https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l1mgn7oeykz0xc8/AACy0k552NlLBbDbIYUZHZ1wa?dl=0There is a link to copies of nearly everything I had to make for the game. So if I happen to mention something you can see where I might of gotten things. Also, thank you for confirming somethings I felt were off as well.
So just a tad more background on my understanding of DFRPG and Fate. All of these pdfs has come from the first campaign I've been in, the first game I was in was run by the same guy, which did a mini con game at our local game store that was my first DFRPG game. By the end of the campaign game, GM admitted that he was playing a fast power gain game, and he wanted to have everyone to have taken an extreme consequence. We started in June and by October we had added 3 refresh to our sheets. When we started I knew very little of how it all worked or most of the lore of the Dresden Files, as I started with the TV series. (Yes I know) But now I have own all the RPG books, the DF novels and read the first omnibus graphic novel.
I'm having a stream of thought issue where I've written one half of this before getting to the correct order of things, my apologies if this is a bit disjointed.
Using Modular Abilities for tools is odd. It lets you buy things that cost refresh, and tools generally don't. If you want to be orthodox about it, you could represent tools with stunts or powers. "+2 Craftsmanship when tool x is useful" or Claws are probably good representations of swords and the tools Commoners have, but inherent ranged attacks cost 2 Refresh so the Gentry are problematic. And of course spending 3 Refresh on Modular Abilities makes no sense, optimization-wise, if you can only choose from 3 Refresh worth of stuff.
So as I pitched the idea at the character creation, it was done on the legionnaire level for a bodyguard that I was using as a template. I had to figure out how to make her more portable but still accessible, so I suggested that all clockwork could 'build' themselves tools or items they needed to do their functions within the codex. By half way point in the game, we scaled the powers to the high refresh and low refresh clockworks.
I can understand the stunts/powers point. However, given how inflexible the codex is theme wise, it was the only thing that would allow them to have different abilities in that fashion, with the commoners unable to change function at all. Unlike most of the other ‘living’ things, they aren’t supposed to grow. They are made and will always be the same until a PC comes along to mess with that.
As for a crossbow that has to be reloaded, while PC’s have access to guns… I’m not sure… Ah after looking into this more you’re talking about breath weapon at the -2. Not the case here. They can’t self-generate ammo, as that would break the self-repair rules. They must use a quiver and bolts. Perhaps if any other clockwork (beside Celestia) had deceit they could preload the bow once for a surprise attack, but it’s not in their nature to do that. (I specifically didn’t put any deceit on them, and all Social rolls are at a -2.)
As for the unlocked version at -5, it gives you a pool of 3 form points, and I don’t see a restriction to spend them on already existing powers or picking up three -1 powers. (Unless I missed something, which I most likely did.) And in fact that is the reason I made them limited until Royal level. That’s on par with Lady level power at -15 refresh. At least in Our World book, given what I now look at the Paranet papers, I’m inclined to drop -3 to -5 refresh on the full block stats of all the clockworks.
As for optimal useage… I try not to be rules lawyery anymore. I tried to stay with what was good for the theme of the clockworks, not how to squeeze every refresh for what I could.
Living Clockwork breaks the normal conventions of DFRPG Powers. Rebate Powers generally work by limiting the effectiveness of other Powers, and weaknesses like "not being able to talk" and "following rules" are generally handled through Compels. And there are good reasons for that: using Compels means that the weakness and the reward for having it are tightly linked.
Yeah, I knew that one, which would be my GM wanting to inserting things in, and kept doing it. Power bloat happened there, and I still have yet to sit down and really balance it out with what I’m comfortable with.
Not being able to talk isn’t done anywhere, it’s the reason I said they have their own way of speaking, it was more for theme.
However to point out something that you might be glossing over or didn’t pick up on because it’s rather vague. Following the rules, specifically the codex, is life for the clockwork, to accidently break them means to turn yourself over for ‘crimes’ and basically get rebuilt from the ground up. Willingly break the codex? Death.
Near the end of the game we played, we ended up needing to go to the Clockwork Court, all the other players were Very Against it. Why? Because they had heard how exacting that codex was, and failing on any roll for proper etiquette would mean death, no exceptions. I could get away with a lot more as my character had the ring, but I couldn’t eat everyone’s mistakes.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear that the Clockwork shouldn’t be PCs ever? They aren’t meant to be fun to play, they are to do one job.
That’s why I put that up as a rebate, it was the only way to get all of the things that ALL clockworks have, and ALL have to deal with. Compels are for players to earn fate, and Clockworks are supposed to be NPCs don’t fit that. Mechanically, yes, vampires have to feed, and the fae must strike fair/equal trades, but clockwork obey the same external rules that have, can, and will change, perhaps without them knowing until it’s too late.
If I were writing the Clockworks, I'd give them a renamed version of Living Dead and handle the rest through Compels. Though I might use the Limitation custom Power to have Strength and Speed drop when electricity hits you.
That’s in fact where I started with the power, again I tweaked a few things, and the GM wanted to tweak it more. And I wasn’t about to argue when he was giving things out for free like that.
Limitation custom power? (Researches Wiki) Yeah, that’s a great idea. If I was completely redoing everything with the wiki, that would be a major rewrite. @_@
The Ring of Unsound Law is interesting. It's useless if you don't have Clockworks working for you, but quite useful if you do. If having it also gives you authority over a number of Clockworks it might be well worth its heavy cost. But the authority that RD has over the machines is left undefined on his character sheet.
In fact the first version of RD didn't have the ring or anything like it, the first Item Of Power that he used was in fact DoReFa, which she was a very low power version totaling all of -5 refresh. DoReFa ended up with a variant of the Modular power to allow her to be the size of a doll.
The concept of the ring was the black staff for the clockwork, but as the clockwork don’t use magic, so we came up with the absorbing the violations from underlings.
As for RD’s authority, that’s because it’s very scary if you wanted to power game the system. He’s betrothed to a princess (technically married already) so he’s got prince level authority, he could assassinate and take the crown to make himself king, and simply rule that no one could remember how he became king.
By the end of the game, because of outsider involvement, RD became the Steward in the King’s name as the only thing left of the king and queen were two white stones and one red stone. And only enough metal to rebuild one or the other.
