Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)

[Sanctaphrax]

Hmm, I dunno. It feels wrong to give powers arbitrary weak points like that. So I'd rather not unless it's absolutely necessary.

By the way, have I ever mentioned that I don't like powers giving accuracy bonuses? Because I don't. Mostly because of stacking issues.

[kertain]

I don't have anything constructive to add, nor would I attempt to keep up with you guys.
Just wanted to say thank you for the effort put into this list, it has made my life much easier.

I have to say we have a top notch community.

[crusher_bob]

Hmm, now that I've looked closely at extra appendages and thought about it some, I think that the multi-maneuver part of it may actually be better than the multi attack part.    Expecailly since you don't need any supporting powers (like claws or strength) to get a lot of milage about being able to lay multiple aspects on people with just one action.

  I think that balancing that, along with balancing multiple attack at the same time may be difficult.

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Assupmtion: It would be impossible to balance multi-attacks in all circumstances since the the level of weapon you are using greatly changes the utility of making several attacks that hit with a low margin of success.
So, I think the balance point should be centeread around great base targeting with weapon:4, and that whatever solution is used doesn't outright break the system up to, say, fantastic targeting and weapon:8

So, we have:
-2 muliple appendages
Great targeting, weapon 4
If that's all we have, just gained the ability to spray attack with our claws (or whatever), and the seems to be it. 

If we get one level of coordiantion, we can make 2 attacks at +3, or 4 attacks at +2 or our normal attack at +4, plus an effectively free attack at +2.

If we have 2 levels of coordination
Regular attack +4, plus free attack at +4 (same as two attack option)
Or four attacks at +3

If we have 3 levels of coordination
four attacks at +4

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This implementation of coordination is defenitely broken as it goes up in levels.  Maybe change it to something like +1 to one spray attack per level, not to exceed the max?  So that having coordination 3 gives you +3 in total, and not potentially +18 if you want to split your normally fantastic attack pool 6 ways.  In theory, +1 attack for one refresh is balanced, so +1 to (one) spray attack should also be balanced, if a bit underpowered. 

How's this instead:
Excellent coordination [-2]
When making spray attacks, add 3 to your skill before splitting your skill into the separate attacks of the spray.  When the split is done, any single attack of the spray cannot be higher that your base accuracy.

And make multiple appendages give you point point of 'bonus pool' already.  That means you are paying around 1.5 points for spray anything and spray maneuvers, and around .5 points for the +1 bonus to spray pool.  And you can pay another 2 points for a +3 (so total +4) spray pool.  So you'd be paying -4 refresh for what could amount to a free maneuver or attack at +4 every turn, in addition to your normal attack or maneuver.

[d_black_se]

Minor Abilities
"Noob security systems" (requires IP?... Please) [-1]
If you access the network inside of a building using your "IP?...Please." power, you will be able to see the layout of all the security systems.  For the price of a fate point, you can temporarily turn them all off as well.

 A few points about this: 
1. If it's going to stay, the requirement needs to drop.
2. This seems to me to fly in the face of the conventions of the dresden verse in general.  Technology is generaly antithetical to magic.  So allowing magic users access to, or in this case the ability to manipulate technology seems to cut out one of the primary reasons for Pure mortals.  I don't want to wax poetic about all thereasons I find this one wrong, but there's many.  I could see it as a mortal stunt though.. either adding or using scholarship or burglary in a roll.

[Sanctaphrax]

@crusher_bob: Good points all.

However, I have a problem with your proposed fix. It encourages small sprays, and characters making two attacks for the price of one. The reason for the original wording of Excellent Coordination is that I wanted 5-attack sprays to be non-worthless.

So, I propose this: Excellent Coordination may only be purchased twice. It seems that the problems mostly arise after three purchases, so this should curb the excesses.

It allows a character to make an absolutely huge number of Good attacks, but Good attacks are pretty lame so I think that it ought to be balanced-ish.

Still needs playtesting, of course. Especially the maneuver part.

@d_black_se: You're right about the requirement, thanks.

But I either don't agree with or don't understand your second issue. It seems that there are two possible problems here:

1. You're concerned about the setting's consistency.
2. You feel that the existance of this power is unfair to Pure Mortals.

Now, just because something's on this list doesn't mean anyone has to use it. I personally I like the idea of technomancy, so I might give Noob Security Systems a try. While I understand that it's out of place in the default Dresden game, I feel that it'll be useful to enough games that it's worth putting on the list.

Also, not all magic is bad for technology.

Anyway, I remember having a conversation like this about social magic. Personally, I don't like the idea of social magic in my games. It makes mortals socially vulnerable where they were once socially capable. But nonetheless, I'd be willing to put social powers onto this list for the benefit of people who feel differently.

[Belial666]

Heads up guys - I don't have much time but I got to say something on the issue of accuracy;

1) Someone with True Aim, Swing for the Fences, A Few Seconds Ahead and a skill cap of Superb can attack at Legendary. That's with only -3 refresh worth of powers.

2) Someone with Incite Emotion, Emotional Vampire and a skill cap of Superb can attack at Legendary, doing mental stress and a maneuver at the same time. That's with only -2 refresh worth of powers.



Powers can get you lots of accuracy for cheap-like. Now add Supernatural Strength to the melee guy and supernatural toughness for -6 more refresh (catch is holy powers or inherited silver or something like that) and give him a sword. He attacks at Legendary with Weapon 7 defends at Superb, has armor 2 and 8 stress. That's without Items of Power or any other rebate-givers for a Submerged character. The guy can potentially take on Magog from the Denarians. Add Item of Power or other rebate and they can take on more than one Denarian at once.

[Sanctaphrax]

Swing For The Fences has a drawback. If you use a power to negate the drawback, you shouldn't get the bonus.

I don't think that Incite Emotion gives its +2 bonus to attacks.

[Belial666]

It does give the +2 to attack - the wording on Lasting Emotion does not say you use a different bonus so you use the same.. But you are not using it to attack in this case anyway. You are using it to maneuver or block at melee (hence the +2 for sure) and use the same roll to deal mental stess by feeding via emotional vampire. So you both lockdown the enemy and deal mental stress. Plus when you take them out, you heal all your own stress and mild consequences. Enjoy.


As for the Swing for the Fences thing, again technically you are not negating the block/parry Defense penalty. You are using another type of defense altogether, one gained via power. A wizard with SFTF would not take any penalty to his blocks, for example. Neither would a Fae (or skinwalker for that matter) using Greater Glamours to attack while staying invisible. (and using his invisiblity as defense, essentially)

[Silverblaze]

"As for the Swing for the Fences thing, again technically you are not negating the block/parry Defense penalty.You are using another type of defense altogether, one gained via power." - Belial

(yes I know I can quote, I just didn't)

I call shenanigans!

No GM should let that fly.  If they do they deserve an OP PC.

Aside from that you make amazingly good points similar to my thinking.

[BumblingBear]

^^^ Good points made.

My counter argument is that I tell PCs they can take whatever powers they want but just to keep in mind that the monsters will scale accordingly.

There's always a bigger fish..... 

[crusher_bob]

My counter argument is that I tell PCs they can take whatever powers they want but just to keep in mind that the monsters will scale accordingly.

This method of game balance only works when you have one player, when all PCs have the borken thing, or they all have equal amounts of equally broken things.

And "equal amounts of equally broken things" is same this as 'a balanced power set'

[crusher_bob]

It allows a character to make an absolutely huge number of Good attacks, but Good attacks are pretty lame so I think that it ought to be balanced-ish.

Alas, your [-4] point version gives 3 free attacks or maneuvers at good, mine gives one free attack or maneuver at great.  I figured that more 'free' actions was more broken that a slightly better free action.

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Comparing your version at great base skill:
1 action at +4, 2 actions at +3
4 actions at +3

To mine (total pool 8, max +4):
2 actions at +4
4 actions at +2

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And fantastic skill:

Your version:
1 action at +6, 2 actions at +3
1 action at +5, 3 actions at +3
1 action at +4, 4 actions at +3
6 actions at +3

My version (total pool 10, max +6)
1 action at +6, 1 action at +4
2 actions at +5
1 action at +4, 2 actions at +3
5 actions at +2

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Anyone else want to chime in?  would you pay 4 points of refresh for this?  Which extra action system looks better?

[BumblingBear]

This method of game balance only works when you have one player, when all PCs have the borken thing, or they all have equal amounts of equally broken things.

And "equal amounts of equally broken things" is same this as 'a balanced power set'

I never said anything about broken powers.

I also will allow a bit of shenanigans as long as it is confined to mental, physical, or social.  As long as a PC has a weakness, I can work with that.

Most characters who go ball out with powers tend to neglect the social or mental side.  Heck, my uber powerful group got schooled a few days ago by a sorceress using gravity magic.  Suddenly when characters couldn't use athletics to dodge, things got nasty.

Eventually, you play the DF long enough and realize that the best way to be "powerful" as a PC is to be creative and work with the narrative.

[crusher_bob]

Most characters who go ball out with powers tend to neglect the social or mental side.  Heck, my uber powerful group got schooled a few days ago by a sorceress using gravity magic.  Suddenly when characters couldn't use athletics to dodge, things got nasty.

Hitting people with an out of context attack is way too easy in this game.  That's why I don't like the implementation of incite emotion.  I also don't like the various resisted with: (some skill other than athletics) attacks sometimes made with evocation.  It's like saying "My group thought they were badass until I made them use basket-weaving or die. hur, hur hur."  In other implementations of FATE, where, AFAIK, weapon values usually aren't used, an out of context attack is usually just another way of saying, "Do +2 damage."  But in DFRPG, where weapon values are such a big deal, it can be saying "Do +8 damage" instead.

Hero/champions is one of the few games I've seen that mostly gets the cost of out of context attack right.  They generally cost between 2 and 2.5 times as much as a regular attack.

[InFerrumVeritas]

Personally, I'd allow excellent coordination to be purchased as many times as you'd like.  However, I'll probably add a clause that it cannot increase it over your base accuracy.  Thus, characters with lots of arms, heads, whatever can make lots of attacks with little drawback (other than a pretty massive refresh cost).