Temporary magical weapons: What's the best way?

[Tsunami]

Free tags on any aspect would merit the same number of "free" compels as well... at least thats how i would see it.
That could get ugly, fast.

You could just model your chi punches as a maneuver.

Maneuver with Discipline to add a "Focused Chi" Aspect on yourself.
Tag it for +2 on your next Attack.
No stress
No refresh
No rules conflict.


Being a kick-ass fighter costs refresh... it's actually a relatively refresh heavy concept to begin with.
So if you want him to have that combat edge all the time... simply rename the Claws power into "Chi Strike" and pay the one point of refresh it costs. That can't make that much of a difference. If it's something he uses a lot, it's also the most cost effective thing to do.

[Deadmanwalking]

Well all four of the ideas I mentioned above 'work' in that they fit the rules of the game, but none of them really capture the intent of the spell and it's this intent that I'm really looking to recreate. In the same way, GoldenH's suggestion to treat it as a potion fits the rules, but I'm looking to create a repeatable, low power effect that doesn't use fate points, take up enchanted item slots, spend refresh, or inflict mental stress with each use. If you're looking for an equivalent then think cantrips and orisons from D&D.

Okay, how do I say this? Effects that cost nothing and grant a combat bonus are broken. This isn't D&D where you've got low HP and BAB for being a Wizard so a few at will damaging effects are balanced, this game is balanced on an entirely different level, and adding free powers that can tip the balance in combat pretty much breaks the game.

Now we already have them for non-combat effects, on page 259 it mentions that light spells and the like just work without being rolled. However generally these are purely utility spells that don't really influence any conflicts. As this does influence combat, there needs to be a rule that governs damage dealt, duration etc.

But the thing is, those are fluff, they're thematic and cool, but explicitly NOT combat or otherwise conflict oriented, and there's a very good reason for that.

Letting someone throw fireballs all day for free would be broken. Normal attack spells can deal a huge amount of damage with lots of flexibility. Getting the use of an aspect for free a couple of times a day (varying between 1 and 5) that can be compelled against you, is reliant on gm cooperation and costs you a permanent point of stress while it is active is a totally different matter.

Not really. The effect you're talking about is at least as good as Claws (a Weapon: 2 effect), which costs a point of Refresh. Allowing Evocation particularly to start duplicating -1 Refresh powers free of Fate Point charges is a really bad idea on multiple levels. Also, +2 to hit is WAY better than you're implying it is that's the difference between a 1/3 and 2/3 chance of hitting alot of the time AND +2 damage when you do. Aspects are awesome.

Conjuring isn't at all suitable for any of the examples I've used, it doesn't match the intent at all. In fact, it's so impractical that on page 275 it actually advises you not to bother. It's not hard to imagine a wizard casting a spell on himself to prepare him for the rest of the day, it's not hard to imagine a pyromancer that isn't advanced enough to create flame thrower effects but can still make flames dance on his fingers.

Shouldn't he just have the Claws power then? I mean if "make my bare-handed attacks nasty" is his only power...

Not everything that's magic needs to mechanically use the Thaumaturgy or Evocation rules.

I posted on my idea on the forum to get criticism and if the effect is genuinely overpowered, if I've missed some crucial rules, then fine. 'Spellcasting is uber enough without letting people use it all day' isn't constructive criticism, it's a strawman. Thanks for taking a read GoldenH, but please focus on what the intent of the spell actually is.

Incidently, it could easily be ruled that you could only have one temporary aspect created in this way at once, or that each additional aspect over the first doubles the previous cost in stress. Also, this would be a useful way for an all thaumaturgy/ritual mage to have some relevance in combat without being over powered, bear in mind this is still only a +2 bonus at most.

Have you looked at the Thaumaturgical Shapeshifting rules? They allow the use of Tags in place of Fate Points to gain temporary powers (such as Claws). They only last a scene or so as a rule, though. Perhaps that's more what you're looking for?

You're right that spellcasting is supposed to be draining and I'm trying to keep that in mind as I come up with ways to recreate this effect. These are 'mundane' effects or as the books term it, 'pre-school' magic, but used for effect. There's no doubt that in my pyromancer example, punching an npc with a +2 bonus won't come anywhere near to the damage that a properly aimed fireball would. However, not all wizards are created equal, especially at the lower refresh levels, and I find it hard to believe that each 'punch' would use up an enchanted item slot, a potion slot or whatever. It just really doesn't fit the idea of the spell and from what I can see, in DFRPG the intent is everything.

Well, with Lore at Godd, and two Enchanted Item Slots, you can have an Enchanted Item that deals Weapon: 2 attacks 4 times a day for free, and for 1 Mental Stress a piece thereafter. Enchanted Items aren't as limited as you appear to think.

[Deadmanwalking]

Well the character that made me think along these lines is a 'wizard-blooded martial artist'. He uses his fists only, no weapons, but he can channel his 'chi' (spirit) to deal more damage to opponents, think shaolin monk/tai chi master. The key thing is that he could potentially be a powerful wizard but he hasn't been trained or exposed to the supernatural at all. However his dedication to the martial arts has allowed him to unlock some of his potential and so while others find the idea of chi a useful metaphor for training, for him it's a fact of life. Of course this means he can't cast normal spells at all, not until the character has learnt what he is and got some training, but in the meantime he's a kick-ass fighter with some biomancy ability (minor reiki healing, feats of strength, dexterity and toughness etc).

Unfortunately with the current rules he'll be able to throw a couple of punches only before being massively stressed. His fists don't fit in enchanted item slots and they aren't items of power, but if they were it'd make his refresh jump up and completely change the character concept.

Nevermind, he'll just fight normally, with the odd rare punch treated like a spirit evocation doing far more damage than it should.

Actually, I have a few suggesions to help:

1. As stated, take Channeling for the big punches (and possibly Ritual for Reiki and such), but take Claws as well for the little ones, add in Human Guise and the 'claws' (whatever their physical form) will be visible only when in use.

2. Skip magic entirely (at least for combat, maybe keep Ritual). Take Inhuman Speed and Inhuman Strength, as well as possibly Claws (or even take Modular Abilities) with a Feeding Dependency (Magical Energy)...you won't have the option of killing to recharge, but you'll also just need to find a ley-line and mediate to do so.

3. Some combination of the above. You can have Ritual, Channeling, Claws and Inhuman Speed (with Feeding Dependency) for only -6 Refresh.

[CMEast]

Thanks Tsunami, you make an interesting point on the free compels, though they would still have to target that temp aspect/high concept only. My character might well hex every technological item around him when he uses it, that would make sense. Fire handy guy might well set fire to his clothes by accident too I think, like any aspect use, a decent GM will make a decent story out of it in the best way he can (even if that does involve spontaneous combustion ).

The manoeuvre idea for a 'focused chi' aspect is good too and may be an easy solution for quick conflicts, however in a more drawn out conflict he'd be casting manoeuvres every other turn or spending fate points like crazy. Maybe additional power invested in the first spell could allow additional tagging just like a standard duration spell. Yeah that might be the easiest way. Thanks!

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Okay, how do I say this? Effects that cost nothing and grant a combat bonus are broken. This isn't D&D where you've got low HP and BAB for being a Wizard so a few at will damaging effects are balanced, this game is balanced on an entirely different level, and adding free powers that can tip the balance in combat pretty much breaks the game.

I agree with you, I'm not trying to make this cost nothing. I've came here to find a solution that would be balanced and fair, a small cost for a small effect. Perhaps I should have realised that people would take the orisons/cantrips example literally rather than putting in the context of everything else I'd said where I was trying to find a fair mechanic and cost for this.

But the thing is, those are fluff, they're thematic and cool, but explicitly NOT combat or otherwise conflict oriented, and there's a very good reason for that.

Again, I agree, that's exactly what I said.

Not really. The effect you're talking about is at least as good as Claws (a Weapon: 2 effect), which costs a point of Refresh. Allowing Evocation particularly to start duplicating -1 Refresh powers free of Fate Point charges is a really bad idea on multiple levels. Also, +2 to hit is WAY better than you're implying it is that's the difference between a 1/3 and 2/3 chance of hitting alot of the time AND +2 damage when you do. Aspects are awesome

I would say it's about equal to Claws in effect, maybe slightly more flexible but not as useable, that really depends on how the idea is implemented however. Check YS179 for this part 'several modes of spellcasting will let you create many effects that at least approximately duplicate some of the powers you'll find elsewhere in this chapter. That means there's no need to take those other powers. For example, there's no need to take Worldwalker (page171) if you're already able to cast spells that open up portals into and out of the Nevernever.' Worldwalker being a -2 power. Claws being a much weaker effect than the average spellcaster can create. So my character would be a weaker werewolf as you guys keep putting it? So?

Shouldn't he just have the Claws power then? I mean if "make my bare-handed attacks nasty" is his only power...

Not everything that's magic needs to mechanically use the Thaumaturgy or Evocation rules

He'll have a number of different, fairly weak powers at first. He's only just finding out he's a wizard, he's low refresh with the potential to be much greater. He isn't a werewolf. He isn't supposed to be a 'fighter', that's just how the character starts. Forgive me if I create characters based on roleplaying, rather than squeezing every bit of power I can out of the rules. If it helps, I plan for him to learn quickly.

Have you looked at the Thaumaturgical Shapeshifting rules? They allow the use of Tags in place of Fate Points to gain temporary powers (such as Claws). They only last a scene or so as a rule, though. Perhaps that's more what you're looking for?

He isn't changing his hands, he doesn't create a ritual before/during every fight. These ideas don't fit the effect which I've described.

Well, with Lore at Godd, and two Enchanted Item Slots, you can have an Enchanted Item that deals Weapon: 2 attacks 4 times a day for free, and for 1 Mental Stress a piece thereafter. Enchanted Items aren't as limited as you appear to think.

Enchanted items can be very powerful, it's very clear from the rules how much potential they have. He doesn't have an enchanted item. He uses his hands. When developing this technique he isn't even really aware he's casting a spell.

Actually, I have a few suggesions to help:

1. As stated, take Channeling for the big punches (and possibly Ritual for Reiki and such), but take Claws as well for the little ones, add in Human Guise and the 'claws' (whatever their physical form) will be visible only when in use.

2. Skip magic entirely (at least for combat, maybe keep Ritual). Take Inhuman Speed and Inhuman Strength, as well as possibly Claws (or even take Modular Abilities) with a Feeding Dependency (Magical Energy)...you won't have the option of killing to recharge, but you'll also just need to find a ley-line and mediate to do so.

3. Some combination of the above. You can have Ritual, Channeling, Claws and Inhuman Speed (with Feeding Dependency) for only -6 Refresh.

1. Reference YS179, plus all the descriptions I've given of my character and the effect I'm trying to create.
2. That's not my character at all.
3. See 1 and 2.

Thank you for taking the time to read and reply though DMW, I've enjoyed reading your posts as I've lurked, and you've been a great help on previous questions I've had.

[Deadmanwalking]

He isn't changing his hands, he doesn't create a ritual before/during every fight. These ideas don't fit the effect which I've described.

Ah! But bear in mind that this is an effect based system, whether you are actually shapeshifting or not is immaterial, if you're duplicating an existing power for a period of time, you can use the guidelines in question.

Enchanted items can be very powerful, it's very clear from the rules how much potential they have. He doesn't have an enchanted item. He uses his hands. When developing this technique he isn't even really aware he's casting a spell.

Ah, understood. That does make things a bit more difficult, I won't deny. Hmmm.

1. Reference YS179, plus all the descriptions I've given of my character and the effect I'm trying to create.

Right, but here's the thing: If you have the effect more or less permanently, then it's the power i question and should be purchased as such. But if that's legitimately not what you want, well, I'll see what I can think of...

2. That's not my character at all.

Gotcha. It's a valid model, but if it's not one that appeals to you, then obviously it shouldn't be used.

3. See 1 and 2.

Okay, understood.

Thank you for taking the time to read and reply though DMW, I've enjoyed reading your posts as I've lurked, and you've been a great help on previous questions I've had.

Well, you're welcome, but this is going to nag at me now. I'm sure I can come up with something legitimately helpful given a bit of time...

[EldritchFire]

If I may chime in, I have an idea.

Go with the focused practitioner with channeling based around your ki idea.

So for his spells that make his hands more powerful (read: makes them into a weapon), cast a spell. While most wizards put all their beef into making it a nasty-high weapon rating, you're doing the opposite.  Use one or two shifts of power to give yourself a weapon:1 or weapon:2.  Spend the rest of your shifts of power into duration.

That way, you get your spellcasting on, completely within the rules for evocation, and get the effect to last a few exchanges.

Use on of your focus items (you get 2 for taking channeling) to add to your conviction, to give yourself that extra duration...

dangit. I just reread the evocation rules, and it apparently doesn't allow for duration on attacks. Crap. I'd ask your table anyway if they'd allow it, since it is your character concept.

Otherwise, if you wanna go purely within the rules, take ritual instead.

As per the rules for thaumaturgy (that's one hard word to sound out :p), and use your focus items to add to your lore for maximum "now casting" power.

Then make a spell that is 2 shifts of power for a weapon:2, and about 3-4 shifts for duration (I'm assuming that the default duration would be "a few moments"). That way, you have a weapon:2 that lasts for ~15 minutes and, get this...COSTS NO STRESS! Per the sidebar on page 271, "...if you don’t go past your Conviction, you don’t take any stress."

So a 6 shift spell (that might take you two exchanges to fully cast) that garners no stress--unless you want to complete it sooner!--that allows you to make your hands into DEADLY weapons.

With a Lore of 4, and a +2 with your focused item, you can use the 6-shift spell no problem with no extra preparation. You're gonna want to have a good Conviction and Discipline, to cast the spell right the first time. Maybe burn another point or two of refresh for refinement to add to Conviction/Discipline...prayer beads, your karate/tai-kwan-do/ju jitsu/etc belt, maybe even your gi can be a focus item!

And, of course, FISTS.

For a Feet in the Water character, I'd go with the following:

Skills (using the third skill package for 20 skill points):
Great (4) - Lore, Fists
Good (3) - Conviction, Discipline
Fair (2) -
Average (1) -

Refresh:
[-2] Ritual
[-1] Refinement (2 specialization boni)
[-1] Hard-knock life (stunt, use Fists for physical stress track)

Specialization boni:
+2 Lore, +1 Conviction, +1 Discipline

This leaves you with 1 refresh, but the ability to cast a 6-shift ritual with no special preparations. If you try it in one exchange, it'll cost you a 2-stress mental hit (no too bad, considering your Conviction of gives you 4 stress boxes. Indeed, it's a stress-free casting if you take two exchanges to do it (3 each exchange is less than your stress-free max of 4). Great if you have time to "meditate" on the coming battle, or what have you.

Just my 2 cents...

-EF

[wyvern]

EldritchFire: I don't think rituals work like that.  Even if the actual casting only takes one or two exchanges, and you've got the materials readily available, you've still got to set it up; this isn't something you can do on the fly in combat.  If you're preparing for a fight you know you're walking into?  Sure.  But just on the fly?  That's the domain of evocation.  (Footnote: this is my interpretation of the rules.  The actual prep requirements for rituals at or below your lore are not clearly specified in the books - the only thing that is specified is that we should assume the character has the materials at least readily available, and that we shouldn't take up player time running prep scenes.  Your mileage may vary, and if your GM is cool with you running rituals on the fly like that, go for it.)

No, what we need here is the effect of thaumaturgy, but with the speed and methods of an evocation... Hello there, sponsored magic!

"But," you say, "I don't have a sponsor!"  Really?  Are you sure about that?  Who taught you martial arts, and why did they work so hard at teaching you mental focus and discipline?  What connections do they have to, say, [insert name of some ancient tibetan monastery here]?  These sound like interesting plot hooks to me...

Alternatively, we could go with sponsorless sponsored magic - there's even an example in the book like that: Kemmlerian Necromancy.  Find the right source of knowledge, and it's yours.  (Though whether or not you can rack up debt with it is definitely questionable...) 

Were I GMing for such a character, I'd allow a two point sponsored magic - it's at half cost since it only applies to evocations, and only to the trapping of granting ritual levels of effectiveness to spells that exemplify your school of martial arts (be sure to come up with a catchy name for it!)  That puts you starting at a base cost of six refresh - channeling, and ritual, and that two point "sponsored magic".
Your GM may vary, and, as this is by this point well outside the letter of the rules, there's no guarantee you'll be able to get such a thing approved.  You can always fall back on a default four point sponsored magic, and try to broaden your power base later on when you've got the refresh to spend on evocation or thaumaturgy.

That all said, I'd agree with others that the actual *best* way to do this is with the claws power - you pay the refresh price once, and then it's something your character can just *do* - no mental stress, no chance of backlash or fallout - essentially a rote that's become so ingrained in your mental "muscle memory" that you don't even have to think about it anymore.

[CMEast]

Thanks for taking a look Eldritch Fire, my only concern with using rituals like that is it's totally abusable. Assuming you're preparing for a fight in, say, a siege situation or similar, you start your ritual for adding Weapon:X to your fist attacks. Rather than stopping at 6 shifts though, you decide to cast it as a 15 shift spell. You put 6 shifts in to duration and another 9 shifts in to power giving you a spell that lasts for an hour and allows you to add weapon:9 to your attacks... well that's just insane! That's why I keep coming back to the aspect/manoeuvre idea as +2 seems a fair power level (seeing as claws is seen as fair and, by some, underpowered even).

Thanks for taking a look though, let me know if you come up with any other ideas though I'm starting to lose hope.

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Hey Wyvern, thanks for your post. The sponsor idea is interesting, but it does limit my characters potential to be a full wizard later. Otherwise it works as it's magic, but not as we know it i.e. not how Harry throws it around, which suits my character a lot considering his current abilities. You're totally right about Claws though, it really is the easiest way. It's simply that I'm loath to pay refresh for claws when he has channelling and ritual.

Think of it this way. When he started learning, his potential was completely untapped and he was, for rules purposes, pure mortal with no supernatural power.
As his training progressed, he learnt to harness his 'chi' to increase his his martial power, this would be where, as a character, his only supernatural power would be a weaker version claws, perhaps with some small tai chi ritual with minor effects.
Claws -1 and Ritual -2  for a total of -3 refresh, with perhaps wizards constitution in that in accessing his wizard blood his bruises may heal quicker etc.
Now he's at the stage where he has Channelling -2, Ritual -2, Wizards Constitution +0 and the occassional accidently dip in to Wizard Sight -1 for a -5 refresh character. He can still do what he could before, but now his 'Claw' has upgraded to Channelling as he's learnt to harness his Chi more, allowing him to strike at a distance (telekinetic punches), fight blind (life sense) and other classic martial art stunts. Perhaps he may even be at the stage where he can throw 'chi balls' (think Street Fighter, Dragon Ball Z or similar).

Claws is a metaphor for his ability and a useful one too in terms of power level and ease of use, however it's unfair to give it to him for free without some sort of cost or limitation, just as it's unfair to make him pay extra refresh for an ability which is just an older, weaker version of what he can do now.

I actually wish I'd thought to explain it this way previously, I hope it helps everyone understand what I'm trying to do here.

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Thanks DMW, looking forward to hearing if you come up with anything. I still keep trying to wrap my head around it, just because I think it would be a useful way to model a number of weak abilities that might be used by focused practioners. Another example, a photomancer that sends out flashes of distracting lights or illusions when fighting which distract an opponent so that attacks are more likely to get through to deal damage.

Currently, my character will just hit people as normal, except for the odd spell where he supercharges a single attack which is treated like a normal evocation, even though it's described as a punch/kick/whatever. It works in game turns, but I'll be throwing knock out punches in the first exchange rather than having martial art duels. It's not as fun, nor does it solve the issue, but it fits the rules even if it doesn't fit the character. *sigh*.

Thanks for your help all, let me know if you get anything else! One last thing, are we going to struggle with this problem when recreating other creature features or speed/strength/toughness/recovery powers?

*Edit* Changed my claws metaphor as I didn't mean for him to have free 'claws' all the time.

[EldritchFire]

EldritchFire: I don't think rituals work like that.  Even if the actual casting only takes one or two exchanges, and you've got the materials readily available, you've still got to set it up; this isn't something you can do on the fly in combat.  If you're preparing for a fight you know you're walking into?  Sure.  But just on the fly?  That's the domain of evocation.  (Footnote: this is my interpretation of the rules.  The actual prep requirements for rituals at or below your lore are not clearly specified in the books - the only thing that is specified is that we should assume the character has the materials at least readily available, and that we shouldn't take up player time running prep scenes.  Your mileage may vary, and if your GM is cool with you running rituals on the fly like that, go for it.)

According to YS270-271, you roll to control the shifts of power. When you have controlled enough shifts, you cast the spell. "...it’s  pretty  much  impossible  to control all the necessary shifts in one round of casting for all but the simplest of spells", but not impossible.

Thaumaturgy can still work, therefore. Also note that, if you want to go the route of tag-able aspects, that's possible, too!  "If the intent is to create a temporary aspect that can be tagged more than once (remember that normally you’d only get the benefit of the tag once and have to invoke after that), simply chain two or more maneuvers together in the same spell, each inflicting the same aspect or a similar variant." YS265.

And, per YS252, "By default, pulling off most maneuvers requires 3 shifts of power", so a 6-shift spell gives you two tags. That way, you can still use your "weapons" when you need them, but not have to spend fate points to do it.

This way, if you know what's going on and have time to prepare, you can get several taggable aspets on you with enough time.

Remember, with aspects, it's all about using it when it's "dramatically appropriate." Sure, you could use the tags to deal a lot more hurt, but you can also use 'em to make a miss into a hit!

More of my 2 cents...

-EF

[wyvern]

EldritchFire: Yes, I'm not arguing on the time spent actually *casting* the ritual.  Just pointing out that there *is* preparation time required, even if we're advised to not spend player time dealing with that for small rituals.  See the comments on time on page 261; I wouldn't allow thaumaturgy without at least a minute in preparation time, even if you manage to have all the right materials on your person already.  (As far as that goes, we're advised to not spend player time on casting, either, unless there's some dramatic pressure - like zombies climbing up the hill towards your ritual site.)

Multiple taggable aspects is pretty clever, though, and I don't see any reason that couldn't be done with evocation if you've got enough power - though that'd get expensive, since you'd need to pay for multiple aspects (three shifts each) and enough duration to have a hope of using them all.

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CMEast:
The reason you stop at 6 shifts for a ritual is that, if it's over your lore, the rules are quite clear that you need to spend one or more scenes on prep work, and it's absolutely not something you can just toss off.  (As opposed to something that you probably shouldn't be allowed to toss off, but that the rules aren't quite as clear on.)  Now, if you're preparing for a fight in a siege situation, and you know when that fight's going to be, and you've got weeks to prepare for it... there's nothing stopping you from having a fifteen shift ritual running.  Wizards are scary.

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How does a sponsor limit your potential to be a full wizard?  You're paying refresh to be able to do something a normal wizard couldn't do, but, if you've got the refresh to spend, there's nothing stopping you from picking up "real" wizardry later.  Even if you start with just sponsored magic and The Sight, well, that represents your non-standard approach to spellcasting, and when you've got two refresh to spend, you can pick up thaumaturgy or evocation.
(Yes, two refresh.  Remember the cost break for sponsored magic: Even if your GM is playing it entirely by the book, with sponsored magic costing you four refresh, that goes down by one for each of thaumaturgy and evocation you pick up - essentially saying "I'm a normal wizard, now, but with this extra kind of magic I can do".  Note that I wouldn't stack the normal cost break with the half price for limited scope I suggested above - two refresh to be able to use your magic in a way that nobody else can is probably about right.)

In fact, for a ten refresh game, you could fit in full wizard + sponsored magic right at the start.

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And on claws upgrading to channeling: We're probably going to have to agree to disagree here.  The two are inherently different - as we've discovered from various attempts in this thread to make claws as an evocation.
Evocation costs mental stress.  Takes an action to activate.  Can be blocked by being in a grapple.  Can be counterspelled, blocked by a circle, or otherwise magically shut down by someone who knows what they're doing.
Claws, by comparison, does not cost you anything.  No mental stress.  No action needed to activate - it's just there when you need it.  It can't be counterspelled; it can't be shut down unless you choose to do that (as, say, a severe mental consequence or the like).

If anything, I'd see claws as, in this case, an upgrade from channeling; your initial fumbling attempts cost you mental stress on every hit and left you with splitting headaches after a hard fight.  After some practice, you've got it down to a rote - something you can do, something that costs you, but you understand what the price is and know where your limits are.  And eventually, when you've absolutely mastered the technique, it's simply internalized - no more stress, no more hesitation or complex and disruptable calling of power.  Sure, that costs you an extra point of refresh, but it's still worth it - that's that much less mental damage you're going to take in an average fight; that's that much more you can use the power.  With basic evocation, you've got maybe four to six hits before you have to rest (or take consequences); with claws you can take a few minutes and punch through a wall, or fight several opponents back to back without getting a migraine out of it.

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I expect you probably will end up struggling with this when trying to recreate other creature features or base physical powers; that's actually why I suggested sponsored magic, because it will handily cover all of those for you (as long as they're within the theme of your school of martial arts magic - for example, a combat style based on flowing movement and never letting the opponent get a solid hit in would probably not offer toughness powers as an option).  And, again, spending the refresh to actually buy the power in question will be a stronger option than replicating it through spellcasting - no action to activate, no cost in mental stress, no way for someone to catch you with your spells down, etc.  (The action to activate is a big one, actually - it may not seem like much when you're looking at just claws, but consider - say you take three exchanges to cast claws, and strength, and speed... by this point the fight might be over already, especially if you're facing guys with guns!)

The alternative here is to start using your enchanted item slots.  There's a pretty good discussion in this thread about using enchanted items for "always on" effects (and why "always on" in in-character terms can still have limited uses per game session).

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That all said, there is one analogy you can apply to possibly justify using an evocation to empower your fists with weapon 1 for a scene: Consider the guy who brings a concealed knife to a fight.  He spends an action to draw (or maybe does it as a supplemental action, depending on how that concealed sheath is set up) - and poof!  Weapon 1, for the scene, or until someone takes the dagger away (counters the spell).  Were I a GM, I'd be rather wary of that train of thought... but I'd probably allow it as a rote that was tied to a focus item, thus replicating the physical constraints of the guy with the concealed knife.  Also, this doesn't scale; you can't bring a concealed suit of full plate armor to a fight!

[CMEast]

Well Wyvern, you're right again, I got so excited by the 'claws as a precursor to channelling' metaphor that I didn't clearly explain what I meant. An always on claws power, without even the downside of social situations or the inability to use a touch-screen phone, would be broken and certainly shouldn't be included automatically in channelling/evocation.

What I mean to say (and I've edited my earlier post a little to match) is that a the 'pre-channelling' version of claws would be a set number of uses per day, or perhaps it would cost something on first use a day, or first use in a scene (like losing a standard action or a fate point) or a combination of the above. Before someone can wield epic forces, before they've mastered basic element use, they can do parlour tricks like lighting their cigarette with the tip of their finger, or move small items around etc. These small tricks have been covered by the rules, but their usage in combat hasn't been. I'm really just trying to find a rule that would allow a weak focused practioner a useful but not broken ability, I'm certainly not trying to make anything overpowered.

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Another idea! This one isn't actually as useful for my character but perhaps it'll work as a model for those abilities I feel all wizards are bound to have (even if they normally have more powerful tricks up their voluminous sleeves)

8 ) A character with channelling/evocation may take a refinement that shows their ability with their chosen element has grown. The refinement will give them +1 to either offense or defense rolls which applies when using fists, weapons or guns skills in combat, and when attacking or defending in social conflicts. The +1 in social conflicts represents effects like halo's of fire, and warm handshakes etc, as long as it's justifiable to the GM. It can be taken more than once, but the abilities cannot stack.

This would create a lot of the effects that I expect a wizard to be capable of but are missing in DFRPG at the moment. I don't think it's overpowered but I think it would be useful, plus it's possible to create a character that's got low conviction and discipline but can still use weak spell effects if they are willing to spend the refresh. Finally, for a wizard that can't risk any more mental stress, he can fall back on his most basic magic so that he isn't entirely helpless.

How's that? It's almost a free, specialised skill up that works in some circumstances but not all, for a point of refresh. I know I keep going on but I feel like there's currently a gap in the rules for effects that should be pretty easy.

[Deadmanwalking]

Thinking about it, I think Conjuration might actually be the way to go. You can (if you put a bit of effort into it) make a 1 year duration effect giving you a "Weapon", then Veil it for the same duration. That's Complexity 11 or so for the attack (which we'll call Weapon: 2), and the Veil's rating+8 for it. That's quite a bit, but at Good Lore only something like 9 tags and maybe a couple of days work for a full year. Assume you did it more or less by instinct the first time, just mediating and imparting power into your own body.

And yes, I know that you're not really Conjuring anything, but function is more important than form in this system, and the effect you're looking for is a Conjuration one.

In terms of Balance, this is a powerful enough spell that you glow with power to The Sight and can still very much be countered or dispelled, but it'll give you the effect you want most of the time.

[CMEast]

Well that's interesting, in game terms we could assume I'd already cast that (maybe taking an aspect to show it)... but that leaves it feeling rather cheap as the cost would have been paid before the game started.

Is it possible to increase the strength of a ritual that's already been cast? Or add duration/charges? For instance could I create a ward for a flat and then, a week later, add to the ward that's already there? Again this is something that happens a lot in both modern and high fantasy novels but I can't think of an example from the Dresden Files, nor can I find rules for it in YS. If so it could be a spell with only a few charges that get 'recharged' if I do the same ritual I've been doing... the only difference between this and a previous idea I'd had is that if it's dispelled it can't ever be re-cast.

Your idea just by itself would work, but as with some of the others, it could be abused. What's to stop someone else creating a character that has a far more powerful spell on them to start with like 50 lightning bolt charges or similar etc. Well the GM I guess, but even so it could be abused.

Thank you though

[EldritchFire]

Maybe something to look at is the Iron Man thread.

You could do something similar, with prayer beads/gloves/etc. that give you a weapon:2 effect X times per session. After you use your allotment of uses, it costs mental stress. It seems to be exactly what you're looking for, no?

At a weapon:2, it's equal to claws, but the uses are only drained on a hit. Also, it avoids the dilemma of an aspect where it could mean the difference between a hit and a miss. Weapons add to the stress done, not to the attack roll.

-EF

[Deadmanwalking]

Well the thing about that is that, because it's Conjuration, it can only duplicate the effects of mundane items. So it gives your character a 'sword' (that uses Fists), but isn't going to give anyone else anything worse than a 'gun'.

As for increasing the strength of a ritual: I don't think so. That would allow unlimited Complexity rituals for anyone with Lore just by doing a Complexity 1 ritual over and over again, and that's really game breaking.

On the other hand, you could have it last a week at Complexity 6 (maybe 8 for the Veil), which (with High Lore) is doable every week, though it does require some effort.