Author Topic: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience  (Read 16568 times)

Offline narphoenix

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2013, 02:54:31 AM »
Again, my point stands: driving chariots.
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Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2013, 02:58:29 AM »
Again, my point stands: driving chariots.

I would not use the Driving skill for that. I'd use Survival, since it's used for riding and that's vastly closer to chariot driving than driving a car is.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2013, 07:17:03 AM »
Chariots are rare enough to ignore, I think. Somebody who drove chariots can just buy Driving up from 0. Or they can not take that rebate...Aspect Compels can cover their issues with the modern day if need be.

Anyway, how about some characters?

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Do they look balanced?

Bear in mind that I didn't optimize much.

My impression is that the Powers might be a bit too good at levels above the ones the book gives. Three Fantastic skills at In A Submarine is really good.

As the power level increases, the number of skills you have at or above the level you're raising your floor to increases. And once that number gets high, you're actually increasing the number of skills you can have at high values by taking Experience.

Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #18 on: January 20, 2013, 08:09:38 AM »
Yeah...but for, say, Batman you could've used that 6 Refresh to easily buy a custom Power or a couple of Stunts to use one of his, say, two Fantastic skills for, potentially, several other skills, which would debatably be a better use of Refresh...though not as fun or cool, IMO.

Offline Tedronai

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #19 on: January 20, 2013, 08:36:37 AM »
Yeah...but for, say, Batman you could've used that 6 Refresh to easily buy a custom Power or a couple of Stunts to use one of his, say, two Fantastic skills for, potentially, several other skills, which would debatably be a better use of Refresh...though not as fun or cool, IMO.

No power that I'm aware of even comes close to moving the whole of a skill into another, and stunts are quite certainly out of the question for that except for the most narrow of skills (fists, for example), and even then, are recommended to have significant limitations on the circumstances under which those individual trappings are moved.

For the price of Mythic Experience?  You might be able to get 1 or 2 skills (depending on which ones you're talking about) moved over piece by piece, with conditions.
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Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #20 on: January 20, 2013, 08:41:12 AM »
Well, Mimic Abilities moves whole skills. But it's clearly balanced around the assumption that you won't just be able to copy whatever skills you want.

Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #21 on: January 20, 2013, 08:44:54 AM »
Well, Mimic Abilities moves whole skills. But it's clearly balanced around the assumption that you won't just be able to copy whatever skills you want.

True, though I'm not really arguing otherwise. Just noting that getting an extra peak skill, while cool, seems like part and parcel of what the power's supposed to do, and not unreasonable for its cost...especially at the higher levels of the power, which is where you're really likely to be able to get that.

Based on those characters, my big concern is actually that the first level is too weak...

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #22 on: January 20, 2013, 09:11:55 PM »
The first level seems pretty strong to me. I'd put it on almost every character above Submerged.

The character I put it on doesn't get too much out of it, though. As is often the case with spellcasters, more Refinement would probably be better.

Offline crusher_bob

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #23 on: January 21, 2013, 04:59:52 PM »
Wasn't there some discussion of true shapshifting (skills only) probably being a 3 point power?  This seems to be a better deal, as you can switch out your highest skills, rather than have levels of lower skills that you don't much care about, anyway.

Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #24 on: January 21, 2013, 06:50:58 PM »
Wasn't there some discussion of true shapshifting (skills only) probably being a 3 point power?  This seems to be a better deal, as you can switch out your highest skills, rather than have levels of lower skills that you don't much care about, anyway.

Hmmm, a valid point...but speaking canonically, Shapeshifting can't give you many skills at all. It can give you Alertness, Investigation, Fists, Athletics, Might, Stealth, and Endurance, and probably Weapons, Guns, Burglary, Driving, and Survival. That's only half the skills. Your other half are, at best, whatever rating you started with. And being good at some stuff with Shapeshifting means you're bad at others, leaving at least momentary weaknesses to be exploited.

None of these drawbacks apply to the Experience powers.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #25 on: January 21, 2013, 07:37:43 PM »
That is true.

Also, I wouldn't allow you to purchase the skill-swapping effect of True Shapeshifting for 3 Refresh. But I guess that's personal judgement more than anything else.

Still, True Shapeshifting is the closest thing we have to a canonical balance point. It's worth paying attention to.

I've been thinking a bit about how these Powers could be balanced above Submerged, and I'm starting to think that making them free might be the best bet. Like we were talking about doing with the consequence-booster. It actually makes plenty of sense for the skill floor to be higher for really powerful characters.

Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #26 on: January 21, 2013, 08:31:36 PM »
I'm not sure I agree. These have more to do with age/varied experiences than it does power-level per se. I'd give them to Kincaid, but not necessarily Lily, for example, despite the latter likely being more powerful, because she's young and hasn't had time to pick up this stuff, while he's experienced as hell.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #27 on: January 21, 2013, 08:41:17 PM »
I have no problem with making Lily Fair at everything. Because I can't think of any skill she ought to be bad at. Can you?

She's not that experienced, sure, but sheer power can cover up for that deficiency.

And I think Kincaid might be at a higher power level than Lily. Lily has oodles of power, but she's probably deep in negative Refresh-land. Kincaid might not be.

Offline InFerrumVeritas

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #28 on: January 21, 2013, 08:51:32 PM »
I have no problem with making Lily Fair at everything. Because I can't think of any skill she ought to be bad at. Can you?

She's not that experienced, sure, but sheer power can cover up for that deficiency.

And I think Kincaid might be at a higher power level than Lily. Lily has oodles of power, but she's probably deep in negative Refresh-land. Kincaid might not be.

Possibly social skills? 

Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: Brainstorming a Power: The Benefits of Experience
« Reply #29 on: January 21, 2013, 09:06:36 PM »
I have no problem with making Lily Fair at everything. Because I can't think of any skill she ought to be bad at. Can you?

Actually, yes. Driving, Burglary, Scholarship, Craftsmanship, Might, and Guns. All off the top of my head, should all be Average at best, and Mediocre in many cases.

She's not that experienced, sure, but sheer power can cover up for that deficiency.

To some degree, sure. But it doesn't help you speak Etruscan or Ancient Sumerian, nor does it help you shoot a gun right.

And I think Kincaid might be at a higher power level than Lily. Lily has oodles of power, but she's probably deep in negative Refresh-land. Kincaid might not be.

Okay, what about the Senior Council? They don't strike me as all having Average or Fair Might, just for example, and surely you don't argue Kincaid's a higher power level than them?