The Dresden Files > DFRPG Resource Collection
Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
Sanctaphrax:
Okay, let me try my hand at writing this up.
RUNE MAGIC [-4]
Description: A long time ago, Odin stabbed himself with a spear and hanged himself from The World Tree as a sacrifice to himself. By doing so, he acquired the power of Rune Magic. Now Odin gives some of that runic power to his Valkyries, making them able to serve him better.
Sponsor: Rune Magic comes from Odin, greatest of the Aesir and master of runes.
Agenda: The agenda of Odin is not entirely clear, but it definitely includes making preparations for Ragnarok. Users of Rune Magic might be called upon to find new Einherjar for Odin's armies or to gather weapons for the final battle.
Evocation: Rune Magic does not provide any form of Evocation.
Thaumaturgy: Rune Magic rituals are mainly useful for divination, warding, and crafting. Some other effects might also be possible, but no Rune Magic effect may extend beyond the immediate proximity of the runes used to cast it.
Evothaum: ?
Extra Benefits: A user of Rune Magic may create special Rune Items. Creating a Rune Item requires a ritual much like an ordinary thaumaturgical ritual, except that the caster spends an Enchanted Item slot for each exchange he spends casting the spell. If the ritual succeeds, the resulting Rune Item functions identically to a single-use potion containing the ritual's effect.
Note: The cost of Rune Magic is not reduced if the character taking it has Evocation.
I left evothaum blank because I'm still ever-so-slightly fuzzy on how you intended it to work.
I left out the other extra benefits because a) Sponsored Magic might not hex anyway and b) I don't really think the power needs a random +1 complexity.
Mr. Death:
The Evothaum I intended to work basically like evocation, only the initial cost (calling up the power) is free as you're drawing it from the rune directly instead of from yourself, and you must already have Evocation as a power to use it. On the flip side, you don't need to be a runecrafter to use the power of a rune in this manner.
So, say you have a 6-shift Fireball rune, and Harry Dresden wants to turn it into a spell. He takes the rune, and draws the power from it--no effort on his part to generate the power, so he's got a 6-shift spell called up, no mental stress. But, he still has to roll to target and control it. So going from his base 3 Discipline, he has to either make the roll, take backlash, or let some go as fallout. Harry can shape the spell energy however he wants, but, it has to A. remain an attack, and B. remain a Fire-based spell.
Tedronai:
--- Quote from: Mr. Death on February 18, 2012, 04:25:08 AM --- A. remain an attack, and B. remain a Fire-based spell.
--- End quote ---
Given the latitude the mechanics are given to represent the narrative in DFrpg, I find the requirement for the spell to remain an attack overly restrictive.
More specifically, I fail to see the reason why a fireball attack could not be converted into a maneuver to set the building on fire, or a block to induce the targets to 'keep their heads down', etc.
Mr. Death:
That's a good point. But there should be some way to make it so that the resultant spell keeps more or less in line with what the original rune was for. A veil rune shouldn't be able to fuel a force attack, for instance, even though they'd both be Spirit in element.
Sanctaphrax:
I don't think that this sounds like a good idea. Too vague and too questionably balanced. And not usable by the primary users of Rune Magic, which is just weird.
Would it be a problem if we were to drop the evothaum completely?
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