Author Topic: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?  (Read 2775 times)

Offline Crion

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 285
  • "Don't. Mess. With. Librarians."
    • View Profile
From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« on: June 03, 2011, 06:54:13 PM »
While doing my traditional "re-read the series before the next book comes out," I've been finding myself wondering how would various scenes be worked out mechanically in the game.

A few that came to mind were as follows:

1) On multiple occassions, Harry talks about angling his shield to redirect forces, whether it is to knock a bullet harmlessly to a side or reflecting the pellets of a landmine.

2) Specifically during Grave Peril, Harry redirects one of Bianca's spells into another Red Court vampire within the same zone.

3) In Proven Guilty, Harry noted having muscle and magical force behind a physical blow (specifically when taking out the Alien Phobophage).

4) In Changes,
(click to show/hide)

5) Little Chicago. I know many people bring it up, but it is still a fun topic to talk about.


With these in mind, how would you mechanically put any of these in the system? Is it all just simple flavour, or do you feel that some of this stuff can, and should, have a mechanic to support it? If you are going by mechanics, are you siding with various rules on spin, manuevers, etc?

I know I am missing a few more (about halfway through the re-read of Dead Beat as a break from the research paper), but I think this is a good start.

Just curious what the rest of the community here would do. Have at it, and have fun!

--Crion[/color]
"Smilies exist because no one has bothered to make a sarcasm font." Lost_Heretic
"I don't care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching--they are your family." Harry Dresden

Offline EdgeOfDreams

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 332
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2011, 07:03:13 PM »
For my group, most of that stuff is either just flavor or handled by maneuvers.  There is a section in the book though about redirecting magic force from a defensive spell into an offensive spell.

As for Little Chicago, that's either plot device or a really really powerful focus item for divination spells.

Offline wyvern

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1418
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2011, 07:04:35 PM »
1) Pure fluff, or perhaps a fate point powered declaration to boost the effectiveness of his shield against a particular type of attack.
2) A stunt akin to riposte.  Again, this could be powered by a fate point (temporary power) instead of something permanently on the character sheet.
3) Not sure, but it sounds like an aspect invocation.
4) Aspect invocation, potentially via sponsor debt.
5) Apparently Little Chicago is a 6+ slot focus item, worth at least 3 refresh in refinements on its own.  Probably more given its defensive properties; I'd describe it as +6 base complexity for sympathetic magic related to Chicago (focus item), with a power 10 block against any form of return fire (enchanted item).  Possibly discount its cost by one or two refresh just for the fact that it's immobile?

Offline UmbraLux

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1685
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2011, 07:17:09 PM »
While doing my traditional "re-read the series before the next book comes out," I've been finding myself wondering how would various scenes be worked out mechanically in the game.

A few that came to mind were as follows:

1) On multiple occassions, Harry talks about angling his shield to redirect forces, whether it is to knock a bullet harmlessly to a side or reflecting the pellets of a landmine.
A couple of possibilities:  spend a fate point on an aspect related to the shield bracelet or, more likely, an Athletics declaration to gain a temporary defensive bonus.

Quote
2) Specifically during Grave Peril, Harry redirects one of Bianca's spells into another Red Court vampire within the same zone.
Don't remember the exact situation but a compel (invoke for effect leading to a compel) seems most likely.  Could also be modeled as counterspelling with a lot of extra shifts. 

Quote
3) In Proven Guilty, Harry noted having muscle and magical force behind a physical blow (specifically when taking out the Alien Phobophage).
Fists or Might declaration plus one of his force rings is a possibility (I don't remember the details offhand).  With a generous group it could presumably go the other way...

Quote
4) In Changes,
(click to show/hide)
Spray attack combining his abilities with sponsored magic - possibly with both Soulfire and Winter / Unseelie.  Could simply be the fire element laced with Unseelie strength as well.  Probably depends how many shifts you'd need to pull it off.

Quote
5) Little Chicago. I know many people bring it up, but it is still a fun topic to talk about.
A couple of refinement points in items.

--
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”  - Albert Einstein

"Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength."  - Eric Hoffer

Offline Tsunami

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1169
  • Not delicate.
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2011, 07:42:38 PM »
5) Apparently Little Chicago is a 6+ slot focus item, worth at least 3 refresh in refinements on its own.  Probably more given its defensive properties; I'd describe it as +6 base complexity for sympathetic magic related to Chicago (focus item), with a power 10 block against any form of return fire (enchanted item).  Possibly discount its cost by one or two refresh just for the fact that it's immobile?

The Defensive properties are easily accounted for.
Basically the Focus Item was damaged (the hole that was burned into it) instead of Harry taking a consequence.
Like when his blasting rod exploded from a exceptionally strong fire spell.

Offline UmbraLux

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1685
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2011, 08:49:22 PM »
Basically the Focus Item was damaged (the hole that was burned into it) instead of Harry taking a consequence.
Like when his blasting rod exploded from a exceptionally strong fire spell.
I'd say those were the consequences.  :)  Probably mild, but that may depend on the group.  Remember, consequences don't have to be physical damage to your body.  Taking a consequence which limits access to part of your power for a while makes sense on occasion.
--
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”  - Albert Einstein

"Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength."  - Eric Hoffer

Offline Haru

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 5520
  • Mentally unstable like a fox.
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2011, 09:30:26 PM »
1) On multiple occassions, Harry talks about angling his shield to redirect forces, whether it is to knock a bullet harmlessly to a side or reflecting the pellets of a landmine.
That is pretty much just a block straight from the books. If you want the bullet to hit someone else, you could do so by using the spell redirection rules, if you didn't use the shield to block.

Quote
2) Specifically during Grave Peril, Harry redirects one of Bianca's spells into another Red Court vampire within the same zone.
That would probably best be done by blocking the spell first and then doing a similar spell on your turn. I would probably let you declare the spell as an aspect, so you could tag it in the subsequent spell.

Quote
3) In Proven Guilty, Harry noted having muscle and magical force behind a physical blow (specifically when taking out the Alien Phobophage).
As someone said before, a fists or might declaration to tag for a magical attack or a magical maneuver to tag for a fists attack. I'd probably go with option a, because that should be possible to do in 1 exchange instead of first building up a maneuver spell.

Quote
4) In Changes,
(click to show/hide)
A spray attack using fire plus
(click to show/hide)
. Or a zone attack that is described as a spray attack, because it is cooler. They are only mooks, so they probably don't have that much resistance anyway, so you can put a lot of power into increasing the range.

Quote
5) Little Chicago. I know many people bring it up, but it is still a fun topic to talk about.
Simply a focus for tracking spells. There is a list somewhere in the books, that gives approximate sizes in relation to the power of a focus item. If I remember the list correctly, it should be around 7-8 if not more.

Hope that helps.
“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?”
― Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Offline tetrasodium

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 150
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2011, 12:31:39 AM »
4) In Changes,
(click to show/hide)

5) Little Chicago. I know many people bring it up, but it is still a fun topic to talk about.[/quote
with regards to the events in changes
(click to show/hide)
Little chicago is actually mentioned in one of the margin scribbles if I recall right it was around where they start talking about the size of items of powerwhere either billy or harry makes a comment about how items of power really work best when they are small enough for a wizard to have some hope of transporting them to where they might be useful.  In game terms I'd think it would probably be part of a specialized (chicago atrea) divination lab/workshop/library type thing kept back at home.

Offline Cyberchihuahua

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 924
  • Lft. WMC_Cyberchihuahua
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2011, 02:34:19 AM »
1) Descriptively tagging an aspect to ensure a successful block.

2) A very successful block, with  Harry taking advantage of the optional Spin rules.

3) Don't remember exactly how this exchange was described.

4) Attacking multiple targets in a zone, using sponsored magic.

5) LC would be a massive focus item, and its loss was a concession.
Moo!

DV Cyberchihuahua V1.2 YR5 FR4 BK++ RP++ JB- TH+ WG++ CL SW+ BC- MC---- SH [Murphy++]   currently...

No Changes, know peace! Know Changes, no peace!

Offline citadel97501

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 208
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2011, 09:12:43 AM »
1) Just standard play, this doesn't really need to be an aspect but could be if you spend the fate point either one works. 

2) I would suggest that he redirected the power of the spell into an attack, and spent a fate point to invoke an aspect from the land mine. 

3) Cool description nothing really that important. 

4) I agree with Crion whole heartedly here. 

5) Cyberchihuaua has it, dead on. 

Offline Katarn

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2673
  • Morgan- Best Warden ever.
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2011, 02:27:19 PM »

1) On multiple occassions, Harry talks about angling his shield to redirect forces, whether it is to knock a bullet harmlessly to a side or reflecting the pellets of a landmine.

2) Specifically during Grave Peril, Harry redirects one of Bianca's spells into another Red Court vampire within the same zone.

3) In Proven Guilty, Harry noted having muscle and magical force behind a physical blow (specifically when taking out the Alien Phobophage).

4) In Changes,
(click to show/hide)

5) Little Chicago. I know many people bring it up, but it is still a fun topic to talk about.

--Crion[/color]

1) I'd say a simple declaration.  It's too detailed to be included in the spell description, but it's fair to declare, "I angle the deflection (toward/away) from (something).
2) Probably a spell specifically for redirection- or some sort of advanced Counterspell.  Harry does something similar when he redirects the curse in BR.
3) The spell could've enhance Fists rolls for a couple of exchanges (I actually really want to use a spell like that now).
4) That's tricky- I'd say it was a combination of Harry's own fire magic
(click to show/hide)
.  In terms of the books, this is supposed to boost Harry's power, so in game mechanics I'd say the defending individual takes damage from both energy types (unless they're resistant/vulnerable to one), then apply normal rules for each.
5) I'm honestly not sure here.  It's definitely an aid for thaumaturgy, maybe providing a bonus on specific types of tracking Thaumaturgy rolls.  It's a symbolic link, possibly even a power source depending on how it's built.

Offline Richard_Chilton

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2400
    • View Profile
Re: From the Novels: How Would You. . .?
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2011, 01:40:10 PM »
Here's my take on Little Chicago:

To target something you need link to it.  Some of the examples give in the RPG are handwriting, hair samples, and voodoo dolls.   Well you can't get handwriting from a city, you can't get a hair sample from a city, but you can make a voodoo doll for it.

Every time he prepared a divination spell, Harry could use LC as "got a link to the subject" (tag for free the first time in a game).  Every time he cast divination spell Harry had the "got a link to the subject" he could tag.  Sometimes just having the voodoo doll to provide the symbolic link made the spell possible.

In game terms, maybe something that is both an enchanted item (symbolic link to the city) and a focus, which kind of stretches the rules a bit...

Richard