Author Topic: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)  (Read 5242 times)

Offline devonapple

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2165
  • Parkour to YOU!
    • View Profile
    • LiveJournal Account
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #15 on: November 11, 2010, 05:23:25 PM »
So the evocation version might look like this:

Shadowglimpse
Type: Shadow evocation, defensive maneuver
Power: 3 shifts (more for duration)
Target: Caster
Duration: One exchange
Effect: This maneuver counters one scene Aspect related to or defining darkness in a zone, only for the caster. This has the advantage of allowing the caster to see in the dark, without alerting opponents to the caster's position.
Variations: Casters may want to extend the duration, or add zones to see farther in the darkness.
« Last Edit: November 11, 2010, 05:51:59 PM by devonapple »
"Like a voice, like a crack, like a whispering shriek
That echoes on like it’s carpet-bombing feverish white jungles of thought
That I’m positive are not even mine"

Blackout, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets

Offline Papa Gruff

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 536
  • in omnia paratus!
    • View Profile
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #16 on: November 11, 2010, 05:40:27 PM »
Thank you! Would there be a particular "Let me tell you about my 21st-level Paladin" thread for this? Or should I post it here?

It's your thread ;).

Spell looks good too. Make sure to post it in the compilation thread in the resources section...
in omnia peratus! ... wait a minute! ... to give anybody a rucksack? ... DAMN CORRESPONDENCE COURSE!

Offline devonapple

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2165
  • Parkour to YOU!
    • View Profile
    • LiveJournal Account
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #17 on: November 11, 2010, 05:43:12 PM »
And thank you all for helping me tame this down. I had based the original Ritual writeup on Rick Neal's notes on how to create a Flying spell - a 26-shift monster of a ritual which had to "take out" all of the caster's consequences.

I kinda felt like that Patton Oswalt bit about Easter eggs and the nuisance of the "Egg Clamp":
"RonCo had that weird 'Egg Clamp' where you put the egg in the clamp, and then you put the Magic Marker in another clamp, and then you'd spin the egg... oh my goodness! There's a line on the egg now! Where there wasn't a line before! ::exasperated voice:: It's three o'clock in the morning..."
« Last Edit: November 11, 2010, 05:50:54 PM by devonapple »
"Like a voice, like a crack, like a whispering shriek
That echoes on like it’s carpet-bombing feverish white jungles of thought
That I’m positive are not even mine"

Blackout, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets

Offline devonapple

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2165
  • Parkour to YOU!
    • View Profile
    • LiveJournal Account
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #18 on: November 11, 2010, 06:15:45 PM »
Tenebromancer
Focused Practitioner
Power Level: Up to Your Waist

Aspects
High Concept: Reluctant Tenebromancer
Trouble Aspect: My Friends Need Me
Background Aspects: Born in the Blood, Vigilance is the Price of Peace
Story Aspects: Friends in Strange Places, I'm Not That Guy, The Shadow has a Will of its Own

Stunts & Powers
(-1) Redirected Force
(-1) Stay Close and Keep Quiet!
(-0) Wizard’s Constitution
(-2) Channeling (Shadows)
(-2) Ritual (Tenebromancy)

Items
Obsidian Arrowhead Necklace: +1 to Shadow Channeling Offensive Control [Discipline]
Black Leather Bracer (embossed with celtic maze): +1 to Shadow Channeling Defensive Power [Conviction]
Black Silk Handkerchief: reduce complexity of spontaneous Shadow Rituals by 1 [Lore]
Hot Topic Segmented Finger Armor: +1 to Shadow Ritual Control [Discipline]

Skills
Average (+1) Alertness, Athletics, Deceit, Investigation, Contacts
Fair (+2) Endurance, Fists, Presence
Good (+3) Conviction, Discipline
Great (+4) Lore, Stealth
« Last Edit: November 11, 2010, 09:51:54 PM by devonapple »
"Like a voice, like a crack, like a whispering shriek
That echoes on like it’s carpet-bombing feverish white jungles of thought
That I’m positive are not even mine"

Blackout, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets

Offline Tsunami

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1169
  • Not delicate.
    • View Profile
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #19 on: November 11, 2010, 06:37:25 PM »
The character for whom I'm making this spell is a Tenebromancer (Shadowmancer, whatever) who only has Channelling (Shadows) and Rituals (Tenebromancy). He could probably create potions with shadow/darkness-themed powers, but I have his item slots devoted to other things. I may opt to switch that around for the next appropriate milestone, but for now, that is what it is.
Unless you upgrade to Thaumaturgy, you won't be able to create Potions. That's Item Crafting, and that can only be done with either Ritual(Crafting) or full Thaumaturgy.



I also looked over your Character build, and I saw this:

Black Silk Handkerchief: reduce complexity of spontaneous Shadow Rituals by 1 [Lore]

Reducing Complexity ? That doesn't make sense.
The Focus item would increase the Base complexity you can bring without preparation.

Offline devonapple

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2165
  • Parkour to YOU!
    • View Profile
    • LiveJournal Account
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #20 on: November 11, 2010, 06:48:27 PM »
Reducing Complexity ? That doesn't make sense.  The Focus item would increase the Base complexity you can bring without preparation.

The original rules says: "For thaumaturgy focuses, this bonus may be applied to the wizard’s upper bound on “no-prep” complexity (Lore) for thaumaturgy or to the wizard’s control (Discipline) rolls for casting."

For awhile, I was convinced by this and other rules that if you had the Lore to do it, you could cast a Thaumaturgic-level effect at combat Evocation speeds. I was intending the item to allow spontaneous thaumaturgy-strength veils, but it is still useful for rituals, but yes, I should probably edit that phrasing.

The rules as written could have more clearly said "this will increase your Lore by +1 for thaumaturgy purposes" or something like that. As written, they seem to imply that the item would be only good for no-prep thaumaturgy, and were a spellcaster to need to do even one Declaration to make up for a Lore deficit, then the item would be useless.


"Like a voice, like a crack, like a whispering shriek
That echoes on like it’s carpet-bombing feverish white jungles of thought
That I’m positive are not even mine"

Blackout, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #21 on: November 11, 2010, 09:23:03 PM »
Two things:

First, I'm pretty sure that foci increase the allowable complexity of a ritual no matter how many declarations you make.

Second, there is a thread for player characters. It's on the Resources board and it's called Spare Character Concepts. It would be appropriate to post your character there.

Offline sinker

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2115
    • View Profile
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #22 on: November 11, 2010, 11:09:51 PM »
Quote
Unless you upgrade to Thaumaturgy, you won't be able to create Potions. That's Item Crafting, and that can only be done with either Ritual(Crafting) or full Thaumaturgy.

He's using thematic ritual as opposed to functional ritual. So he can do any of the thamaturgic specialties as long as they're related to his theme (I.E. Create potions as long as they are shadow related potions)

Offline devonapple

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2165
  • Parkour to YOU!
    • View Profile
    • LiveJournal Account
Re: Yay! I can see in the dark! (someone please tell me it's easier than this)
« Reply #23 on: November 11, 2010, 11:30:04 PM »
He's using thematic ritual as opposed to functional ritual. So he can do any of the thamaturgic specialties as long as they're related to his theme (I.E. Create potions as long as they are shadow related potions)

Exactly - as determined between the player and GM.
"Like a voice, like a crack, like a whispering shriek
That echoes on like it’s carpet-bombing feverish white jungles of thought
That I’m positive are not even mine"

Blackout, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets