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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: narphoenix on February 03, 2013, 12:15:45 AM
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Because I'm at a loss as to how. But how would one stat different levels of furycraft from Jim's Codex Alera?
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Channeling for the lower levels for people who can only manifest one fury.
Evocation for the High Lord levels where you have a bunch. Various refinements for the basic "point, boom" types of furycraft. For the physical/internal stuff, combinations of building block powers and Incite Emotion. Bernard would have Supernatural Strength with a Limitation of "Only while my feet are touching the ground", Amara would have Mythic Speed and Wings with a limitation of "Only in the open air".
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http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,24934.0.html (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,24934.0.html)
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,20646.0.html (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,20646.0.html)
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,16443.0.html (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,16443.0.html)
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Ok. So, with this, is anyone willing to stat up Tavi? I give you five Internet cookies for it.
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You never handed out the first cookie, why should anyone believe your promise of more?
But seriously, which Tavi are we talking about here? First book? Last book? Third book?
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Or Rikki Tiki Tavi?
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Ok. So, with this, is anyone willing to stat up Tavi? I give you five Internet cookies for it.
For bk1 to the point where he gets his powers Tavi, just make him a Pure Mortal (The only!) with high Scholarship, Discipline, and Rapport. Low Presence at first, but it steadily increases throughout the series. There, you're set. Maybe a stunt to boost Scholarship when it comes to the Romans and to boost rolls to make clever plans, but other than that it works.
I might take a shot at a more comprehensive build (keeping in mind I still haven't finished the last book), but it would have to wait until my exams are over, and anyway, where's that cookie?
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Tavi also has very good physical skills [mostly Athletics in book 1, but others, notably Fists and Weapons (or the Armed Arts stunt) in Books 2 and onward]. He grabs some hefty Deceit in there, too. And Lore, if you're using it.
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Could someone do a full sheet? Please?
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You never handed out the first cookie, why should anyone believe your promise of more?
But seriously, which Tavi are we talking about here? First book? Last book? Third book?
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Giant cookie to everyone who responded, first.
Second, FLF Tavi. He's awesome. Well, he's awesome regardless of the book in question, but Dresden-esque shenanigans in that book
are awesome.
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Personally, I'm a fan of his giant-magnifying-glass-in-the-sky.
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Write him up with which ruleset? I'm in favor of JosephKell's version.
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Write him up with which ruleset? I'm in favor of JosephKell's version.
The one you suggested at the beginning.
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Hmm. It makes the High Lords a hell of a lot less expensive. Unfortunately, it basically just turns Alerans into wizards sans The Sight and Constitution.
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^And Thaumaturgy.
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There's gotta be a summon spell in there, too. Perhaps with a "human form" type limitation attached, illustration the loss of powers at that point.
Also, you can't really roll Metalcrafting into Evocation, so there's another custom power you'd have to add (along with all of the other custom powers that various crafters get), so they're not REALLY like Wizards.
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Ghs is a wizard. He pointed out what problem i was having before i could even say it. Metalcraft and some woodcraft is..difficult. Watercrafting can be Biomancy and a Supernatural Sense on top of Channeling. Earthcraft can be Channeling, Supernatural Strength with Human Form along with Incite Emotion. Firecraft can be Channeling along with Refinements and Incite Emotion. Windcraft can be Channeling, Wings, and Supernatural/Mythic Speed. Metalcraft could theoretically give a Supernatural Sense that offers a +X bonus to Weapons along with Inhuman/Supernatural Toughness sans the Armor at the "Ignore pain" level and Mythic Toughness with the Armor at the "Steel Colossus" level. I have no idea how to do woodcraft.
Again, JosephKell's version, which i will continue to shamelessly plug, has fixes for this. If i'm insane and it doesn't i will gladly write some.
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Even if we only do Inhuman levels of things, we're looking at 10 Refresh for a High Lord, before we factor in metal, wood, or summons (that's assuming we just plop it all down under "evocation", and don't maker people spend extra Refresh for extra elements).
So I'd say it's a pretty good system so far. Captures just what it takes to command all those furies at once.
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My personal take:
All Furycrafting: Either Channeling, or Evocation. If you have only two elements, you can still buy Evocation and trade the third for a specialty. If you hit High Lord level macro-scale effects, you buy Thaumaturgy for that...only taking Elements as thematic thaumaturgy specialties. Air and Wood can do Veils, just like Spirit does.
Each area also has other powers/potential powers.
Air: Wings [-1], Inhuman through Mythic Speed [-2 to -6], with Human Form [+2] or something very similar to reflect the fact you need to activate it and it gets messed up by, say, being covered in dirt.
Earth: Incite Emotion (Lust)...rarely with much in the way of extras except maybe at range [-1 to -2, usually], Inhuman through Mythic Strength [-2 to -6] with, again, Human Form [+2] or something very like it to reflect the same activation issues as Air, and that you can't do it while not touching the ground. You only get that Human Form bonus once, no matter how many elements you've got though.
Fire: Incite Emotion (Whatever ones you like) with potentially all the extras and more...including the ability to effect everyone in a Zone (which I've always pegged at around -2), possibly something on the order of Claws [-1] if you can summon a sword of fire...or that might just be Evocation at work. A Human Form drawback like the others. Possibly Physical Immunity: Fire Only [-3]?
Water: Supernatural Senses (Empathy) [-2]...given how cool that is, Aquatic [-1], Ritual (Biomancy) [-2], Claws [-1] and other examples of combat-timescale shapeshifting if you're really good. A Human Form drawback like the others.
Metal: Inhuman through Mythic Toughness [-2 to 6], Mastery of Metal (+2 on all non-magical skill rolls directly involving metal, including Craftsmanship and most Weapons rolls) [-2], Deadly Blade (+2 to the Weapon rating of any metal weapon used) [-1]. Human Form [+2] like everyone else.
Wood: This one is the hardest. Definitely Mastery of Woodcraft (+2 on all non-magical skill rolls directly involving woodcraft, including most Survival rolls, some Stealth, and just about all Archery) [-2], Deadly Shot (+2 Weapon rating to any bow wielded) [-1], maybe throw on the Recovery powers if you want them to be available (it's thematically a solid match...but not something I think we ever see or have implied)...but even more than fire, I expect a lot of them just focus on the Evocation/Channeling side of things, especially Veils. Human Form [+2] like everyone else.
The Marat meanwhile, are a bit difficult to tell, but seem to have Inhuman Strength, Inhuman Recovery, Echoes of the Beast...and other powers as appropriate for their Totem. Doroga almost certainly has Supernatural Strength and at least Inhuman Toughness for example.
The Canim, as someone suggested, have Echoes of the Beast, Claws, Inhuman Strength, Hulking Size, and Wizard's Constitution by default, and can get other Physical powers and a very nasty form of Sponsored Magic for the ritualists.
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a very nasty form of Sponsored Magic for the ritualists.
This'll be hard to stat for the 'new-age' ritualists who use aleran blood to fuel their magic. With the 'fuel reserve' external to the caster, the cost becomes difficult to assess or represent meaningfully with game mechanics.
'Traditional' ritualists fuelling their magic with their own blood, on the other hand, would have a version of spellcasting that is fuelled by physical stress and consequences rather than mental.
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I'll take a shot at Tavi sometime soonish.
But first:
Fire: Incite Emotion (Whatever ones you like) with potentially all the extras and more...including the ability to effect everyone in a Zone (which I've always pegged at around -2), possibly something on the order of Claws [-1] if you can summon a sword of fire...or that might just be Evocation at work.
I charge 1 Refresh for zone-wide Incite Effect, personally. But I don't allow multi-Aspect zone maneuvers, since those have ugly action-economy implications.
Oh, and Natural Weaponry expands Claws to cover stuff like swords of fire.
Mastery of Metal (+2 on all non-magical skill rolls directly involving metal, including Craftsmanship and most Weapons rolls) [-2],
...
Wood: This one is the hardest. Definitely Mastery of Woodcraft (+2 on all non-magical skill rolls directly involving woodcraft, including most Survival rolls, some Stealth, and just about all Archery) [-2]
I don't think this is a good idea. True Aim is pretty good, and given how powerful stacking is I'm pretty sure that double True Aim plus a bunch of stunts is too strong.
I think that halving the bonus would be fair.
This'll be hard to stat for the 'new-age' ritualists who use aleran blood to fuel their magic. With the 'fuel reserve' external to the caster, the cost becomes difficult to assess or represent meaningfully with game mechanics.
Well, you can already inflict consequences to boost rituals. Might be able to do something with that.
PS: The Feel No Pain custom Power might be appropriate for metalcrafters.
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Well, you can already inflict consequences to boost rituals. Might be able to do something with that.
While they're called 'ritualists', much of what they do would be represented in the DFrpg ruleset with channelling/evocation. Add to that that they use blood acquired significantly before-hand (treated in some way to preserve it in liquid form and retain its supernaturally energetic properties) to power their spells, rather than drawing the blood (inflicting consequences) as part of the 'ritual'. They carry bags of the stuff to use as necessary throughout the day.
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Agreed, Tedronai. I'd just model them running out of blood as a compel. Perhaps the "traditionalists" could have more spell power in exchange for taking physical stress to cast? The traditionalists in the books seem to be more powerful than the "new age" ones, who use the blood of others.
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Do the 'new-age' ritualists then have no cost to their casting? Because they certainly don't seem to be taking mental stress.
What makes it even worse, though, is that any Canim ritualist should be able to use either option. The 'new-age' ones simply choosing (each time they cast) to trade the per-use potency of their own blood for staying power of not suffering the effects of blood loss (ie. physical stress and consequences).
If it wasn't for that, I'd simply suggest representing the 'new-agers' with some form of Incite Effect with appropriate upgrades.
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That was along the lines of my thoughts. Old-timers get full Sponsored Magic, paid for with physical stress*. New-Agers get Incite Effect (Bloodcrafting) with whatever upgrades are deemed appropriate by the GM or player.
*Come to think of this, if the average caster Canim has Good Endurance, Inhuman Toughness, and Hulking Size, this is hella broken.That's 8 stress boxes right off the bat. I'm justifying the Inhuman Toughness as them being used to ignoring the pain and wounds of slashing open their own wrists on a regular basis.
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I wouldn't give them Inhuman Toughness. Or, at least, I wouldn't do so if Canim in general were not receiving it as well. Ritualists are not more resistant to swords, spears, and the like than are footsoldiers.
I might give them a stunt or power granting additional physical consequences, though.
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Feel No Pain would work. So would additional physical consequences.
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I...don't like that power.
The tag provided by a consequence is not inherently tied to the pain associated with that injury. Severed tendons (probably at least a moderate consequence, I'm sure) should certainly be able to be tagged to make it difficult for the character to run away on foot, not because the character's legs hurt, but because they no longer function properly.
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Oh. Damn. I meant the name of the one Endurance stunt that gives extra physical consequences. Feel No Pain is really only appropriate for zombies and demons.
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I find it hard to conceive of a situation where the portion I mentioned is at all appropriate. Certainly not ever with the justification given in the power as written.
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I'd argue that it's a -2 power at best for basically that reason. Some consequences have to be taggable. I'd argue it makes sense for constructs and the undead because they probably don't experience anything like our concept of pain.
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Even that would need a rewrite to limit the 'no tag' clause solely to consequences/tags based on pain. And at that point, I'm not sure that a power is even necessary, as I'd handle that with the aspect mechanics (you don't get to tag an aspect based on inflicting pain to gain an advantage against a creature immune to pain; and no, they did not, do not, and should not have to spend refresh on that).
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I'll take a shot at Tavi sometime soonish.
But first:
I charge 1 Refresh for zone-wide Incite Effect, personally. But I don't allow multi-Aspect zone maneuvers, since those have ugly action-economy implications.
It's around there anyway, yeah.
Oh, and Natural Weaponry expands Claws to cover stuff like swords of fire.
True, though you can also just use Claws + Human Guise and let the person who buys it use Weapons and define it that way.
I don't think this is a good idea. True Aim is pretty good, and given how powerful stacking is I'm pretty sure that double True Aim plus a bunch of stunts is too strong.
I think that halving the bonus would be fair.
Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe have a -4 level for the +2...my logic was that it's narrower than True Aim (which it is...at least if you grab the power sans item), but looking at it, it's not enough narrower to matter.
Well, you can already inflict consequences to boost rituals. Might be able to do something with that.
Yeah, define all Consequences inflicted as physical and throw on...something. Have to think about it.
PS: The Feel No Pain custom Power might be appropriate for metalcrafters.
If using custom powers, absolutely.
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I...don't like that power.
The tag provided by a consequence is not inherently tied to the pain associated with that injury. Severed tendons (probably at least a moderate consequence, I'm sure) should certainly be able to be tagged to make it difficult for the character to run away on foot, not because the character's legs hurt, but because they no longer function properly.
It doesn't make the Aspect non-invokable anymore. It just makes it non-taggable.
So losing a leg during a fight is no worse than just having had one leg all along.
Full disclosure: I wrote this Power to make certain characters immune to the death spiral effect in DFRPG combat. The flavour was tacked on to justify that effect.
I'm pretty happy with it, though, since it emulates the whole "implacable man" archetype pretty well.
True, though you can also just use Claws + Human Guise and let the person who buys it use Weapons and define it that way.
Claws is Fists-only.
You could houserule that. But as long as you're houseruling...
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It doesn't make the Aspect non-invokable anymore. It just makes it non-taggable.
So losing a leg during a fight is no worse than just having had one leg all along.
Suddenly being without a leg, though, SHOULD provide a momentary significant disadvantage (tag available for opponent) to a character, regarldess of whether the process of losing that leg results in significant pain.
Full disclosure: I wrote this Power to make certain characters immune to the death spiral effect in DFRPG combat. The flavour was tacked on to justify that effect.
That may be the source of the problem, as the one has almost nothing to do with the other.
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I thought the fluff and crunch were pretty well connected...
Anyway, I know it's kinda weird for a broken leg to provide no disadvantage unless FP are spent on it. But that's how it goes with a permanent BUM LEG Aspect too so...I think this is an acceptable degree of abstraction.
Especially with all the fictional monsters that just keep on moving after getting injured severely. The Terminator's a good example...nothing seems to slow it down until the very end (IIRC). Some zombies fit the bill too.
EDIT: By "the very end" I mean when it was reduced to crawling due to destroyed legs.
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So, a reasonable crack at Gaius Septimus ended with him with the full Mythic Suite save Recovery and Toughness, which were Supernatural. The various Limitations helped, but along with all the Incite Emotion, Evocation, and stunts, ended with him basically being the kind of character who could stomp Shagnasty into the ground. In a fistfight.
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So, a reasonable crack at Gaius Septimus ended with him with the full Mythic Suite save Recovery and Toughness, which were Supernatural. The various Limitations helped, but along with all the Incite Emotion, Evocation, and stunts, ended with him basically being the kind of character who could stomp Shagnasty into the ground. In a fistfight.
Isn't Septimus Tavi's father? What did we ever see him do that justified that badassery?
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We never actually see him, but he's described as being as powerful as Sextus. Probably with more raw power than Sextus, actually, by the time we know that he's Tavi's father. Araris Valerian, the best swordsman and metalcrafter in the series, says that Septimus was his equal at the blade. In the end, it took a Marat army and at least three High Lords to kill him.