Custom Templates

[Hick Jr]

You'd probably do it better than me, but I imagine it'd be like a +1 or 2?

[Tedronai]

It's a Limitation.  It's value cannot be reasonably assessed on a Template scale because it requires information specific to the character, game, and potentially even story arc, in which it features.

[Sanctaphrax]

Limitation does vary in cost, but you can make reasonably accurate estimates if you try. You just have to add a disclaimer.

Anyhoo, quote-edit:

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SKINWALKER
Skinwalkers are an excellent example of why it is very important to get to warlocks and potential warlocks early. Practitioners of the Witchery Way-the evil shadow of the Blessing Way practiced by native american shamans- are considered to be warlocks by the Council’s standards, but because it took hundreds of years for the European based White Council to reach America, nothing was done about them. When the finally did, and began executing them with impunity, the most skilled practioners of the Witchery Way eventually sought the aid of nightmare creatures- the naagloshii. The fallen messengers of the Holy People were happy to teach them shape-shifting and powerful curses, and with these new powers they drove back the Wardens. Skinwalkers now reside mostly in the American Southwest, near their masters, disguised as leather-wearing biker gangs. They are the tools of the naagloshii, for they can leave the Southwest with no loss of power.

Musts
-A High Concept reflecting your dark powers and service to a naagloshii (SKIN-SHIFTING BIKER, WARLOCK LEATHERHEAD, ANCIENT CURSEBRINGER)

-The following powers:
Modular Abilities [-10]
Supernatural Recovery [-4]
True Shapeshifting [-4]
Ritual: Biomancy [-2]
Supernatural Sense [-1] (Sense pain, mechanically detecting people with consequences. Lore.)
Limitation [+7] You may only True Shapeshift into a skin you are wearing. The Modular abilities you take must be thematically appropriate- for example, shifting into a bear might grant Supernatural Strength and Inhuman Toughness, Claws and Echoes of the Beast. Skins must be prepared with a biomancy ritual with complexity equal to 1.5 times the amount of your MA points you want to be able to use in that skin, and once created they must be sustained with the investment of an enchanted item slot. They last as long as the enchanted item slot is invested in them.
Limitation [+1] The Toughness and Recovery Powers of Skinwalkers are useless against Native American holy stuff and weapons coated with white ash. This Limitation reduces the cost of any Toughness or Recovery taken with Modular Abilities by one fourth.

Total Refresh Cost: -13

Note: Depending on the game, the Refresh value of a Skinwalker's Limitations may vary.

Options
Taking more Modular Ability points, upgrade natural Recovery to Mythic. Gaining Refinements for more skin slots. Elder skinwalkers, ones alive during the discovery of America, may be able to shift without a skin, gain Ritual: Entropomancy or even full Thaumaturgy.

Important Skills
Fists, Lore, Athletics, Might, Presence, Alertness, Endurance, Intimidation

[Tedronai]

I generally don't view 'white room' estimates to be anything remotely resembling 'accurate'.  They can't be.  The entire basis upon which these costs are adjudicated are rendered unavailable by the context of the estimate.
The narrative nature of the Limitation is entirely immaterial to its refresh value.  The only thing that matters is how often it will come up in play.  And that can not be reasonably extrapolated without some basic knowledge of the game in question.

[Sanctaphrax]

Most games are at least somewhat similar to one another.

So while there is plenty of variation, white-room estimates are still useful.

[Tedronai]

Most games are at least somewhat similar to one another.

So while there is plenty of variation, white-room estimates are still useful.

In the same way that two individuals sharing a steriotypical DSM-IV diagnosis are 'similar' to one another.  They each have some traits found on the same list.  Except the list of traits for DFrpg games is rather longer, and it's not entirely clear how many traits from that list are required before something can be called a DFrpg game.

[Sanctaphrax]

To extend the mental illness analogy further, it's totally possible to say that drug X (Refresh Rebate X) is good for illness Y (Limitation Y). You wouldn't want to take X without consulting your doctor (GM), but the general statement is still useful.

[Tedronai]

To extend the mental illness analogy further, it's totally possible to say that drug X (Refresh Rebate X) is good for illness Y (Limitation Y). You wouldn't want to take X without consulting your doctor (GM), but the general statement is still useful.

If you throw enough weasel words into the statement proper as to be worth of a pharmeceutical company's television ad, then, sure, you'd be on the right track.
"Have regenerative powers that fail to regenerate injury sustained from fire?  A [1/x] rebate may be right for you.  Consult your GM for more information."

[Sanctaphrax]

I un-ironically think that's a good idea. Weasel words work well.

I'll give it a try next time I write a Template with a Limitation.

[Hick Jr]

I edited the Vesuvian according to suggestions. I just put my reccomended Limitation rebate next to a question mark. Here she goes.

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VESUVIAN
The Vesuvians have been around, since, well, Mount Vesuvius. Common theory is that they’re named after the volcano, but it’s the other way around. Vesuvians are the scions, chosen ones, and emissaries of ancient volcano gods or simply beings of volcanic power. Their ancestry is evident in their personalities- They are incredibly slow to anger, but when they do, cities burn. They generally occupy positions as makers or repairmen in the mortal world, taking the time to forge in their spare time. There isn’t a unified nation of them, but the race as a whole are known for their work as blacksmiths, creating magical weapons and armor for anyone who can pay. Some of their better known work includes the Master Bolt of Zeus, the Swords of Summer’s Fire and Winter’s Frost, supposedly reforging at least one Sword of the Cross, and the Chevrolet Camaro. Vesuvians are no slouches in a brawl, either- calling upon their inborn power to summon weapons and armor to themselves at a moment’s notice, smiting foes with blasts of ash and lava, or simply stopping them dead with a hasty ward.
MUSTS
-A high concept reflecting your volcanic ancestry or abilities (LAVA SPAWNED BLACKSMITH, SCION OF VULCAN, VESUVIAN MECHANIC)
-The following Powers:
Vulcanomancy [-4]
Breath Weapon [-2] (Throw lava balls.)
Supernatural Strength [-4]*
Supernatural Toughness [-4]*
Inhuman Recovery [-2]*
   Limitation [+4/?] None of the asterisk-marked powers work unless they are near a large
source of open flame. (Most of them solve this by setting the place on fire. Mechanically, they have to tag a sticky aspect that involves On Fire and then wait 1 exchange before these powers kick in.
Total Refresh Cost: -12

OPTIONS
Gain Strength or Toughness at all times or increase to Mythic, Refinements for Vulcanomancy, Items of Power that you forge yourself, enchanted items. Vesuvians often take Ritual:Crafting.

IMPORTANT SKILLS
Craftsmanship, Lore, Endurance, Weapons, Conviction, Might, Scholarship

And their sponsored magic.

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VULCANOMANCY [-4]
Description: The ancient power that lurks beneath the Earth’s crust. Primarily lava, but also governs other tectonics.
Sponsor: Volcano and forge gods, generally. (Pele, Vulcan, Hephaestus, Goibniu) Can be self-sponsored with a mastery of both earth and fire or carrying a volcanic bloodline.
Agenda: Unexpected and swift destruction. The forging of tools and weapons. If self-sponsored, your own agenda.
Evocation: Vulcanomantic evocations generally involve lava, heat, ash, obsidian, basalt  earth, tectonics, earthquakes, fire, or metals.
Ritual: Vulcanomancy allows for rituals that create things, generally weapons and armor, and the creation of protective items and effects, such as armor and wards. Very, Very, VERY powerful Vulcanomancers may actually be able to cause earthquakes and make volcanos erupt.
Evothaum: Vulcanomancy can be used to create Wards and Conjurations at evocation’s speed and methods.
Extra Benefits: Weapons  conjured by Vulcanomancers are far more powerful than others- multiply the the number of shifts put into the Conjuration by 1.5- This is the effective Weapon rating of whatever you have conjured. Armor rating is equal to half of the total shifts. However, you must set aside shifts for duration, using Evocation's rules. These weapons fall to useless volcanic ash when they leave your posession. Wards created by Vulcanomancy do not require a threshold as long as they involve the aforementioned ashes (Sprinkled on the outside of a building, used in a circle, etc).

[Sanctaphrax]

Updated first post.

Not sure how the rules for Vesuvian-conjured armour differ from the normal armour evocation rules though.

[Hick Jr]

Oh, they don't. I just posted it to clarify.

[Adin]

I got the first draft of that statuepire template written up if you are interested Sanctaphrax.

http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,36458.60.html

[Sanctaphrax]

And here's another Template. This one's from DMS. I'll add it to the first post in a moment.

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Whisper-Tainted
When Warden Freya Lengaardi arrived in Minneapolis, her first order of business was tobutt heads with a demon-worshipping sorcerer cult.  The cult had gotten a hold of bad mojo on a serious level, and had apparently used it to conjure up an Outsider.  Freya torched the cult, expediently made with the metaphysical slice and dice for which Wardens are most famous, and dispatched the Outsider as best as she knew how.  Instead of successfully banishing the demon though, she shattered its consciousness.  Over time, that fractured consciousness has settled into vulnerable mortals of the region, granting them morsels of the demonic power that had been intended for the members of the sorcerer cult.

As always, power is a trade off.  This one is transmitted through circumstance, psychic attack and/or ritual (see below).  Some might think of it as a curse.  It amplifies people’s tendencies, their impulses, highlighting the violent nature of human.  As people make more and more violent choices, the call to do more gets stronger and stronger until people are consumed by this power.  Choice is paramount here.  This power is temptation. 

It can be increased physical strength and speed, as needed.  It sharpens the senses, such as hearing, sight, and taste in particular.  It manifests differently in different people, and can change over time.  Psychic powers are not uncommon, especially the ability to increase the emotions of nearby victims to be more receptive to the user’s desires.  Reaction time is increased.  One of the many costs is increased fatigue.  It draws on the stores of the body, burning energy at an alarming rate.  Frequent users of power are typically gaunt and appear underfed.  Also, it is sentient, to a degree.  It whispers to the user, drawing them toward violent means.  It heals injuries in quick order, using the body stores to do so.

A person’s control over her temptation is somewhat limited due to her ability to concentrate on resistance.  Physical deprivation will lead to reduced control, and since intense caloric consumption is a byproduct of using the Whisper, decreased control over one’s temptations is a side effect of power usage.

Violence does not imply wanton destruction.  It could be sexual violence or oppression.  Mostly what the power users are tempted toward is exerting their will over those less powerful than themselves.  Political manipulation, etc.  As this goes on, more and more control and choice is ceded to the parasite power-giver.

Vulnerable victims/recipients of the demon-parasite power might include coma victims, the chronically ill, trauma victims, or recent victims of psychic trauma, especially those near to the site of the initial shattering of the Outsider’s essence.

Musts:
Whisper-tainted PCs must have a High Concept that is reflective of their infected status.  An example of this might be “Outside/Inside,” “How did this happen to me?” or “Tainted.”

Marked by Power [-1], p. 169  This character is marked by the Outsider known as “Rumor.” 
Cloak of Shadows [-1], p. 169 In conjunction with Feeding Dependency.
Incite Emotion [-1], p. 172 (Submissive, Lustful, Agreeable).  This character can instill these emotions on a target.  Also in conjunction with Feeding Dependency.

Feeding Dependency [+1], p.189


Options: Whisper-tainted may use a variety of inhuman powers at the cost of exhausting their hunger track.  The more an ability is used, the more difficult it become for the Whisper-tainted to ignore the commands from their inner impulses or parasite.  Their hunger manifests itself as an increased metabolism, so they don’t feel the need to eat anything repulsive or evil, but it’s best to not let them get caught without a Burger King nearby.


Inhuman Speed[-2], p. 178; OR Inhuman Strength [-2], p. 183;

Depending on the power-level of the game, Whisper-tainted may increase any of the supernatural abilities (Inhuman to Supernatural, etc.), depending on the consent of the GM.  All of these are subject to the Feeding Dependency/Hunger Stress Track.

Whisper-tainted may take upgrades or modifications to Incite Emotion if they choose.  See here (links to Custom Powers thread).

NPC Whisper-tainted would most likely be people who have more or less allowed their impulses to rule them.  A common NPC would be the leader of a gang, a repressive minister, or a social-climbing politician.



Important Skills: Deceit (p.126), Discipline (p. 127), Stealth (p. 142), Intimidation (p. 132), Presence (p. 136),

Minimum Refresh Cost: [-2]

Now could someone report this thread and get it moved to Resources? I dislike having to dig it up when I want to add to it.

[Hick Jr]

I reported it to Darkwood some time ago. Is trying again rude?