ParanetOnline
The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: braincraft on July 06, 2011, 12:13:07 AM
-
I'm writing up a werecat character that has the ability to cause misfortune effects (by virtue of being a black cat, crossing someone's path). It doesn't have to be particularly effective or overt; just something that effectively allows maneuvers of that theme would be fine.
What kind of power should I base this on? What skill should it be based on? Should it even be a power? And if I wanted to scale it up, what options might be appropriate?
I'm thinking Channeling might be the trick, or even Sponsored Magic, but considering the limited scope perhaps a variant of Breath Attack would work?
-
Oddly enough I'd think you could create something using incite emotion. At it's base it's simply the ability to maneuver in ways one might not normally be allowed. You could at least look at what incite emotion does and then see how to tweak it, but I think that's the closest thing to what you want.
Either that or you could check the custom powers thread and see if anyone's written something up. I don't hang out on that thread much, so I don't know what's on there, but chances are someone's at least thought about this before.
-
Incite Unluck is one possibility, though I would think that it would be more expensive for the basic power than the much more focused Incite Emotion (and might not make sense to upgrade with the stress-inflicting addons).
Channeling or Rituals could work, too, and would have more versatility (ie, various spells tied by the theme of Luck rather than limited to inflicting an unlucky aspect) and also a greater cost (paying stress to create the effect).
-
Either Ritual (Entropomancy) or Spell-Like Ability, I think.
The latter is a homebrew power, so use it at your own risk.
In case you're interested:
Spell-Like Ability [-1]
Description: You have the ability to cast one spell.
Musts: Nothing more than any other power requires.
Effect:
Spell-Like Ability. Design a spell with complexity or power equal to the higher of your Conviction skill and your Lore skill. You may cast that spell as an evocation rote.
Potent Spell-Like Ability [-1]. Add two to the power of one of your spell-like ability. This does not increase the difficulty to control it.
-
Do you lose mental stress with that one Sanctaphrax?
-
Maaaaayyyyybeee take it as part of the Echoes of the Beast power ?
Make him make Alertness or Invistigation maneuvers for unluck ?
-
Could this be used with an Aspect? Something like "Bad stuff happens to those around me"?
-
[-1] Jinx: Your presence affects the luck of other people. You may use the "first impressions" of Rapport to apply a luck-related aspect instead of an appearance-related one. If your Intimidation is higher than your Rapport, you may link this ability to Intimidation instead when you first take it but you may not alter this choice later.
-
Yeah, you take mental stress.
-
Another potential snag would be determining the nature/source of the entropy curse this character is handing out, It could potentially lead to first law violations depending on power source and how strict the accusing warden wants to be.
-
Another potential snag would be determining the nature/source of the entropy curse this character is handing out, It could potentially lead to first law violations depending on power source and how strict the accusing warden wants to be.
We are in a gray area between White Council-monitored spellcaster and "other."
Braincraft, do the Laws of Magic matter to you for the purposes of this question?
-
Braincraft, do the Laws of Magic matter to you for the purposes of this question?
I would guess not. Besides, we're really looking for the mechanical way to create the effect, rather than the story/narrative of what it is. I'm pretty sure he's already got that bit covered.
-
is it planned for the player to have influence over how the entropy curse manifests, or just assigning a "cursed with unluck left to tag or for GM to decide on?
-
I actually like the Breath Weapon idea, though one could make it more close-range and base it off of claws. You could pick a skill for making attacks with it of course.
For a Breath Weapon, I'd say allow spread attacks and maneuvers and call it Baleful Eye or something. Direct attacks would actually be some unlucky event, like something falling on them, slipping, etc. Maneuvers would be a bad luck curse that could be invoked. To finish it off, toss in the ability to make any inflicted consequence by someone with this ability to become curses themselves. So if you attack with a gun, and inflict a severe consequence, you can choose to instead of inflicting "Belly Wound", you give them "Horrible Luck".*
You could probably make this a -1 ability if you only allow maneuvers and no attacks.
*In game terms you inflict stress as normal. In Narrative terms you perhaps steal luck from your shot (so it essentially misses on a story level), and use that to curse the target.
-
I didn't even think about the Laws. In concept, the character pretty much just uses it for the lulz, so I don't anticipate First Law infractions. Maybe the juice could get turned up enough to call down ballistic frozen turkey strikes once in a blue moon, but only on monsters that probably deserved it anyway.
I'm thinking that -2 refresh meets the smell test, regardless of whether it's defined as Ranged Incite, Breath Weapon, or Ritual (Entropomancy). In that context, what kind of effectiveness could I get away with, and what skills could be justified for targeting and defense against? One free tag maneuver per hit? Multiple free tags for every 3 excess shifts? Maybe define it as having a 'damage' bonus, due to its limited scope and possible stress cost?
-
My issue with custom powers that are reskins of the Rituals power is that such a power implies active effort, preparation, and a decent Lore skill to do anything useful on the fly, unless the reskinning includes hacking which skills it will use. Has anyone come up with a good and fair hack?
-
I didn't even think about the Laws. In concept, the character pretty much just uses it for the lulz, so I don't anticipate First Law infractions. Maybe the juice could get turned up enough to call down ballistic frozen turkey strikes once in a blue moon, but only on monsters that probably deserved it anyway.
I think any law talk is actually about the idea that changing someone's luck is actually transforming that person (since you're actually changing something that is central to the person). Personally I hate that concept, but it is supported by RAW (in the second law section, the transformation/disruption part of thaumaturgy and the entropomancy part as well).
-
I think any law talk is actually about the idea that changing someone's luck is actually transforming that person (since you're actually changing something that is central to the person). Personally I hate that concept, but it is supported by RAW (in the second law section, the transformation/disruption part of thaumaturgy and the entropomancy part as well).
I'm under the impression that 'luck' isn't an integral part of identity; that it's more like 'breath' than 'kidney'. Tacking on an entropy curse is probably frowned upon, but my understanding of the metaphysics as presented in the setting doesn't support your reading. The example entropy curse (p296, YS) mentions the first and even seventh laws, but not the second.
-
Have to agree with Braincraft. Entropy Curses are only connected to transformations for mechanical reasons, not Law Breaking ones as far as I can tell. Certainly there's no reason to think of it as any different than say wounding someone and inflicting any other sort of consequence.
Now, on the very, very extreme end, such as inflicting the curse of a Loup Garou on someone, that IS breaking the 4th Law, just like the extreme end of zapping someone with electricity will kill someone rather than stun. In each of those one is fine as far as laws go and the other isn't.
-
Meh, like I said I hate the idea, and don't run it this way personally, but it totally comes from the RAW. Check it out.
Thaumaturgy that fundamentally, lastingly
changes the target—whether it’s the target’s
body, mind, emotions, or even luck—falls into
the category of transformation and disruption.
Often, this is dark stuff—curses, mind control,
destructive shapeshifting, and death magic.
Of all the methods available through thaumaturgy,
these are the ones most prone to run afoul
of the Laws of Magic (page 232). Regardless of
what the spell changes, this is a violent act to the
target: people and things are very good at being
what they are, and this sort of magic forces them
to be what they aren’t.
Emphasis is mine.
-
It says "most prone", not that it will necessarily violate a law. Remember all the other stuff it is lumping in there too.
I could see an Extreme Consequence Bad Luck spell breaking the Law though, as that will cause a massive change in someone. Short of that though, I don't see it for luck-based stuff. It's a lot easier if you are directly messing with the mind, body, or emotions of someone, however.
I suppose a very unfriendly GM might try to enforce that any use of such things violates the law. I don't think that makes sense. Entropomancy is dark stuff, sure, but are many things like summoning demons. A lot of darker magic doesn't inherently break a law, even if the Council wouldn't particularly like it.