Help starting out...

[Haru]

Parkour!

Glad you like it.

Refinement is a power that costs 1 refresh. Evocation and Thaumaturgy cost 3 each, Channeling and Ritual 2 each. So depending on the powerlevel, you might not have to worry about it.
Oh, the sight costs 1 refresh, by the way, I seem to remember to have forgotten that above. Soulgazing is free if you have the sight, but it costs 1 refresh if you take it without the sight.

You can take refinement as often as you can afford, and each time you can buy different things from this list:

- 1 new spellcasting element
- 2 focus item slots
- 2 points of specialization

The new element is pretty straight forward, If you have evocation, you get 3 elements of the typical 5. If you take this option, you get one more.

Focus item slots and specializations are kind of sort of for the same thing, but they work a bit different. I already covered that you can exchange focus item slots for enchanted item slots 1:2.

Let's start with specializations. You can look at specializations as "magic skills". They can increase either your power or control for evocation, or your complexity and control for thaumaturgy. (There's also an option for magic items, but that's a step towards rocket science at the moment. ) You also have to attach an element (for evo) or a theme (for thaum). So you can specialize in water control or fire power for example. Your level of power to your spell gets added to your conviction when you determine casting stress. Your level of control is added to your discipline roll. The Specializations also have to follow the column system.
Example:
+3 Water power
+2 Fire control, Earth power
+1 Fire power, Water control

This would be a valid specialization set and would cost you 3+2+2+1+1=9 points of specialization. If your conviction and discipline is 4 each, and you cast a water spell, your conviction would count as 4+3=7 and your discipline would count as 4+1=5 for a water spell.

Focus items get an additional divide: offensive or defensive. Offensive is anything that targets an enemy, defensive is anything that targets yourself or an ally. There are edge cases when it comes to targeting the environment, but you'll have to decide on that case by case, if it is meant more offensive or defensive. But on the other hand, focus items don't have to adhere to the column. The only limit is that focus items can't have more focus item slots on them than your lore.
Example:
Blasting Rod: (+2 offensive fire power)

Any time you cast a fire spell at an enemy using this focus item, you get to add +2 to your conviction, in addition to any specialization that applies. You can only ever use 1 focus item per stat you are using. So if you had another item with +1 offensive fire power, you can not add that to the blasting rod above, but you could use an item that gives you + offensive fire control.

You get 1 point of specialization and 2 focus item slots with each evocation and thaumaturgy. Channeling and Ritual only provide the 2 focus item slots each.

We started the first session with a huge group of 20 people, the plot point was that we'd all received summons from this warlord type character. Someone you just cannot refuse and holds a lot of influence. Within five minutes, one character was forced to piss herself, two frothed at the mouth and fainted, and another got made an example of by...literally getting skullfucked. The group halved, and then dwindled to 4 players, now it's the DM and his two buddies who only play because they're flatmates and often cancel sessions by pretending to be busy and making other plans :/

Wow, that's just... wow.

[PirateJack]

We started the first session with a huge group of 20 people, the plot point was that we'd all received summons from this warlord type character. Someone you just cannot refuse and holds a lot of influence. Within five minutes, one character was forced to piss herself, two frothed at the mouth and fainted, and another got made an example of by...literally getting skullfucked. The group halved, and then dwindled to 4 players, now it's the DM and his two buddies who only play because they're flatmates and often cancel sessions by pretending to be busy and making other plans :/

http://gunshowcomic.com/471

So this just about sums him up?

[Sanctaphrax]

Someone needs to have a talk with that guy. A very serious talk.

I had the idea that my character would have been bullied as a kid, so therefore knows how to handle herself in conflicts. Specifically, she's no stranger to people taking a swing at her, trying to trip her and so forth. So she'd have pretty good self-preservation instincts? Or maybe self-taught parkour?

Sure, why not? Most bullying wouldn't help her combat skills much, but maybe she went to the kind of school where you've gotta get into a fistfight every so often or people will look down on you.

Regardless, Average to Good Fists/Athletics/Endurance ought to cover that pretty well.

[Periwinkles]

Had the meeting yesterday, and we created the world and some stuff for my character. We talked about our characters first and then went into the city, and then went back, so yeah. Really thrilled.

Immersion level is chest-deep and my character has taken Evocation, Sight, Soulgaze, -1 parkour and -1 refinement leaving her with 2 refresh. Our city is Venice, which everyone joked made my character into a magic Ezio I'm picking Spirit, Water (for obvious reasons) and another element I'm unsure of, as my GM doesn't particularly like the way earth can be applied, I can't think of anything air can do that spirit can't and fire...well, it's fire I guess. I believe I need an attacking spell, movement spell and one more as rote spells, since I'm not planning on having lore any higher than 3. Discipline and Conviction will be top stats, followed by whatever makes you quick on your feet.

The backstory is that her mother was a retired model, and deciding to relieve her glory days, so to speak, responded to an ad that looked for beautiful women for 'art'. Unfortunately that art was the art of black magic and she found herself in a lot of trouble. Fortunately for her and the other ladies the man responsible was taken down by a warden, Alberich von Seckendorf. She becomes smitten with the man who saves the day, and has an affair, which results in my character being born. Now, her mother isn't that honest or nice a person, so she just pretends the child is her husbands. The husband is a curator at the museum of natural history of Venice, and is a pretty nice guy, loves his 'daughter' a lot. My character is a pretty big daddy's girl and is heavily encouraged by her father to seek out knowledge and question things from an early age. Now, Alberich is a pretty lonely man, and even though he's practically dedicated his life to being a warden, to some degree he wanted to have a family. But he's got a lot of enemies because of his ways, so he doesn't approach his daughter, instead opting to send her books about his side of the world. Her mother is the one who gives them to her, and so she develops a huge fascination towards the supernatural, so to speak. Doesn't help that her father is a bit of a nerd, and so my char grows up reading fantasy novels, watching star trek and things like that. As she gets older, she starts getting interested in conspiracy theories and urban exploration, so starts climbing out her window at night and roaming the streets, hoping to run into something, anything.

When she's 14, she does run into something. Namely, Fomor servitors that were pulling people into the canals, in order to increase their numbers for unspecified purposes. At first this terrifies her, but she's also incredibly excited by the experience and goes out again, this time equipped with her mother's taser, a home-made molotov cocktail and a bunch of stockings filled with canned sardines as some sort of make-shift morning star weapon. She's basically jumping at the chance to become a hero like in her books and games, and really doesn't think things through. Her molotov cocktail impotently breaks on the floor next to a servitor, and the taser really just pisses him off. All hope is lost, if it weren't for Alberich, who saves her with his magic and skill. She becomes enamoured with his powers and pesters and stalks him until he reluctantly (but not really) agrees to take her on as his apprentice. Fast forward to recent years, she's trained under him for five years and has absolutely no talent in thaumaturgy, but rather great at evocation. She's getting antsy again, and starts demanding Alberich take her with him on jobs and so on. He naturally refuses so she steals some of his notes on a man he suspects to be a necromancer and goes out to confront him. Things go pretty damn wrong for her, and she gets saved by him again.

And well, that's it so far. I'm not sure what aspects to give her, though I think her trouble should probably be 'Enemies in high places' or something, as her fathers enemies may or may not have figured out their relationship. I know I want to give her an aspect or something to do with her impatience, like perhaps that she's bad at listening to things regarding the mundane? Not sure, what do you guys think?

I'm also trying for a real normal name for her, so far the first names I thought of were Claire, Lucy, Alice and Evelynn, surnames were White, Hawthorn, Young, Summers and West. Considering going for italian names too perhaps.

[Haru]

Sounds like you had a lot of fun.

I'm picking Spirit, Water (for obvious reasons) and another element I'm unsure of, as my GM doesn't particularly like the way earth can be applied, I can't think of anything air can do that spirit can't and fire...well, it's fire I guess. I believe I need an attacking spell, movement spell and one more as rote spells, since I'm not planning on having lore any higher than 3. Discipline and Conviction will be top stats, followed by whatever makes you quick on your feet.

Quick on your feet would be athletics.

You don't really "need" any rote spell, though it does help, of course, if you are well rounded. I personally prefer blocks and maneuvers for rotes, as you usually try to invoke a few aspects on an attack spell, anyway, so the control part is covered by default.

Not sure what your GMs problem with earth is. Maybe you can get him to give you the way he would accept earth and you just take that. Air has a lot to do with speed and movement. Since you want to go high with athletics anyway, maybe you can use that to your advantage. Maybe even use it to justify taking a speed power when you get more power.

[Periwinkles]

Sounds like you had a lot of fun.
Quick on your feet would be athletics.

You don't really "need" any rote spell, though it does help, of course, if you are well rounded. I personally prefer blocks and maneuvers for rotes, as you usually try to invoke a few aspects on an attack spell, anyway, so the control part is covered by default.

Not sure what your GMs problem with earth is. Maybe you can get him to give you the way he would accept earth and you just take that. Air has a lot to do with speed and movement. Since you want to go high with athletics anyway, maybe you can use that to your advantage. Maybe even use it to justify taking a speed power when you get more power.

Basically he doesn't like the idea of using magnetism to manipulate locks or knock weapons into people, doesn't like the idea of sticky flooring or ground turned to mud, doesn't like earth spikes raising up, doesn't like earthern lightning and especially despises gravity and stuff. I believe its because he feels it would be too 'broken' and overly powerful. He's also imposing limits as to what water magic can do, as it would be quite broken for my character to do too much, in Venice of all places.

[Haru]

Well, as soon as you can use force type spells with spirit, that becomes kind of moot. So you won't use magnetism to disarm someone, but pure force. You don't use magnetism but force to manipulate a lock, and so forth. Most of the time, it's just another way to phrase things.

Though... what does he allow with earth? Doesn't seem like there's much left.

[Sanctaphrax]

I think your GM is a bit off-base.

When it comes to evocation, spell effects are mostly the same no matter what element you're using. A weapon 5 attack is a weapon 5 attack, whether it's crushing gravity or a bullet of compressed air. An 8-shift block is an 8-shift block, whether it's a water wall or a spacial manipulation field.

Elements can satisfy different Catches and create different Aspects, but Aspects and Catches are mostly under the GM's control anyway.

So I don't see why he's worrying about earth or water being overpowered.

Now, if he was worried about spirit being overpowered I could see where he's coming from. It actually has special effects that other elements simply don't have.

PS: There isn't really such a thing as a movement spell with evocation. You can maneuver to create an appropriate Aspect, but if you want to replace your Athletics for movement you should use a ritual or an enchanted item.

[Periwinkles]

I think your GM is a bit off-base.

When it comes to evocation, spell effects are mostly the same no matter what element you're using. A weapon 5 attack is a weapon 5 attack, whether it's crushing gravity or a bullet of compressed air. An 8-shift block is an 8-shift block, whether it's a water wall or a spacial manipulation field.

Elements can satisfy different Catches and create different Aspects, but Aspects and Catches are mostly under the GM's control anyway.

So I don't see why he's worrying about earth or water being overpowered.

Now, if he was worried about spirit being overpowered I could see where he's coming from. It actually has special effects that other elements simply don't have.

PS: There isn't really such a thing as a movement spell with evocation. You can maneuver to create an appropriate Aspect, but if you want to replace your Athletics for movement you should use a ritual or an enchanted item.

http://toonstore.net/Periwinkles/Lucy/

What I've managed so far, had to switch to an italian name and picture for the setting.

I'm really smitten with the idea of using a wood-handled, steel climbing axe as a blasting rod, climbing implement and skull-hole-puncher all rolled into one. What sort of extra effects does spirit have? Though he doesn't want me using any of spirits illusiory or mind-messing abilities if that's what you mean. It's just pure force in his book, probably because we have an illusionist in the party.

[PirateJack]

Your specialisations are limited to increasing either your Control (Discipline rolls) or Power (Allowing +X power per evocation above your Conviction in a certain element). You also get a free specialisation from taking Evocation in the first place.

You also have 2 focus items you can use for offensive/defensive power/control in an element.

So if you were going for a purely offensive fire mage you'd have something like this:

Evocation [-3]
Specialisations: +1 Fire Control
Focus items: +1 Offensive Fire Control, +1 Offensive Fire Power
Refinement [-1]
Specialisations: +1 Fire Control, +1 Fire Power

So you'd have an effective:

Offensive Fire Control: +8
Offensive Fire Power: +7
Defensive Fire Control: +7
Defensive Fire Power: +6

Each of your offensive fire spells can therefore be 7 shifts of power before costing you extra mental stress to cast and you're rolling to control/aim it at +8 Discipline. Your defensive spells are more limited, however, so you can only pump 6 shifts worth of power into them and are rolling at a +7 Discipline to aim/control.

Also, your Parkour stunt doesn't actually do anything at this point. It gives no bonuses to any of your rolls nor allows you to do anything that a typical Athletics roll would be unable to do. I'd suggest something along the lines of:

Parkour [-1] - Flavour here. Gain +1 to Athletics rolls when using it to climb or jump over borders, as long as you have a run up.

The general rule for making up new stunts is a +1 if it's a particularly broad/powerful trapping bonus (like here), +2 if it's supposed to denote a speciality in a given trapping (like if you're particularly good at lying to people), or +3 if it's a very specialised use of a skill (like if you're a gifted locksmith and are designing/building a lock).

EDIT: Also, you need to have fire amongst your Evocation familiarities (currently Water, Earth & Spirit) if you want to use fire magic.

[Periwinkles]

Your specialisations are limited to increasing either your Control (Discipline rolls) or Power (Allowing +X power per evocation above your Conviction in a certain element). You also get a free specialisation from taking Evocation in the first place.

You also have 2 focus items you can use for offensive/defensive power/control in an element.

So if you were going for a purely offensive fire mage you'd have something like this:

Evocation [-3]
Specialisations: +1 Fire Control
Focus items: +1 Offensive Fire Control, +1 Offensive Fire Power
Refinement [-1]
Specialisations: +1 Fire Control, +1 Fire Power

So you'd have an effective:

Offensive Fire Control: +8
Offensive Fire Power: +7
Defensive Fire Control: +7
Defensive Fire Power: +6

Each of your offensive fire spells can therefore be 7 shifts of power before costing you extra mental stress to cast and you're rolling to control/aim it at +8 Discipline. Your defensive spells are more limited, however, so you can only pump 6 shifts worth of power into them and are rolling at a +7 Discipline to aim/control.

Also, your Parkour stunt doesn't actually do anything at this point. It gives no bonuses to any of your rolls nor allows you to do anything that a typical Athletics roll would be unable to do. I'd suggest something along the lines of:

Parkour [-1] - Flavour here. Gain +1 to Athletics rolls when using it to climb or jump over borders, as long as you have a run up.

The general rule for making up new stunts is a +1 if it's a particularly broad/powerful trapping bonus (like here), +2 if it's supposed to denote a speciality in a given trapping (like if you're particularly good at lying to people), or +3 if it's a very specialised use of a skill (like if you're a gifted locksmith and are designing/building a lock).

EDIT: Also, you need to have fire amongst your Evocation familiarities (currently Water, Earth & Spirit) if you want to use fire magic.

I do want a fire blast, however I'm also really keen on spirit shields. Is there a way to balance things out?

Also um, can you guys help me out with aspects and troubles? I've picked out the high concept of Meddling Vigilante Sorceress, which I feel sums her character up rather well. I found these on this site, but I'm not sure how exactly they'd apply.

Carry On My Wayward Daughter
Danger is my middle name
No such thing as "in over my head"
The Bad Guys Hate My Family
Unaware of My heritage
White Knight Syndrome
I'm too cute for you to be mad at...and I know it.
Brave When I Need to Be... Usually
Can't Touch This
Do You Like the Smell of Adventure?
Jumps the Gun

So far what I've got is:

Don't Judge Me by My Size
Invoke: To seem unimportant or unthreatening to an enemy, catching them by surprise, ability to slip into small and narrow spaces
Compel: Get targeted as weak or helpless, get bullied and pushed around

The apple didn't fall far from the tree
Invoke: Whenever she decides to do the right thing, even when it's a bad idea to do so, enforcing
wizarding laws, using spirit based evocation
Compel: For this one I thought it would just be an aspect highlighting her similarities to her biological father

Yeah I suck @_@ I'm too used to just picking stuff out from a dnd book

[Haru]

Yeah I suck @_@ I'm too used to just picking stuff out from a dnd book

Not at all. This game has a pretty steep learning curve, especially if you have a dnd or similar background. It took me a year to get to the point where I thought I got it, and it still throws me curveballs to this day. But I had fun all the while through, so it's not too bad.
Plus, actually playing the game like you are is going to get you there a whole lot faster. You're doing well.

For compels on "The apple didn't fall far from the tree", you can simply look at the father's flaws and apply them to your character. If the father is hotheaded, she is hotheaded. Very easy to compel on that.

I do want a fire blast, however I'm also really keen on spirit shields. Is there a way to balance things out?

Absolutely. First, we need to take inventory.
Evocation gives you 1 specialization and 2 focus item slots.
Refinement gives you 2 specializations or 2 focus item slots.

Which means we can either work with 1 point of specialization and 4 focus item slots, 2/3 or 3/2. Since you want to split things for spirit and fire anyway, and you can't lose specializations, not can they be taken away, I would suggest the 3/2 build.

Since you'll have 5 points total, you can see where you might want to go higher. The specializations/focus items you need are going to be:

(offensive) fire control
(offensive) fire power
(defensive) spirit control
(defensive) spirit power

Of course, if you take a specialization in spirit control, it will count for both offensive and defensive, so the brackets are only for considering focus items. Since you want to have these types of spells to be what you are good at, I would recommend putting one point into each. That leaves us with one point that you can use to increase one of those even further. Like this:

Specializations:
+1 fire control, fire power, spirit power

Focus items:
Steel Climbing Axe (+1 offensive fire control, +1 defensive spirit control)

Which would give you +2 fire control total, the rest would be at +1. Or you could use the 5th point for something else:

Specializations:
+1 fire control, fire power, spirit power

Focus items:
Steel Climbing Axe (+1 offensive spirit control, +1 defensive spirit control)

Which would give you +1 for every spirit spell, when using the axe, no matter if it's offensive or defensive. You could also switch around control and power of course.

And any other kind of permutation of the above would be totally valid. You could also use your 3 points of specialization to build something like this:

Specialization:
+2 fire control
+1 fire power

I personally prefer to keep things even, with uneven numbers favoring control. Especially on offensive stuff, since it also increases your attack roll. With your skills at +5, this gives you at least a +6 for your main spells, which is pretty solid.

[Taran]

Don't forget to make room for enchanted items.  I'd use up one focus slot for 2 enchanted items. You'll want at least one block.

[Haru]

Right, you could use the 5th point for that as well. Good catch, thanks.

[Periwinkles]

Not at all. This game has a pretty steep learning curve, especially if you have a dnd or similar background. It took me a year to get to the point where I thought I got it, and it still throws me curveballs to this day. But I had fun all the while through, so it's not too bad.
Plus, actually playing the game like you are is going to get you there a whole lot faster. You're doing well.

For compels on "The apple didn't fall far from the tree", you can simply look at the father's flaws and apply them to your character. If the father is hotheaded, she is hotheaded. Very easy to compel on that.
Absolutely. First, we need to take inventory.
Evocation gives you 1 specialization and 2 focus item slots.
Refinement gives you 2 specializations or 2 focus item slots.

Which means we can either work with 1 point of specialization and 4 focus item slots, 2/3 or 3/2. Since you want to split things for spirit and fire anyway, and you can't lose specializations, not can they be taken away, I would suggest the 3/2 build.

Since you'll have 5 points total, you can see where you might want to go higher. The specializations/focus items you need are going to be:

(offensive) fire control
(offensive) fire power
(defensive) spirit control
(defensive) spirit power

Of course, if you take a specialization in spirit control, it will count for both offensive and defensive, so the brackets are only for considering focus items. Since you want to have these types of spells to be what you are good at, I would recommend putting one point into each. That leaves us with one point that you can use to increase one of those even further. Like this:

Specializations:
+1 fire control, fire power, spirit power

Focus items:
Steel Climbing Axe (+1 offensive fire control, +1 defensive spirit control)

Which would give you +2 fire control total, the rest would be at +1. Or you could use the 5th point for something else:

Specializations:
+1 fire control, fire power, spirit power

Focus items:
Steel Climbing Axe (+1 offensive spirit control, +1 defensive spirit control)

Which would give you +1 for every spirit spell, when using the axe, no matter if it's offensive or defensive. You could also switch around control and power of course.

And any other kind of permutation of the above would be totally valid. You could also use your 3 points of specialization to build something like this:

Specialization:
+2 fire control
+1 fire power

I personally prefer to keep things even, with uneven numbers favoring control. Especially on offensive stuff, since it also increases your attack roll. With your skills at +5, this gives you at least a +6 for your main spells, which is pretty solid.

My GM has a very generous view of refinement, he believes it grants you 1 element, 2 refinement and 2 specialization. I don't mind at all

Do you think its valid and okay for my character to get the magic climbing axe? My GM hasn't responded to my onslaught of messages yet. We do have a faith-based character with a holy sword, so there's that.

I'm thinking for my rote spells basically a whirling fire tornado blast for offence, force shield and then either another offensive spell, sort of like a kinetic punch/blast or the spirit equivalent of Ventas Servitas, something that can move others and objects and so forth. Also control is like, actually casting the spell, right? Sort of like the attack modifier, against their defence? And then power is like weapon damage?

I managed to put together some aspects, whatcha think?

No Such Thing As "In Over My Head"
'Never give up, never give in, never let anything drop, keep going no matter what, stubborn'

Invoke to achieve or endure physical or spiritual feats through sheer determination and grit, resist any attempt to change your course of action once your mind is set. keep going no matter what. convince others to go along with you with your intensity
Compel to offend someone with your stubbornness, show contempt for 'quitters', take things too far and get into trouble, make enemies by escalating things too much, get forced into a situation beyond your capabilities

Don't Judge Me by My Size
You're small, but surprisingly resourceful.
Invoke: To seem unimportant or unthreatening to an enemy, catching them by surprise, ability to slip into small and narrow spaces, harder to hit
Compel: Get targeted as weak or helpless, get bullied and pushed around, have difficulty reaching things on high shelves, easily lifted up and overpowered

Jumps The Gun:
'You have lightning fast reactions and excellent instincts...or so you'd like to believe. Others would say you act first and think later (if at all)'
Invoke to Succeed in impulsive and reckless actions, act first and fastest, handle a risky situation with much more finesse than anyone has a right to have
Compel to act quickly and realise too late what you've just done, be too busy acting first that you miss something important.

Curiosity Killed The Cat
Invoke to discover hard to find things, covertly pick up rumours, eavesdropping, noticing things out of the ordinary
Compel to make you spend time and effort exploring and examining things, lure you somewhere with the promise of interesting discoveries, be drawn into checking out something dangerous, irritate someone important with your nosiness, make dangerous discoveries, appear to know too much and become a target

I Laughed When His Guts Flew Out In That Movie
invoke to know or think of gory facts, keep your cool when dealing with morbid subjects, make particularly tasteless and unnerving threats
compel to distract you when you should be focusing on other things; make you say inappropriate jokes or comments

The Apple Didn't Fall Far From The Tree
Invoke: Whenever she decides to be a goody-two shoes, even when it's a bad idea to do so, enforcing wizarding laws, using spirit based evocation, rescue friends and allies, get everyone out safely
Compel: stop you from doing something Alberich wouldn't approve of, have alberich ask you to do something inconvenient, act in a predictable manner, preferring to work alone, keeping information from your allies to protect them, make you go back for everyone you can, make you save an enemy from death

I'm Too Cute To Be Mad At...And I Know It
Invoke: Try to charm and joke your way back into someone's good graces, puppy eyes and displays of vulnerability to alleviate the amount of trouble you're in
Compel: annoy someone by overdoing it, embarrassing yourself by failing miserably, pouting too much, getting cocky and pushing people too far

Too much? Too little? Anything else go in there to further balance things out?