Walking on Water (north bay stay out)

[Taran]

I want a water mage - in his own abode - to be able to overcome a border with magic

I'll stick it in spoilers in case my players happen by.  I'm sure they won't read any further than this.

(click to show/hide)

His sanctum is a water-filled cave with an island in the middle.  In order to cross to the island, I want a ward to set up, instead of a block(or as well as a block), a high border representing the water become extremely turbulent.  The problem is that I want him to be able to flee if he needs, so I want him to be able to walk on the water or be able to create a temporary ice bridge or something to that effect. 

I was thinking an enchanted item with a stored Thaum spell would work.  How would you set this up?

He's Waist Deep, power-wise.  His COnviction and Discipline are GOod(+3) and his Lore is Fair(+2).
Foci: +1 water complexity, +1 control

[Mrmdubois]

If its a ward it can be set with selective targets.  I.e. everyone but him.  He might run the risk of someone fooling the ward though.

As for walking on the water, yeah a quick thaum ritual, or a potion or enchanted item should allow him to do that.

[Taran]

If its a ward it can be set with selective targets.  I.e. everyone but him.  He might run the risk of someone fooling the ward though.

As for walking on the water, yeah a quick thaum ritual, or a potion or enchanted item should allow him to do that.

Even if it's selective targets (so maybe it's not turbulent where he goes), he still needs to cross the water, which presents a border that I want him to ignore.

Mechanically, how do I do this?  Increase his Athletics?  Create an Aspect?

[GryMor]

He would cast a ritual, allowing him to automatically succeed at passing that particular border (or possibly that sort of border) for the duration of the spell. This seems like a simple application of 'improbable actions' or 'skill replacement'. The first works best with a single action duration ritual that is cast each time and should be on the order of power/complexity 4. The second would need a power/complexity equal to the border rating plus the steps up the time chart from one scene (basically, how often he needs to redo the ritual).

The other way to do it is for him to create and maintain the border in the first place, but thats back to the wards mechanics.

[Taran]

I want him to be able to use it on any water.  The ward is just a side-note.  I'd just mentionned it because I was curious if the complexity of the water-walking would have to equal the zone border.

[Mrmdubois]

Probably it should equal or exceed the zone border, but yeah the ways listed should work on any water.

[UmbraLux]

A few options:
 - A keyed ward, possibly with a 'landmine' to help him pass.
 - An enchanted item which boosts swimming.
 - An escape type potion.
 - A stunt giving bonuses to swimming.
 - An evocation maneuver doing the same.
 - A declaration.
 - A related aspect to invoke.
Could probably think of a few more possibilities but the real question is what do you want it to do?  Just move faster through water? 

[Mrmdubois]

Move over it more like.

[Taran]

I'm setting the water up as multiple zones with a high  zone barrier (because it's harder to swim than run) and the water is naturally a bit choppy.  It was going to be 2 or 3.  The Ward was going to do 1 of 2 things (I haven't decided yet):

Create a huge wall of water from floor to ceiling (a regular ward as a block - maybe have it reflect damage back...dunno), or make it so that the water becomes terribly turbulent.  The party has a flyer, so the second one will be less useful- but the wizard doesn't KNOW they have a flyer.

I want the wizard to be able to bypass water related obstacles pretty much automatically.  I'd want him to be able to walk over or on the water because swimming through it (magically) would be less useful because the magic would lose some of its power as soon as he was submerged (the whole water threshold thing).  It seems like it would be a thaumaturgy thing, but I want him to be able to do it quick which is why I was thinking it would be best as an enchanted item.

[atavistic]

Depending on his Lore an enchanted item that either gives a thaumaturgical effect of water walking can either be done as athletics skill equivalent which should get him where he needs go or places the aspect "water walker" and then he can just invoke for effect to bypass the environmental hazard of 'waste deep in water'.
The enchanted item is probably the best 'rules lawyer' option.

A ritual with a one day duration cast at dawn every day will get you the same results over a longer time and may present your players a way to 'level the playing field' by interrupting it.  This probably has the best story payout of your choices.

If you want to be really cheap, as an NPC you can just give him a supernatural aspect of "water walker" then just pay the fate to invoke it when you need it.  Your fate pool is unlimited and it doesn't pay to anyone as you do it. This would be the laziest way of doing it.

Giving him the 'aquatic' power and narrating it as walking on water and as an extension of his magic is what I'd be tempted to do as a player wanting this effect as it has a good cost to benefit value, unlimited uses per session with no FP cost, as compared to refinement for the enchanted item slot.  As an NPC you don't really have to be a stickler for refresh costs since villains often have negative refresh.

 

[Lavecki121]

You could also give him an item of power that gives him supernatural, or mythic speed when moving accross water. You could probably work in some bonus refresh for him because its limited to water.

[Taran]

The escape potion seems to fit best.  It won't cost as many shifts because it'll only apply to water-based borders.

The potion is weird because it doesn't really say how it's made, or whether it gives a bonus to anything.  It just says you ignore any and all borders.

I'd assumed with thaumaturgy there had to be some kind of mechanics at play.  Not, "it just works!"

[Mrmdubois]

I was somewhat frustrated by that too.  Considering how much of thaumaturgy is handwavium though, maybe that's just how they decided it should be.