Stats For Gods

[Sanctaphrax]

Looks okay to me. Hard to say for sure since the Lords get very little screentime, though.

I'd consider some custom upgrades for the Incite Emotion. Aren't they able to awe-strike multiple people at once?

Might buff the Sponsored Magic a little. Half a Refinement is rather weak for an extra benefit. Maybe give blood sacrifices some extra effectiveness when used with Chichen Itza Magic?

As for Odin, I have no idea. I wouldn't worry about giving him a ridiculous Refresh cost, since he's an NPC and a god to boot. But he does seem to wear various hats...no idea whether the guise he's in affects his abilities.

[Hick Jr]

Sorry if i'm breaking the Fifth Law here, but I was rereading Worm and I had a thought- a few of these Powers are pretty good ways to represent the Endbringers. Miracles easily handles BEHEMOTH's dynakinesis, both the "shoot lightning bolts" evocation-type attacks, and the "wreck an entire city" thaumaturgy-type attacks. Leviathan's macrohydrokinesis, especially the "power builds while you fight him" aspect, is also easily covered by Miracle's ritual stuff. The Simurgh might perform some kind of massive area psychic ritual that applies the ALTERED BY THE SIMURGH Aspect, which she Compels later on, and Divine Toughness represents their reality-shattering biological makeup that not even Foil beats.

Thoughts? With this, we could probably at least try to write up Scion too.

[Sanctaphrax]

I dunno about Scion, actually. He mostly just does standard stuff, except with bigger numbers and a win button that he hits occasionally.

Some kind of scale-enhancement mechanic might be a good idea. DFRPG just doesn't do really large attacks.

But Divine Toughness would be suitable for both him and the Endbringers.

And Miracles is pretty close to the hydro/dyna-kinesis of Leviathan and Behemoth. But it's not quite the same. Endbringers don't build up huge complexity over time and discharge it all instantly in a big one-shot ritual effect.

Miracles is closer to what Behemoth does and what Leviathan does than the Powers I actually used in their writeups, but that's not necessarily saying much.

[vultur]

Wasn't there a custom power that was like The Sight but without the drawbacks? Would seem appropriate for Odin...

[narphoenix]

Wasn't there a custom power that was like The Sight but without the drawbacks? Would seem appropriate for Odin...

Eye of Providence. It's on the wiki.

[vultur]

OK, thanks (name sounds more like a True Faith power honestly...)

The really tricky bit with Odin is that he really deserves two High Concepts. Not sure which one to pick but

(click to show/hide)

I think I'm going with 'Kris Kringle the Winter King' as his actual High Concept as he's "mostly retired" as Odin

.

Right now he's looking like about 60 Refresh and a truly insane number of skill points (I think he deserves "all others default to Good").

[vultur]

Looks okay to me. Hard to say for sure since the Lords get very little screentime, though.

I'd consider some custom upgrades for the Incite Emotion. Aren't they able to awe-strike multiple people at once?

Well, on re-reading, one does indeed use it to create a sort of 'barrier' against Harry and Sanya (it doesn't block Murphy because she has the Sword) on the steps of the pyramid.

Interestingly, one is also described as using its will to help out its warriors, so it's not really just a terror/awe thing. Maybe Incite Emotion isn't even the best way to model that ability -- it doesn't really seem to be different from a spirit evocation (which Harry often describes as using his will as force etc.) except that the Lords don't say a word (or use a focus item) to activate it -- and we know from Harry in FM that you CAN do magic without a spoken word, it's just more dangerous.

So on further thought, the 'force of will' bit might just be a highly refined aspect of evocation - what do you think?


EDIT: So maybe I should swap out the Incite Emotion for Evocation, Refinement, and some way to do mental attacks with it?

EDIT x2: This interpretation would also have the benefit of making Odin's stat block a little less messy, since I already
have him down as a very powerful wizard.

Might buff the Sponsored Magic a little. Half a Refinement is rather weak for an extra benefit. Maybe give blood sacrifices some extra effectiveness when used with Chichen Itza Magic?

Yeah, good idea... have to think about exactly how that would work.

[Sanctaphrax]

It could work as spellcasting. Mental attacks with evocation are ridiculously dangerous though. Even evothaum mental attacks, which don't have weapon ratings, are reasonably strong.

Strengthening warriors could just be a maneuver. Easy with all kinds of Powers.

[vultur]

It could work as spellcasting. Mental attacks with evocation are ridiculously dangerous though. Even evothaum mental attacks, which don't have weapon ratings, are reasonably strong.

Yeah.

The LoON mental lockdown is pretty crazy powerful though, it's only the use of a Sword of the Cross that defeats it (Bob's mental shield helps out, but it's just enough to get the Sword into play).

On second thought, though, I think it's actually a very powerful block rather than an attack, so they don't actually need any special mental evocation power. Actually it may not BE a mental attack in the same way Corpsetaker's stuff is -- Harry's description talks about it being a pain-in-the-nerves thing as well as immobility, so it may immobilize the body rather than overwhelm the mind.

So yeah, just Evocation with Refinements is probably enough.

[narphoenix]

Yeah.

The LoON mental lockdown is pretty crazy powerful though, it's only the use of a Sword of the Cross that defeats it (Bob's mental shield helps out, but it's just enough to get the Sword into play).

On second thought, though, I think it's actually a very powerful block rather than an attack, so they don't actually need any special mental evocation power. Actually it may not BE a mental attack in the same way Corpsetaker's stuff is -- Harry's description talks about it being a pain-in-the-nerves thing as well as immobility, so it may immobilize the body rather than overwhelm the mind.

So yeah, just Evocation with Refinements is probably enough.

Donar may need Miracles flat out (he doesn't seem to tire throwing a whole bunch of spells around). Maybe with a [-2] upgrade that allows it to cover all Evocation and Thaumaturgy?

[vultur]

Where does he throw around that many spells? In Changes all he really does in the battle that we actually see on-screen is open the lightning gates (for the tengu army and to leave the battlefield). I'm sure he did more but it's not on-screen... I was re-reading the scene just yesterday to watch for what Odin and the LoON did. Eb seems to do more.

It's been longer since I read CD, but IIRC there he deals with the time thing and then is out of most of the rest of the conflict.

And wizards in the novels seem to be able to cast more spells than in the game, anyway without taking the sort of damage that would translate to consequences. Harry mostly just seems tired rather than anything that lasts, especially in the later books.

[narphoenix]

Where does he throw around that many spells? In Changes all he really does in the battle that we actually see on-screen is open the lightning gates (for the tengu army and to leave the battlefield). I'm sure he did more but it's not on-screen... I was re-reading the scene just yesterday to watch for what Odin and the LoON did. Eb seems to do more.

It's been longer since I read CD, but IIRC there he deals with the time thing and then is out of most of the rest of the conflict.

He engaged the Red Court. And a whole bunch of Outsiders. I don't care how badass you are, you need a way to throw tons of spells to do that.

And wizards in the novels seem to be able to cast more spells than in the game, anyway without taking the sort of damage that would translate to consequences. Harry mostly just seems tired rather than anything that lasts, especially in the later books.

Harry can take Sponsor Debt with ridiculous ease starting in Dead Beat. Of course he can keep going longer.

[Cadd]

He engaged the Red Court. And a whole bunch of Outsiders. I don't care how badass you are, you need a way to throw tons of spells to do that.

Outsiders!? When? Or do you mean Lords of Outer Night?

[narphoenix]

Outsiders!? When? Or do you mean Lords of Outer Night?

Cold Days. And I mean Outsiders. Like, Capital O. Hordes of them. Not in his own, granted, but he did it.

[Cadd]

Cold Days. And I mean Outsiders. Like, Capital O. Hordes of them. Not in his own, granted, but he did it.

Of course! /headdesk
Don't mind me, I was just forgetting a whole book over here

But wait - is he actually along for the fight? Some of it, probably, but nothing onscreen right? He lifts them out of the slow time lane, then we don't see him again until after the fight, right?