Author Topic: Glamour Veils - requires concentration or not?  (Read 2105 times)

Offline Cadd

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 474
    • View Profile
Glamour Veils - requires concentration or not?
« on: May 27, 2013, 10:45:50 PM »
Since I'm making a hunting-themed changeling, I've been looking at both Glamour and Cloak of Shadows. I've decided to give her Glamour, since that feels so intrinsic to everything faerie, and Cloak of Shadows very much fits her concept of a sneaking, stalking hunter. However, there is a distinct overlap on the sneaking department between those two powers. With access to Minor Veils, is the stealth part of CoS actually worth anything?

I started thinking that maybe the veils from Glamour requires some non-trivial amount on concentration to keep up, however the rules don't mention it. I was thinking that if it requires concentration, it might count as a supplemental action.
So: Is the upkeep of a Glamour veil considered a Free or Supplemental action?

Offline Haru

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 5520
  • Mentally unstable like a fox.
    • View Profile
Re: Glamour Veils - requires concentration or not?
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2013, 10:53:51 PM »
I usually don't require any upkeep on a veil, but I make it drop as soon as the caster makes an offensive action (which is usually an ambush). If you can attack someone who can't see you, then you are pretty much destined to win the fight, and I wouldn't even make that a conflict.
“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?”
― Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Offline UmbraLux

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 1685
    • View Profile
Re: Glamour Veils - requires concentration or not?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2013, 04:15:56 AM »
Since I'm making a hunting-themed changeling, I've been looking at both Glamour and Cloak of Shadows. I've decided to give her Glamour, since that feels so intrinsic to everything faerie, and Cloak of Shadows very much fits her concept of a sneaking, stalking hunter. However, there is a distinct overlap on the sneaking department between those two powers. With access to Minor Veils, is the stealth part of CoS actually worth anything?
Like any block, veils give you a "second chance" if you fail.  It's not a great synergy but the two are fairly separate.  With glamour you can create illusions - they're not directly related to stealth. 

Quote
I started thinking that maybe the veils from Glamour requires some non-trivial amount on concentration to keep up, however the rules don't mention it. I was thinking that if it requires concentration, it might count as a supplemental action.
So: Is the upkeep of a Glamour veil considered a Free or Supplemental action?
Upkeep isn't an action at all.  Creating one is a normal action but once it's up it's there for the duration (normally a scene).  Even discovering a veil doesn't break or pierce it.  The discoverer knows what he senses is "wrong" but he doesn't know what is truly behind the glamour.  This is one area where glamour is much better than magical veils.
--
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.”  - Albert Einstein

"Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength."  - Eric Hoffer

Offline ReaderAt2046

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 78
    • View Profile
Re: Glamour Veils - requires concentration or not?
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2013, 02:33:47 AM »

What about just a houserule that in any circumstance where you'd get CoS's bonus to stealth, you can get a bonus to the veil instead?

Offline InFerrumVeritas

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 813
    • View Profile
Re: Glamour Veils - requires concentration or not?
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2013, 03:53:26 AM »
Veils last for an entire scene or until beaten.  However, it is important to remember that the veil works both ways, with the creator of said veil facing a block of half the veil's value.

Offline Todjaeger

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 332
  • Dresden Files Alpha Burn Playtester
    • View Profile
    • Butchered New Haven campaign site
Re: Glamour Veils - requires concentration or not?
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2013, 06:52:56 AM »
Veils last for an entire scene or until beaten.  However, it is important to remember that the veil works both ways, with the creator of said veil facing a block of half the veil's value.

Not exactly.  For an Evocation-based Veil a +2 increase to the complexity of the spell eliminates the half-strength Block the caster would normally have to see out from within the Veil.  In other words, if the caster wanted to have a Veil which could be seen out from without issue, with a Block strength of Superb (+5), the complexity to cast it would actually be Epic (+7).  It would cost even more to add duration onto the Veil.  This is from YS276.

The way I read the description for Glamours on YS166, the Minor Veils which can be created use either Deceit or Discipline (creator's choice) to determine the effectiveness of the Block.  The downside for Glamours is that a character doesn't get any bonuses due to element specialization or focus items that would improve their Discipline rolls.  The upside for Glamours is that Conviction is not needed, and the character using Glamours to create a Minor Veil around themselves doesn't take Mental stress.

-Cheers
Kill the Child, Doom the World...  Or is it, Kill the Child, Save the World?

Dresden Files Purity test: http://knnn.x10.mx/purity2/purity.html

My results: http://knnn.x10.mx/purity2/purity-result.html?55:70:18:23:6:6:17:26:11:27:11:37:14:41:20:28:3:5: