Author Topic: Crafting help  (Read 4436 times)

Offline Ghostfreak

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Crafting help
« on: September 17, 2017, 11:21:28 PM »
With the skill craft, is it possible for a human with a high enough craft and scholarship to build from scratch a high frequency blade?

A hf blade is a sword reinforced by a powerful alternating current and resonating at extremely high vibration frequencies. This oscillation weakened the molecular bonds of anything it cuts, thereby increasing its cutting ability.

Or what exactly are the limits can a player character get away with said skill? Thoughts and opinions please, much appreciation.

Offline Taran

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2017, 11:58:13 PM »
To be clear, it would probably be craftsmanship and Resources.  You can only craft items that are as good as your workspace.  It's kind of a rule that most people overlook but given what you are trying to create, I'd assume you'd need a pretty high-tech lab.

If it is a mundane item, you choose the difficulty and time and it works.  What will the item do?  Is it a weapon 4 sword that looks like a weapon 2 sword?  I see no problem with it.

Anything that could plausibly or theoretically be created could be made by someone with high enough craftsmanship and resources.

High craftsmanship could be a justification for taking powers and re-skinning them as tech.  It could be an item of power that bestows a +1 hit bonus and gives you a strength power or even a stunt or two.  The actual crafting of the items is just fluff.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2017, 02:09:06 AM »
High-frequency blades are currently science fiction, right?

Inventing them ought to be possible with mortal skills, unless your GM is a real stickler for scientific plausibility. But it'd take a lot of time, money, work, and help.

Offline Ghostfreak

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2017, 04:12:32 AM »
I have no issue with time, I'd just like to know what exactly do I need to get it done. An good to know its possible, very glad indeed.

Also, is there any resource here that can give me a run down on how I can get the hang on aspects? Or how I can better use them to help me?

Offline Taran

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2017, 12:07:32 PM »
Also, is there any resource here that can give me a run down on how I can get the hang on aspects? Or how I can better use them to help me?

In game use?

Besides the +2 you get when you invoke them, you can use them to create compels against people.

The typical, and most common use of aspects would be in a conflict.  You stack up lots of aspects which you tag for a big hit.  It works particularly well for tough opponents and gives you an opportunity to take them out before they have a chance to concede.  That said, if I had a character with 6 aspects stacked against me, I might just concede before my opponent has a chance to capitalize.

The other way is to invoke them for 'effect'.

Maybe you find out that an opponent has a character aspect of 'gullible'.  You could ask your GM, "I tag that aspect to have him auto-fail against my next deceit attack.  If the GM thinks the compel is fair(he has the right to negotiate any compels), the GM offers the character/player a compel against that aspect which the player can pay a FP to refuse, or accept and suffer the consequences of the compel.

Other examples might be invoking a "Shadowy Darkness" scene aspect to slip past some guards, invoking a "tripped" aspect to prevent a character from running away, invoking an "on fire" scene aspect to have everyone in a zone start making saves against environmental damage. (although, this last one would affect every character - friend and foe - and is most likely the kind of thing a GM would do to players.

Really, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination and the flexibility of your group/GM.

In one game, my character needed to rush to help an ally who was several hours away by plane. Enemies within the organization my character was working for were using bureaucracy to slow down the acquisition of a plane.  I invoked a character aspect "Together We Stand, Divided We Fall" to say that a character (my character had helped earlier in the campaign) with World Walker and Swift Transition happened to swing by.  By spending 1 FP, we cut the journey down to 10 minutes and introduced a new character into the plot.

Tagging vs using a FP
If you create an aspect, you get a free tag on it, or can let someone else use the tag.
You can create an aspect by spending a FP or by making a skill check at an appropriate difficulty.

So, I could make a Might check against an opponent(who roles to defend).  If I succeed, they are tripped.  I can now tag that aspect or offer the tag to someone else.  The tag doesn't last very long and the aspect stays until someone removes it.  (like the guy uses athletics to stand up).

You could use a FP to declare a scene aspect and then give the tag to anyone you want.

When you use a Free tag to invoke an aspect against an opponent (if you didn't use a fp to create the aspect) the opponent doesn't receive a fp for accepting the compel.  If you use a FP, they get a FP for accepting the compel.

So, you could use your free tag on Tripped to say the guy can't move 1 zone on his turn.  Then your ally wants to get a +2 to hit, he can use a FP to invoke 'Tripped' but the guy gets a FP for it.

Typically, it's better to invoke your own aspects to get bonuses, since your opponent doesn't get to cash in on aspects that you own.

I'm not sure if that's what you were asking but I hope it helps.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2017, 12:18:33 PM by Taran »

Offline Ghostfreak

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2017, 02:14:24 PM »
That is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for the speedy response and for being so clear to me. It helps alot.

I've been searching and scratching my head as to how I can use craftsmanship in cool and unique ways. Hence the high frequency blade idea. Thinking of also making body armor so I don't be so squishy. I need to think outside the box because I feel that my dm is ramping up the difficulty in his encounters, but not giving us the means to combat it as effectively as we should for our refresh.

Also a question on conceeding. Can that work on anyone? Including creatures hellbent on trying to kill you? Because my dm tried to convince me otherwise and I'd rather the opinions of those who have the experience and knowhow.

Again, you have thanks.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2017, 02:20:53 PM by Ghostfreak »

Offline BearsDragon

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2017, 10:37:44 PM »
Also a question on conceeding. Can that work on anyone? Including creatures hellbent on trying to kill you? Because my dm tried to convince me otherwise and I'd rather the opinions of those who have the experience and knowhow.


Your Story p206 Covers Concessions and yes you can concede at any time and retain some degree of control over your character's fate so long as you do so before you are taken out. Yes it will work on with enemys hellbent on killing you. It is specifically  called in the rule book as a way to prevent an enemy hellbent on your character's death from killikg them. There will still be bad things but your character won't die unless that is your choice.
    In your shoes I would ask to talk to the GM with the salient page of the rules open. If s/he goes oh i missed that when i read through the book thats one thing. If s/he is gets mad or tries to browbeat you   for bring it up you have a GM who is railroading your character. Then you need to have a very diffrent conversation because for alot of gamers having the gm take over their character's the fastest way to suck the fun out of Gaming.

Offline Ghostfreak

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2017, 03:14:04 PM »
Just what I was looking for, thank you so much! An yea I will most definitely have a sit down and talk with him because I would be deeply annoyed if my character dies, all because he tried to twist the rules. An take advantage of my ignorance.

Offline g33k

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2017, 03:31:15 PM »
High-frequency blades are currently science fiction, right?

Inventing them ought to be possible with mortal skills, unless your GM is a real stickler for scientific plausibility. But it'd take a lot of time, money, work, and help.

<raises hand>
Yeah, stickler here.  Hardcore sci-fi, that.  Once we've opened the door to a vibroblade, we've implicitly allowed a whole suite of "near future sci-fi" into the game.  Exo-skeletal battlesuits, Jet-Packs with hours of flight-time, etc.  This is a VERY different game/setting than DFRPG/Dresdenverse.

It's not necessarily a no-go zone, but I would need buy-in from the whole gaming-table before I allowed a player to play a Gadgeteer with sci-fi gadgets... because REALLY, you're just a few (very-enhanced) Crafting rolls from being Tony Stark / Iron Man.  If the table DID buy-in, I would expect them in turn to want to re-tool their PC's as DFRPG-Supers flavored.  A different game, eh?

It actually sounds like a FUN game... rather inspiring!  But different.

One other caveat is that high-tech is *VERY* susceptible to magic.  Any magical putz should be able to Hex the HF-Blade (and any other bleeding-edge tech).




Offline Taran

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #9 on: September 20, 2017, 02:02:41 AM »
Quote
One other caveat is that high-tech is *VERY* susceptible to magic.  Any magical putz should be able to Hex the HF-Blade (and any other bleeding-edge tech).

This.  Which is why the first part of your argument isn't going to be an issue.  He has to pour in tonnes of resources and time to create stuff that can/will break by the first wizard that swings by.  which is how most new/experimental tech starts out.  It's pretty fragile and breaks down a lot, so it fits the setting somewhat.

But that's probably a compel, so he'll get a fp for it.  And if it's a justification to take a weapon 4 sword instead of a weapon 3 sword, it's not that over-powered.  If he wants to get into (more reliable) cyber-suits and iron man stuff, I would, as a GM, rule that you have to pay for much of that with refresh.  In the short term, though, it could be a neat progression and an in-game justification for his Pure Mortal to start taking powers.

(which, incidentaly, means he loses his Pure Mortal refresh bonus)

Does it fit the genre?  Maybe not.  I agree, the table should probably talk about it.  But I've seen way weirder stuff in a Dresden game.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2017, 02:08:04 AM by Taran »

Offline whitelaughter

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2017, 10:07:14 AM »
I've been searching and scratching my head as to how I can use craftsmanship in cool and unique ways. 
- creating new Locations within your city; statues, gardens, waterworks and so forth can have themes (or even threats, a black court vampire will not like a new cross statue).

- access to a Domain in the Never Never allows for insanely impressive worskshops - bring raw materials in, craft them in a sci-fi workshop, bring back finished product. Because ectoplasm disappears when it enters our world, molds and so forth don't need to be broken or even removed, allowing for normally impossible creations.

- the aspects of the crafters allow for some interesting weapons, given that Lara Raith got burned by a rose given with True Love.  "My creations bring hope of..." is a nasty threat to the Skavis; and hoping to free humanity from monsters justifies a weapon that does extra damage to them. "I find serenity in creation" versus the proposed 4th house, while a crafter from a region where weapons are forbidden by the supernatural rulers would be justified in considering creating one to be courageous.
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Offline g33k

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2017, 07:24:02 AM »
... it could be a neat progression and an in-game justification for his Pure Mortal to start taking powers.

(which, incidentaly, means he loses his Pure Mortal refresh bonus)

Hrm.  This too:  the table should talk about it.

'Cos it isn't anything supernatural; you might use the same mechanics as "supernatural powers" for some of the tech; maybe that DOES call for losing the Pure Mortal bonus.  But they're already being re-skinned as tech-not-magic (and hence vulnerable to being Hex'ed (which in the Dresdenverse is VERY vulnerable! and far worse than the supernatural counterparts)), so I think I'm OK with keeping the PureMortal bonus as "fair".

Offline Taran

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #12 on: November 29, 2017, 02:20:28 AM »
Hexing a person's powers or stunts would be dealt with with compels on aspects tied to those powers.  Hexing doesn't come up often, I find.

My point was just that Crafting could justify progressing the character to something more supernatural.   Maybe he starts playing with weird pseudo science which is practically magic anyways.  It would be fairly resistant to hexing. 

Offline whitelaughter

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Re: Crafting help
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2017, 06:30:34 AM »
 A high crafting result could certainly justify an Item of Power; given they're paid for with refresh, as GM I'd have no problems with an obsessive character managing to create one, so long as it meshed with their nature.
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