Some friends and I are discussing playing through a combination of the Dresden Files and Iron Druid universes, so I came up with a list of powers for them that I thought would be appropriate for a beginning druid that isn't a clone of Atticus, along with some examples and a shortened explanation of how enchanted items/potions work as I understand them. All of the following powers are attaching to the Druidic Tattoos Item of Power. All page references are made to the "Your Story" book.
Item of Power- Druidic Tattoos [-9] pg 167, affecting all of the below:
Note: You must have a Druidic High Concept. If your tattoos are damaged as a result of taking a physical consequence, you lose access to a number of powers with refresh equal to the consequence taken until the damaged tattoos can be repaired. If you directly harm another mortal creature with magic granted by the tattoos, you immediately lose access to all Druidic powers and die at the end of the scene.
One-Time Discount [+1] pg 167 (tattoos can be concealed with clothing)
Marked by Power [-1] pg 169, +1 to all social skill rolls with members of the supernatural community, difficult to conceal from supernatural creatures.
Gaea's Bounty [-4] grants the following "Inhuman" powers:
Inhuman Speed: pg 178, alertness skill +4 for initiative, athletics skill +1 (including dodging), athletics skill +2 when sprinting.
Inhuman Strength: pg 183, might skill +3 for breaking/lifting inanimate things, might skill +1 when grappling and allows 2 stress hit as supplemental action during grapple, might skill always modifies other skills to +1 if it is a combined check, attacks that use muscular force have +2 weapon damage.
Inhuman Recovery: pg 185, can recover from any physical consequence with no justification other than time. Physical consequences heal as if they were one level lower in severity. Endurance never restricts other skills due to lack of rest. Once per scene can clear away mild physical consequence as a supplemental action.
Note: these powers would normally cost 6 refresh but are discounted because if your tattoos lose contact with the Earth, you lose access to all "Inhuman" powers until you can reestablish contact. For a modern urban fantasy environment this is a very powerful restriction. You can also draw on power stored in enchanted items as a free action (such as Atticus' bear charm) to retain access to Gaea's Bounty at a cost of 4 power per exchange.
Sponsored Magic: Elemental Earth [-3]
This is primarily a form of Thaumaturgy as explained on pg 181 and 261, but very basic bindings (sticking two rocks together, two cotton shirts together, etc.) can be performed at the speed of evocation (only as maneuvers and blocks.) You can bind/unbind natural materials and minds, heal, see in the magical spectrum, speak to elementals and ask them to perform tasks, worldwalk, create potions, craft enchanted items, etc. (anything in the Iron Druid Chronicles). This magic may meet the Catch of unnatural creatures (anything undead or made from ectoplasm) if used offensively. You gain a +1 specialization bonus to either complexity or control for one particular application of this magic (binding, healing, etc.). Alternatively, you can gain a +1 specialization bonus to strength or frequency (pg 279-281) for crafting enchanted items and potions. Unlike normal Thaumaturgy, this magic grants no focus item slots, but does grant 4 enchanted item/potion slots.
Note: You may take the Refinement power (pg 182) only for the purpose of gaining additional specialization bonuses or enchanted item/potion slots.
Note: Enchanted items (which could also be called "charms" for the Iron Druid) and potions are pre-generated spells with strength equal your Lore skill plus crafting strength specialization bonuses, with 1 use per session plus any crafting frequency specialization bonuses. Putting an additional enchanted item/potion slot into a spell increases its strength by 1 or the number of uses per session by 2. If you want to use Elemental Earth magic at the speed of evocation, you need to create enchanted items ("charms") or potions like the Iron Druid has.
Examples: Atticus might spend an entire scene speaking the unbinding for a vampire (basically doing a powerful thaumaturgic ritual), and this can get him killed. Rather than doing that, he makes an enchanted item (one of the charms on his necklace) that contains the vampire unbinding spell. It isn't as powerful as going through the whole ritual, but it's fast enough to use in combat. If his lore skill is Great (+4) and he puts one enchanted item slot into a charm, it now has an attack spell with strength of 4 on it that can be used once per session. Actually hitting the vampire with the spell requires a discipline skill roll. He can also make the spell stronger or give it more uses by adding more enchanted item slots to it.
Alternatively he can put the same spell on a knife. It is still strength 4 spell, but rolling to hit the vampire now requires a weapons check rather than discipline. Atticus would also get the benefit of his Inhuman Strength (+2 stress) and the weapon (+1 stress), effectively making it a weapon 7. If the knife only has one enchanted item slot spent on the spell, then after it's used once it's just a regular knife for the rest of the session.
He could also create a bear charm with a strength of 4 in it that can power his Gaea's Bounty power for one exchange if he can't touch the earth. If he puts a total of two enchanted item slots into it he can power Gaea's Bounty for a total of three exchanges.
He could also create a potion such as "Flexabili-tea" that gives him a Great (+4) athletics check once per session to scale a wall or dodge an attack.
He could create a potion "Invisibili-tea" to create a Great (+4) block against being seen.
Note: This power should probably cost more refresh given how broad the applications are but is discounted because if your tattoos are not in contact with the Earth, you lose access to Elemental Earth magic until you can reestablish contact.
Druidic Shapeshifting [-2]
You can shapeshift into one of four different predetermined animal forms as a full action. You may lock down one of the enchanted item slots provided by Elemental Earth Magic to shapeshift as a supplemental action rather than a full action. The number of times you can shapeshift per session is equal to your discipline (shifting back to human doesn't count). You can move around your skills as with "Skill Shuffle" (pg 174 under Beast Change) when shapeshifting. In your animal form you gain the benefit of "Beast Senses" (pg 163 under Echoes of the Beast) for +1 to Alertness or Investigation in a manner that makes sense for that animal. Also, choose one of the following powers when in your shapeshifted form, which you retain even if cut off from the Earth so long as you maintain that form (must make sense for the animal form):
Aquatic pg 162, don't take stress/consequences from drowning, ignore water-based borders while swimming.
Claws pg 162, natural weapons like claws/fangs make "fist" attacks Weapon: 2.
Wings pg 165, can fly
Spiderwalk pg 165, treat any surface as no more difficult than a vertical surface with handholds.
Very small animal forms also are required to take Diminutive Size (pg 163), +4 stealth attempts to remain hidden, +2 investigation/alertness to spot small details, Endurance treated as mediocre for stress boxes, might checks made at -2 to -4, +1 to Athletics for dodging, can only inflict 1 physical stress per attack (not counting weapons)
Note: this power has been discounted because the benefits are not available when in Human Form.
Edit: after some discussion changed the sponsored magic to a -3 refresh ability and now basic bindings can be done at the speed of evocation, but only as blocks and maneuvers.
