The Dresden Files > DFRPG
Assorted questions
Mr. Death:
--- Quote from: nadia.skylark on June 03, 2019, 04:56:19 AM ---Yeah, but most stunts provide a +1 or +2 every time a situation comes up, not just once. The "on my toes" stunt gives a +2 every time you're determining initiative. Likewise for every other stunt I've seen.
--- End quote ---
You might be overestimating how often is "every time."
For instance, how often a scene do you think you're going to be determining initiative? Hell, I can't think of any games I've been in or run where we've started more than one combat in a session.
Plus, a free tag isn't just a +2. It's a reroll, which could be a much higher swing, or a tag for effect, which could be just about anything.
--- Quote ---It's based on the idea that the perfect fool asks the right questions, because they're coming at things without preconceptions or biases--they ask the questions it's never occurred to anyone else to ask. The best example that I can think of is in a Harry Potter fanfic (can't remember the name right now) where they're dealing with horcruxes. Harry, Hermione, and a bunch of other smart people are researching how to destroy horcruxes, which have been around since the time of ancient Egypt. Ron, not being very good at research, wanders in at some point and asks "so if horcruxes have been around since ancient Egypt, why aren't we hip-deep in ancient Egyptian wizards?" This question was so basic that it never occurred to any of the smart people to ask it, and it led to the discovery that horcruxes don't work.
--- End quote ---
OK. I think my thing is that while most stunts by necessity refer to rolls and game mechanics, it's typically more about what the characters are capable of than the players.
How about something like: "No Such Thing As A Dumb Question: Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and sometimes coming at a problem completely ignorant without any prior assumptions is just what's needed. If you roll a -2 or lower in Lore, you may spend a fate point to turn it into an automatic success."
Not sure how balanced that is; it might need a lower threshold, or a once-a-scenario rider.
nadia.skylark:
--- Quote ---You might be overestimating how often is "every time."
For instance, how often a scene do you think you're going to be determining initiative? Hell, I can't think of any games I've been in or run where we've started more than one combat in a session.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, but if you're doing social combat, you're probably going to be attacking with rapport/deceit a bunch of times, and if you're doing mental combat, you're probably going to be defending a bunch of times. So a stunt would be objectively better.
--- Quote ---Plus, a free tag isn't just a +2. It's a reroll, which could be a much higher swing, or a tag for effect, which could be just about anything.
--- End quote ---
So what about a +1 bonus instead? That's worse than what a normal stunt would give you, even if you could use it every time the situation came up.
--- Quote ---How about something like: "No Such Thing As A Dumb Question: Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and sometimes coming at a problem completely ignorant without any prior assumptions is just what's needed. If you roll a -2 or lower in Lore, you may spend a fate point to turn it into an automatic success."
Not sure how balanced that is; it might need a lower threshold, or a once-a-scenario rider.
--- End quote ---
It's meant to reflect the character having learned to look at things with an open mind despite knowing a bunch about them. The reason it was a question was because it was meant to reflect the character realizing what they really needed to be investigating/researching--they might still not be able to find information on it, but they know what information they should look for.
I like the once-a-scenario thing, though.
Mr. Death:
--- Quote from: nadia.skylark on June 03, 2019, 02:23:54 PM ---Yeah, but if you're doing social combat, you're probably going to be attacking with rapport/deceit a bunch of times, and if you're doing mental combat, you're probably going to be defending a bunch of times. So a stunt would be objectively better.
--- End quote ---
Not necessarily. Any kind of attacking stunt tops out at +1, and any stunt cannot apply to every usage of a given skill, or a given trapping -- all of them have limits that keep them to particular situations. (i.e., a stunt might be "+1 to Rapport when attacking in social combat against a friend" but couldn't just be "+1 to Rapport when attacking in social combat.")
--- Quote ---So what about a +1 bonus instead? That's worse than what a normal stunt would give you, even if you could use it every time the situation came up.
--- End quote ---
Again, not necessarily. A +2 is the max a stunt can give, in limited situations; broader stunts give +1, but it's still not for every situation.
Just, generally speaking, if you're getting a +1 on anything, it's because you spent refresh on it. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch in Dresden.
--- Quote ---It's meant to reflect the character having learned to look at things with an open mind despite knowing a bunch about them. The reason it was a question was because it was meant to reflect the character realizing what they really needed to be investigating/researching--they might still not be able to find information on it, but they know what information they should look for.
I like the once-a-scenario thing, though.
--- End quote ---
I think maybe you're getting too granular about it -- what you're describing -- "character realizes what they need to look into" -- is, basically, one way to interpret a successful Lore roll. Or heck, I could see it as a successful Lore roll that the GM complicates with a compel ("OK, you rolled a 6, but it doesn't make sense for you to know this based on your aspects; here's a fate point, you have a solid idea of what you need to look into, but you'll have to spend some time researching") or a negotiated failed roll ("OK, you rolled only a 3, and you needed a 5, so instead of a failure, I'm going to put it a couple steps up the time chart -- you know what you need to look into, but you're going to need a trip to the library to figure it out.")
Taran:
Regarding The ‘asking The right question’ power, why not re-skin Guide My Hand?
@Mr. death: asking the right question is, essentially, the fortuitous arrival trapping of the power. And its other benefits seem in line with what nadia wants.
Probably covers the dreams and quests too.
As far as dreams go, Cassandra’s Tears creates an aspect that guides you to an objective. It can be invoked to push the story in a direction or compelled to push it similarly in a direction at an inconvenient time. So reskin it to push you towards wisdom and learning instead of Disaster(which is the hat Cassandra’s Tears was based on. You’d have to change the ‘people don’t believe you’ part of it.
nadia.skylark:
Has anyone used the Ordo Torca from Paranet Papers as antagonists? I'm trying to decide whether to involve them at some point, and I was wondering what other people have done with them.
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