Hey everybody, just wanted to say thanks for all the awesome tips.  The first session was a blast, both for me running it, and for the players (I had unanimous good feedback, and people demanding that the next session be soon, yay!)

Also, after the first hour of play, everything settled out.  I introduced the players to each other, set the stage for politicing (they're all tied to various factions for the most part), and threw some tension into the city with the White Council making a declaration that the city is formally on watch until an inquisition can be made into old man Montrose's death. (I'm running Baltimore out of the book).  After the big speech and session, everyone met in character, and then ended up saving the daughter of the cafe owner, who was one of the kids kidnapped by a scourge of 3 Black Court Vampires.

After a fun and dynamic combat sequence, in which it was proven that bears can wrestle with BCVs, and wizards are very, very scary when given a little time to prepare, mainly because they can throw around high weapon attacks that can be made to fit catches, the players saved a bunch of children from being eaten/changed.

Also, some of them (the children) are suffering from psychic trauma of the not-breaking but definitely bad variety... and so my sorcerer wants to put together a working to make them all forget about what happens until they're older and can deal with it better... Said sorcerer is also Russel Carson's girlfriend.  So while I'm sure she can pull it off... there might be some consequences down the road *grin*

The thing I'm really loving about Fate is that as people are getting into their characters and tweaking Aspects, it's giving me even more idea/hooks to work with.  For example, the con man has the aspect "A Ho in every area code", which was tagged to have a girl show up and give him a ride in her car.  Oh... the good times to come.

Cheers!

Hey guys, have my first session with a bunch of great characters lined up for tonight... and definitely have GM jitters!  Have never run a game before and really don't want it to suck for everyone who is looking forward to it.

Any last minute tips for having fun and keeping your cool?

With a rote the only difference is that you're assumed to have rolled 0 on your discipline to control the power, static bonuses apply normally.

Remember!  You still have to roll discipline to aim the spell if it's an attack.

Well, I've got six characters (five people usually per session)
-Werebear (only combat saavy character), strength, really tough
-Sorcerer (inexperienced), not combat saavy, likes making wards
-Hedge wizard, potion tastic but no combat skills
-Scion con artist- glamours and wings, no combat skills
-Mortal Journalist (TV/academic type, investigating the supernatural)
-Chupa-were (think terra west, as a teenager who was a chupacabra... if she like philosophy)

only physical powers on the table are the bear, and almost no one has good combat skills.  That being said, it seems like this group would be perfect for the "research and prepare" strategy, since three people have good+ lore, and relavent aspects.

I can't really see how basing Breathe Weapon off of fists would break anything, especially given the concept you're working with.  Seems fitting, and there's usually a variety of skills that can be used to aim supernatural attacks.

Personally I'd flavor it as he's learned a specific form of eastern Biomancy.  You take the powers you want, but then I'd roll discipline, or maybe endurance, to channel the body's energy properly, and resist taking additional stress.  Easiest way would probably be to keep the additional stress track, but say that the character has to "trance", or commune with ancestor spirits, or connect to the energy of the universe, in order to restore his strength.  Literally sleeping seems to be slightly gamey, since while he could be forced to fall unconscious, he would also always insta-restore his powers upon sleeping for any extended amount of time (unless you wanted to work something else more specific out).

Hope that helps any, cheers!

Alrighty, consulting the book (YS 280), gives me the impression that you can get extra uses.  It specifically states that you normally can't exchange the extra strength bonus on an item for extra uses... but that you can for potions.  Which leaves me slightly confused as well.  I'd tend to allow multiple "dosings" of a particular potion.  Several doses of RC anti venom?  Sure, that makes sense.  However, I wouldn't allow it to have multiple effects in the same slot, that seems to go against the intention of keeping this all simple and neat.

As for the strength, personally I have no clue about the cap calculations that you're putting up.  Though I'd be tempted to say that 16 would be the absolute cap I'd allow.  Although I'd have to wonder where they're getting all the fate points to dump into that potion...


Edit: Ninja'd on frequency.

CMeast- great examples!  I'll have to go back and glance at the draconomicon for some ideas, so I can stat out stuff and have it ready to go for the player.

ironchicken- good point, non liquid one use items are an excellent point.  Somehow I don't think too many enemies could run away from a nice enchanted thornbush like that. 

Hey guys, I've got a character for my up to the waist game who only has thaumaturgy, and is a potion specialist.  I let her take refinements, so I'm looking at +2 strength and +1 frequency, and a +2 strength focus item for a character that has a base lore of 4, a nice workshop, and an appropriate aspect or two.

I recall reading that enchanted items have a peak or twice the caster's lore, my question is if that applies to potions as well, if they're being boosted by fate points.  As it is, with a single tag, brewing it in her spiffy focus cauldron, this character could theoretically produce a ten shift potion with two doses, for a single enchanted item slot.

(let me know if my math is wrong, if it is I need to tell the player to change what is on their sheet).

Here's the question, would burning fate points allow the potion to get this strong, or possibly higher?  I'm not really worried about it, the player isn't a powergamer, but I was just wondering.

Also, to my understanding, if I was to take that ten shift effect, and use it for say a... dragonbreath potion (the character has a dragon thing going on, besides, it's a fantasy staple!), my math works out that it could be used as a weapon 8 attack, over a whole zone, targeted with whatever skill seems appropriate.  Did I do that right?