Statting Up Worm Characters

[narphoenix]

Also, I just noticed this line from the end. And I cracked up.

"...Valkyrie standing off to the side, trying to look far less interested than she was as a young man tried on a white bodysuit."

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That's right. The Faerie Queen is in heat.

[Taran]

I'm not too exciting about how it ended.  It kind of puttered out.

[Sanctaphrax]

Anyway, Sancta? Could you ask wildbow what a power has to be to rate different numbers on the scale in each category? Tattletale seemed to imply there was an objective measure.

Sure.

Also, I just noticed this line from the end. And I cracked up.

"...Valkyrie standing off to the side, trying to look far less interested than she was as a young man tried on a white bodysuit."

I thought that was funny too.

Author commentary indicates that the young man was probably a resurrected Clockblocker.

I'm not too exciting about how it ended.  It kind of puttered out.

Me neither, but we seem to be outvoted. It looks like a strong majority of readers like the ending.

[Stirge]

Hey there, would love your input on this thread.  I tried to make a power that would help us convert some Worm characters like Clockblocker as well as help me stat some of NPCs for my Worm PBP game.

"Affliction":
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,39783.0.html

[narphoenix]

This stat block came to me with a little thought, so I thought "What the hell?" and decided to preset you with a (very probably severely lowballed) Taylor as of when Jack woke up:

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Taylor Hebert (In A Submarine)

High Concept: Insect-Controlling Superhero
Trouble Aspect: Issues With Authority
Other Aspects: Former Leader Of The Undersiders, Extra-Strength Passenger, Former Social Pariah, Doing The Wrong Things For The Right Reasons, Unhealthy Determination
Skills:
Fantastic: Discipline, Alertness
Superb: Endurance, Athletics
Great: Scholarship, Intimidation
Good: Conviction, Presence, Lore
Fair: Craftsmanship, Empathy, Rapport
Average: Deceit, Weapons, Fists, Investigation, Stealth
Stunts:
Tough As Nails (Endurance): Opponents who tag physical consequences on attacks against Taylor only get +1 or reroll 3 dice.
Keep Calm And Strategize (Discipline): Use Discipline +1 for Assessments and Declarations related to making clever plans when a normal person would be freaking the hell out.
Into The Eyes And Down The Throat (Discipline): Incite Effect attacks inflict 2 additional stress to people without Toughness or face-protecting armour.
Cape Geek (Famous Individuals; Class S Threats) (Lore) As Occultist
The Unfettered (Intimidation) Taylor's sheer determination to stop the apocalypse gives a a +2 to Intimidation when used to "convince" people to line up the way she needs them to against Armageddon.
Powers:
Supernatural Senses [-3] (See, hear, taste, and feel everything within a few hundred metres)
Incite Potent Physical Persistent Selective Mass Effect At Range [-7] (Insect Control)
Extra Appendages (Flurry Of Blows, Excellent Coordination x2) [-5]
Precognition [-2]
Limitation [+3] (Needs to have bugs to use Powers)
Total Refresh Cost:
-19
Refresh Total:
2

Precognition comes from these lines:

I’d seen the shift coming, and the bugs on the faces of the buildings let me know that the attack was coming a fraction of a second in advance.
...
I’d only dodged as much as I had by virtue of the ability to sense where the bugs that clung to the blades were moving, and enough luck to be able to move into a space that escaped the various thrusts.

Which to me describe textbook Precognition. The Lore Stunt is because she's been reading up. The Unfettered custom stunt is because...you've met her.

[dpara]

This stat block came to me with a little thought, so I thought "What the hell?" and decided to preset you with a (very probably severely lowballed) Taylor as of when Jack woke up:

(click to show/hide)

Taylor Hebert (In A Submarine)

High Concept: Insect-Controlling Superhero
Trouble Aspect: Issues With Authority
Other Aspects: Former Leader Of The Undersiders, Extra-Strength Passenger, Former Social Pariah, Doing The Wrong Things For The Right Reasons, Unhealthy Determination
Skills:
Fantastic: Discipline, Alertness
Superb: Endurance, Athletics
Great: Scholarship, Intimidation
Good: Conviction, Presence, Lore
Fair: Craftsmanship, Empathy, Rapport
Average: Deceit, Weapons, Fists, Investigation, Stealth
Stunts:
Tough As Nails (Endurance): Opponents who tag physical consequences on attacks against Taylor only get +1 or reroll 3 dice.
Keep Calm And Strategize (Discipline): Use Discipline +1 for Assessments and Declarations related to making clever plans when a normal person would be freaking the hell out.
Into The Eyes And Down The Throat (Discipline): Incite Effect attacks inflict 2 additional stress to people without Toughness or face-protecting armour.
Cape Geek (Famous Individuals; Class S Threats) (Lore) As Occultist
The Unfettered (Intimidation) Taylor's sheer determination to stop the apocalypse gives a a +2 to Intimidation when used to "convince" people to line up the way she needs them to against Armageddon.
Powers:
Supernatural Senses [-3] (See, hear, taste, and feel everything within a few hundred metres)
Incite Potent Physical Persistent Selective Mass Effect At Range [-7] (Insect Control)
Extra Appendages (Flurry Of Blows, Excellent Coordination x2) [-5]
Precognition [-2]
Limitation [+3] (Needs to have bugs to use Powers)
Total Refresh Cost:
-19
Refresh Total:
2

Precognition comes from these lines:

Which to me describe textbook Precognition. The Lore Stunt is because she's been reading up. The Unfettered custom stunt is because...you've met her.

Nice though I'd put the skills a bit different, aka buff Investigation (she can listen and follow everyone) and Empathy (pretty much perfect perception of muscle tone) to the cost of Athletics (superb Athletics makes me think of a climber hanging with two fingers on a cliff face) and Scholarship (I think she only had really time to study during her prison sentence).

[Sanctaphrax]

You know, it's become clear that you and I have very different ideas of what a given Refresh level means. I think Taylor could work with 13 Refresh and 40 skill points, you think 21 Refresh and 50 skill points is lowballing it.

I wonder why.

[dpara]

You know, it's become clear that you and I have very different ideas of what a given Refresh level means. I think Taylor could work with 13 Refresh and 40 skill points, you think 21 Refresh and 50 skill points is lowballing it.

I wonder why.

I think it depends strongly if one counts everything Taylor's power can augment as base skills.
With her power one can easily advocate significant buffs on Alertness, Intimidation, Presence, Craftsmanship, Empathy, Stealth, Deceit, Rapport (potentially Scholarship if one can count braille reading) (and later in the game even on Weapons/Guns).

[narphoenix]

You know, it's become clear that you and I have very different ideas of what a given Refresh level means. I think Taylor could work with 13 Refresh and 40 skill points, you think 21 Refresh and 50 skill points is lowballing it.

I wonder why.

This is when she takes on Jack the second time, not when she first becomes Weaver (which is what I assume you wrote up with Scuba Diving). She's probably Jack's equal at that point, as explicitly stated by Golem. The reason I'm thinking I may be lowballing is the Endbringer Fights. The several of them.

[Sanctaphrax]

She doesn't do much in those Endbringer fights that indicates really high stats, though. At least as far as I know.

The Snorkelling/Scuba Diving writeup was meant to cover all of her time as Weaver. She might get stronger over the years, but not so much that I thought new stats were needed.

[narphoenix]

She doesn't do much in those Endbringer fights that indicates really high stats, though. At least as far as I know.

Yes but Milestones. Especially the first Khonsu and the first Tohu/Bohu fight. And as I pointed out, the latter /clearly/ demonstrates Precognition.

The Snorkelling/Scuba Diving writeup was meant to cover all of her time as Weaver. She might get stronger over the years, but not so much that I thought new stats were needed.

I disagree. Given that several points are made about her being Jack's equal, I think she probably was by that time. And Endbringer fights tend to Milestones. Minor at minimum, mostly Significantt, with definite Major on quite a few occasions(the Brockton Bay and the New Delhi fights, as well as the first Khonsu and T/B fight).

[Sanctaphrax]

Yes but Milestones. Especially the first Khonsu and the first Tohu/Bohu fight.

...

And Endbringer fights tend to Milestones. Minor at minimum, mostly Significantt, with definite Major on quite a few occasions(the Brockton Bay and the New Delhi fights, as well as the first Khonsu and T/B fight).

Milestones don't quite work that way. They happen at the end of sessions, scenarios, and plotlines. Brockton Bay, New Delhi, and Khonsu #1 are all very milestone-ish, the others aren't really.

But Taylor is not a DFRPG character. She doesn't advance milestone-style. So the point is moot.

And as I pointed out, the latter /clearly/ demonstrates Precognition.

That passage just demonstrates good awareness and dodging skills. Precognition isn't necessary.

It's not inappropriate either, but her character works just fine without it.

Pretty much all characters do. It's the kind of power that's easily represented by narrating your actions differently.

I disagree. Given that several points are made about her being Jack's equal, I think she probably was by that time.

Maybe she was. But that doesn't mean she has the same amount of skills and Refresh. Those concepts don't exist in the Wormverse.

Plus, Jack could be Snorkelling. I didn't write him that way, but I certainly could have. He'd just need an easy way to take Sponsor Debt.

Honestly, I don't think this difference in opinion is about Taylor specifically. You seem to stat everyone a bit higher than I do. And I'm not saying that's bad, I'm just saying it's a thing.

[narphoenix]

Milestones don't quite work that way. They happen at the end of sessions, scenarios, and plotlines. Brockton Bay, New Delhi, and Khonsu #1 are all very milestone-ish, the others aren't really.

But Taylor is not a DFRPG character. She doesn't advance milestone-style. So the point is moot.

Technically, Harry isn't either. We still model it that way.

That passage just demonstrates good awareness and dodging skills. Precognition isn't necessary.

It's not inappropriate either, but her character works just fine without it.

Pretty much all characters do. It's the kind of power that's easily represented by narrating your actions differently.

The passage explicitly describes her dodging before the attack. We don't get that with many others.

Maybe she was. But that doesn't mean she has the same amount of skills and Refresh. Those concepts don't exist in the Wormverse.

They don't in Dresdenverse, either.

Plus, Jack could be Snorkelling. I didn't write him that way, but I certainly could have. He'd just need an easy way to take Sponsor Debt.

Jack is too skill heavy to be Snorkeling. Plus, he isn't shown to take many compels, which he'd need to if he was taking Sponsor Debt.

Honestly, I don't think this difference in opinion is about Taylor specifically. You seem to stat everyone a bit higher than I do. And I'm not saying that's bad, I'm just saying it's a thing.

That's...fair. But I'm wondering who else you're basing this off of. The only other person I can think of whom I've statted up is Dinah, and you have no post for her.

[Sanctaphrax]

Technically, Harry isn't either. We still model it that way.

...

They don't in Dresdenverse, either.

Well, yeah. You don't say Harry has to have higher stats in Cold Days than in Turn Coat because he went through a bunch of Milestones. You say it because he's demonstrably more powerful.

Pre-timeskip Taylor and post-timeskip Taylor are not terribly different in power. But Leviathan-fight Taylor is much weaker than Behemoth-fight Taylor. It's not about milestones, it's about what the character in question does onscreen.

The passage explicitly describes her dodging before the attack. We don't get that with many others.

True, but that's just good dodging practice in general. I try to do the same when I spar, with limited success.

Jack is too skill heavy to be Snorkeling. Plus, he isn't shown to take many compels, which he'd need to if he was taking Sponsor Debt.

The skills would be tricky but I think I could wrangle something with stunts. As for Compels, it's debatable? Is it a Compel when Jack lets Theo live for two years? Is it a Compel when he agrees to play a ridiculous game with the Brockton Bay capes? I think you could model those actions that way.

That's...fair. But I'm wondering who else you're basing this off of. The only other person I can think of whom I've statted up is Dinah, and you have no post for her.

I've seen your characters on the PbP forum, and we've talked a lot. I think I have a decent idea of your DFRPG-related habits.

If you want specific examples, we briefly discussed the power levels for Panacea and the Undersiders in the Worm PbP thread. Your assessments were significantly above mine.

So yeah. It's an unscientific assessment based on personal familiarity.

[Taran]

This is when she takes on Jack the second time, not when she first becomes Weaver (which is what I assume you wrote up with Scuba Diving). She's probably Jack's equal at that point, as explicitly stated by Golem. The reason I'm thinking I may be lowballing is the Endbringer Fights. The several of them.

I don't remember anyone saying she was jack's equal.  Was it while she and golem were sparring?

I remember golem saying their powers were similar.  Jack was supposed to have a power he wasn't aware of.  She manipulated/surrouned herself with insects and he did the same with capes.

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which is why the prt guy was able to take him down...