Thaumaturgy Crafting Questions

[Lavecki121]

Mostly what does this apply to and how is it used:

Alternatively, a crafting specialization may
be applied to increase the limit on how many
bonuses may be placed on a single focus item (a
focus specialization)

[Dr.FunLove]

I believe the bonuses are limited by your Lore score and this crafting specialization allows you to increase that limit.

[Hick Jr]

If you spend a Refinement on 2 Focus Specializations, the cap on how many Focus slots you can have on one Focus Item, which is usually capped by your Lore, is increased by 2.

[Lavecki121]

Ahh. Ok thats cool. I actually didnt know that they did get capped that way. Good to know.

[Tedronai]

Some people also interpret that section to affect the number of slots that can be allocated to an item of a given size, in addition to affecting the Lore cap.

[Hick Jr]

While i've got you on the proverbial line, Tedronai, would you consider GMing the game that I just started? We have six players, most of whom have already nailed down characters and a couple of ideas for the setting. The Character Creation thread is in the PbP boards under "The Semi-Divine Comedy".

[Tedronai]

I...do not make for a good GM.  It is simply a position not suited to my talents.
I am always willing to provide rules interpretations and advice, and have had some small success 'co-gming' alongside more narratively-talented individuals, though.

[Hick Jr]

BLUH BLUH

HUGE WITCH

[Tedronai]

....Now FIGHT!"


...yeah, that's pretty much the extent of my skills, there.
But I can RUN that fight decently well, once it starts.  That's something, right? (/self-delusion)

[Hick Jr]

Would you be willing to run a Character efficiency test involving a town full of loup-garou?

[Tedronai]

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'character efficiency test', but if it is what I think it is (comparing the relative 'efficiency' of differing characters by pitting them against a set of challenges and gauging their results), then I would question the validity of the test.  Different characters have different strengths, and so a test meant to measure them must involve varied challenges.  "A town full of loup-garou" is likely to present only a very limited selection of challenges, the greatest of which is likely to be binary in its result: either the character is hypothetically capable of defeating a loup-garou in a physical confrontation, or they are not, with which side a character lands on is likely to depend almost entirely on whether or not the character is capable of bringing to bear an exceedingly specific Catch.

[Deadmanwalking]

Or using mental powers. Or avoiding the combat. But at heart, I agree. It's an interesting hypothetical, but actually playing it out seems relatively pointless.

[Hick Jr]

Eh. Belial666 did a list of "efficiency" tests that spanned basically every type of combat and several situations, mirroring Harry's misadventures.

And I meant the characters as a group, not individuals.

[Tedronai]

Or using mental powers.

By the descriptions in the novels, they are supposed to be virtually immune to direct mental influence while changed.  If that's not represented in their OW writeup, then that is a failing of the statblock, not a weakness of the creature.

Or avoiding the combat.

Which only suffices if the measure of the test is actually seperate from the combat itself (ie. the test measures ability to achieve a goal that the loup garou will attempt to physically oppose).  If the test IS the combat, then avoiding the combat voids the test rather than overcoming it.

[Deadmanwalking]

By the descriptions in the novels, they are supposed to be virtually immune to direct mental influence while changed.  If that's not represented in their OW writeup, then that is a failing of the statblock, not a weakness of the creature.

I'm not remembering that at all, actually. Still, maybe you're right. It's not like Harry had any ability to access mental influence at that point, so it would've been a single throwaway line...

EDIT: Looking through my copy of Fool Moon, the only line in reference to this is "They're immune to poison and to any kind of sorcery that goes for their brain." That's...awfully thin to base a complete immunity to mental powers of all sorts on.

Which only suffices if the measure of the test is actually seperate from the combat itself (ie. the test measures ability to achieve a goal that the loup garou will attempt to physically oppose).  If the test IS the combat, then avoiding the combat voids the test rather than overcoming it.

True. Tough if the goal is 'kill the Loup Garou' avoiding the fight and coming back in the morning is a perfectly viable tactic...if potentially one with some collateral damage.