Statting up the Penance Stare and other Soulgaze Goodness

[UmbraLux]

Anyone with a high enough Guns skill can do the same thing.

Not without excessive amounts of preparation.  Takeout is 26+ shifts, a very high Guns total might be 13 (Fantastic skill, Weapon:3, and +4 on the dice) and defense is subtracted from it - that leaves at least the same number of shifts to make up in preparation.  You have ~1.2% chance of making that +4 roll. 

That's why I'd model it as mental combat.  Call penance stare a Weapon:1-3 mental attack.  Base the weapon power on the staree's sin / evil related aspects.  They'll go down unless they're much tougher in mental combat than the attacker - it just won't be a one shot unless the attacker has spent significant resources on preparation.

[ways and means]

Me I would do it as mental combat + mental assessments, the power lets you assess multiple aspect in a single turn as long as they are related to sinning and then you tag said aspects in the next go for a plus to a mental attack.

[Silverblaze]

Inclined to require purchasing Soulgaze.

Then have a high concept related to redemption of evil or vengeance or somethign else applicable.

I was thinking having it act as weapon 2 attack based on conviction (modified by intimidation?) defended with conviction.  With a potential upgrade adding 2 more weapon value (only available to purchase once of course).

I'd allow the character to choose whether or not to penance stare while soulgazing, since this is a seperate power.

This would be a one way damage power (the defender does not attack back) requiring the same situations to initiate as Soulgaze.  I would allow the user of said power to tag evil aspects of the victim for +2 to the roll.  Like any other attack the attacker could make declarations (I just saw this person steal/murder etc.), evoke their own aspects, or tag/evoke consequences of the target.

To use those evil asepcts the character would have to learn them by other means : empathy, Soulgaze etc.

Much like Soulgaze, penance Stare should only be usable once per individual until they've hurt more people sinned substantially etc.  (Much like Soulgaze only works once until a person changes at their core)

Penance Stare only works on beings capable of emotion or capable of being Soulgazed ( good idea?)

target recieves a temporary aspect scared straight which can be removed like any other aspect placed on them.

perhaps I;'d allow the custom stunt (you don't want to see my soul) add to this but it would get pretty mean as a weeapon 6 attack....

Cost: -3? (In addition to the -1 for Soulgaze) Optionally -1 for a weapon 2 bonus?

Very preliminary and in need of much revising.

[Mr. Death]

(Much like Soulgaze only works once until a person changes at their core)

Wait, what? Where was this ever said? Everything I've seen about a Soulgaze indicates it's only usable once ever between any two people.

[Silverblaze]

Wait, what? Where was this ever said? Everything I've seen about a Soulgaze indicates it's only usable once ever between any two people.

Inferrence from the novels.

Fairly certain I've read it somewhere that if a person changes their nature they cease to be the person they were before.  I may have misinterpreted the wording I suppose.

[Mr. Death]

I think you're thinking of True Names.

[Mr. Death]

An idea I had from browsing the book earlier. Make it part of The Sight as much as the Soulgaze. Have the wielder have a specialized version of The Sight, where he specifically sees the marks of a person's sins--let them roll Lore or what have you to make assessments as to what those sins are, then tag those for the Soulgaze attack.

[Silverblaze]

An idea I had from browsing the book earlier. Make it part of The Sight as much as the Soulgaze. Have the wielder have a specialized version of The Sight, where he specifically sees the marks of a person's sins--let them roll Lore or what have you to make assessments as to what those sins are, then tag those for the Soulgaze attack.

That's not a bad idea.  I kinda like it.  I just figure it is closer to Soulgaze than Sight.  You can have one without the other can't you?  Could require both for it.

How did you feel about the costing of it?  Too much, too little? 

[Mr. Death]

That's not a bad idea.  I kinda like it.  I just figure it is closer to Soulgaze than Sight.  You can have one without the other can't you?  Could require both for it.

How did you feel about the costing of it?  Too much, too little?

Well, I figured it was a two-step process; use the Sight to assess whatever sins the guy has, then use the Soulgaze for the actual attack; hell, Ghost Rider seems to have some kind of sense of who's sinned and who hasn't, so this plays into it.

As for pricing...I admit, I'm pretty crap on that in general, honestly.

[devonapple]

How did you feel about the costing of it?  Too much, too little?

Depends on what you want it to do. Now that you have a multitude of options from the thread, which elements do you want to keep? How long should this take? Is it instant, or part of a greater spiritual conflict?

Make a bunch of bullet points, and we can price this out.

[Silverblaze]

Bullet points as requested for aid in costing the power.  Bolded sections are what I deemed most important.  Upgrade not bolded since I assume I was correct in it costing -1 additional refresh.

- require purchasing Soulgaze.

 - high concept related to redemption of evil or vengeance or something else applicable.

- weapon 2 attack based on conviction (modified by intimidation?) defended with conviction. 

- upgrade adding 2 more weapon value (only available to purchase once of course).

- I'd allow the character to choose whether or not to penance stare while soulgazing, since this is a seperate power. Though: it could follow or precede a soulgaze - allowing two mental "attacks" one right after another...not quite as nasty as Incite Emotion, but still effective.

- This would be a one way damage power (the defender does not attack back) requiring the same situations to initiate as Soulgaze.  I would allow the user of said power to tag evil aspects of the victim for +2 to the roll.  Like any other attack the attacker could make declarations (I just saw this person steal/murder etc.), evoke their own aspects, or tag/evoke consequences of the target.

- much like Soulgaze, penance Stare should only be usable once per individual

- Penance Stare only works on beings capable of emotion or capable of being Soulgazed ( good idea?)

- target recieves a temporary aspect "scared-straight" which can be removed like any other aspect placed on them.

[Silverblaze]

I'm thinking -2 power.

-3 if upgraded.

Opinions?