This thread is intended to showcase spells created for forum member's personal campaigns, as well as to attempt to model spells from the various Dresden Files novels, comics and short stories. As part of this, discussion of the game mechanics for the spells, as well as the comparison in power for specific spells and whether there are perhaps better ways to model specific spells, or achieve specific effects.
If there is sufficient interest, then perhaps a Resources Page could be created for any finalized spells, and/or the spells themselves could be added to various online DFRPG resources.
DFRPG Resources wikispace Spell list
http://dfrpg-resources.wikispaces.com/Spells (http://dfrpg-resources.wikispaces.com/Spells)
Butchered New Haven campaign Spell list
http://www.epicwords.com/wikis/14753 (http://www.epicwords.com/wikis/14753)
At present, the specific spells I'm most interested in having others look over are the six as follows:
Old Burial Ground Binding Circle*
This Binding Circle was cast by Eric Holt to contain a powerful spirit entity or perhaps ghost within the Old Burial Ground on BSA Camp Mattabessitt.
Type: Thaumaturgy, Binding
Complexity: 12
Duration: One month
Effect: An 8-shift Block containing the Bound entity within it's grave site
Lock*
The spell is intended to create a temporary barrier to passage through a doorway.
Type: Thaumaturgy, Wards
Complexity: 3
Duration: Sunrise
Effect: A Block of Good (+3) strength versus entry.
Variations: Spell Complexity can be increased to raise the strength of the Block and/or Duration. Additionally Symbolic Links can be created at +2 complexity each, to alert when the Block is attacked or breached.
Notes: Requires an actual doorway/threshold with door for the spell to be cast upon.
Eric Holt's Cabin Ward*
This is the Ward around caretaker Eric Holt's cabin at BSA Camp Mattabessitt in Bethany, CT.
Type: Thaumaturgy, Wards
Complexity: 16
Duration: One month
Effect: An 8-shift Block on entry into the cabin
Notes: Wardflames provide warning to those within the cabin if supernatural entities or beings approach within 100 yards of the cabin. Additionally, the key to the lock in the cabin door is a symbolic link, alerting Eric if something comes into contact with the Ward while he's away from his cabin.
Unlock*
This spell provides a ritual method to open mundane locks.
Type: Thaumaturgy, Transformation
Complexity: 3
Duration: none (immediate)
Effect: Spell immediately unlocks a Good (+3) quality lock. Examples of Good (+3) quality locks include Masterlock padlocks and most house deadbolt locks.
Variations: The Complexity can be increased so that the spell take effect on better locks, and/or in more difficult circumstances (i.e. multiple locks, a Threshold, etc.)
Notes: Locks on exterior doors of something with a Threshold (home, Church, etc) are protected by the Threshold as normal. Also any locks on a cemetery gate are also protected by a Threshold, if the caster is within the cemetery when casting the Unlock spell.
Eric Holt's Coat of Toughness*
This spell is intended to transform a coat of jacket into a protective garment which makes the wearer tougher than they would ordinarily be. At least for a little while...
Type: Thaumaturgy, Transformation
Complexity: 9
Duration: A scene (about 15 minutes)
Effect: Temporarily provides the wearer the benefits of the Supernatural power Inhuman Toughness (Armor: 1, 2 bonus boxes in the Physical Stress track)
Notes: The effects of this spell stack with Supernatural Recovery powers, but not with Supernatural Toughness powers. It also follows the normal Armor stacking rules. If the garment with the spell cast on it is within a Circle when the Circle is closed, the spell ends immediately. Similarly, if the garment crosses a Threshold without the bearer being invited in, the power of the spell is immediately reduced by the value of the Threshold. If the remaining power is insufficient to sustain the spell, it ends immediately. At the end of the spell (whether duration is reached or something ends the spell prematurely) the garment which was the target of the spell begins to break down and disintegrate. Much like what happened to Harry's coat at the end of Changes.
Old Burial Ground Aura of Misdirection*
The Aura of Misdirection is intended to steer the casual hiker and/or exploring Boy Scout away from the Old Burial Ground on Camp Mattabessitt and hopefully avoid having someone accidentally release the entity Bound within the circle.
Type: Thaumaturgy, Psychomancy
Complexity: 14
Duration: One month
Effect: A 5-shift Block opposed by Lore, Scholarship or Survival, depending on whether which skill is highest, to proceed to the Old Burial Ground. Those who fail to overcome the Block get re-directed around or away from the actual location of the Old Burial Ground.
More spells to follow as they either come up in game, or if additional ideas come to mind.
-Cheers
D'Oh! :-[ Just spotted the Custom Spell thread in the Resources Collection, after I somehow missed it previously.
Since you're putting an aspect on yourself only, other people's skills shouldn't matter. Which gives a cost of 4+duration, IIRC, for a sticky aspect.
This is where it gets into being a judgement call and RAW interpretation. And why I'm interested in having others look over these spells and provide their thoughts and input.
In looking at the RAW, Sticky Aspects can be applied by either exceeding an opposed roll, or by exceeding the environmental difficulty. Generally if you're putting a Sticky Aspect on yourself, then you'd just need to exceed the environmental difficulty.
Now Slim Jim's Entropy Blessing spell is specifically meant to make Slim Jim luckier when he visits the Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun casinos. With that in mind, I modeled the spell as being opposed, even though Slim Jim is putting the Aspect on himself, since he'd be using it to make opposed roles against the casino staff and security. The alternate idea would be that the spell would need to exceed the environmental difficulty, but I'm not sure what the environmental difficulty would need to be, to beat the odds in a casino.
So far, here are some of the more unique spells which have appeared in Changes. Please note the Spoiler and warning, read Changes first!
Phonoturgy
Ward-disarming spell
Aparturum
Fuego murus
Fuego vellum
Dispertius
Resarcius
Hexus
Voce, voco, vocius
The Bloodline Curse
Hammering Will
One-woman Rave
Arctis
Light
Lumen, camerus, factum
Forzare
Ring of Green Fire
Hellhound Transformation
Gravity Anvil
Hireki
Infriga
Magic Bullhorn
Water Geyser
Lightning blast
Infriga Forzare
Field of Ice and Wind
Death Spell
Icy Coating
Protective Enchantment
On second read, the Coat of Toughness needs to have a Fate Point cost if it's going to actually be granting a Power rather than simply providing armour. See the Temporary Power rules.
Also, RAW states that any Toughness power MUST have an attached Catch, even if it's just 'unkown, +0' and even if various entries in OW forget this or leave it out. House rules may differ, but if it's intended for common board use, it should diverge as little as possible.
Okay, here is the revised Coat of Toughness spell. Group input is indeed desired.
Eric Holt's Coat of Toughness*
This spell is intended to transform a coat of jacket into a protective garment which makes the wearer tougher than they would ordinarily be. At least for a little while...
Type: Thaumaturgy, Transformation
Complexity: 9
Duration: A scene (about 15 minutes)
Effect: Temporarily provides the wearer the benefits of the Supernatural power Inhuman Toughness (Armor: 1, 2 bonus boxes in the Physical Stress track)
Notes: This spell has a casting cost of One (1) Fate Point and the granted Inhuman Toughness power has a Catch: Water. The casting cost could be increased to Two (2) Fate Points to have a Catch: Unknown. The effects of this spell stack with Supernatural Recovery powers, but not with Supernatural Toughness powers. It also follows the normal Armor stacking rules. If the garment with the spell cast on it is within a Circle when the Circle is closed, the spell ends immediately. Similarly, if the garment crosses a Threshold without the bearer being invited in, the power of the spell is immediately reduced by the value of the Threshold. If the remaining power is insufficient to sustain the spell, it ends immediately. At the end of the spell (whether duration is reached or something ends the spell prematurely) the garment which was the target of the spell begins to break down and disintegrate.
Much like what happened to Harry's coat at the end of Changes.
Also, if the other spells look good (even if possibly underpowered) from a RAW perspective, let me know and I will add them to the DFRPG Resources wiki and the Resources thread. More to follow.
-Cheers
(I apologize, it's getting late, so what posts I manage from this point may end up a bit perfunctory and/or disjointed)
The Fate Point cost is determined by the refresh value of the powers granted. In the absence of a house-rule, granting greater levels of Toughness powers requires greater expenditures.
Even whether the discount from The Catch applies to Fate Points spent for access to Temporary Powers is up for debate. Even if it does, it would require an 'only protects against X' Catch to render Mythic Toughness into a 1-FP Temporary Power.
No problem about it. I was tired going off the Catch powers/costs from memory instead of re-reading the RAW. Catching errors like that is part of the reason I want others to review some of the prior to including them in the various DFRPG resources.
Anyway, here is the re-revised Coat of Toughness spell.
Eric Holt's Coat of Toughness*
This spell is intended to transform a coat of jacket into a protective garment which makes the wearer tougher than they would ordinarily be. At least for a little while...
Type: Thaumaturgy, Transformation
Complexity: 9+ (see Variations below)
Duration: A scene (about 15 minutes)
Effect: Temporarily provides the wearer the benefits of the power Inhuman Toughness (Armor: 1, 2 bonus boxes in the Physical Stress track, Catch: Water) at the cost of one (1) Fate Point.
Variations: The casting cost could be increased to two (2) Fate Points to have a Catch: Unknown. Or the coat can be enchanted to provide Supernatural Toughness (Armor: 2, 4 bonus boxes in the Physical Stress track, Catch: Water) costing two (2) Fate Points and with a Complexity 17, or four (4) Fate Points with a Catch: Unknown. Another alternate would be Mythic Toughness (Armor: 3, 6 bonus boxes in the Physical Stress track, Catch: Water) with a Complexity 25 and costing four (4) Fate Points, or six (6) Fate Points with a Catch: Unknown. Lastly the duration of the spell could be extended by increasing the Complexity and expending shifts to increase duration.
Notes: The effects of this spell stack with Supernatural Recovery powers, but not with Supernatural Toughness powers. It also follows the normal Armor stacking rules. If the garment with the spell cast on it is within a Circle when the Circle is closed, the spell ends immediately. Similarly, if the garment crosses a Threshold without the bearer being invited in, the power of the spell is immediately reduced by the value of the Threshold. If the remaining power is insufficient to sustain the spell, it ends immediately. At the end of the spell (whether duration is reached or something ends the spell prematurely) the garment which was the target of the spell begins to break down and disintegrate.
Much like what happened to Harry's coat at the end of Changes.
-Cheers