Molly's Sensitivity to Combat - How to Model

[KOFFEYKID]

I'm playing a super sensitive character and I'm trying to figure out how to eek out a few more refresh since I've bought many of the psychic powers (Cassandra's Tears, Psychometry, a Few Second's Ahead, Ghost Speaker).

Thinking on Molly, I was wondering if perhaps I could use her supposed sensitivity to combat as the basis for a rebate power. What do you guys think of this.

Combat Sensitivity [+2]
Description: You are particularly sensitive to the mental stresses one experiences in a life or death situation, and even the stresses of others. Characters who have many psychic talents or a strong sensitivity to magic often suffer from this problem.
Skills Effected: Alertness
Effects:
Slowed Reaction. When combat comes you are often stunned by the initial rush of psychic impressions. Your initiative is two lower than it would otherwise be without this power.
Cascade of Sensation. The many emotions that rise and fall in combat press against your psyche, giving you flashes of other peoples hopes, fears, and pains. The distraction impedes your ability to act efficiently. You are restricted to one action per turn unless you spend a fate point to push on.

[cybertier]

I think the "usual" approach would be making it an Aspect and working through Compels.

I'd replace Cascade of Sensation with something along the lines of:
Psychic Feedback. Whenever you are in a fight and another person, or anything that is capable of feeling pain, takes Physical Stress you suffer from an Mental Attack with the same amount of Shifts, resisted by Discipline/Conviction (Not sure which one is more apropiate).

Since 2 refresh is a lot of refresh you might even want to add:
Your Defense is negatively modified by your Empathy.

This system would restrict your combat skills less (In Changes Molly didn't seem very impaired by the mayhem around her when she did her One-Lady-Rave) but would lead to neat Consequences (

(click to show/hide)

Like the Extreme one: "Ragged Lady"

)

[KOFFEYKID]

Well, if you look at the "On My Toes" stunt we see that +2 Initiative is worth about 1 refresh, so -2 is worth +1.

Then limiting the amount of actions you can normally take in combat is pretty big by itself.

[cybertier]

I don't think that limiting the amount of action is to small a price to pay but i think it is not that apropriate.
In Changes she didn't turn into a fearful wreck while she was in combat but after, so a solution that harms the mind over time seemed to fit the canon more, imho.
I see the stress from combat similar to the stress from soulgazing and thus looked for a similar approach.

[Haru]

I have to say, I don't really like positive refresh powers that are only created to recover refresh. Item of Power, Human Form, Feeding dependency all have a story to tell, you approach seems like a way to minmax, and I don't really see a reason. Do you want to have more refresh in general, so you get more fate points, or do you want to spend that refresh to buy even more powers? If the first one, then you can, as cybertier suggested, easily do this with an aspect and be done with it. You can self compel a lot on that aspect and have even more fate points than a +2 power would give you.

If you want to buy more powers, what powers exactly? I am assuming more powers along the line of the ones you already have, so let's see what we can do there. Instead of 3 separate powers for -1 refresh each, you could wrap it up in ritual (psychomancy) or ritual(ectomancy), with all the perks it comes with.

Although come to think of it, 3 refresh spent is not all that much. Does the character have other powers that limit his refresh? Might be good to get a look at the whole picture, to see if there is a better way to save some refresh, for example if he already has thaumaturgy, he wouldn't need ghost speaker and psychometry, because he could easily do both with thaumaturgy.

[KOFFEYKID]

I want to upgrade my channeling and ritual to full thaumaturgy and evocation. I could do this with an Item of Power but that would be much more of a last resort, if only because, flavor wise, I like my character's abilities to be inborn rather than item dependent.

I've seen people make shapeshifters with Human Form, Feeding Dependency and a big meaty catch, and tie it all to an item of power for a total rebate of +7, I'm not trying to do anything like that.

[Haru]

Well, then it is easy. Drop "Ghost Speaker" and "Psychometry" and then you have 2 points free to upgrade both channeling and ritual. With full thaumaturgy you can do what both powers can already, so there is no need to keep them around after upgrading ritual. You could still act like they are separate powers, but mechanically, there is no need to keep both.

And yeah, something like that is what I meant. I have really gotten allergic to things like that. *gold allergy shadowrun character flashbacks...*

[KOFFEYKID]

That doesn't mean I wouldn't want both of those powers. Just because thaumaturgy can do it doesn't mean that it does it as elegantly are usefully. You could use the same argument to say that inhuman strength, speed, toughness and recovery aren't needed, just pick up thaumaturgy.

Like I said, I can do this with an item of power but I dont think an item of power necessarily fits the character, aside from the fact that I dont like items of power as a general rule of thumb.

[NicholasQuinn]

I think that this sort of thing is better respresented by an aspect, which is how it is done on Molly's sheet, as opposed to a rebate offering 'power'. That said, what you've suggested doesn't seem unbalanced. I'm against the general concept as opposed to this specific example.

What I'd suggest is taking either modular abilities, or a re-fluffed human form/beast change; under the concept that using any serrious magic (evocation/thaumaturgy) shorts out your psychic connections for a time - making it impossible to use the two side by side. Depending on how this would work with the character idea you have in mind, an appropriate aspect might also offer you fate points when the cross-over malfunctions cause problems. Perhaps even someone else's magic might cut your psychic powers, or cause you pain whilst using them. Perhaps it is simply more challenging to use your powers in areas which have experienced large amounts of magical energy. That might be to your liking, whilst adding a few complications.

Just thought that might be worth considering.

[The Mighty Buzzard]

That doesn't mean I wouldn't want both of those powers. Just because thaumaturgy can do it doesn't mean that it does it as elegantly are usefully. You could use the same argument to say that inhuman strength, speed, toughness and recovery aren't needed, just pick up thaumaturgy.

Like I said, I can do this with an item of power but I dont think an item of power necessarily fits the character, aside from the fact that I dont like items of power as a general rule of thumb.

Personally, I'd say wait for more refresh and pick up full evo/thaum as one at a time as you get another point.  Or pick just evo or just thaum and have extra adjusted refresh until you can afford the other.  Hard to knock having an extra fate point or two around when you need it while you save up.  Add the sensitivity as an aspect and score even more fp that way.

Yeah, there're other +refresh powers but very few and not everyone's eligible for them.  Got to think there's a reason behind that.

[sinker]

I'd agree with Haru (wow that sounds weird, you and I don't agree often do we?). Drop the powers and then take thaumaturgy. The other thing that I might do is you could take an aspect to represent that the character is a psychic sensitive in his/her own right and then (with the GM's permission) invoke that aspect to allow your thaumaturgy to act more like those native powers. I'm assuming you're talking about reducing the time and resources involved (which as a GM I would be totally willing to waive for that kind of invocation).

[Haru]

Huh, do we really disagree that often? Well, at least there appears to be some common ground at last 

Psychometry is pretty much a watered down thaumaturgy power, you can do exactly 1 thaumaturgic application with it, so it should not be the problem to integrate it into thaumaturgy, in fact it would make it more powerful.
As sinker said, the problem is most likely ghost speaker, and as he also said, that should not be a problem. Hell, I'd probably let you take ghost speaker as a [-0] power if you specifically want it. I'd make thaumaturgy with an ectomancy or psychomancy specialisation a requirement, and it has to fit the character concept, which is the case here.

[Sanctaphrax]

I'm going to join the crowd in saying that I don't like this at all.

Could explain why, but I don't like critiquing things I really hate. It makes me feel like a jerk, and it's rarely useful to rip something apart.

If you are dead set on creating a rebate power, I suggest one which  prevents you from getting FP for compels on your "noncombatant" aspect.

In effect, you'd be borrowing refresh from your own future compels.

But I think the temporary power rules might be better here. Using them can let you exceed your refresh budget fairly if the GM is cool with it.