Some of my character Ideas

[Kirk]

I am trying to understand the spellcasting system. I have a player that wants soulfire at -6 and mark of power at -1. It is a -7 refresh game. Is this even allowed? Please help!!!

[luminos]

Yes, it is allowed, because Soulfire is a -5 ability, not -6.  But otherwise, if a characters refresh ever drops to 0 or lower, he becomes an NPC.

[JustinS]

I am trying to understand the spellcasting system. I have a player that wants soulfire at -6 and mark of power at -1. It is a -7 refresh game. Is this even allowed? Please help!!!

Why dies your player want soulfire as a stand-alone ability? As written, it is rather weakly defined, and I'd say talk to them about what they are wanting to do with it, and see if you agree.

[Kirk]

You know how sometimes people just get an idea in their head? Well it is stuck in his head. He wants to be able to sling powerful spells around. Soulfire just so happens to be at a -5 cost. So he feels he is getting more bang for the buck at a lower level than a wizard.

[JustinS]

You know how sometimes people just get an idea in their head? Well it is stuck in his head. He wants to be able to sling powerful spells around. Soulfire just so happens to be at a -5 cost. So he feels he is getting more bang for the buck at a lower level than a wizard.

You want bang:

Assuming +4 Conviction, +4 Disciple, +3 lore
Evocation [-3] comes with +1 bonus, 2 focus items
Refinement [-1] for +2 more bonus
Refinement [-1] for 2 focus items

+2 Fire Power +1 Fire control innate
Blasting Rod: +1 Offensive fire power, +2 offensive fire control
Bick lighter of burning up attacks, +1 defensive fire control.

For the same 5 points, throwing around 7/7 fireblasts, and 6/6 shields.
vs. 4/4 ignore a point of armour, and hit the occasional catch.

[Archmage_Cowl]

You want bang:

Assuming +4 Conviction, +4 Disciple, +3 lore
Evocation [-3] comes with +1 bonus, 2 focus items
Refinement [-1] for +2 more bonus
Refinement [-1] for 2 focus items

+2 Fire Power +1 Fire control innate
Blasting Rod: +1 Offensive fire power, +2 offensive fire control
Bick lighter of burning up attacks, +1 defensive fire control.

For the same 5 points, throwing around 7/7 fireblasts, and 6/6 shields.
vs. 4/4 ignore a point of armour, and hit the occasional catch.

Sponsored magic of any type can grant all 4 focus slots. So you'll have to add that into the description too.

[JustinS]

Sponsored magic of any type can grant all 4 focus slots. So you'll have to add that into the description too.

So what can you use the focus bonuses for for Soulfire then?

[Archmage_Cowl]

any element you can logically assume plain old soulfire by itself would be(i'm thinkin water but that might be a little out there jk) so you could have something like these
Focus item slots: 4
Blasting rod +1 offensive fire control + power
Rosary +1 defensive fire power + control

[KnightFerrous]

So what can you use the focus bonuses for for Soulfire then?

The same as standard evocation but with Soulfire itself as the element. Sponsored magic applies itself as an element for focus. So if he has lore +4 he could have a single item with a +1 to every defense and offensive control and power with soulfire. Not too shaby.

[Kirk]

When I was reading up on refinement I saw this: You can’t have a +3 bonus until you also have a +2 and a +1. If you have two bonuses at +2, you must have two more at +1, etc. (p182)

So If a character has Evocation and he chose water as the spec and took control +1,(water)
                                            2 free item slots for water-gun +1 power,+1 control (water)
this is fine so far because it is Water Power +1, Water Control +2.

but if I take refinement I have to specialize in a different element right?

[JustinS]

When I was reading up on refinement I saw this: You can’t have a +3 bonus until you also have a +2 and a +1. If you have two bonuses at +2, you must have two more at +1, etc. (p182)

So If a character has Evocation and he chose water as the spec and took control +1,(water)
                                            2 free item slots for water-gun +1 power,+1 control (water)
this is fine so far because it is Water Power +1, Water Control +2.

but if I take refinement I have to specialize in a different element right?

That applies to direct bonuses, not items.

You start out with +1 water control.
Spend a refinement for +2 of bonus and get +2 water power backed by the +1 water control.
If you send another refinement, you can buy a +1 to another element. Once you do that, you could then buy the +1 water control to +3 with 2 more slots, or the 1 water control to +2 and the +2 water power to +3 at the same time.

Meanwhile you can use your free slots to buy +2 Offensive or defensive item of water power or control, assuming you have at least +2 lore.

This does mean that if you are a Channeller, or a Ritual caster, you can spend no more then one level of refinement on innate casting bonuses.

[Deadmanwalking]

This does mean that if you are a Channeller, or a Ritual caster, you can spend no more then one level of refinement on innate casting bonuses.

The rest of your post is entirely correct...but Channeler's can't get Refinement except for it's Item Slot usage.

[luminos]

Getting back to the D&D class write ups, the next one is the

DRUID
Druids are those nature loving types of magic caster that use their attunement to nature to power their magic.  In the Dresdenverse, these are the guys most likely to try to get one of the faerie queens to sponsor their magic.  Traditionally, they aren't to big on the ideas of large cities and the trappings of modern society, but perhaps they are managing to adapt to it.  Of particular note is their affinity to wild animals, and most druids have the ability to shape-shift into their animal of choice.

Musts: Druids need to be able to perform magic, so they should take either sponsored magic or evocation, and consider taking other spell-casting abilities as well.  Wizard's Constitution is thematically appropriate for a druid, even if he does not take the full wizard template.  Druids should also take the Animal Companion* power. The Beast Change power is recommended if you have the refresh to get it.

Options: More powerful druids are likely to have True Shapeshifting and several points of modular abilities to go with it.  Druids can also take ritual of an appropriately druidic theme. 

Important Skills:  The spellcasting trio is obviously important, but definitely focus on Lore if you have a strong affiliation with one of the Faerie courts, as that is the skill for navigating in the Nevernever.  Survival is also important, as it lets you get along with animals

Example Druid (Submerged power level):
Skills:
Superb (+5): Lore
Great (+4): Discipline, Survival, Empathy
Good (+3): Conviction, Athletics, Rapport
Fair (+2): Endurance, Weapons, Contacts
Average (+1): Alertness, Presence, Scholarship

Powers:
Evocation (Earth, Air, Water +1) -3
Animal Companion (Wolf) -2
Human Form +1
Beast Change (Badger) -1 affecting the following powers
Claws -1
Inhuman Toughness -2
Inhuman Speed -2
The Catch (insert something appropriate) +1

Beast Form stats:
Superb (+5): Athletics, Fists
Great (+4): Survival, Alertness
Good (+3): Endurance, Discipline
Fair (+2): Stealth, Might, Rapport
Average (+1): Conviction, Empathy, Presence, Lore, Contacts

Animal Companion stats:
Good (+3): Fists
Fair (+2): Athletics
Average (+1): Alertness
Claws

Adjusted Refresh: 1

*Animal Companion power
Requirements:  Must be a druid or ranger
Notes: You need to fix the type of animal companion that you have when you take this power.
Effects:
 Animal Friend: Your animal companion will follow you around to help you with problems.  The druid can provide instructions to the 
  animal, but only single words and simple concepts can be communicated.
 Animal Skills: The animal companion has one skill at good, one at fair, and one at average
 Animal Powers:  The animal can choose a single 1 refresh cost power.  Alternatively they can have one mortal stunt.
 Finding a new companion:  The animal companion cannot take any consequences, so it is taken out as soon as its stress track is
  exceeded.  A druid can replace the animal companion in the same amount of time it would take to recover from a minor consequence,
  as long as the druid has access to that animal's natural habitat.

NOTE: The animal companion power is possibly unbalanced, and requires a lot of playtesting to see what its refresh cost should be.

[luminos]

I'm thinking that a possible way to write up the animal companion power is to let the companion provide bonuses on certain skills, rather than acting on their own.  This would be easier to balance, since it doesn't mess with the exchange economy.

[iago]

When I was reading up on refinement I saw this: You can’t have a +3 bonus until you also have a +2 and a +1. If you have two bonuses at +2, you must have two more at +1, etc. (p182)

So If a character has Evocation and he chose water as the spec and took control +1,(water)
                                            2 free item slots for water-gun +1 power,+1 control (water)
this is fine so far because it is Water Power +1, Water Control +2.

but if I take refinement I have to specialize in a different element right?

The bonuses from the focus item don't have to fit into the specialization structure. Those two have separate "shapes", etc.