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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 06:10:50 AM

Title: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 06:10:50 AM

So I wanna offer one of my players a fancy new template, sort of a Prestige Class if you will. I'd like some help fine tuning.

The Caretaker

Not all powers are ancient, and not all bargains were struck before time was time. There are, occasionally new things under the sun. At least new in certain places. King Solomon was a drunk, and a man so indebted he became the only white man owned by an African American in Lexington, KY. During the cholera outbreak that killed a quarter of the city and ran off another quarter, Solomon stayed behind and dug graves, allegedly being able to beat back the water contaminant because, as a drunk, he never drank water. He became a hero and local legend, and the extra bodies made Lexington Cemetery, already home to some of the most distinguished dead of the region, a place of history.

Solomon actually never died.  Nor was it his drinking habits that saved his life. He became the Caretaker. Working tirelessly and selflessly and bond was struck, wordlessly, naturally, between Solomon, the heart of the city, and the dead. In the cemetery, Solomon is practically immortal. His body can recover from any wound or illness, even the ravages of time. He communes easily with the spirits of the cemetery, and has little difficulty with them anywhere else for that matter. And if the spirits ever get restless, his shovel, endowed with some extra spiritual weight, has little problem keeping them in line. But this power, as all power, comes with cost. Solomon's strength is tied to the land, tied to the city, tied to the cemetery. The further from these bounds he travels, the more vulnerable he becomes. Outside of the city, he'll even begin to age normally. But Solomon has always been a simple man, always been a homebody, needing only a jug and a job. He's never left the city. Not in nearly two hundred years. But Solomon has a feeling that his time might be up. And that another Caretaker must be named.

So that's what I want the template to be, story wise. Those are the functions. To restate; some sort of invulnerability tied to his proximity to the cemetery, and, if necessary the city itself, the ability to commune with, and sense the proximal dead, the ability to get them to notice him effortlessly, and his magic shovel which can affect any incorporeal creature (possibly even blamps in mist form?).

What I'm thinking to accomplish the invulnerability is either:
The closer to the cemetery the greater the recovery: mythic inside, inhuman and furthest useful range.

OR

Feeding Dependency: The further away from the cemetery, the more Hunger Stress it costs.

I'm also considering allowing him to buy strength and or toughness (but not speed, wouldn't make sense), but that's a buy-in.

The ghost stuff will be innate to the template as it's not actual ectomancy per se, since he's not actually using thaumaturgy. Also, he can't control or manipulate spirits, just talk to them, and he doesn't have to "get them to acknowledge him" like it says in the book. He's "on their wavelength" so to speak. The shovel's just a shovel (though maybe a Weapon: 3 shovel just for yucks), but I'm considering a Stunt that's something like "It's an extension of my will" that lets him roll his Fists to use it instead of Weapons.

What do you guys think?

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 06:12:18 AM

Oh! And one additional thing...

The Caretaker has a sort of Intellectus bond with the cemetery. There's no actual "mind" or "spirit" behind it, and he doesn't get any other benefit out of it, but in the cemetery itself, the Caretaker knows all.

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: Lanir on September 04, 2010, 09:50:22 AM

From a gameplay perspective I think constantly arbitrating the distance from the cemetery might get a bit old. I'm going to borrow an idea from White Wolf's Tzimisce clan weakness here and suggest that he just needs to sleep in it. This does a couple things for you. First off, he doesn't have to be a demigod within the borders of the cemetery. And because of that, you don't have to hammer him so hard outside of it. Secondly, it's much easier to track and won't sidetrack your game with discussions about how near or far he actually is from it. You can totally go it the other way, I just think it might prove more of a distraction than a benefit to the story you want to tell. Third, by stabilizing the power level a lot more your player gets to spend more time thinking about playing the character they imagined and less time trying to work out how to maneuver every battle to happen on home ground where they're a godling.

If you need some system model to use for the effects you want, you might get some mileage over a rebadged version of Beast Change and use Human Form, possibly with the Involuntary Change variant to map out your powers. As a side note, I see why they wrote up beast form the way they did, but I kind of wish they'd made it into a more general alternate form power.

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 10:59:26 AM

You're right about the boundary thing, but I've reread the supernatural powers section, and there's a note just for me! I'm leaning towards making it Supernatural in the cemetery, Inhuman in the city, and nil outside the city. Besides, it has to be THAT cemetery and Lexington's big enough for me to make that a problem. Heck, worse comes to worse, I'll trash his jeep. Good luck running 7-14 miles with who/what ever on your back. How does that sound?

Ghost talker is the other power I need (Wow you get a LOT with that for one refresh!) I'm trying to work out what the shovel imparts other than the ability to hit non-corporeals, if anything. Aegis of respect? He doesn't work for any particular faction, in fact the office is somewhat neutral, due to its specificity as caretaker of the dead, but he's been given a role/destiny by something/someone, so respect. Something like that?

Also, as a complete side note...given that our world abuts the Nevernever at places not of similar geography but instead similar tone/intent/whathaveyou...what would be on the other side of a cemetery?  :-[

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: Lanir on September 04, 2010, 01:36:44 PM

Didn't catch the note you mentioned but the way you describe it sounds a lot more viable. Mythic sounds like it's generally one of those tricks that a PC shouldn't get ahold of (although drooling and wishing are certainly encouraged).

Ghost Speaker is great. I'm not sure about Marked by Power though. Basically what that says is that you're seen as an agent of some greater power. Or in other words, you get more respect than you should because you're a tool of someone strong. The other side of that is... well, you ARE a tool of something much stronger than you and you can be certain you'll end up taking action to support their agenda. One way or another. This makes it not really the right trick to grab for people who should be respected in their own right.

The Nevernever isn't really mapped out amazingly well. It would depend on what the main theme of the cemetery would be. Obviously it will at least have somber overtones.

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 10:28:15 PM

Well he would be SORT of an agent of a greater power. And while that power doesn't have an "agenda" it does have severe restrictions. But you're right. Just throwing around ideas.

I think someplace opposite where we keep our dead would probably be awful. I point to Harry's paranoia in Changes.

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 10:43:55 PM

Oh and a note on the Toughness/Recovery stuff...it only covers physical stress...a point that shall be made quite clear when a

(click to show/hide)

necromancer sucks all the magic/lifeforce/whatever out of Solomon right in front of everyone, in a mental stress attack, stealing his "soul" which is mostly what makes him up any more

so I'm not TERRIBLY worried about the player getting too dependent on the physical immunities since he'll know from Jumpstreet that other magical attacks can kill him no problem.

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 11:06:58 PM

Okay so my only real concern now is can "The Catch" for his recovery/toughness be his Feeding Dependency on being in the cemetery? What I've decided is he gets Supernatural R/T, and if he's outside using these causes feeding stress. If he takes feeding stress this down grades to Inhuman R or T, or both if high enough, then one cancels, then the other. Feeding failure is passing out from exhaustion.

Can that qualify as a Catch? If so I'd give it a +2 for being easy to access, you just have to get him outside of the cemetery, and a +1 for how "figureoutable" it is, since he IS the Caretaker and his power comes from the cemetery it wouldn't be that big a reach would it? Or is it more of a +0? And would he still get the +1 for the dependency?

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: luminos on September 04, 2010, 11:13:06 PM

Don't try to twist the logic too much.  Getting one rebate for feeding dependency doesn't justify increasing that rebate for its own sake by making it the catch as well. 

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 04, 2010, 11:16:59 PM

Yeah I figured that'd probably be the case but this wasn't something I'd run up against yet, rules/charbuilding wise so I thought I'd ask. What about the rest of it? Say he doesn't get the +1 for FD, would it still count as a Catch? And would you call it a +4? +3? +2?

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: Lanir on September 05, 2010, 11:45:02 AM

It sounds like you've already worked out a simple means of stating what he has where. Making that the Catch... well, what would it really do? Unless I'm reading it wrong that's kind of like saying "he has it when he has it". Of course you've met the "catch" to his Supernatural Toughness if he's not actually inside his particular cemetery. You've already said he doesn't have that level of it anywhere else.

A better catch would probably be something relating to what he is or what he's doing. What aspect of death is empowering him? For example if he's powered by much of the same things that empower ghosts, i.e. regret and remembrance, then holy symbols and last rites might lower his defenses since they're designed to lay the dead to rest peacefully. If that doesn't fit what you're thinking of, maybe he's vulnerable to other types or uses of necromantic energy. A catch isn't so much a bad thing you're stuck taking. It's more like the Ahcilles Heel that defines you, probably moreso than any powers you might have.

Title: Re: Template Creation: The Caretaker
Post by: finnmckool on September 06, 2010, 12:14:07 AM

Yeah I'm just trying to vette that with you guys see what you think...

That's just the problem is I don't know what else would be a good catch for this. He's powered by "nature" and responsibillity. It's a burden Solomon picked up, and he impressed someone with his responsibillity for the town, and the dead. It's a silent agreement/bond formed between him and a force that I haven't really fully explained. It's not any of the known powers. It's really just with the "heart of the city" itself, with nature, not with any cognizant power. He did it because no one else would. Necrotic power is something that can hurt him (but that can hurt any one) and will, but I don't like that as a catch. No one has access to that and that'd be too hard to figure out.