The Dresden Files > DFRPG
Lawbreakers: Do We Need Them?
Deadmanwalking:
--- Quote from: Korwin on April 28, 2010, 09:34:11 PM ---I'm still listing pro and contras...thats for real? So Cowl and Co all have only lawbreaker aspects?
--- End quote ---
Well, remember, it twists the Aspects not necesarily changes them utterly, but yeah, every one of their Aspects is tainted by their Lawbreaking.
Here are Cowl's listed Aspects (aside from his High concept: Dark Wizard, Darker Agenda, which seemed redundant to discuss), and what Laws could've Tainted them off the top of my head:
Plans Within Plans (Third or Fourth Law, easily. Maybe Seventh depending.)
Nigh Invincible (First Law, at least potentially.)
Allies of Convenience (Any, really. It's a lack of empathy Aspect.)
Cautious, Not Timid (Probably Third, Fourth, or Seventh.)
Magic From Beyond (Seventh, obviously.)
Deliberate and Methodical (Could be either First or Third or Fourth or Seventh depending on context.)
iago:
More importantly, Cowl's aspects don't talk about any other part of his life. They are all about how he is a master villain planner type who treats people as expendable resources. Because that's all he is at this point.
EDIT: I'd also add that the whole twisting of your aspects, the erosion of free will, all of that stuff -- that's most important as a *player character* experience. I wouldn't hold too strong to the idea that every NPC who breaks Laws aplenty must be 100% by the book as far as those side effects go. They're already well past the pale, well into being a confirmed and unrepentant monster. The whole erosion/twisting thing has the most bite -- in terms of storytelling, in terms of at the table experience -- when it's happening to someone who hasn't entirely gone over to the Dark Side yet. :)
TheMouse:
--- Quote from: Korwin on April 28, 2010, 09:39:57 PM ---At this Point I'm not so shure if we don't get a little to much boni here...I was thinking, the GM tells you. "Looks like you blasted that human per accident into the afterlife. Take the Lawbreaker stunt."
Where you thinking the same?
--- End quote ---
You still need to accept the concession or decide to take the person out that way. The player does get to choose whether their character kills someone or not.
Besides which, concessions aren't what was going to happen but worse. They're someone giving up some of what they would have lost in a way that is more convenient to the person taking it than taking the time to beat them senseless.
The GM just saying, "Oh, and you accidentally killed someone even though your roll doesn't indicate it, nor has any part of the fate point economy pushed you to making this decision," doesn't fly. That's not how that works.
KOFFEYKID:
--- Quote from: Korwin on April 28, 2010, 09:34:11 PM ---When I have time I'll try to min/max the bonus from lawbreaker.
DFRPG hasnt many boni to increase the range.
If nobody does the work before me, I'll post an Focused Practioner Mindcontroller.
I'm still listing pro and contras...thats for real? So Cowl and Co all have only lawbreaker aspects?
--- End quote ---
Here is the best I could do for optimizing a lawbreaker, note that this guy is going to most likely be an NPC in most games, unless you slowly accrue lawbreakers.
COST ABILITIES
-3 Evocation (Spirit, Water, Earth)
-3 Thaumaturgy
-2 Kemmlerian Necromancy
-2 Lawbreaker (First)
-1 Lawbreaker (Third)
-2 Lawbreaker (Fourth)
----
-13
Evocation Specializations:
Spirit (Power +1)
Thaumaturgy Specializations:
Necromancy (Control +2, Complexity +1)
Focus Items:
Necromancer's Staff (Necromancy Control +2, Spirit O. Power +2)
Rank Skills
5 Conviction
4 Lore, Discipline, Endurance
3 Presence, Alertness, Athletics
2 Deceit, Rapport, Intimidation
1 Guns, Melee, Fists
Necromancy Evocations (Using Spirit as the Base Element) +11 Control, 8 Shifts of Power for a Necromancy evocation aimed at killing somebody.
-edit-
Though, to be more rounded it would be a refresh 16 character
COST ABILITIES
-3 Evocation (Spirit, Water, Earth)
-3 Thaumaturgy
-1 The Sight
-0 Soulgaze
-2 Kemmlerian Necromancy
-2 Lawbreaker (First)
-2 Lawbreaker (Third)
-2 Lawbreaker (Fourth)
----
-15
Moriden:
I've said before and i still stand by it that the mechanical aspects of the lawbreaker stunt are mostly redundant. Other then the bonuses it gives you , which more or less equal out refresh wise, What it dose is every x times you break the law change one of your aspects to in some way reflect that law. If a player is responsibly managing there character then if there repeatedly breaking a law they will be useing there minor milestones to change there aspects to reflect this, and if there not, its fully in your rights as st to "insist" so we don't need a thing on there character sheet enforcing this. Now do we need lawbreaker as a negative refresh mechanic to tell us when a pc has gone to far? Personally i would say no. the hellfire using pyromancer with full lawbreaker first is a playable charecter mathematically [-8] , but i don't think anyone would say hes "less far gone" then a wizard pc who maxed out on refinement and made "one mistake" it may be a bit more challenging with out any numbers to say when a character is to far gone. but with responsible, honest players and storytellers all of the current affects of the lawbreaker stunts can be [and probably should be] simulated with out ever putting a single lawbreaker stunt on a character sheet.
I know my voice doesn't count for much but i strongly disagree with Iago on this point. if it applies to pcs, it should apply universally to npcs as well. I also cant think of a npc who this should apply to that it doesn't conceptually seem to, i would probably add a bit of a house rule that once you have changed all of your aspects to reflect your lawbreaking you dont have to change them anymore. and i might allow them to eventually be changed to be something else. but even then they'd likely have to in some way reflect the law violations that are now a part of your nature. . Ive even argued that all of morgans aspects probably reflect the first law. This is obviously just my interpretation and opinion though.
--- Quote ---EDIT: I'd also add that the whole twisting of your aspects, the erosion of free will, all of that stuff -- that's most important as a *player character* experience. I wouldn't hold too strong to the idea that every NPC who breaks Laws aplenty must be 100% by the book as far as those side effects go. They're already well past the pale, well into being a confirmed and unrepentant monster. The whole erosion/twisting thing has the most bite -- in terms of storytelling, in terms of at the table experience -- when it's happening to someone who hasn't entirely gone over to the Dark Side yet. Smiley
--- End quote ---
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version