Can Dresden Files RPG handle an Immortal 'Highlander' style character?

[swordsman]

So we're gearing up for a short adventure set in El Paso, TX in order to try out the system, and I'd like to see if a Highlander style immortal is workable.

It's going to be a low refresh game (6 Refresh, 20 Skill points)

I'm thinking:

* Wizard's Constitution (+0) (Immortal's Constitution?)
* Supernatural Sense (-1) (Senses the presence of other Immortals)
* Inhuman Recovery (-2) (Catch is Beheading?)
* The Catch (-??) <- Help appreciated here... Does beheading work as a catch or is it too narrow?
* The quickening <- This is the biggest problem, I think... How to represent the quickening? I can see how getting the other immortal's knowledge and skills could be unbalanced... My only idea so far is to treat it like a Minor Milestone that gets cashed early and it's also limited to what the other Immortal knew.
* A couple of Weapon or Endurance Stunts if Refresh allows.

So Ideas?

[Deadmanwalking]

Wizard's Constitution is unnecessary with Inhuman Recovery, and yeah, beheading as a Catch works (and looks to be about +2 or +3...it uses any melee weapon, and can either be found out by research or not, which being up to the GM).

I'd actually treat Quickening events as Significant Milestones (+1 Skill right there...must be something the other Immortal knew), and even Major Milestones if the individual was important to the PC. It's not like Quickening events are gonna happen more than once a scenario or so, anyway. Not in any game not entirely devoted to immortals anyhow.

The only problem is that I'm not sure if Inhuman Recovery lets you come back from the dead. You might need Supernatural Recovery for that. Or something else entirely. On the bright side, with a +3 Catch and no Inhuman Toughness, Supernatural Recovery is a -1 Refresh power.

[surarrin]

I'd make your sword an Item of Power and put your 'Quickening' ability on it, since you need to decapitate your enemies.

Supernatural Sense (-1) (Immortal Radar)

Mystic Recovery (-6)
*The Catch (+3) (Beheading)

Item of Power (+2)
*Quickening (-3) (1 + Skill Point on Beheading a Highlander)

Total: (-10) (+5) = +1

[Deadmanwalking]

Yeah, but you don't need your sword to do it, just any sword you like. And having stunts or powers replace the advancement system seems like a bad idea. Just having it be a milestone makes alot more story sense.

Mythic may be the right level of Recovery though. Immortals do heal damn quick...

Anyway, we're talking about around -2 to -5 Refresh worth of powers here, so it's definitely doable.

[surarrin]

Yeah, but you don't need your sword to do it, just any sword you like. And having stunts or powers replace the advancement system seems like a bad idea. Just having it be a milestone makes alot more story sense.

Mythic may be the right level of Recovery though. Immortals do heal damn quick...

Anyway, we're talking about around -2 to -5 Refresh worth of powers here, so it's definitely doable.

In that version yeah you do need the sword, since that power is tied to it.

Outside of it well, any ideas?

[Deadmanwalking]

Yeah, I was talking about the actual Highlander mythos, by way of explaing my problem with having the power bound in the sword. As much as each of them has a sword, that specific sword is clearly not a needed thing, and normal people can't get Quickening from beheading an immortal with the sword of one. It's the immortals who are special, not their weapons.

As for what I'd suggest, well, like I said, the fight with another Immortal shouldn't be a casual thing, it should be a big enough story element to be a Milestone...which neatly covers the gains from doing it. No need for complicated and unbalncing mechanics when the system has a built-in way to do it with basically no modification.

[surarrin]

I hadn't considered it like that. I was just going by 'is a Highlander style immortal possible' ^^;.

[JustinS]

* The quickening <- This is the biggest problem, I think... How to represent the quickening? I can see how getting the other immortal's knowledge and skills could be unbalanced... My only idea so far is to treat it like a Minor Milestone that gets cashed early and it's also limited to what the other Immortal knew.
* A couple of Weapon or Endurance Stunts if Refresh allows.

So Ideas?

The Quickening[-3] composed of
Multi-power[-2]
Any stunt of an immortal you have already killed[-1]

As time goes on, you can add more [-1] stunt slots.

[Biff Dyskolos]

I would look at Mimic Abilities as a model for the Quickening. Set a side a number of refresh points, these are you Quickening points. When you defeat another immortal you can grab a number of stunts/powers equal to you Quickening points.

[swordsman]

Thanks for the ideas. I think I can combine some of the above to make an Immortal my GM can work with.

Others in my group is attempting a 'Green Lantern' and someone like Ezekiel Stone (From Brimstone). It's actually quite amazing that the game is flexible enough to provide workable answers for these characters.

[Biff Dyskolos]

I had also considered an immortal like character. One of the issues I was never able to get my head around was how they are often "killed" (but not decapitated) and recover later. Maybe they get killed and left as dead when they offer an Concession and Taken Out is decapitation?

[Falar]

Others in my group is attempting a 'Green Lantern' and someone like Ezekiel Stone (From Brimstone). It's actually quite amazing that the game is flexible enough to provide workable answers for these characters.

Tell your dude that some dude on the internet says he gets A+++ for going with an Ezekiel Stone character. I've been wanting to do that since I watched the show and saw that this game is coming out.

It's kinda like a Champion of God, only he works for Devil.

[Tharios]

I agree with the comment about using the Mimic Abilities power as a basis for the quickening...though apply it only to stunts, never supernatural powers...and give its function more of a Modular Abilities twist.

Immortals can't just use any old stunt with their Mimic/Modular Abilities, only those acquired through the beheading of other immortals or those they might have gained normally as a mortal might, which makes a little bookkeeping but not too much unless you're on a killing spree.  Grouping sets of stunts into "situation packages" would be helpful, and prevent slowing the game from cherry-picking each and every time one gets swap-happy.

I suggest getting at least 1 fate point when an immortal takes another immortal's head...to represent the "power gain" part of it.  I justify this with the fact that beheading an immortal is effectively a compel to be a mass murderer (though I'm sure a less provocative aspect can be named for the association)...even if it is often in self-defense.

As for the recovery...Inhuman Recovery is sufficient, except for the death problem.  I suggest merely modifying that ability with whatever caveat regarding death you feel appropriate, and an automatic catch regarding beheading.

As pointed out by others...the weapon is largely irrelevant.  Immortals have personal preferences, but there's no power associated at all with the weapons themselves (though that's not to say that an Immortal with some extra refresh left couldn't make his sword an item of power anyway, it's simply not obligatory).

Like the book says, Keep it Simple...Silly.

[Mattastic]

Would Immortals count against killing in regards to the Laws of Magic?
(I'd say 'no' in my game...)

Also, I agree with the sword not being significant. Immortals have died by non-swords plenty of times. (Xavier, Paul Kincade used dirty tricks and even a hook [as in amputated hand] to kill other immortals.)

I would think that the problem with this is that a character would keep gaining 'power'/'skills'/'knowledge' with each kill. This could unbalance the character unless timed with each advancement. (Which would get old quick.)

[Deadmanwalking]

Would Immortals count against killing in regards to the Laws of Magic?
(I'd say 'no' in my game...)

I'd say yes...but only if you killed them permanently via beheading directly with magic. They're closer to Wizards (humans with a cool power) than they are to real monsters.

Also, I agree with the sword not being significant. Immortals have died by non-swords plenty of times. (Xavier, Paul Kincade used dirty tricks and even a hook [as in amputated hand] to kill other immortals.)

Yep. That's more or less what I was saying earlier.

I would think that the problem with this is that a character would keep gaining 'power'/'skills'/'knowledge' with each kill. This could unbalance the character unless timed with each advancement. (Which would get old quick.)

Eh. How many other Immortals are they really gonna kill in a mixed group? Maybe one a scenario? Just treat it as a Milestone (again, I'd only call it Significant unless they were th guy who murdered your mentor or something) and make sure everyone else gets those kind of milestones at around the same rate.