Author Topic: Help with two new power concepts?  (Read 2870 times)

Offline ReaderAt2046

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Help with two new power concepts?
« on: March 02, 2018, 11:01:00 PM »

Ok, so there are two power concepts that I run across a fair amount in my fantasy reading, but that I have yet to figure out a good way of incorporating into the game.

1: Supernatural Luck: You know the concept: A character for whom everything just goes right. He can walk through the middle of a gunfight, and all the bullets just happen to miss him. He goes out for a walk and happens to trip over a briefcase full of money or the crucial piece of evidence to solve the mystery. His car never breaks down, he never gets caught in the rain, and even the birds always miss him.

Now, obviously this would be easy to implement by just giving a character loads of Fate points, but that feels a little too easy. I want there to be a catch to this power, some way in which relying on your power to tip the scales of Fate can come back to bite you. The best idea I've had so far is that taking this power also gives you an Aspect along the lines of "dependent on luck" or "weird luck", and that you cannot buy off Compels related to that aspect.

2: Inhuman Vulnerability: Taking things one step beyond the Catch, this is the case where not only do your powers offer no protection against a threat, but you are far more vulnerable than a human would be. For example, a lot of werewolf stories feature the idea that a werewolf is so vulnerable to silver that the slightest scratch from a silvered blade is death, and even touching it can burn. At the lower end, I imagine you could implement this with a "power" that gives certain attacks extra shifts of strength against you. For the higher end, I'm considering a rule that says that you can't take Consequences to buy off damage from whatever you're vulnerable to. You can still take stress hits (fluff-wise, because stress generally represents strain and near-misses rather than actual harm, crunch-wise because that keeps it from being quite so crazy brutal), but if someone actually lands a hit, they're taking you out.

Offline whitelaughter

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Re: Help with two new power concepts?
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2018, 07:43:36 AM »
What you're after for supernatural luck is pretty much what is described when paying for temporary items, so I suggest an IoP with a positive cost, so that you've got extra Fate when you 'pay' for it, but which brings multiple Compels afterwards.

For Inhuman Vulnerability, why not put a Catch on Skills? If Endurance has a Catch, then you don't have a Stress track against that substance, so must concede or take Consequences; ditto Conviction and Presence (I would suggest that for Presence this would be a subject that sends the individual off the deep end). A Vampire putting a Catch on Discipline would be possible - though dumb.
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Offline Taran

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Re: Help with two new power concepts?
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2018, 12:51:20 AM »
I have played or played with some characters with luck powers.  I will post them both.  One is a 30 refresh character but the other is submerged.  Gimme some time to find them.

For a super-catch, look at the limitation custom power.  It gives a rebate on powers based on how much it might penalize you.   Left mostly to gm adjudication, the power can be abused but it can also be exactly what you need.

I will try to post a link to that as well

Offline Taran

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Re: Help with two new power concepts?
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2018, 01:06:12 AM »
Luck character 1
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,41023.msg2027360.html#msg2027360

This character uses righteousness reskinned as a semi-sentient power that manipulates probabilities.   As long as he takes incredibly deadly risks (the power manipulates probability to put him in deadly situations against his will(compels and the use of Guide My Hand) just to test itself to see if he can survive (by manipulating probability).  Combined with a few other powers, this was a hilarious character to play if only to try to describe the ridiculous circumstances of how he’d survive events that were so beyond his power.

And then he used some custom powers that let him actually manipulate the fudge dice.  Seems dubiously balanced but you actually need lots of Fate points to make them work.

These custom powers are all “luck” related custom powers and are listed on the character sheet.

Character 2 uses Incite Effect: luck.   It works amazingly well.  Along with supernatural toughness whose extra stress boxes are  reskinned as “near misses”.  And a catch of entropy curses is very fitting.  This character, like the first, also has Guide My Hand. 

http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,38978.msg1919726.html#msg1919726

Read through both characters and you will see that the powers fit the theme very well.

Quote
For example, a lot of werewolf stories feature the idea that a werewolf is so vulnerable to silver that the slightest scratch from a silvered blade is death, and even touching it can burn

Edit to add this:  this is already factored in with a regular catch.  (At least the being burned, not the instant death).

In the rules under Catch, it says “even the mere presence of your catch causes discomfort and may be a justification for a compel”.  (I’m paraphrasing)
« Last Edit: March 04, 2018, 03:14:15 AM by Taran »

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Help with two new power concepts?
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2018, 09:10:03 AM »
There are some luck powers on the wiki here.

For a super-Catch, I'd be inclined to handle it with Compels. It's a simple, elegant, and effective approach to most issues of that kind.

Anyway, all the existing rebate Powers work by limiting other Powers. You can't really get Refresh back, all you can do is cut the cost of the Powers you've bought. I like it that way; I think it works well.

Is there something you want to do that the Compel approach wouldn't work for?