Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)

[Tedronai]

The fact that wizards (unintentionally) mess up technology is enforced and represented solely through the aspect mechanics.  Mostly, this means Compels.  It does not gain them any Refresh, and so should not cost Refresh to remove.  They just lose out on those Compels, and the FPs they bring.

[Sanctaphrax]

Thanks, Auspice.

If you disagree with the cost of something on the list, feel free to say so. It's always good to hear opinions, and I'd be the first to admit there's plenty of dreck on the list.

That aside, I'm with Tedronai here.

[Locnil]

Indeed. From a purely game design viewpoint, potential compels are treated as absolutely cost-neutral. That said, I see where you're coming from - in-game compels are most certainly not cost-neutral. But I don't think this is a big enough issue to make it cost Refresh. Maybe if it simply incresed hexing difficulties.

[Gozer]

To go back to the Aura of Obscurity for a moment... how about handling it as an Incite Effect power?
It could be a basic Incite Effect, upgraded to Mental Effect and Zone Effect, offset by being Uncontrolled.

It seems like 'Forgotten' should be an easier effect to induce than 'mind numbing lust' or 'suicidal dispair,' even at range...

I might just have to play around with that, and see if it crunches out any different than just writing the power as is.

Any thoughts?

[Sanctaphrax]

The problem there is that Incite Effect is an active effect. It doesn't just happen, you have to take an action to use it.

[Hick Jr]

Maybe some kind of modification to Dangerous Aura? If that was the name of the power. It could target the mental stress track, automatically attack anyone within x zones, and deal consequences like "Forgot Who I'm Looking At".

[Gozer]

hmmm... now that's an interesting idea.

[Sanctaphrax]

Could work as long as you're okay with having your non-memorable-ness Power win fights for you.

[Hick Jr]

Targeting a Fair Discipline isn't an impossible roll by any means. It could even be a Myrk variation, bland as that power is.

[Gozer]

After discussing the power with the Character further, it turns out he was looking for something much subtler... more along the lines of this:

Aura of Obscurity

Description: You cannot be photographed clearly- be it film, digital, or video, you are somehow always out of focus, blurred, etc… Furthermore, people who don’t know you well have a very difficult time remembering you clearly.
Musts: a suitably sneaky supernatural, vampiric, or magical Aspect.
Skills Affected: Alertness, Deceit, Discipline, Stealth 
Effects:
Image Obscurity: Unlike the Vampires of old, you can be photographed… it just doesn’t work very well. Film, digital and video images of you are always just out of focus, blurred, or otherwise subtly altered in such a way as to make your image impossible to positively identify. Note that these images are otherwise unaffected.
Veil of Obscurity: Rather like your image on film, people have a difficult time clearly remembering details about you. General information or memories are completely untouched.
“yeah, a guy came through here a while ago…”
Do you remember what he looked like?
“uh… not really. Average height and build, I guess…”
Did you talk to him?
“Yeah, I guess so… nothing important. Asked for directions, I think.”
Directions to where?
“I don’t know… somewhere around here.  Look, I, uh… I gotta go.”
Add +2 to the difficulty of remembering any significant details regarding the character (vrs Awareness or Discipline, as appropriate).
People so affected generally tend to avoid those memories entirely, as their attention just never quite gels on you or your presence, leading to an overall feeling of unease which is best just avoided.
Any significant interaction, such as a conversation of over a minute or one of real importance, threats or actual violence, etc… will nullify the power completely.


I just cant decide whether this is a +1 or +0 power... I'm tending towards +0.

Any thoughts?

[Sanctaphrax]

Inflicting a penalty on rolls to remember you is pretty much meaningless, because remembering you doesn't actually require a roll.

So I probably wouldn't bother with that Power. An Aspect would seem easier and more effective to me.

[Tedronai]

A power could be written such that it mandates such a roll, though, rather than providing a modifier to it.
For instance, require that acquaintances roll against the character's Conviction or maybe Deceit for anything of substance that they want to remember about the character.  Offer an upgrade power that boosts the difficulty by 2.

[Gozer]

I don't know... I'd just as soon not reinvent the wheel here (although I might develop the power for another character or npc at some time in the future), for the time being I'm just as happy to invoke his "Lost in the Crowd" Aspect whenever it's appropriate. I suppose the narrative trumps here, and I don't really need anything mechanical.
Or do I?

[Tedronai]

An invoke-for-effect (possibly triggering a Compel when dealing with more important characters) will work just fine so long as you have the FPs to cover it.  You only really need to get a power for it if you don't want to have to be fueling it with FPs on a regular basis.

[Oblyss]

I noticed Tracing on the list, and I've been working on a similar ability to it.

I've been trying to work it up from Tracing to Unlimited Blade Works, at first I thought it'd be too silly but then I thought about it and decided it'd work just fine.

Currently here's the basic write-up of it.

(click to show/hide)

Sponsored Magic(from self): Tracing

Cost: -4 (rebate of +1 per Thaumaturgy, or Evocation purchased.)

Debt: The user's magic goes haywire in some way, or they receive mental consequences at GM compel usually in the form of horrible headaches.

Effects: Allows the user to use summoning magic with evocation speed. Can summon any weapon they've seen, though Items of Power copies have significantly reduced effectiveness(Exact amount at GM's discretion, ranging from minor reduction, to reduction of being just another sword. Most likely a fate point requirement to summon such items and only last for one scene. Such items also have a shift cost requirement proportional to how powerful they are.)

Power:
[-0] Unlimited Blade Works: The user can summon an unlimited number of swords from thin air, and fire them like a rain of projectiles as long as they may cast spells. These swords are spirit based spell attacks and do as much damage as they are granted shifts in power.  They are also quite capable of firing at extended durations if given the power in shifts for the duration. (Basically just a reflavoring of a basic spirit attack to be swords, probably also affects Faerie catches. This is a benefit but I don't think it's worth a -1 refresh. The swords are all Weapon: 3 if generic, though they do more shifts of damage by firing lots of them at once, or you could say you summoned a very big one the size of a car for a 8 shift attack.)

Power Addon:
Name: Reality Marble - Unlimited Blade Works
[-2] The user is now able to create a Reality Marble, a magical personal world of their own making and summon everyone in their vicinity inside of it through an illussionary explosion of flames at the cost of a fate point and one supplemental action of reciting a prayer. This world is effectively their Demesne, though it is more static than a normal one making it impossible to make free declarations on the environment and such, though control over less overt things might be possible. The Reality Marble can not be sustained for long periods of time.  It can only be activated via a vocal prayer. This is not a method of true escape, as where ever they entered this Reality Marble they will appear once it runs out of energy, as well as any dead bodies or corporeal objects inside of it.
(Possibly, for this reality marble Unlimited Blade Works cost no shifts of energy or mental stress while inside of it, though you must still roll to control it as normal or risk fallout with swords being fired like a machine gun. In this case, you would have to spend your mental stress and energy instead on keeping the reality marble functioning, and when your mental stress box was full, it would deteriorate. Or you could choose to end it early. If instead, Unlimited Blade Works does cost shifts of energy, then the Marble is free but still deteriorates when you are unable to cast any more spells as your energy well is dried up.)


Specialty:
Provides a bonus of +1 to power and frequency of crafting.

Here's what I have of it so far, and I've pretty much just lumped some of the things from Tracing onto it such as making permanent swords through a crafting roll. I haven't gotten around to adding them to the description yet. The sponsored magic idea was from someone else on the forum I found while searching for it.