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Messages - Kennifus Prime

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DFRPG / Re: Adjudicating the Discovery of a Catch
« on: April 14, 2016, 07:34:08 PM »
White court vampire catches are super secret from how I interpret it.  And their catch is +0 for how easy it is to research.  Didn't Harry learn the Raith Catch from Thomas himself?

I don't have my books but they have base requirements for discovering catches and isn't 'intimate knowledge' a basis for a +0 catch?

If that's the case, then I don't think a random Lore roll would fit the bill unless you have an aspect to represent that kind of knowledge.

I suppose you could set a base difficulty, like legendary and each +1 on the catch represents an aspect (or a -2 to the difficulty)

I'd put BCV around +2 since that knowledge is available on the internet and I think they rate the internet at Fair.  (Once again, I don't have my books).  It's probably also available as a scholarship roll as well as a lore roll given stokers Dracula is everywhere.

That's definitely true for White Court Vampires. Hrmmm. So maybe like a +5 Lore just to know that they feed on emotions in general, but much higher (if Lore at all) for determining what type of emotion they feed off of (and thus their Catch). I'm curious how you'd learn it then? Perhaps a pretty difficult Contacts roll? You know a guy who knows a guy? If you succeed you find out The Catch of a particular White Court Family, if you fail you don't. Or better yet you find out the WRONG Catch. :-P

I also like the idea of stuff like low Scholarship rolls for stuff you can easily find on the Internet. We've actually done Google searches ourselves to see how deep you have to dig before when dealing with stuff like, say, a Rakshasa.

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DFRPG / Re: Adjudicating the Discovery of a Catch
« on: April 14, 2016, 06:25:03 PM »
If it's something that's based off an existing thing in the Dresdenverse I base it off of a Lore roll. That's what covers their Supernatural knowledge. You set the difficulty to know The Catch based on how common the knowledge is. For instance, rolling Lore to determine The Catch of a Black Court Vampire is likely pretty low. Whereas trying to find The Catch of a Sidhe isn't exactly something Average Joe knows. If it's a White Court Vampire knowing sort of how The Catch works might not be difficult, but know a specific type of White Court Vampire Catch is likely trickier. However, in all instances it would be a Lore roll I'd think.

Now setting the Difficulty for that Lore roll gets trickier. In my examples of BCV, Sidhe, and WCV where would we set those Difficulties? A +1 Average for BCV? A +3 for Sidhe? Maybe a +3 to know how WCV Catches work and a +5 to know the specific Catch for this particular type of WCV? It's hard to say. I don't think anywhere in the book lays this specifically out.

What is the exact situation you're dealing with? That may help us better determine how to handle it.

EDIT: After seeing Taran's post. (I was typing at the same time lol.)
I guess, you'd look at the rebate bonus for a catch.  (just the research rebate, not the accessibility rebate) The higher the rebate, the easier it is to research.

I like this idea as well. The more of a Rebate the creature has from The Catch the easier the Difficulty. It makes sense as the Rebate is based on how rare or common The Catch itself is.

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DFRPG / Re: Dealing with Supernatural Speed/Strength
« on: April 05, 2016, 03:40:07 PM »
Supernatural speed reads "You're able to move far faster than the eye can see -- or at least so fast that what's seen is only a blur..."  From what other people are replying, it looks like I need to cut back on what he can do in terms of speed.  Also, due to the reading of the rules, I didn't allow the driver to make a dodge role with his driving skill because I assumed he didn't have time to get out of the way.

Maybe you could give the driver an Alertness roll to see if he notices the impending attack. If he succeeds the Alertness roll he gets to make the Driving roll to try and dodge, if he fails the Alertness roll he doesn't. Even at Supernatural Speed he'd have the chance to catch something "blurring" out of a truck and heading right for his vehicle. That's the point of the Alertness skill, after all. Though in this scenario I'm not sure what the opposing roll from the PC would be, as he's not really being Stealthy. Maybe just a set DC from you as the GM would work.

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DFRPG / Re: Dealing with Supernatural Speed/Strength
« on: April 04, 2016, 06:42:29 PM »
In my opinion, the best part about DFRPG is also what makes it really hard to GM sometimes: the freedom. The PC's, as long as game mechanics are followed, can really do anything. It's impossible to plan for everything they could do. A Wizard could essentially do the same thing as this other PC by casting ice under the car or Hexing the hell out of it. There are other ways other PC templates could interfere with your plans as well. What I've learned to try and do is think of the goal of the scene, and then make sure that goal occurs. It doesn't matter how, or [usually] even if it's in the same exact scene. So in this car chase what's your goal as the GM? Are the PC's supposed to lose the item? Do they get away and you just don't like the encounter being so short? If it's the latter then find narrative ways to make the PC's think twice about actions. A 10 shift attack is pretty high, not sure what the Weapon damage on that is, but I'd imagine at least a 4. That's the equivalent of battlefield explosives I believe? Maybe the car explodes and now the PC's have to flee the police? Or maybe it flips over into a residential area and you Compel one of the more do-gooder PC's that they need to help the people their cohort has just potentially endangered. As long as you're still working towards the goal you have set as the GM I don't try to get caught up in how I want a scene to go as it rarely ever goes that way. I hope this helps, and good luck!

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DFRPG / Re: Looking to limit wizard power thread.
« on: March 23, 2016, 10:04:15 PM »
What about a Weapon:7 sleep spell from an accomplished biomancer wizard?

Isn't a Sleep spell done via Thaumaturgy and/or as a Block? Thus it wouldn't really have a Weapon Rating?

This reminds me of my NON LETHAL TAKE-OUT GAME

Just read through that. I love that Thread. lol

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DFRPG / Re: Looking to limit wizard power thread.
« on: March 23, 2016, 03:19:10 PM »
I'd say even if you're changing the rules, the above is a little harsh as blanket result.  Some special effects are more potentially lethal than others.  A Weapon:7 Fireball might be fair for the above but killing someone hit with a Weapon:7 spell which takes someone out by covering them in webbing (leaving the mouth and nose uncovered) or knocking them out through intense sensory overload would't make sense.

Ah, I should have clarified, the spells in question are always destructive forces. If they were casting webbing or something like that then that's a different case. Then again I'd think that would be a block more so than a Stress/Consequence dealing attack. But yes, in every instance where this has come up in our games it's been something that's hard to RP as not being death.

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DFRPG / Re: Looking to limit wizard power thread.
« on: March 23, 2016, 12:38:33 PM »
It's certainly a house rule and one all the players knew about going into the game.

Most times it's not a big deal as they don't fight a ton of mortals, but on occasion it does lead to interesting situations where they have to pull punches or take alternative methods to take the target out.

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DFRPG / Re: Looking to limit wizard power thread.
« on: March 22, 2016, 06:42:12 PM »
- damage over 'X' is considered lethal - or at least considered a compel.

I definitely run with this one for taking out opponents and accidental hexing of nearby electronics.

If one of my Wizards throws 7 Shifts of Power into an Evocation then they're frying nearby computers, cell phones, etc. I usually just have this happen as most often it's story flavor only. But in the event it causes an actual hindrance I'd do it as a Compel.

On the same token, if a PC hits an opponent with a Weapon: 7 (Not even counting Stress for Targeting VS Defense rolls.) and takes the opponent out, then I'm not letting them choose to keep the opponent alive. Considering Weapon: 4 is "'Battlefield'” weaponry, explosives" I'd say that's reasonable.

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DFRPG / Re: Advice for a New Campagin
« on: March 02, 2016, 05:33:14 AM »
Just keeping track of the 56 Aspects for 8 PC's for Compels/Invokes alone would be intense. Throw in Aspects for Locations, NPC's, Temporary ones, etc. and your brain may explode. Or perhaps you just have some handy-dandy list with all of them on it and do fine. Party splits will likely be a big issue. It happens in my games and we only have 5 PC's. The system lends itself to them with the ability for PC's to "do whatever they like", but if not managed well you can end up with the PC's not in the current Scene being bored. Not saying it isn't doable, just likely difficult and stressful on your part as the GM.

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DFRPG / Re: Advice for a New Campagin
« on: March 01, 2016, 09:31:36 PM »
What advice are you exactly looking for?

Just general advice on GM'ing a game?

I had never GM'd before, and had never played FATE or DFRPG, when I started GM'ing my weekly games for some friends. We broke one year of playing back in January and are still going strong. None of them were familiar with the FATE system and only 2 of the 5 had read the books at the time (now 3/5). I found the game mechanics and system itself (other than magic) to be extremely simple and flexible in all the right ways. Keep in mind this is a storytelling system, at least in my eyes, and it lends itself to sessions built as such. I worry a lot less about intricate maps and such and a lot more on characterization and PC/NPC/World interaction. The biggest piece of advice I could give to anyone who's going to GM a FATE based game is do not plan too much. The system is all about PC choice. They can do a LOT between ritual magic, declarations, and the like. What I do is make the NPC's, the locations, the plot hooks, and design scenes in a "What do I want this scene to accomplish?" kind of way. If you try planning too much of a "railroad system" you'll find it going south really quick. Have a mansion the players need to break into? For the Burglary part stop there. Let them figure it out. Don't design some special security system, because undoubtedly a Wizard will hex it. A super cool lock system? A PC will scale a wall and go in through a less secure window.

Base your scenes, sessions, and entire campaigns on "skeleton ideas". What you want to accomplish and how you want the story to develop and then let that magically happen during your game nights. It might require you to think fast sometimes, but it'll be worth it.

Hopefully this helps, but if you have more specific questions let me know. :-)

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DFRPG / Re: Stunt usage
« on: February 08, 2016, 12:09:36 AM »
It's part of the "mid session power upgrades" rules. There's a yellow box on page 92 in Your Story called "Temporary Powers".

Reading through it again, it even talks about that the player can owe the GM compels, if he doesn't have enough to pay for the temporary upgrades. Wrapping those into a theme of sponsor debt would therefor work rather nicely.

Wow, so it is. This is really cool stuff. Thanks!

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DFRPG / Re: Stunt usage
« on: February 06, 2016, 11:39:02 PM »
I agree with Haru. If it is a one-time use of the Stunt and fits the flavor of the Sponsor / is being used to further the Sponsor's goals, I'd likely allow it.

If they're wanting to accrue a point of Debt to permanently gain a Stunt I'd say no way.

Also, @Haru, I'm curious about "Temporary Upgrade". I don't recall that. Is it something from FATE Core?

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DFRPG / Re: Unorthodox Tracking Spells
« on: February 04, 2016, 02:05:10 AM »
Seems easy to me: the Black Court are basically corpses re-animated with some kind of specific, strange, powerful necromancy. The Master vampires impart a portion of that energy into a corpse to create a new Blampire, which then grows in strength as it feeds and ages. That means there is the same kind of link between the new Blampire and its creator as there is between a mother and daughter's blood. So you create that link between the two and follow it. As far as following that link back, the first idea to pop into my head is to cut off one of the Blampire's fingers and use it as a compass-point.

I love this description. Thanks!

This is in the Using Help section of the Thaumaturgy chapter. If a second spellcaster is capable of casting the spell--i.e. has Thaumaturgy or an appropriately-themed Ritual spell--then they can add "controlled shifts of power"--aka, you each get to summon and control some number of shifts on your own. Harry says you can't do this with more than 13 wizards, "because it just works that way" or somesuch excuse." Anyone help absorb Backlash as stress/Consequences.

Oh wow, so it does. (YS272) for future readers who want a reference.

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DFRPG / Re: Unorthodox Tracking Spells
« on: February 04, 2016, 01:52:19 AM »
Now if you were to make a spell that enchants a map so it always shows you where the target is, or a compass that always points in the direction of the target, I would require you to put duration into this. The spell is not only designed to find something once, but to be able to find it again and again, if need be. It shouldn't be able to do so indefinitely, so putting a duration limitation on the spell helps. If the map or compass are just trinkets to cast the spell once, it isn't necessary, and the spell would need to be cast again, if the target got away.

Oh! Maybe I wasn't explaining correctly. My apologies. One of the characters actually specifically uses a compass. They aren't doing a tracking spell that will "Reveal the target's location." They are doing one that will have an item (compass, vampire finger, crystal on a string, whatever) that will point them towards the target until such a time as the magic wears off. Either way I think I agree it's accurate to say they'd find the target before duration could come into play, so it should be skipped.

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DFRPG / Re: Unorthodox Tracking Spells
« on: February 03, 2016, 11:38:12 PM »
I really don't have any reason for the duration portion. I just thought it was a requirement. I suppose it should never really happen, but what if you made a tracking spell and it took you a week to find someone? Would the spell just keep working indefinitely? Again, that should never come up in a game, just more my curiosity than anything. I'll just remove the duration portion from the Rituals as they're tracking spells.

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