Why so many important skills listed?
Fists is a must though. Whedonverse vamps come out of the ground experts in vampjutsu by way of the demon-god Nielsen.Lol, true...and a very good way to put it. :)
Also a good point. You could most likely get away with just Fists and let the powers make up any slack. Fists is a must though. Whedonverse vamps come out of the ground experts in vampjutsu by way of the demon-god Nielsen.
Modified the Catch cost as pointed out, and have reduced the number of skills. TBH, I borrowed most of the original list form the White Court Vamp in the DFRPG books.
From Wikipedia: Buff is a pale yellow-brown colour that got its name from the colour of buff leather.
Looks like a solid Whedon vamp template to me.
If you don't have a court name for them yet, might I suggest the Buff Court? Seems a shame to waste a perfectly good pun and go with another color.
Thanks for the suggestion, but, I'll either be lazy and call them the Grey Court or I am considering calling them Hellmouth Vampires, though, that doesn't explain the same type of amps in Angel's LA, unless you say they originated in Sunnydale's Hellmouth and migrated.
Next Template:
Shannaran Elf: (Based on the Elves of Terry Brook’s Shannara Series)
Fists is a must though. Whedonverse vamps come out of the ground experts in vampjutsu by way of the demon-god Nielsen.
The term "Buff Court" makes me smirk.
Maybe Bows could be an important skill for elves.
Do either of these templates have any optional powers?
I like the elf template. It's rather elegant.
Maybe Demonic Co-Pilot and higher-level physical powers for the vamp.
Unfamiliarity with the source material prevents me from saying more.
Granting a milestone the other party members don't get seems potentially problematic. It's something you could work around I suppose, but I don't think I'd want the extra book keeping. And, if you let refresh / skills of one character increase faster than others (say from multiple kills in one session) you have other potential problems.
Finally, the catch doesn't seem workable to me. Generally, you have to take someone out to take their head...so how will the catch ever enter play? I suppose you could change it to "neck injuries" but I'm not sure healing slowly from neck wounds fits the source material...except possibly the first movie.
Neither of these are necessarily an issue if all PCs are Immortals. At the least, they'd even out. But I'm not sure they'd work well with cannon DF characters / templates.
Any suggestions on how to modify it though?You might consider replacing the milestone part of Quickening with a single minor milestone trapping, specifically: "Purchase stunts or powers, provided you have the refresh to do so." That seems to cover the intent and avoid book keeping issues.
Though I detested the second movie.
Well, since you ask...
The first two are decent history pieces, but I question their usefulness for gaming. The magical aspects of the places seem to be ignored.
The third is better, in my opinion. I like the "what is the owner" hook.
@Groshnik: Welcome to the boards. What exactly is a Grimm?
@Keryth: Do you still plan on listing those other locations?
Why not just give them The Sight?
A Supernatural Sense or a stunt would work too, but The Sight would be easier.
I was working on a Grimm as well. Was thinking the high Lore skill would give that 'that one is icky' indication. Don't want to use the Sight each time to see through Seemings though. Maybe a specialized evocation to pierce it?
Wouldn't be quite so 'accidental' as the TV show (when the other guy gets mad) but would be close.
Well, I am interested in seeing these other magical groups fleshed out.
The House of Life
In ancient Egyptian writings and architecture, the House of Life is an institution aligned with kingship, preserving and creating knowledge in written and pictorial form. According to House Records, it is also where magic was invented (though other organizations, The White Council in particular, would argue this fact). The House of Life, also known as the Per Ankh, is an organization of Egyptian magicians, founded by the god of learning, Thoth. In ancient times, each temple in Egypt had a branch called the House of Life. They could perform amazing feats via magic and could call upon the power of the gods. In modern times, the organization has become global and operates out of three-hundred and sixty nomes worldwide. The House is primarily operated in the First Nome, specifically the remains of the ancient city Heliopolis. Young magicians are trained here, acting as the House's 'operators'. At age thirteen, they are assigned to a specific nome and typically leave the city. The Chief Lector of the House of Life also resides within Heliopolis, sitting at the foot of the pharaoh's empty throne.
I like the fluff for both, though I'm not sure exactly what the House Of Life does day to day or how Anonymous is organized.
How big is the House Of Life?
How were you planning to model these groups mechanically?
+2 Bonus to a relevant skill set determined by their parent (is Aphrodite: +2 on Social Skills, Ares: +2 to Combat Skills)
I really really don't think that this is a good idea. I beg you, do away with this.
What's a vampire slayer's Catch?
Refresh costs for the Knights look wonky. The staff gives 4 refresh of powers and sounds pretty obvious, so why does it cost 3? Is it actually quite concealable somehow?
Also, why do they have a minimum cost of -6? Do they also need Marked By Power and Refinements or something?
Halfbloods probably have different powers depending on their divine parents. Poseidon's kids would have Aquatic, Hades's would have Ghost Speaker, and so on.
But halfbloods are probably mostly about stunts and IoPs. They rarely use overtly supernatural abilities, IIRC.
Can't help with the Slayer Catch.
Could you break down the Knight math for me? Here's how I see it:
Staff gives +2 rebate and grants:
Channelling for -2
Bless This House for -1
Guide My Hand for -1
Wizard's Constitution for -0.
Supernatural Sense for -1.
2-2-1-1-0-1 = -3.
Musts: A halfblood must have a high concept indicating their parentage (Daughter of Athena, Son of Ares). The Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) are forbidden to PC'sMakes sense, Also I see where you're going with restricting the big three. Have you thought about bringing things from the series following Percy's?
Inhuman Recovery [-2], Inhuman Toughness [-2], The Catch (Weapons of the Old World (swords, daggers, bows, etc.)Is the base -6 to ensure they get some other powers or a miscalculation?
Options: abilities based on their parent to be determined with gm consent upon creation)
Minimum Refresh Cost: -6
Inhuman Strength [-2], Inhuman Recovery [-2], Inhuman Toughness [-2], The Catch(piercing weapons)I get that we don't want to make them a heavy refresh but no Inhuman Speed? (never watched the show that much so assumption time) Wasn't Buffy/Slayer made to be physically comparable to Vampires and Demons? without speed she's lacking in a crucial area.
Minimum Refresh Cost (-5)Honestly my only issue here is that by virtue of their refresh they have free will. Even for the lowest level game "Feet in the Water" (6 refresh) Perhaps this template could just represent the Free Will having Hellmouth vamp?
Notes: If a player wants to play a Whedonverse vampire they mUST have a HIGH CONCEPT ASPECT that explains their having free will. This may be taken only be taken with the GM’s approval
Gifted With Soul [+1]linky:
Description: You are different from other Red Court Vampires. Normally your kind do not have a soul, for it is antithesis to your being, and destroyed once you have had your first killing feed. You however have somehow managed to store your soul in an item, making a phylactery of sorts.
Musts: You must be a red court vampire, must have an aspect that reflects this power.
Effects:
Silence the Beast. You loose your Echoes of the Beast power. As a Red Court Vampire with a Soul your beast is suppressed by the morals other Red Court Vampires lack. You are reimbursed for the refresh cost of Echoes of the beast, since you no longer have it.
Refresh Bonus. You have somehow maintained your soul, keeping free will. Add +1 to your refresh level.
Phylactery. Your soul is stored in an item that you must keep on your person at all times. If it leaves your person, you loose the above benefits, becoming an NPC. You may spend one fate point to give you one days time to retrieve the item.
Altered Catch. You are no longer burnt to a cinder in sunlight, but you are weakened in it. In sunlight your catch is automatically satisfied for any attack. In addition add a new condition to your catch: "Phylactery Damage."
Made Whole [-1]. If you take this upgrade your soul no longer resides in your phylactery, which becomes a mundane item, it has been restored to your body. You loose the "Phylactery" portion of this ability, and the "Phylactery Damage" condition on your catch.
Makes sense, Also I see where you're going with restricting the big three. Have you thought about bringing things from the series following Percy's?Also I think it'd be cool to have a Prophecy or Quest as a Must too. Don't know if that would be fair, to restrict two of the Half-bloods Aspects, but still.Is the base -6 to ensure they get some other powers or a miscalculation?I get that we don't want to make them a heavy refresh but no Inhuman Speed? (never watched the show that much so assumption time) Wasn't Buffy/Slayer made to be physically comparable to Vampires and Demons? without speed she's lacking in a crucial area.(click to show/hide)
Honestly my only issue here is that by virtue of their refresh they have free will. Even for the lowest level game "Feet in the Water" (6 refresh) Perhaps this template could just represent the Free Will having Hellmouth vamp?
Also couldn't think of a way to tangent to this but, you should totally have the Mist from the Olympian world. Not sure how really but it was so cool.
Slayer is based on what was in the show, so, speed is not an ability. They never move faster than norms.Ok makes sense, dont watch the show that much.
And the Vamps keep their refresh as it is listed. Otherwise they're far more powerful than other characters
Well, NPCs don't have to use Refresh levels. They can have no free will even if they just have one stunt's worth of abilities.True, i wasn't looking at it from the npc direction. I don't care so much about the points there, so long as they're challenging to the players. I'm really more arguing on behalf of players that are theoretical.
Incidentally, I now have even less idea than I had before about where the Minimum Refresh Cost numbers come from. But you know what? It's irrelevant. Nobody cares about that number anyway.You and me both good internet patron.
Well, NPCs don't have to use Refresh levels. They can have no free will even if they just have one stunt's worth of abilities.
Incidentally, I now have even less idea than I had before about where the Minimum Refresh Cost numbers come from. But you know what? It's irrelevant. Nobody cares about that number anyway.
Sorry, I was unclear. I didn't mean the board, I meant this thread (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,32385.0.html).