The Dresden Files > DFRPG

A gauge for Supernatural Sense

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Biff Dyskolos:

--- Quote from: Moriden on April 24, 2010, 07:07:47 PM ---no idea if this helps or not, but some thing ive toyed with for this are being able to smell virgins/innocent people [purity], see deception like smoke curling of of someone[impurity]. and  identify truly corrupt individuals by feeling a strange kinship with them. those are some that i was tinkering with for a demon npc. but i figured it might work as an example. the thematically related element is that there all tied to purity/impurity of the target and are three separate sense essentially smell sight and touch respectively.

--- End quote ---

I like the purity theme. It could be useful for demonic characters, identifying food, or good characters, identifying who needs to be saved.

So, I think you are saying that this is Strange Senses [-2] because it's a small group of senses related by a theme. The first two examples, smell and sight, are physical senses - using Alertness and Investigation? The third example, "feel", is a mystical sense - using Lore?

If my assumptions are correct then consider this:

Strange Sense [-1] can "feel" the degree of purity/corruption in a person (uses Lore)

In your campaign is the difference between virginal/pure people, impure people, and corrupt people a significant difference? Otherwise, in game terms, both of these would seem to achieve the same effect. It seems like you are paying one extra refresh to add some colour to the description. Also, you have chosen to spread your senses over three different skills rather than concentrated in one skill.

Moriden:
i would call it
"Strange Senses [–1]. You may instead define a small set of up to three thematically related
supernatural senses."
 yes.

Im unclear if you need to buy supernatural sense to take strange senses, and im inclined to say no, but i believe many of the one point powers aren't worth the cost.


--- Quote ---The first two examples, smell and sight, are physical senses - using Alertness and Investigation? The third example, "feel", is a mystical sense - using Lore?
--- End quote ---

I view the power as essentially giving you new ways that you can use existing senses. as opposed to supernatural senses which gives you an entirely new sense. the description in the book both supports and damages this theory but that's my working interpretation. so as to which skill youd use with each sense? im not really sure it matters. do you use alertness or investigation to spot something? whicever makes the most sense at the time. same for these new uses of your senses.


--- Quote ---In your campaign is the difference between virginal/pure people, impure people, and corrupt people a significant difference? Otherwise, in game terms, both of these would seem to achieve the same effect. It seems like you are paying one extra refresh to add some colour to the description. Also, you have chosen to spread your senses over three different skills rather than concentrated in one skill.
--- End quote ---

its more that, supernatural senses gives you one new sense ability or unnatural bonus, strange senses gives you three that are all tied into a specific theme, so in this case its that you can sense a person purity and some of the things that affect it. when a person lies they are intentionaly defiling themselves and as such you see some of there purity boil away in a smoke like fashion. you can smell people who are high in purity[ either they smell repellent cause innocence is icky, or they smell appetizing cause.. yum!} and you "feel" comfortable around those with little to no innocence like you would around a close friend or lover.

As to how important the distinction is, that really depend son who/what the pcs are, if your playing fallen angels, demons, and or angels it definitly couldbe, but no i dont think its worth 2 refresh, i think it should cost one.


so if i was the gm it would be


--- Quote ---Strange Sense [-1], Strange Senses [-2], Broad Senses [-3])
--- End quote ---

Strange Sense [-1], one specific thing you couldnt normally do.
Strange Senses [-1], 3 things you could do if such a thing where possible tied to a theme/ sense one thing 3 different ways
Broad Senses [-2])  other wackiness.

iago:

--- Quote from: Moriden on April 24, 2010, 08:28:07 PM ---i would call it
"Strange Senses [–1]. You may instead define a small set of up to three thematically related
supernatural senses."
 yes.

Im unclear if you need to buy supernatural sense to take strange senses, and im inclined to say no, but i believe many of the one point powers aren't worth the cost.

--- End quote ---

Of course you must. It's listed as an upgrade under Supernatural Sense, not as its own power.

Biff Dyskolos:

--- Quote from: Moriden on April 24, 2010, 08:28:07 PM ---Im unclear if you need to buy supernatural sense to take strange senses

--- End quote ---

I think they could have made this clearer in the text; but I believe that you buy Supernatural Senses [-1]. For that you get what is described under Strange Sense. Then you can upgrade this to Strange Senses for an additional [-1] or Broad Senses for an additional [-2]. This gives you three power levels.

Supernatural Senses [-1]
Supernatural Senses (Senses) [-2]
Supernatural Senses (Broad) [-3]

I am reasoning this by extension from the Library Ghost example. If you look at the Spirit Form [-3] power, it lists the option Poltergeist [-2] and in Our Story the Library Ghost is Spirit Form (Poltergeist) [–5]. Also, if you look at Swift Transition [-2] which has the option No Mortal Home [+1] and the Library Ghost is Swift Transition (No Mortal Home) [–1].

There are other such examples involving Claws, Domination, Human Form, and Incite Emotion.

They are a little inconsistent in how they write up the examples in Our Story for characters with Supernatural Senses. But based on the refresh cost, all of them seem to have Supernatural Senses (Senses) [-2] except Maeve who is written up as Supernatural Senses (Strange Senses) [-1].

In my opinion all the Supernatural Senses material just confuses the issue.

iago:

--- Quote from: biff_dyskolos on April 24, 2010, 09:08:58 PM ---I think they could have made this clearer in the text

--- End quote ---

We did. Quoting YS159:


--- Quote ---Some of a power’s effects may be upgrades and will be noted with their own cost, which should be applied to the base cost of the power if the upgrade is taken. For example, the Spirit Form [–3] power has Poltergeist [–2] listed as one of its effects. This is an upgrade; if you take Spirit Form together with the Poltergeist upgrade, the total cost to your refresh will be -5.
--- End quote ---

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