The Dresden Files > DFRPG

Easy evocations cost?

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Sanctaphrax:
Thing is, Inhuman Mental Toughness costs twice as much as a stunt.

Two mild consequences can absorb two 2-stress hits or a single 4-stress hit. Two additional stress boxes added to a track four boxes long can absorb a 5-stress hit and a 6-stress hit.

nadia.skylark:

--- Quote ---Thing is, Inhuman Mental Toughness costs twice as much as a stunt. Two mild consequences can absorb two 2-stress hits or a single 4-stress hit. Two additional stress boxes added to a track four boxes long can absorb a 5-stress hit and a 6-stress hit.
--- End quote ---

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Inhuman Mental Toughness comes with two benefits, for two refresh. I would assume that the stress boxes are worth slightly more than one refresh, while the armor is worth slightly less than one refresh.

However, as I understood the combat magic stunt, it would not add stress boxes to the end of the mental stress track, but would create another stress track two boxes long. Furthermore, this stress track's uses are much more limited, because it's only for magic. Therefore, it would be worth slightly less than one refresh worth of powers, which works out because stunts are supposed to be slightly weaker than the equivalent refresh of powers.

Sanctaphrax:
For a spellcaster, the stress boxes are far far more important than the armour. I don't think removing the armour should affect the Power's Refresh cost at all.

I don't have DFA open in front of me, and I'm not gonna try and tell you how its stunts work. But creating a whole new stress track seems like a bad way to implement such an effect into DFRPG. It's messy. Does help with the balance issues, but it introduces problems of its own.

nadia.skylark:
Can you help me by explaining how important the mental stress track is to a caster? On this thread, you've said that it's a huge deal to add extra boxes; but on another thread, you've said that an extra benefit that allowed you to clear your mental stress track (effectively adding extra boxes) was too weak. I'm confused, and I feel like I'm misunderstanding something.

Also, I'm going back to the "cast low-level spells for free" power, because while I agree that it's a plot device kind of power, I'm trying to stat out the progression of a character from apprentice wizard to Kemmler-level plot device. I still want all the powers I give my character to be reasonable individually, however (the point is to stop my character from becoming a Mary Sue by regulating her power gain). So, would the power be more reasonable if you had to double the usual discipline role to cast spells without stress (and your spells still couldn't have more power than your conviction), the way you have to double the normal rolls you need to cast spells without words? And if so, how much would it cost?

Sanctaphrax:

--- Quote from: nadia.skylark on May 11, 2019, 11:31:32 PM ---Can you help me by explaining how important the mental stress track is to a caster? On this thread, you've said that it's a huge deal to add extra boxes; but on another thread, you've said that an extra benefit that allowed you to clear your mental stress track (effectively adding extra boxes) was too weak. I'm confused, and I feel like I'm misunderstanding something.
--- End quote ---

Important. It's hard to draw equivalences to other abilities, but I think a 1-Refresh-per-box rule of thumb works pretty well. And that seems to be what Evil Hat uses as well.

I don't remember saying that; it sounds wrong, but maybe I had a good reason. Or maybe I was just being dumb.


--- Quote from: nadia.skylark on May 11, 2019, 11:31:32 PM ---So, would the power be more reasonable if you had to double the usual discipline role to cast spells without stress (and your spells still couldn't have more power than your conviction), the way you have to double the normal rolls you need to cast spells without words? And if so, how much would it cost?
--- End quote ---

Would the Discipline roll also be halved in effect?

Like, if you wanted to cast a 5-power attack spell and you got a 9, presumably you'd have to take a shift of backlash or fallout. But would the to-hit roll be a 4, a 5, or a 9?

If the roll is halved in effect as well, I think you could get away with it as a 1-Refresh Power. Halving is a pretty huge penalty.

Of course, as long as you're halving things, it might make sense just to halve the power as well instead of capping it at Conviction.

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