of bees attached to a CPU
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #43 on: December 23, 2012, 08:32:15 PM »
I put Sponsored Faith in there because i wanted him to get a lot of mileage out of his True Faith stuff. The idea is from the Generic NPC thread's statblock of an angel, which had this power. I felt it was appropriate. If you feel it makes sense as a -0, that's great. You're the expert here.

I'll admit to skimming the thread regarding Crafting, which sort of turns my brain into a mobius strip when i try to figure out how it interacts with Refinement and Sponsored magic. I'm not entirely sure about the deletion of "always on" items, though-It sort of cuts down on things like Harry's duster.
Hi! My home is called an apiary! I collect honey, and defend the Queen!

Not-so-secretly a power hungry megalomaniac with a Modular Abilities addiction.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: Help me balance these guys!
« Reply #44 on: December 23, 2012, 10:44:57 PM »
The idea is from the Generic NPC thread's statblock of an angel, which had this power. I felt it was appropriate.

Yeah...sorry about that.

I wrote that back when I was pretty bad at custom Powers. Should definitely cost 0, if it's gonna be a Power. Especially if the Sponsor is gonna enforce morality on you.