Hey Guys!
The GM in my current campaign is new to both DFRPG and Fate (but an avid reader and scholar of The Dresden Files) and he's struggling with compels: having a hard time figuring out how and when to use them.
I figured that, instead of me telling tim how to compel the aspects of my character, I'd look to you, fellow DFRPG-enarians, for suggestions, thoughts and ideas. Below is a list of my characters aspects and the stories that spawned them. I'd love it if you could come up with one or more good compels for each of them.
Oh, and by all means, if you think an Aspect is bad and/or "uncompellable", please let me know!
Thanks in advance!
High Concept: Blackstaff Wannabe
Trouble: Keeper of Bad Company
I’ve been known to show loyalty and faith where others would only show contempt and hostility. I’m currently under the Doom, thanks to a clever little practitioner called Alexandra. She broke the Third Law of Magic like it was a curfew set by her parents, not knowingly of course. The council got revved up to take her head off and likely would have done so, had I not stepped in. She’s now my ward, my protogé, my padawan. And a pain in my neck!
Oh, and I hang out with Summer fairies and White Court Vampires on a regular basis. Great company for a prospective Warden, am I right?
Background: Born to be Wizard
I was born to Magic: both my parents are in the White Council. My mother is truly inspirational, a Wizard of enough power and skill to rival the Merlin. Hell, she may even become the Merlin one day. My dad, not so much. While a capable Kinetomancer, it has been said (though never to his face) that the only reason he’s in the Council is thanks to my mother.
I received my own stole early: not the youngest ever by far, but still pretty young, and have been carving my out my place in the world, and the council, since then.
I’ve got my sights high: Warden, Senior Council, Blackstaff. Though perhaps not in that order.
Rising Conflict: Lifting, no, Shredding the Veil
During the late stages of my Apprenticeship: the date for my trials was in fact set, I was out on assignment with my teacher: standard mission of investigating supernatural rumours. We encountered a band of low-level spellslingers: kineto- and pyromancers. We were about to do battle, when a much older wizard, one I only knew by appearance, dropped out from nowhere and started slinging spells around. Within two minutes, he’d broken the first three Laws of Magic and taken out all opposition. Assuming, in my naïveté, that he’d be captured and killed, I took in every detail, wanting to give as good a testimony as possible. The Lawbreaker disappeared just as quickly and abruptly as he’d arrived and me and my teacher returned to the council. I continued prepping for my trials, and weeks went by. No notice, no summon to stand witness, nothing. Then, on the day of my trials, I stand before the committee and who turns out to be the head of the examination? The fricking Lawbreaker. I say nothing, after having received a sharp glance from my teacher, and go on with the trials. I, naturally, aced them and then was to receive my stole. The lawbreaker brings it out, a simple dark blue variant (I’d buy my own later), lays it on my head and then, without any warning or preamble, levels his gaze at me and draws me into a Soulgaze. As it turns out, he was The Blackstaff: the only wizard in the White Council with the authority and discretion to break the Laws of Magic at his or her own discretion.
Even in our enlightened neck of the woods, there are grave and terrible secrets.
The Story: Once more into the Breach
Newly-minted Wizard, my sights on that Warden Cloak, I wasted little time. Through connections in my city, I found out about a necromancer raising all kinds of hell, pun very much intended. I tracked him down, which was not that hard to be frank, apprehended the sorcerer, dispatched of the demon he’d just summoned and lost control of (clutz) and went out for a celebratory pizza.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t THAT easy. The demon did try to escape while me and the little padawan took care of the Necromancer. Out into the streets he went and decided, then and there, to grab himself a snack from a passing bus. As luck would have it, my now partner-in-all-but-love Vincent showed up and dealt with it. He distracted the demon, with his rakishly good looks I would assume, long enough for me and Alexandra to show up and dispatch it. Ask Vincent about it, he’s got a lot to say on the subject. Especially the saving-all-the-children part, he loves to take about that. Believe me.
Guest Star: White Court Meddler
Vincent’s path happened upon my own again not long after Dispatching the Demon: a particularly nasty loup-garou appeared in our beautiful town, and me and Alexandra went after it. It just so happened that Vincent had had the same idea, or assignment rather. I arrived just as the Garou was about to finish off Vincent and, lucky for him, me and Alexandra stopped it. Finishing off the Garou was tricky, but with the combined efforts of Vincent, Alexandra and myself, we managed.
It took me all of twelve hours after that to be let in on the real story. The White Court had sent Vincent in to get killed, wanting to get rid of him. Now, well, let’s just say that the White Court ain’t no friend of mine.
Guest Star Redux: Unwilling Mentor
This one isn’t as much an adventure, but it definitely qualifies as a defining moment for both me and my padawan. You see, Alexandra is a Lawbreaker. Living on the streets does that to you, because you do what you can to survive. Her powers manifested, quite early I’m told, and she used them to survive, to live. Breaking the Third Law isn’t the worst one to break, but it’s still a Law. She flew under the radar of the White Council for a long time, probably didn’t know we existed. That is, until she decided to make a big score by robbing a bank. As luck would have it, Latisha the Summer Knight was present at the bank, foiled the robbery and called in the White Council: a favor she’s not yet forgotten I might add. The council arrived, brought Alexandra in and was about to take her head off when I stepped in. You see, Alexandra didn’t know, couldn’t know, that the Laws of Magic existed, so it wasn’t really her fault she broke them. Hell, I probably would have done the same in her situation (but don’t tell the Senior Council that). The interference was not appreciated by the Wardens and Council and, knowing my aspirations, the gave me a choice. Take the Doom or take her Head. Needless to say, I took the Doom, and got landed with my very own Grasshopper.
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