The Dresden Files > DFRPG

WC & Focused Practitioners? *Updated Enchanted Item Question*

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Mal_Luck:
What's the difference between a Block and Armor? For a defensive item that's always on, I'd use Armor.... For a spell I'd use Block.... correct?

Can you even make an always-on Block enchanted item?

Odd Man Out:
A block is more binary. It stops an effect cold or it breaks.

Armor always absorbs some impact.

Jared:

--- Quote from: Mal_Luck on April 09, 2010, 12:28:48 AM ---Why can't a Focused Practitioner use Refinement to increase the power/control/complexity of their Channeling/Rituals?
--- End quote ---


--- Quote from: Mal_Luck on April 09, 2010, 12:41:18 AM ---If I'm doing the math right, IF a Focused Practitioner were able to use the Refinement Ability to increase power/control/complexity he could only use it a maximum of 3 times in that way. +1/+2 Power/Control(or vice versa) for the chosen type of elemental Channeling and +1/+2 for Complexity/Control(or vice versa) for chosen type of Ritual.

Even though I'm still learning rules for the Dresden RPG, that doesn't look to overpowered.

--- End quote ---

I suspect that the reason has to do with sorcerers, not focused practitioners. If FPs could get Refinement x2, why couldn't sorcerers get more (not that I would necessarily make that argument)? But if sorcerers can get more than Refinement x2, what separates them from a wizard?

I do agree that letting FPs would not, from what I've absorbed, be overpowering. I would think that, in fact, it would go along with Harry's comments that they're not featherweights and can do things in their fields that he can't figure out. I wouldn't mind seeing an Evil Hat dev give an explanation for this rule (if they have, I haven't seen it; would appreciate a link).

iago:
The rhetoric in the series certainly points at the FP and Sorcerer as being impressive, but not necessarily being very *deep* in their practice. Refinement is, as you've sussed, meant to be the way this is distinguished. If a FP is looking to spend another couple refresh on spellcraft, the expectation is that the advancement path is FP -> Sorcerer -> Wizard, rather than FP -> FP with more Refinement. (There are alternative paths, of course, where the FP ability sets evolve into something more like Sponsored Magic, but I'm talking main sequence here.)

That said, you won't *break* things (much, at least) by allowing greater amounts of refinement, for the "lesser" practitioners, but you'll also muddy the waters of those distinctions. If muddying those waters is attractive to you, do it! Harry's speaking from the perspective of the White Council; even if he thinks they're a bunch of fuddy-duddies, that doesn't mean he hasn't been soaking in the rhetoric, and maybe the rhetoric is wrong.  On the other hand, series reality so far points strongly (if not 100% consistently) at the wizards as at least one weight class above the other kinds of practitioners, so keeping those distinctions unmuddied may give you an experience closer to what you get in the books.

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