46
DFRPG / Re: Reflective shield
« on: March 18, 2011, 03:23:51 PM »I think Harry used something like this in one of the books to deflect a load of mob bullets back at them.
Now you're thinking with portals?
Now this would be a fun rote.
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Now you're thinking with portals?
Now this would be a fun rote.
47
DFRPG / Re: Timing and Recovery Powers
« on: March 18, 2011, 03:20:58 PM »
I usually take it to whatever is necessary for the scene. If they're supposed to be fodder just let them get taken out. If the PCs are laying waste then take it all the way to extreme if necessary. This is a real strength of the system I feel, in others its not as easy to make things easier or harder without fudging things a bit. Its important to show off the abilities of NPCs like that though and show that you hit him but he just healed it immediately.
In one case I used this to my advantage, a PC ran a wood construct through with his sword. I took the mild consequence and declared it healed on the next exchange... With the sword still inside... The PC was then disarmed until he could make a might roll equal to the endurance of the construct to pull it out.
In one case I used this to my advantage, a PC ran a wood construct through with his sword. I took the mild consequence and declared it healed on the next exchange... With the sword still inside... The PC was then disarmed until he could make a might roll equal to the endurance of the construct to pull it out.
48
DFRPG / Re: Reflective shield
« on: March 18, 2011, 03:02:33 PM »
This might be a bit broken... So someone casts nukeball 8.0 at you and then it bounces off your shield like pong and automatically goes back at the attacker? You at least need some kind of roll to direct it back at the attacker, much like how you still have to "aim" rote spells and enchanted item attacks.
Also there should probly be some stipulations as to what kind of evocations can be reflected. If someone evocates a fireball sure, but what about an earthquake? A vine from summer magic? A burst of wind? A tornado? Needs some clarification there.
Also there should probly be some stipulations as to what kind of evocations can be reflected. If someone evocates a fireball sure, but what about an earthquake? A vine from summer magic? A burst of wind? A tornado? Needs some clarification there.
49
DFRPG / Re: Earth Magic Brainstorming
« on: March 17, 2011, 06:29:47 PM »
1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use earth magic?
Distracting noises for stealth made by rocks, sand underneath shoes to lessen noise while sneaking. A "pillow" of sand to avoid damage from long falls. A nice spell from d&d stoneform allowed the caster to become stone and travel along it reappearing instantly anywhere along stone he was touching. Imagine this in a castle made of stone.
2. What is a single target interesting way to use earth magic?
Believe it or not within your body is all the ingredients needed to form many crystalline structures. With earth magic I suppose you could "crystallize" someone's bones and create protrusions to cause bleeding or perhaps just one right into the brain cavity. The coroner would have a field day with that one.
3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use earth magic?
Theres nasty stuff under the earth in a lot of places, the only thing keeping it from the surface is layers of rock...that you control. In subduction zones there are geysers and lava. In plains areas there are aquifers storing centuries worth of rainfall, underground streams, in cavernous areas there are poisonous and natural gases toxic and even flammable, there are areas where permafrost ice has been frozen and hardened for centuries, expel that from the ground
4. What is an interesting way to block using earth magic?
Magnetic ironsand look it up cool stuff. Fill all your pockets with it and command to your liking. Also under direct sunlight it heats up enough to cause burns if you touch it.
5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with earth magic?
I have one character with enchanted shoes that disintegrate earth beneath him when he activates them. Anyone trying to chase him soon finds the ground beneath them collapsing into a trench.
6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for earth magic?
Ironsand filled clothes, fun things could be achieved especially with a copper coil around your arm. (magnetic material + copper coil = electricity.)
Distracting noises for stealth made by rocks, sand underneath shoes to lessen noise while sneaking. A "pillow" of sand to avoid damage from long falls. A nice spell from d&d stoneform allowed the caster to become stone and travel along it reappearing instantly anywhere along stone he was touching. Imagine this in a castle made of stone.
2. What is a single target interesting way to use earth magic?
Believe it or not within your body is all the ingredients needed to form many crystalline structures. With earth magic I suppose you could "crystallize" someone's bones and create protrusions to cause bleeding or perhaps just one right into the brain cavity. The coroner would have a field day with that one.
3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use earth magic?
Theres nasty stuff under the earth in a lot of places, the only thing keeping it from the surface is layers of rock...that you control. In subduction zones there are geysers and lava. In plains areas there are aquifers storing centuries worth of rainfall, underground streams, in cavernous areas there are poisonous and natural gases toxic and even flammable, there are areas where permafrost ice has been frozen and hardened for centuries, expel that from the ground
4. What is an interesting way to block using earth magic?
Magnetic ironsand look it up cool stuff. Fill all your pockets with it and command to your liking. Also under direct sunlight it heats up enough to cause burns if you touch it.
5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with earth magic?
I have one character with enchanted shoes that disintegrate earth beneath him when he activates them. Anyone trying to chase him soon finds the ground beneath them collapsing into a trench.
6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for earth magic?
Ironsand filled clothes, fun things could be achieved especially with a copper coil around your arm. (magnetic material + copper coil = electricity.)
50
DFRPG / Re: House Rules And Homebrew
« on: March 17, 2011, 03:32:12 PM »Of course, what's merely irritating to one person is lethal to another; allergies, for example. Or the heat wave spell--I wouldn't use that in Miami where retirees might be in the line of fire. Or kids. Or babies.
*snort* In my first D&D game, the wizard thought nothing of using Evard's Black Tentacles in civilian areas, even if he didn't have total LOS to the target zone. Ended up killing the baker's entire family to capture one heavily wounded assassin. Never got called out on it.
Point I'm trying to make is, using magic around civilians is risky, and I think that the GM would be completely within their rights to say that certain members of the crowd--especially in places like restaurants and movie theaters--have aspects like "Breathing Canned Oxygen"; "Hypertension", "My Doctor Said To Avoid Excitement," "Scrawny Little Kid" and so forth.
In public? Sure. I was thinking more in the realm of deliberate combat and wanting to take an opponent out without killing them in a magical way.
Still though its within my right to have an npc be severely allergic to magic pepper spray. But having it happen every time is just as abusive on my part. If anyone has ever watched inuyasha (which I regret having done so) Every time a certain character wanted to use a ridiculous technique called wind tunnel (which was basically a black hole in the char's hand) inexplicably "naraku's poison bees" would show up and he'd have to stop since bee poison inside the black hole apparently caused him harm. Never mind he could suck entire houses into his hand and that didn't hurt. Point is though the char used it like once and then every subsequent episode had 10 seconds of stock footage of these bees so that he couldn't use it ever again. Considering this goes on for like 100 episodes... I don't want to do that to players.
51
DFRPG / Re: Sources of Inspiration
« on: March 17, 2011, 02:44:50 PM »Buffy.Shame.
I find I like very non conventional monsters stuff that really catches players off guard with it's oddity. Anime coming from a culture not close to my own tends to have some off the wall creatures and concepts that I sometimes shamelessly use or adapt.
The magic system of "Darker Than Black" is an interesting take on sponsored magic, where the sponsor only requires that the recipient perform a very strange and specific "remuneration" to be able to use their equally strange and specific power. I recall one char that had to break his own fingers in order to make things ignore gravity to achieve a levitation like effect. Another had to drink the blood of children to create instant space like vacuums. There were lighter tone ones like eating cheeseburgers for super speed or dog earing all the pages in a book for wind like magic. But the dark ones caught my eye, especially since they don't make any sense and the chars who have them are just as clueless as to why as anyone else, this and moreover they were just kind of stuck with these powers randomly without asking.
So yeah Japan and the weird stuff it churns out is great material.
Also native american folklore has some truly terrifying ideas sometimes, a lot of them are generic but some are just... scary especially the ones that seem to have a foothold in reality. Case in point Wendigo. Both considered a monster and an affliction. Apparently the monster would call to you in a mind control kind of way and make you crave human flesh, you were then a Wendigo yourself. When Wendigo ate humans they gain their size and become bigger, thus increasing their appetite. This effect made it so that a Wendigo would starve even as it gorged itself endlessly, an uncontrollable hunger making it constantly hunt for humans.
Now the scary part, there are many a documented case of native americans inexplicably cannibalizing their fellows and claiming that they were Wendigo. Often times they would ask to be killed to stop themselves, which tells me they really did believe it and weren't just trying to get away with crime. One case involved a man who ate his family wife and 2 kids even when he could have gotten food reasonably easily. This strange Wendigo phenomena seems to have disappeared nowadays but... s*** man that is creepy.
So yeah monsters rooted in reality make for good nightmare fuel. I like to show my players the real world stuff too, that really changes the atmosphere of a session.
52
DFRPG / Re: House Rules And Homebrew
« on: March 17, 2011, 01:59:05 PM »Weapon 4+ evocations are always considered lethal force
I'm not sure I agree with this if the evocation is described correctly. A few examples some my players made up a few of my own.
A heat exhaustion spell or heat wave spell. Or even an enfeeble evo. Potentially lethal yes, always lethal no.
A biomancy spell to do nasty things, say cause extreme cramps or pain. This only causes pain no actual damage to the victim. nastiness? to the max? Lethality? 0.
Electricity spells, I think Harry even says this in the books by making it high voltage but low current basically a tazer.
Irritating acid water evocation. Acidic compound designed to cause pain to epidermis or interior of human flesh but not destroy it. Weapon level indicates how much pain.
An epic level magic pepper spray spell. I don't know why but I find this one funny. Stress inducing? Hell yes! death inducing? Uh no.
Remember we're inflicting stress and consequences these don't necessarily have to cause lethal harm. I admit its not easy to come up with ideas for this sort of spell, but I prefer to reward players who do come up with something.
53
DFRPG / Re: House Rules And Homebrew
« on: March 17, 2011, 01:34:12 PM »Outside of Hollywood, most vehicles don't provide much protection at all against bullets. So I'd expect non armored cars to only provide armor 1 or so.
This
Windows are fragile. a well placed knee can break a windshield, a baseball bat can shatter side windows with ease. I've no experience with a sword but I imagine similarly easy results considering the weight of metal.
This is all very weapon specific. Take into consideration the difficulty of breaking a window with a pocket knife the weapon damage means nothing to that window and even less your skill with weapons. Therefore I find it appropriate to rule that window barriers must be broken with a might roll instead of a weapons roll. This and weapon damage should be generated by the gm to be appropriate.
With this also said trying to effectively use bludgeoning weapons like a bat on an occupant of a vehicle is an awkward endeavor, there is no room to swing. Long pointy blades have no problem doing the stabby stabby though. Some kind of "zone aspect" seems appropriate here, but you can perhaps let players try and declare that one on their own.
Lastly shooting a target as mobile as a vehicle is sometimes an effort of futility. If the driver is smart and madly swinging around with no pattern... good luck on shooting the occupants with any accuracy. There should be a huge detriment on this if the car isn't motionless or making a straight beeline.
54
DFRPG / Re: Combat Speed
« on: March 16, 2011, 08:55:52 PM »Gun to my head, I'd suggest this is the most elegant, easiest way forward, if you absolutely have to have this feature.
It doesn't provide much benefit to attack the same target twice however.
IE, split up an 8 shift attack to +4 +4. say the opponent miraculously gets two +3 defenses.
With weapon
1: 4dmg
2: 6 dmg
3: 8 dmg
4: 10 dmg
But if you didn't "spray it" and opponent had +3 defense still you'd have
1: 6dmg
2: 7dmg
3: 8dmg
4: 9dmg
Plus with the sprayed attack you have a chance to fail and not do damage entirely on the second hit. All that for nothing? It should be a gamble to do but the rewards should be just as profound as the failures. But it is the quickest way to a solution.
55
DFRPG / Re: Combat Speed
« on: March 16, 2011, 08:26:03 PM »
Heres how I'd design it to try and keep balance:
-1 stunt: Multi attack.
1. Multi attacks up to the lesser of (weapon skill ), alertness
2. Weapon rolls no longer generate shifts only weapon damage is applied, if weapon damage is 0 instead assume it is 1.
IE defense roll 3 attack roll 5 with a weapon 3 gun inflicts 3 damage, the shifts from the skill roll only serve as a qualifier if you hit or not.
3. Keep making attack rolls vs the first defense or newly rolled defense for a second target until you choose to stop, have no more attacks left or if a counter-attack stunt comes into play.
4. Subtract the following from your defense rolls until your next turn.
1 per additional attack over 1
1 per additional target over 1.
So sure take 5 attacks in one round but you might be hurting for it. At higher numbers it doesn't make sense to take -10 defense but hey I came up with this in 5 minutes.
-1 stunt: Multi attack.
1. Multi attacks up to the lesser of (weapon skill ), alertness
2. Weapon rolls no longer generate shifts only weapon damage is applied, if weapon damage is 0 instead assume it is 1.
IE defense roll 3 attack roll 5 with a weapon 3 gun inflicts 3 damage, the shifts from the skill roll only serve as a qualifier if you hit or not.
3. Keep making attack rolls vs the first defense or newly rolled defense for a second target until you choose to stop, have no more attacks left or if a counter-attack stunt comes into play.
4. Subtract the following from your defense rolls until your next turn.
1 per additional attack over 1
1 per additional target over 1.
So sure take 5 attacks in one round but you might be hurting for it. At higher numbers it doesn't make sense to take -10 defense but hey I came up with this in 5 minutes.
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DFRPG / Re: Advice on a spell/power adventure idea
« on: March 11, 2011, 10:08:04 PM »A fully transformative process being forced on the shapeshifter, you're looking at an attack, probably mental, requiring a full 'Taken Out' result to have the effect you want, and modeling the result by way of an Extreme Consequence.
This.
Extreme consequences by nature should force the victim to change their high aspect. By forcing one through a mental attack you should have leeway to add something like "souless" or "animalistic" perhaps even something along the lines of "soul split".
57
DFRPG / Re: AOE Spell manuevers?
« on: March 11, 2011, 02:55:37 PM »I'm inclined to think that it would not be entirely unreasonable to make a house rule that allowed a caster to apply the "2 shifts of power makes it affect a zone" capability to a maneuver spell, thus creating an aspect on each target in the zone, with a free tag on each.
Too powerful? Consider the following logic:
Let say I'm fighting against a group of mooks. They're not terribly strong, and barring terrible luck I find that a 3 shift (weapon:3) attack spell is enough to leave one of them with a mild consequence (with the usual free tag). Alternatively, I could cast a maneuver spell for 3 shifts to place an aspect (and free tag) on the target, though unless I boosted the spell power the aspect would last only one exchange (as opposed to the remainder of this scene and next scene for the consequence).
But taking on one mook at a time isn't going to cut it. Luckily, they've grouped up to bolster their courage, so I could (assuming reasonable rolls) expect that a 5 shift (weapon:3, 1 zone AoE) attack spell would leave them all with a mild consequence, along with a free tag *each*. For only +2 shifts to the power of the spell.
So given that the maneuver option is weaker (due to limited duration), why shouldn't it be reasonable to be able to create a similar effect with a maneuver spell?
Another way of looking at it: If I cast a maneuver on myself, then used the free tag +2 to boost the damage on a later AoE attack spell that affected everyone in the mob, how is that different that casting an AoE maneuver against a mob, then later casting an AoE attack spell and tagging each of those aspects to get a +2 against the the target it was attached to?
Am I missing some major point of balance?
Wow I completely forgot about that, and the ability to tag consequences you inflicted. Is that rule intended for the person who inflicted the consequence? I believe it is. A spell maneuver would still be worth something in my opinion because anyone could tag that temporary aspect, the same goes for maneuvering yourself. However you have brought up a good point and the cost of such a thing should be in the neighborhood of this. I especially appreciate the concept that it is a consequence for *each* combatant.
I could see one potential problem with area of effect manoeuvres which is the possibility of multiple tagging. I am pretty certain there must be a rule somewhere in the core book forbidding this but say you caused eight enemies to have the temporary aspect 'stunned' then you might be able to tag all of the eight enemies free 'stunned' tags in your next area of effect spell to gain a +16.
This probably falls under GM common sense, but I look at it this way. You're aiming at an entire zone! Your aim which is the equivalent of hitting the broadside of a barn isn't improved by enemies being stunned since you're gunning for an area. Now their individual ability to defend *IS* effected by their being stunned. Which will net them each probly 2 more damage a piece. *NOT* the caster getting some silly bonus to aim better at the barn, the barn would have to have an aspect that made it easier to aim at, like "x marks the spot", or "bullseye"
tldr: You're aiming at a general area not all the individual combatants at once.
58
DFRPG / Re: AOE Spell manuevers?
« on: March 09, 2011, 07:26:58 PM »Why? If you shoot out the lights with a gun that could be a maneuver placing the dark aspect on the scene. If you throw a molotov cocktail into the middle of your opponents it would place the on fire aspect there. I would say the only difference between evocation maneuvers that affect scene aspects and regular ones is that the evocation maneuver has a defined duration.The difference here is that the light bulb was a pre existing condition of the scene that had to be there to make it happen in the first place. Magic is creating something out of literally nothing. Saying that a grease spell immediately effects the entire scene puts it on all zones at the same time and makes it usable against the caster. The intent isn't to cover the entire football field with grease, only the 50 yard line. Besides this I don't recall any rules for having magic effect the entirety of a scene, only for zones. Consequently there aren't any rules for having magic maneuver on a zone wide level either. But magic can maneuver on a single target and magic can attack on a zone wide level, so it stands to reason you would be able to maneuver against multiples.
This is the assumption I don't understand. You have created a single aspect. Therefore you get one single free tag, not one per affected person, to use or pass. Yes, the next time they act they will have to contend with the new scene aspect, and may be compelled by it, but I think it would be a regular compel which they would get a fate point for accepting.
Your scene aspect logic is what confuses you in this respect. You're not allowing yourself to see it in another way. As in aspect on the character just like normal maneuvering works. When I maneuver behind someone to flank them it isn't a scene aspect! It is attached directly to the person, the same goes for single target magic maneuvers. Multi target maneuvers should do it in the same fashion rather than throwing it on the whole scene. The cost DOES need to be appropriate though.
I thought carefully about making it a zonewide block as well, but that didn't make sense either once someone breaks the block it is gone, so once one person makes it across the slick now everyone can? It immediately dispels? =/
I think I have a fairer idea though to make the cost match the effect. This is for evocation mind you.
1. The caster has to determine the amount of targets. If rote this will be pre determined and set in stone as to how many it can effect at once.
2. The spell Will cost -2 per zone + -3 for maneuver effects + -1 For each target.
( So an AOE 1 target would be ludicrous an ill advised. A 2 target would be on par, and savings at 3 target)
3. Duration would be added at -1 per target + -2 per zone.
4. Just like a block, power could be fed in each turn. A rote spell could only be fed into if another rote spell existed for that sole purpose.
5. Each target gains the desired aspect that is a free tag once, only casting again would allow for another free tag.
6. The target gains a fate point each time the aspect is used against them.
7. The aspect may be used as either a compel at cast time or tag for +2 attacking-2 defending or re-roll if attacking.
8. Additional targets walking in will increase required power automatically, this can easily throw you out of rote spell mode. If you can't control the excess power and go into backlash the spell continues, fallout discontinues the spell immediately and does not effect the current targets.
I think this limits the scope of the concept enough to make it useful but not so powerful as to effect 500 enemies in the same zone for 5 shifts of power.
59
DFRPG / Re: AOE Spell manuevers?
« on: March 09, 2011, 05:06:16 PM »
A spell shouldn't just effect the entire scene though that is way too powerful. I was thinking more along the lines of a temporary aspect that is taggable once on each afflicted npc/pc and dissapears at the end of the duration.
Now that aspect would effect the next action that involves the npc/pc for free. So an attacker may get the free tag or anyone defending against the afflicted npc/pc gets the free tag. Either way though the aspect is gone after the duration.
Compelling isn't a bad concept either though.
Now that aspect would effect the next action that involves the npc/pc for free. So an attacker may get the free tag or anyone defending against the afflicted npc/pc gets the free tag. Either way though the aspect is gone after the duration.
Compelling isn't a bad concept either though.
60
DFRPG / Re: AOE Spell manuevers?
« on: March 09, 2011, 02:20:01 PM »
A one time tag? or a free tag for every combatant who was put under the effect?