Taking Social Consequences as Backlash?

[Ophidimancer]

So I know you can take physical or mental Consequences as Backlash, but what about Social ones?  Maybe the backlash gives you a weird aura, or perhaps the circumstances just let everybody in the area know that your character is the one responsible for the current weirdness?

How do you guys think this balances?

[Deadmanwalking]

It's often a bit hard to justify, but yeah, that'd work mechanically. Though why bother? Almost any appropriate ones would work just as well as Mental Consequences anyway.

[CMEast]

Sure why not, a veil spell may cause you to become mute temporarily or something. That'd be a great way to earn fate points! A fire smell might make you smell of burnt hair (or might even burn your hair off) or a water spell might make you constantly drip with sweat (as if the water magic was too much and now it's leaking out of you. I won't say what a wind spell might give you that's anti-social...

As long as it's justifiable why not

[Ophidimancer]

It's often a bit hard to justify, but yeah, that'd work mechanically. Though why bother? Almost any appropriate ones would work just as well as Mental Consequences anyway.

Are different Consequences recorded on different tracks like Stress?  Because if so, then this potentially gives another place to shove Backlash.  Of course, I haven't gotten to the Consequences part of the book yet, so I might be thinking about this wrongly.

[Mindflayer94]

I think it has to do with how much social conflicts appear in your game. I think the developers said mental and physical, because they assumed a wizard would be in combat frequently, and therefore slinging evocations a lot, but if your game deals with social conflict frequently, I would allow a wizard to take social consequences.

[Deadmanwalking]

Are different Consequences recorded on different tracks like Stress?  Because if so, then this potentially gives another place to shove Backlash.  Of course, I haven't gotten to the Consequences part of the book yet, so I might be thinking about this wrongly.

No, they aren't. You only have one Mild Consequence, one Moderate, one Severe, and one Extreme, not one of each per Stress category.

Now a high Presence can give you additional Mild Consequences that can only be used for Social stuff, but that's the only thng that would make this useful.

[Ophidimancer]

No, they aren't. You only have one Mild Consequence, one Moderate, one Severe, and one Extreme, not one of each per Stress category.

Now a high Presence can give you additional Mild Consequences that can only be used for Social stuff, but that's the only thng that would make this useful.

Ahh, so it is useful, but only in limited circumstances.  Ok, I think I will allow it, for a little extra oomph.

[JesterOC]

A character with a high Presence can have a extra social consequences. So I high presence Wizard could benefit from being able to gain social consequences.

JesterOC

---Oops missed this comment from a previous post.

[luminos]

The problem is, letting you take social stress often won't be an actual drawback to backlash.  Social consequences, sure, but that is assuming you've already filled your social stress up.  Stress goes away at the end of the scene, and it is unlikely that you will finish a fight and then go into a social conflict in the same scene, so using social stress is a freebie for backlash the majority of the time.

[Ophidimancer]

The problem is, letting you take social stress often won't be an actual drawback to backlash.  Social consequences, sure, but that is assuming you've already filled your social stress up.  Stress goes away at the end of the scene, and it is unlikely that you will finish a fight and then go into a social conflict in the same scene, so using social stress is a freebie for backlash the majority of the time.

I did say a Consequence, right?  I didn't think you could take Stress as Backlash.  I thought you just took Stress for casting an Evocation.

[Deadmanwalking]

You do indeed take Mental Stress just for casting, but may also take additional Mental or Physical Stress as Backlash if you wish.

[Ophidimancer]

Hmm ... so allowing a wizard to take Backlash as Social Stress would be too powerful?

It's not too outlandish to think of a scenario where a wizard would be casting magic and then have to get into a social conflict is it?

[Deadmanwalking]

It's rare enough that allowing it is unbalancing. Also it doesn't usually make logical sense. It can be made to, but it's a stretch.

[luminos]

It would be okay if the social backlash happens in a social circumstance.  In fact, that is about the only circumstance where it would make much sense from a story standpoint.  But yes, such circumstances are very rare.

[Ophidimancer]

If you guys know White Wolf's Mage, it's sorta like taking Paradox as a Branding effect.  Sprouting demonic horns, having eyes that glow with an eerie light, open sores that stink of sulfur, or any other effect that don't damage you but do cause it to be awkward to be in public are what I'm aiming for.