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Messages - Zorthrip

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: April 04, 2012, 08:05:54 AM »
Quote from: Mr. Death on April 03, 2012, 07:26:01 PM
Fair enough. I'm just saying that there should be a darn good in-story reason for why a power works the way it does in addition to the Refresh/fate point costs.

Agreed

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: April 02, 2012, 06:58:13 PM »
Quote from: Mr. Death on March 31, 2012, 02:23:30 PM
Magic has to come from something. This isn't a setting where you can make something this broadly powerful and handwave it with "Well, it's magic."

Agreed, however outlining the specifics of that magic and why it is appropriate would be the purview of the person creating the organization, which is why I haven't deemed it appropriate to do so. The validity of the magic within the story and setting are based on whatever is created by that person. Here I am simply discussing mechanics and game balance. They could be made by anything, and if they want it to be some kind of sponsor or caster capable of making whatever, then that works.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 31, 2012, 08:38:03 AM »
Quote from: Mr. Death on March 30, 2012, 07:03:11 PM
While mechanically speaking that gives the catches something in common, why would one bullet work the same on a Demon whose catch is Holy Stuff and on a Frost Giant whose catch is fire? Or on an Ogre with a catch of Iron in the same scene as a Black Court vampire?

There's really no commonality for all the catches this would affect that one single item would be able to latch onto through means regularly available to mortals.

As to why it effects multiple things, that would be the "runic magic" of the bullets. As to how they are commonly available to mortal agents, I would image that an agency with agents that are typically carrying around runic bullets wouldn't be staffed solely with Pure Mortals. I'm sure someone or multiple someones with some mojo are involved in some way.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 30, 2012, 05:48:45 PM »
Quote from: Mr. Death on March 30, 2012, 12:41:01 PM
That would do it, yeah, but it still doesn't address my other point, explaining why the power is A. so powerful as to affect a wide range of totally unrelated monsters' weaknesses (everything from elves, to vampires, to demons) and B. finicky enough that it sometimes just doesn't work ("Didn't that gun blow right through an Ogre yesterday? Why can't it scratch this troll?" "I ran out of fate points.")

The former suggests that whatever powers the gun is extremely powerful, the latter suggests that whatever powers the gun has some kind of consciousness and agenda that the user might sometimes not align with. Both together suggest this would be an item in short supply, or even unique--remember that the White God only has three of them to hand out.

Let's give this a shot.

Power Level: If you go with the version I posted initially, the power level is limited by the requirement of the Fate point expenditure and a that it only effects more common Catches (unable to effect +0 Catches).

Sometimes Works and Doesn't Others: Let's say the gun does always work. The Fate point expenditure isn't "turning on" the power. It is instead declaring that the agent had some of the runic bullets left. Otherwise, the agent is only shooting normal bullets. Something like runic bullets isn't so common and abundant a resource that they agent has an endless supply.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 30, 2012, 07:25:41 AM »
Quote from: Mr. Death on March 30, 2012, 04:05:27 AM
There's the thing, though. The powers of the Sword are a package deal with the aspects of the sword, and the role associated with the sword. You don't think it's unbalanced to have one character with a -3 refresh cost (plus fate point) power that is significantly restricted in what his character can and cannot smite, and another character with almost the same -3 refresh (plus fate point) power that he can use on anything without consequence?

The aspects and narrative role of a power are as important to its balance as the fact that it lets you do X for Y amount of refresh.

It could be said that the power requires a high concept that at least in part ties to his being an agent. Additionally, I imagine that if the supernatural community were to discover a organization of mortals that were not only unaffected by the "global denial" that everyone else seems to be under, that many of them would dedicate themselves to the destruction of said organization. That make the possession of the power and the high concept potentially make that person a target if they did not keep the secrecy close to their chest. This could be the type of narrative limiter you are saying should be needed.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 29, 2012, 08:49:54 AM »
Honestly, these are all just possible alternatives. One of the many things I love about this system is its ability to mold itself into almost anything given enough creativity, and as we have seen here it can potentially do so in multiple ways. In the end it is up to the players and Storyteller to determine which version of these runic bullets best fits both their character, the intention behind purchasing them, the balance of the game being played, and the themes and moods that have been agreed upon by the ones running and playing in the game. In this, as in most cases, there is not true "right" or "wrong" answer.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 28, 2012, 08:18:59 AM »
Quote from: Sanctaphrax on March 28, 2012, 02:17:05 AM
That wouldn't work. Not all Catches can be bypassed with potions. Furthermore, you won't always have an appropriate potion.

Not sure why people are so keen to avoid the current version of this item. Could someone explain?

I'm not saying that it would be potions carried around. Only that it would use similar mechanics to wizards using potions.

Once a specific Catch has been determined, one of the "potion" slots can be filled with a clip of bullets specifically crafted to mimic that Catch. These bullets are runic, or mystical in nature. That means that the magic of the bullet mimics the Catch, and is not limited to mimicking Catches that are bypassed by specific physical materials. Also, this version requires the Catch to be researched or discovered, since each clip must be crafted specifically. You may not always have the appropriate clip on hand if you get caught by surprise by something you didn't expect, but that is a chance you take.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 27, 2012, 08:59:36 PM »
Quote from: Mr. Death on March 26, 2012, 10:24:16 PM
I'd suggest crafting for bullet 'potions' then, plus a Refinement to give you more room.

Honestly, I think I'm more sold on this version that the Item of Power version.

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DFRPG / Re: Item of Power: Faeblade
« on: March 26, 2012, 07:25:47 AM »
You could make Vendetta or Vengeance cost a Fate Point per scene in order keep the cost lower.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 25, 2012, 11:05:43 AM »
Running it like potion slots could very well work. Each slot is a clip satisfying a different Catch. They would have the benefit over the version I posted previously since they could affect those with a +0 Catch, but would require the player to determine the Catch first. Although, with this version I wouldn't make it cost a Fate point to use.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 23, 2012, 08:03:40 PM »
Quote from: Sanctaphrax on March 23, 2012, 05:03:54 PM
Having to act perfect to make the Sword work is not a drawback. It's compel-fuel, and therefore useful to the character.

Your Runic Bullets power might still be okay, though.

Agreed. My wording was imperfect. It isn't a drawback and is useful for compels. I meant that it is a restriction in that through the behavior and the compels (as well as the fate point cost requirement), it keeps them from overusing and abusing the power by running around and unloading on everything and therefore cheapening the value of Toughness and Recovery powers in that game.

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DFRPG / Re: Help Me Stat "Runic Bullets" Item of Power!
« on: March 23, 2012, 08:50:47 AM »
My thoughts using the Sword of the Cross as a benchmark.

The sword costs -3 and bypasses pretty much everything for a scene for a fate point. The flip side is that the actions of the person wielding it are very limited by the belief set. My opinion is to reduce the cost by 1 and remove the actions restrictions. To offset this, limit what it can bypass. Remove the bypassing of mundane armor, and limit the Catch bypassing a bit.

Here would be my version:

Runic Bullets [-2]
When facing an opponent, the Agent may spend a fate point to treat the bullets as satisfying the Catch of the opponent for the rest of the scene. The limitation is that these bullets were crafted as broad spectrum deterrent. This causes the bullets to be unable to mimic the specialized nature of a very rare or personal Catch. Mechanically, if an opponent has a Catch that refunds zero refresh then the bullets are unable to fulfill that Catch.

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