Rewriting Lawbreaker Powers

[nadia.skylark]

The third and sixth, unfortunately, are pretty useless for evocation and pretty narrow for thaumaturgy. You could have them broaden the Lawbreaker's evocation a bit; perhaps Sixth Lawbreakers can use time as an evocation element.

I like the idea of time as an evocation element! Would it be reasonable to have the third give some sort of bonus to empathy? It fits thematically, but it's not spellcasting, so...

The solution to a player taking over the story by being stronger than the other PCs is not to have them take over the story even more.

Good point. The idea was to convince the player that they needed to stop abusing the Lawbreaker powers or they'd end up dead, but I can see how that might not work out (even if that's absolutely how it works in-universe).

[Sanctaphrax]

I like the idea of time as an evocation element! Would it be reasonable to have the third give some sort of bonus to empathy? It fits thematically, but it's not spellcasting, so...

Sounds like a plan to me.

[Shaft]

The way I use Lawbreaker in my game is that the first few times someone does it, it changes an aspect that involves Lawbreaking.  The GM can offer compels against that aspect that the character can refuse or accept.  The compel will usually be an invitation to break a law of magic once again.

At this stage, a spell caster can dabble in Lawbreaking while it's still an aspect that they can tag and get fate points for, but they will have to spend Fate points if they want to resist the Lawbreaking lure, and it will be a disadvantage in that they may have to constantly spend a fate point just to make that choice until the GM allows them to change the aspect.

If accepting compels occurs often enough, the character should eventually take Sponsored Magic (LawBreaker).  At that point, the "Sponsor" offers access to more powerful magic, and it's price for that added power is committing additional law breaking acts.

Mechanically, it means that a Wizard with Evocation and Thaumaturgy can get more power by Lawbreaking for only 2 points of refresh. It also allows a non-wizard like Victor Sells to cast spells for 4 points.

Again, this is the house rule we use in my game.  It may not work for everyone's game.

[Sanctaphrax]

Interesting idea.

So what does Sponsored Magic: Lawbreaking do, mechanically?

[Shaft]

Interesting idea.

So what does Sponsored Magic: Lawbreaking do, mechanically?

It's pretty flexible- doesn't really follow laws.    It can let you cast spells in any evocations or thaumaturgy domain that that you don't  normally have (example, a Wizard with Fire, Air, and Spirit would be able to cast Earth and Water spells thanks to the Lawbreaking Sponsorship).

We use a rule where you can get access to an additional bonus fate point for every point of Refresh, and it translates into a point of debt.  As a general guideline, you won't get more extra points than your Refresh value, because at that point, the Sponsor may as well just it themselves.  (Example, a 16 point character with a sponsor can get up to 16 extra points of Refresh).  Each point of debt is effectively a banked compel that the sponsor can use against you to achieve it's objectives.  The more debt you have, the more hold the sponsor has over you.  You burn off debt by doing what the sponsor says.  With Lawbreaker, you burn off that debt by using magic to break laws.

[Martyr of the Cause]

In my setting, we have it where in order to actually kill a character you must invoke one of your aspects.  A thought would be to alter the role of Lawbreaker from being a thing you spend refresh points on to one where you must spend a fate point to invoke one of your aspects to actually break the Law of Magic.  So, if you needed to kill, you must invoke an aspect to do so.  With this, there is a price to breaking the Laws of Magic, but it's more personal (because of aspects) and not as impactful to characters in the long run.  If desired, maybe frequent Lawbreaking would require modification of an aspect to bring that broken law into the character (and serve as what they use to invoke when breaking the law subsequently).  Finally, if you still like the Lawbreaker powers, you could have it where spending a refresh on one allowed you to invoke that specific aspect to break that specific law without the fate point being spent.

Again, this is all just food for thought.

[nadia.skylark]

Okay, here are my versions of the Lawbreaker powers:

1st: +1 power bonus to attack spells
2nd:
3rd: +1 bonus to reading people's minds and also to using empathy to read people
4th: +1 bonus to enthralling people and also to recognizing when someone is being forced to do something against their will
5th: +1 bonus to all necromancy
6th: can use time as an evocation element
7th: +1 bonus to all Outsider stuff, but if you have Outsider-sponsored magic, this bonus doesn't stack with it

As you can see, I'm still stuck on Lawbreaker (2nd).

Also, when you upgrade Lawbreaker (6th) to -2 refresh, you gain +1 control for time magic.

[Shaft]

I'm still stuck on Lawbreaker (2nd).

How about a +1 Control bonus on attack spells?

[nadia.skylark]

How about a +1 Control bonus on attack spells?

That sounds useful, but what does it have to do with transforming people?

[Shaft]

That sounds useful, but what does it have to do with transforming people?

Isn't a transformation spell an attack, with the transformation occurring when all consequences are filled?

[Sanctaphrax]

Generally transformation is done through thaumaturgy attacks.

Letting a Second Law breaker transform someone after taking them out with evocation could be cool.

[nadia.skylark]

Letting a Second Law breaker transform someone after taking them out with evocation could be cool.

Or change one of their aspects. Does that make sense?

[Sanctaphrax]

You can already change people's Aspects a bit by taking them out. If you traumatize, maim, or otherwise forcibly change someone, their Aspects will reflect that.

[nadia.skylark]

You can already change people's Aspects a bit by taking them out. If you traumatize, maim, or otherwise forcibly change someone, their Aspects will reflect that.

Good point. What about allowing someone to temporarily change someone's aspects via a spell without taking them out first?

[Sanctaphrax]

How would it differ from the standard ability to maneuver with evocation?