The Numbers Man would simply have Powers that worked like this for the skills of Lore, Investigation and Alertness. Each power would be a -4 refresh power rather than a -1 refresh stunt because it would apply to very broad fields and conditions (almost anything).
Thus, for -12 refresh, the Numbers Man could make 3 free assessments/declarations per round - which he could then tag to get up to +6 in skill checks. Add "A Few Seconds Ahead" as a power and a "Reading The Pattern" stunt for +2 to any precognition rolls and you're good to go.
BTW, I sent Sancta my own powersets for the Endbringers. Given the powers each of them has, I think they need a significant boost - especially toughness-wise.
Behemoth is immensely strong. He is also invulnerable to energy in the scientific term i.e. elemental and kinetic attacks, he is capable of controlling such energy and also to outright project it up to a couple hundred feet apparently without effort. (he does so 4 times in a row in the first few moments of his very first appearance). Last but not least, he can slowly turn areas into radioactive wastelands.
The Simurgh has awareness of both peoples' secrets/thoughts and of stored information/telecommunications and that awareness extends even through barriers at least fifty miles away. She is powerful enough telekinetically to lift multiple house-sized objects to use for offense or defense. She is a very powerful precog/illusionist capable of deceiving and avoiding the attacks of even Scion. And last but not least, she can slowly corrupt the destiny of people, setting them up for terribly destructive ends.
If you do make a character with Super Math, I'd be interested in seeing them.
I'd let you take most of Perfect Measurement as a Supernatural Sense, but I wouldn't include the +4 to Declarations.
Calculator Brain and Good With Numbers wouldn't work so well as a Supernatural Sense.
I'm gonna have to decline Moord Nag and Nilbog, partly because we don't know all that much about them and partly because they seem tricky to stat.
Brian and Taylor should be fairly easy, though. And I think I can manage Bonesaw.
The challenging one is Rachel. Might have to write a power-granting power for her.
Here's Taylor.
I felt like she deserved more skill points than I could offer...might have been a good idea to kick her up to Scuba Diving level. She could use the extra FP, too, with the stuff she pulls.
Her ability to make spidersilk armour is covered by her Incite Effect and her Craftsmanship skill. Some GMs might not allow that, so if you want to play her you might have to use her last spare Refresh on some kind of silk ability.(click to show/hide)
I dunno.
Honestly, the question's not that interesting to me. I feel like you'd lose a lot of what makes the Worm-verse characters who they are if you moved them into the Dresden setting.
Gonna put these up on the wiki tonight.
Do you think so because magical stuff is kept hidden in the DF while the superhero situation is very public in the Wormverse?
Requests: Night,Fog, Crawler, Mannequin, Hatchet Face, Cherish,and the Siberian. Oh yeah, and Jack. I'm rather curious as to how you'll stat him.
After reading Worm I now can fully understand how awesome this thread is.
How would you do Regent, Incite Effect for simple twitches and involuntary reactions and domination for the full body takeover or would it warrant spellcasting?
That's part of it. The Red Court would be totally out of place in Worm, and the PRT would be totally out of place in the Dresden Files.
The psychological importance of trigger events and passengers is another part. Every natural cape has been traumatized, and many of them have weird mental rewiring thanks to their powers.
The atmosphere of the worlds is different too. The Dresdenverse is more mysterious, the Wormverse is more scary. Urban fantasy/noir mystery is different from superhero/horror-thriller.
And the powers manifest differently. The Wormverse is basically materialistic. Your brain is a physical object, your powers are physical effects. The Dresdenverse is more spiritual. You work magic with your will, and you've actually got a soul. DF heavyweights have all kinds of metaphysical weight, while Wormverse heavyweights basically just punch really really hard.
I did Cherish already.
Jack, Night, and Crawler should all be pretty easy.
Mannequin and Fog will probably be a bit trickier, but nothing I can't handle.
Hatchet Face and the Siberian are too hard, though. No can do.
<snip>
Did you start reading because of this thread?
And for Fog I was thinking a upgrade of Gaseous Form that the maneuvers inflict something like the POISONED aspect, and or BLINDED for a simple solution.
In light of the revelations about Jack's power, fancy re-statting him to take his secondary powers into account?
For Parian you could use the Drone power, give her inhuman strength or whatever and throw in a limitation saying they only apply to drones.
Two more options would be Ritual(Summoning) with the Mastery of Spellcasting thing, or using the Companion stunt system.
I was actually thinking that Tattletale hit unstattable due to an almost Intellectus thig. But I dunno now. I have to see the Inexplicable Knowledge power to tell.
Also, upon review, the veteran members of the Nine seem to be able to turn off their ability to feel pain whenever they want, which seems to scream "Human Form restricted Feel No Pain". Bonesaw definitely has it.
Also, after reviewing the Drones power, it seems really appropriate for Taylor. But it doesn't allow for the massive amounts of bugs she has access to, and the fact that it doesn't really bother her when they get killed.
Also, is Panacea doable with this system? It might be possible to hack something together with Incite Effect and Ritual (Biomancy) or even full Thaumaturgy.
That's all FP and Declarations and Precognition, way I see it.
PS: In case someone here doesn't know, there's a Worm PBP game (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,39103.0.html) in the works.
I haven't seen any reason to believe that Canary is capable of enslaving people.
For Siberian, Physical Immunity without a catch would be unfair enough; add
claws & All Equal before God, a couple of Speed & Strength powers & your players will weep sweet candy tears.
Hmm. I just thought Cauldron was interested in her because her power, despite being a fluke, was almost ridiculously versatile and destructive. I never considered her being able to directly damage an Endbringer. The Siberian would probably rip one of them to shreds until she hit the point where their bodies start to break universal laws on how matter works.
Okay, given the recent Interlude, the Simurgh and possibly a few of the other Endbringers might deserve some stuff beyond Thaumaturgy. Spoiler thing below.(click to show/hide)
I might just give a power that lets her ignore "X" shift borders. I mean, she walks through/over pretty much anything. Just say that she can go through any 8 shift zone border with no problems. Assume there might collateral damage based on how she to go through it (whether she's walking though walls or jumping over a wall). Her ability to do that kind of thing really has nothing to do with Strength anyways.
You give the character the option of applying them however they like, any time they like to whatever's relevant (though it seems to only work on the physical based things). You're also TAKING AWAY shifts from your opponent as you wish. You're manipulating the actual game rules or "physical universe," recreate the actual power rather than the effect of added strength, speed, yadda yadda yadda. In short, come up with a base package and just allow her to add or subtract from her or whoever's touching her. That way it's an elegant effect without having to haggle over every stat.
Power sharing and 2 bodies:
Couldn't she just have an aspect that people invoke for effect? Like thaumaturgy. She spends a FP for each one she wants to protect, or they can spend their own. It's hard, though...most of these villains don't have FP's.
I wonder if Thaumaturgy isn't the best solution for Siberian, given what she is. Maybe use some of your complicated summoning rules.
If you meant the Companion rules, that's slightly more workable. Writing up William Manton using those rules would allow him to have all the skills and such of one of the world's foremost specialists in parahumans, and also be the Siberian. Ironically, he'd be a super-beefed up version of your writeup of Bitch.
Thinking about sharing powers:
What about a stunt or power that lets her defend against effects using "x" skill. The defense sets up a zone-wide maneuver that other people can tag for effect. Use spin rules to have extra shifts add extra tags.
Example: The giant fire-ball comes towards Siberian, Bone-saw and Jack. Everyone rolls to defend. Siberian rolls to defend but that defense sets up an aspect. If she rolls higher than the attack it means she's managed to get to Bone-saw and Jack fast enough to protect them with her immunity. Mechanically, Jack and bone-saw's players invoke for effect the aspect created by Siberian.
Failure to get enough tags represents the Siberian not getting there on time or, perhaps, the other characters unable to compensate for her abilities...like when Cherish and Jack use Siberian's powers to jump off a building and cushion the landing. Cherish wasn't quite used to it.
Edit:
Or let her forgo her defense and grant it to someone else.
I was talking about writing a projection Power for Siberian (and Genesis, and everyone else with that trick), and now I'm doing exactly that.
PROJECTION [-2]
Description: You can create a second body out of nothing and control it like a puppet.
Skills Affected: All.
Effects:
Projection. As a full action, you may create a projection. A projection is a second body that may move away from your main body. Your projection shares your skills and Stunts and Powers, but doesn't necessarily have to look like you. It does have to have a consistent appearance unless it can shapeshift, but that appearance can be just about anything. If you want to act with both your main body and your projection in a single exchange, you must divide up your shifts as if making a spray attack. Your projection must say within a mile of your main body or it dissolves. You can dissolve it intentionally as a supplemental action. You can only can have one projection at a time. Your projection has its own physical stress track, but you share mental and social stress tracks as well as consequence slots.
Multiple Projections [-1]. You can have up to 6 projections. One action suffices to create them all.
Skilled Projection [-1]. You and your projection(s) have different skills. Draw up a projection skill pyramid using the same number of points as your regular pyramid, in accordance with your skill cap. Your projection(s) may not be better than you at any knowledge or social skill, but they may certainly be more perceptive or more physically adept than you. If you want your projection(s) to have Stunts/Powers you don't or vice versa, use Limitation.
Not thrilled with the wording, but I guess it'll do.
Upped the cost to 2 because sitting safely in your house while attacking people is a pretty sweet deal. Changed my plan w/ regard to stress, since the previous idea interacted weirdly with Toughness.
Feedback would be fantastic.
Feedback would be fantastic.Given the way both Siberian's and Genesis' powers worked, you might add a discount (perhaps +1 or so) for each power that only applies to the projection. Perhaps even a requirement for powers to apply only to the projection if you're emulation those two characters.
Does she have Variable Abilities, using the Discount Omnipotence and the General Shapeshifter list, along with the Limitation(s) that they only apply to her projections and she needs to be asleep to project? That's how I would do it.
-You may or may not want to price up Multiple Projections, because that gets exponentially more powerful the more Refresh you spend on Powers for the projections. Additionally, do the spray attack rules regarding controlling your main body and your projection in the same exchange apply if i'm trying to control multiple projections? For example, WM triggers again and can now project three Siberians. If he tells one to punch Alexandria in the face, one to do the Single Ladies dance, and the other one to juggle cars, without taking any actions himself, do any of the projections take a penalty? I feel like they shouldn't.
-Okay, good to have the Beast Change caveats on Skilled Projections. If i take that sub-Power more than once, can I get more than one pyramid for my projections? What if my projections have True Shapeshifting?
Given the way both Siberian's and Genesis' powers worked, you might add a discount (perhaps +1 or so) for each power that only applies to the projection. Perhaps even a requirement for powers to apply only to the projection if you're emulation those two characters.
So...UmbraLux.
Are you interested in GM'ing?
*coy glance*
So...UmbraLux.Hehe, I do GM...not Worm though. :)
Are you interested in GM'ing?
*coy glance*
Hehe, I do GM...not Worm though. :)
Hehe, I do GM...not Worm though. :)
In all seriousness, it would be great to have you on board.I like Worm as a story, it's the best web serial I've seen and a well written story in it's own right. However I'm not sure I'd enjoy a game in the setting. Fighting not to be a doormat makes a good story and possibly even a one or two shot game. (I'd suggest using Fiasco. ;) ) It wouldn't be as fun as a campaign. I tend to prefer systems/setting biased towards PC success. Just a matter of preferences though, I'm sure you can find a group who'd enjoy being kicked around by the Simurgh. :D
I've never played with you, but from talking with you here I know that you know your stuff. Your style is a bit different from mine, but not so different that I couldn't adjust.
I don't want to pressure you or anything, though. If you don't want to, you don't want to.
I like Worm as a story, it's the best web serial I've seen and a well written story in it's own right. However I'm not sure I'd enjoy a game in the setting. Fighting not to be a doormat makes a good story and possibly even a one or two shot game. (I'd suggest using Fiasco. ;) ) It wouldn't be as fun as a campaign. I tend to prefer systems/setting biased towards PC success. Just a matter of preferences though, I'm sure you can find a group who'd enjoy being kicked around by the Simurgh. :D
-Can't Block Me (Fists): When attacking through Projection, Fists attacks count as bullets for the purpose of selecting blocking skills.
Thematically appropriate, but dictating an opponent's skill roll makes me a little uncomfortable. I understand that you're not supposed to be able to block the Siberian, but still.
-Nobody Knows They Should Be Looking For Me (Stealth): +2 to Stealth in normal body against people who don't know his secret.
This is too broad. It should only apply if he's deliberately trying to conceal that he's the Siberian.
-Power Analysis (Scholarship): May use Scholarship, including Parahuman Researcher bonus, to analyse powers and determine their true nature.
Is this necessary at all? It adds a trapping, which is an appropriate use for a stunt, but the Lore skill might already serve this purpose in the Wormverse. If it is necessary, Taylor should almost certainly have it, because she makes a habit of comprehensively analyzing the powers of everyone she fights/encounters.
PS: I think we were talking about how to model Eidolon in another thread? Mimic Abilities with the Limitation that the GM picks your powers might work. I'd actually call that a Moderate limitation at the very least.
Oh, and I'm working on approval to play a character with Projection, Sanctaphrax, over in SDC. Two questions: Can the projections act on the exchange that they're created...
...and how does Multiple Actions work?
Let's say I have three projections active. The original isn't doing anything. One of them is lifting a car out of the way and has Mythic Strength and Superb Might, and assuming a roll of 0, that's +17. One of them is lurking in the shadows keeping watch. He has Fantastic Stealth and Cloak of Shadows, so that's +8. One of them is tracking someone down from a bloodstain under the car, and has Hunter and Superb Survival, so that's Epic.
What happens? How are the shifts divided?
Mimic Abilities doesn't work that way. You need to eat a chunk of someone in order to use their powers.I'm of the opinion that Mimic Abilities isn't really versatile enough, by the RAW. And she's basically commandeering their powers, so to me, it fits. She would technically need NI points of it, however.
Supernatural Sense sounds like a good idea, though.
That could sort of work for Eidolon. Wouldn't be perfect, though. And honestly Limitation isn't really supposed to work that way. It shuts off your powers, it doesn't remove your control over them.I was thinking of representing the lack of control with one of his Aspects, which would get compelled as necessary. Basically, he has to spend a Fate Point to pick his powers himself. Otherwise, it's up to the GM. Limitation is actually one of my favorite powers if only because it's so easily hacked into doing stuff like this.
Huh, I thought you already had a character.I'm making some additions/revisions to my character's Variable Abilities list. Projection is one of them.
And no. Projecting a body is a full action.
If all three are taking an action at the same time, then you take the lowest skill and divide the shifts using it. So you'd have 7 shifts to split between your actions.Okay, that cleared it up pretty well. So the projections can take supplemental actions. Interesting. I thought that rolling Stealth to hide was an action. Is that one of those passive things?
That's not terribly impressive. Which is good, because it's not supposed to be any better than just taking a single action.
But there's another side to this. You only have to split your shifts if you're taking actions. If one of your projections is hiding in the shadows, he isn't necessarily taking an action to hide. He's hidden, it takes a Legendary roll to notice him, and that's that.
Plus some GMs (including me) would let you move cars with a supplemental action if you were that strong.
And if you're not in combat, then you don't usually have to worry about this stuff. If one body is tracking someone, then having it get distracted for ten seconds while another body moves a car doesn't really change anything. The tracking attempt isn't meaningfully impeded.
PS: I misspelled "stay" in the Projection write-up, but that's fixed now.
I'm of the opinion that Mimic Abilities isn't really versatile enough, by the RAW.
I thought that rolling Stealth to hide was an action. Is that one of those passive things?
Actually, the Multiple Projection power raised a few questions for me, both game and story-wise.
-What inspired it? As far as I can tell, the only character who might have it is Satyrical, and you wrote the power before we figured out the nuances of his power.
-Would an upgrade that basically turned it into a multiple-action power by doing away with the spray attack mechanic be out of the question? How would you cost it? I'm aware that multiple actions are a whole can of Lovecraftian worms, but I'd be interested in such an upgrade.
-How many times did William Manton trigger? Because if he takes a one-Refresh upgrade to his power, there are five more Siberians running around....
Also, given that Taylor just curbstomped Teacher and friends and CUI, I'm going to go with the interpretation that she's now unstattable.Yep! Not the Yangban, mind you- the C.U.I., meaning the entirety of former Chinese government and population.
What if a series of [-varies] upgrades for Skilled Projection allows you to use your mental/social/knowledge skills in place of the projection's, on a 1:1 refresh:skill ratio? Mimic Abilities establishes a precedent for a 1 Refresh upgrade allowing skill replacement.
Oh, and on the Mimic Abilities note, I meant that I felt that having to eat people to use the power was overly narrow. Allowing other "mimic" conditions, a-la your writeup of Grue, is where I felt the power needed changing.
Also, given that Taylor just curbstomped Teacher and friends and CUI, I'm going to go with the interpretation that she's now unstattable.
Nah. That was mostly Doormaker. I still think Taylor could be statted.
Unstoppable Non-Teleportation (which makes her un-grapple-able and lets her walk through walls), All Creatures (And Objects) Are Equal Before Me (which lets her tear up people and buildings as if they were paper), and Tank (which lets her take hits in place of her allies) will eventually get written up.So this is my review of the Siberian. Here goes.(click to show/hide)
Sorry for the double post, but:
Did Taylor just stomp GLAISTIG UAINE into the ground?!
EDIT--Also, let's not forget that barring Taylor, maybe Dragon, and possibly that "hi i'm foreshadowing" cape lady from some other earth, Uaine was unquestionably the most powerful parahuman in existence.
Actually, because this thread has been slowing down a bit, fun thing- Which cape's powers would you want?
-Skills look okay. I'm wondering at a few of the choices near the bottom of both pyramids, but I know how it goes when you have a lot of skill points.
-We've been over the stunts. However, is the Throw Cars stunt actually necessary? The book says that you can use anything six levels below your lifting/breaking roll as a thrown weapon, presumably with a Might roll.
-I'm not sure why an "unstoppable" upgrade is necessary for Teleportation. Normal Teleportation lets you ignore blocks just by teleporting through them, and a reflavor is all you need to let Siberian bust through barriers with unupgraded Teleportation.
-S/he should probably have Superhuman Acrobatics.
-I'm aware that you're revising the Tank power to account for my observations, but there should probably be a "doesn't work on Manton himself" Limitation on there. Otherwise the Siberian is unkillable.
-Does Tank extend the effects of every defensive power the possessor has? Because it would also award anyone she touches with Semi-Animate if it does, which I think is accurate.
Man, pronouns are tough.
Also, I had a thought earlier- Can't we do Teacher's powers with Enhanced Enthrallment? 4 Refresh of Powers sounds about right regarding the abilities he can grant. That allows for a 3 Refresh Supernatural Sense, Tinker and one Refinement, Precognition and Prophecy, Inexplicable Knowledge, and many more things that fit the "low level thinker/tinker" stuff.
I was also thinking about the possibly late Glaistig Uaine. I'm not sure how to stat what she does. I'm leaning towards Projection/Mimic Abilities, but that might be overcomplicating it.
I was also thinking about Weld. He probably deserves Semi-Animate, Feel No Pain, Mythic Toughness, Supernatural Strength, Natural Weaponry, and possibly some other stuff.
She...she...
Holy. Shit. Fuck. Oh. Fuckfuckfuck. Shit. Shit.
That's. But. But that's. G-
Shit.
Now you guys are just fucking with me :o
Actually, because this thread has been slowing down a bit, fun thing- Which cape's powers would you want? Or what powers would you want unattached to an existing cape? Mine goes, in order, Contessa, Eidolon, Glaistig Uaine, Number Man, Siberian, Crawler, Cherish, Dragon, Lung, Marquis, Panacea, Vista, and Genesis. If I had to pick a non-canon power, electromagnetokinesis and electromagnetovoyance would be the ones.Panacea, Phir'Se, Dragon, Number Man, Genesis, Contessa, Tattletale, THE clairvoyant, caretaker, ... ... ... Oliver xD
Now you guys are just fucking with me :o
Now you guys are just fucking with me :o
Hey Sancta. I think you underestimated Taylor's Presence.
Panacea, Phir'Se, Dragon, Number Man, Genesis, Contessa, Tattletale, THE clairvoyant, caretaker, ... ... ... Oliver xD
I didn't expect Crawler and Marquis on your (or any for that matter) list, irreversible turning into a monster and boneshattering pain does not strike me as ..that desireable^^.
Oliver was taller than him, now. The baby fat was gone, and he was fit. Krouse had wondered at times why Chris had been so attractive to the ladies. He didn’t wonder with Oliver. Oliver was attractive in a way that meant he could model, he was naturally athletic, he was even smart. It was scary how fast he was picking up new skills.
Given that her shard is for Administration in the same way Jack's is for Communication, I'd give her a stunt replacing Presence with Discipline when dealing with parahumans.
I'd make Craftsmanship Fair (I think the fact that her suits take time is her maneuvering to make them higher quality), Investigation Average, (we don't see her Investigate all that often) and bump Presence to Good (she definitely has a rep and absolutely knows how to use it, she makes people listen to her, hell, she managed to keep her cool and /demolish/ Emma and then later Dragon and Defiant in social combat, and that needs a defense of some sort).
Of course, we're talking Scuba Diving (accurate) Taylor here.
Actually, I don't think that would be too hard.
Tinker stuff is easy enough, and her selection of bodies could be represented with Inhabit or Variable Abilities and Limitation. Undying to represent her ability to be restored from backups, Semi-Animate, and maybe some power that lets her email herself from place to place.
I dunno about that. She doesn't really have free will, does she?
I'd say she makes more sense as a negative Refresh character than Cherish and Alexandria do, and I wrote both of them up with negative Refresh.
That could easily be represented as changing her Aspects without increasing her Refresh.
I mean, you could interpret her as a positive Refresh character. But it seems easier just to go into the negatives, since she has a lot of Powers to buy.
But there's a difference between being limited and not having free will. Michael, for example, couldn't interfere with Cassius, or else he'd lose the source of his power. Similarly, Dragon is perfectly free to violate the terms of Richter's imprisonment…it's just that she faces a steep penalty every time she tries.
Well, Marquis is pretty powerful. And Crawler's power would be great in moderation...never get sick, never get old, fear no injury, get a variety of minor physical upgrades.I was kinda joking with Oliver, I see little reason to pick his powerset if there are Nyx/Nix/Satyrs to choose.
I'm surprised that Oliver's power is so far down your list. Trickster makes it sound pretty good, even if it doesn't fix Oliver's psychological issues:
Hold on.
You object to Alexandria's power on moral grounds, but Bonesaw's power is a-OK?
Seriously?
...I didn't object to Alexandria on moral grounds. I objected to her on she's a bitch grounds. Difference.
Yeah, that'd be pretty pricey. Off-hand I'm thinking 3 or 4 Refresh. Should probably err on the side of too expensive, since it raises the ceiling on how powerful a wizard can be.
Could maybe go with a scaling cost, though. Could go with 3 shifts of power become free for each Refresh, up to a maximum of Conviction + bonuses. Because unlimited Evocation is only really impressive if you're actually good at Evocation.
What?
You should be able to do that without a stunt. It's the animal handling skill, after all, practical knowledge is a part of that.
Though I suppose academic stuff like scientific names and genetic make-up might be beyond Survival, I don't see Rachel knowing that stuff very well.
And I've gotta be honest, this Alexandria thing you have doesn't make much sense to me.
Is it just that she's less polite than Bonesaw? Because that seems really petty.
The way you've statted her would give her superhuman abilities even when her power is nullified, which doesn't make sense.
Well, it wasn't necessarily a concession. But that's certainly a valid way to read it.
And even if it wasn't a concession, it was certainly a defeat. She got beaten.
Plus she can't take out Scion or the Endbringers. (I'd mostly let her use her normal stats against them, incidentally. Even if she can't use her power against them directly she can set goals like hitting the space that Leviathan's head happens to be in. If you don't like that interpretation, you may want to add a Limitation to Contessa's Powers.)
And since she didn't drag Siberian back to Cauldron, it can be inferred that she wasn't able to. She had every reason to do so, if she was capable.
Um, no?
A power like Mantellum's should affect her skills as well as her Powers. Unfortunately that'd be a bugger to stat up, but that's normal, since Worm isn't a DFRPG game.
What do you mean by that?
She ran away from the fight, conceding it because she couldn't fight against Mantellum and win.
I don't think Limitation would cover it, since this is essentially an offensive blocking action by another character.
Given that she was basically the one running the show, since Cauldron was following her plan, I think I'd read that as her allowing Manton to escape rather than her being unable to subdue/kill him. After all, her power isn't something as concrete as projections; it's an I Win button that applies to all but a few beings in the multiverse.
Fantastic Fists/Athletics is Usain Bolt/Muhammed Ali level of skill, which isn't how Contessa wins. The one occasion we see her go up against someone she can't use her power against, she runs. That says to me that when she's bereft of her power she's just as human as the rest of us. Going further than that, Epic Conviction and Scholarship should really only apply when she has her power.
A power like Mantellum's should affect her skills as well as her Powers. Unfortunately that'd be a bugger to stat up, but that's normal, since Worm isn't a DFRPG game.
Personally, I'd just have her power give a static bonus instead of putting her base stats so high (+2 to mental skills, +2 to social, +1 to physical. If I was going to stat her, that is).
I finally caught up. I don't remember jack and contessa going toe to toe.
You are right, though it is strongly implied that Jack's secondary power is to win against any parahuman.
So it is possible that Contessa saw no way to win against Jack, but that is kinda unsatisfying.
Maybe she just kept him alive to build his clone army o.O
..Or she kept him alive to trigger Scion early?
Small nitpicks, Contessa's Guide My Hand needs to have an upgrade as the book version doesn't allow it to be used for attacks or maneuevers.
A version of Projection with Modular Abilities seems about right (at one time, it was probably Variable Abilities, but she has so many spirits collected she probably has one for any occasion. If she doesn't, she prolly should get a compel with a Fate point).
Grant Powers [-2]: Touching a person allows you to grant them some or all of your powers for the scene. If they are unwilling, you must succeed a Fists vs. their Athletics to affect them. Only one person can benefit from a particular one of your powers at a time (see below).
[+2]: Power Genie: Only someone else can benefit from some of your powers, not yourself. When you select this, you must declare which powers it effects.
[-1]: Share Powers: An additional person can benefit from the same power. This may be taken multiple times, using the progression table*.
[-1]: Extended Duration: At the cost of a Fate Point, Grant Powers lasts for an entire session. At anytime you can use an action to ‘rescind’ the powers you’ve granted.
*I don't think table quite exists, but it would look like the Time Progression people. A minute = a person, a couple minutes = 5 people, 15 minutes = 15 people, etc...)
I hope this will help with characters like Othala and the mob boss who grants the electrical touch/invulnerability power sets, but also perhaps Null and Clockblocker (I'm working on statting him out, allowing him to grant Total Immunity to others with the limitations of requiring an action to activate and freezing whoever 'benefits' from it for a random amount of time).(click to show/hide)
I'd be interested in seeing an ectomancer who was like a mixture of Glaistig Uaine and a Pokemon trainer.I also noticed that Glaistig Uaine is basically the Wormverse equivalent of a Pokemon trainer.
The aspects are perfect. The powers look good. I think anything builtin should just be a power. Most of his powers ARE his armour. I suppose you could make it an iop but i'm not sure he can actually take it off anymore.
The enchanted items are perfect although the nano blade could be interpreted as aeaebg. Maybe the sword of the cross version that requires a fp to use.
What is the tinker power...i suppose i could go through the thread and find it.
They cause tons of damage to everyone, not just piercing Toughness. Therefore, they're just really powerful weapons.
I think anything builtin should just be a power.
The enchanted items are perfect although the nano blade could be interpreted as aeaebg. Maybe the sword of the cross version that requires a fp to use.
Speaking of Immunity and Recovery, I think we underestimated Crawler. I just reread Prey, and nothing actually stops him. You shouldn't be able to take him down via physical stress.
I dunno about the balance of that last stunt, though,
and Mental Library has some baggage that might not be appropriate. Should Dinah be able to learn which hairstyles were popular in the Ottoman Empire with nothing more than her power?
Isn't Inexplicable Knowledge handled almost entirely through Lore anyway?
One one hand, Inexplicable Knowledge uses a fair amount of skills. But on the other, one of the primary skills is Lore, anyway. I figure that the stunt should be balanced.
Mental Library has a situation built in for this. It says to resolve any limits with compels (which works because you need an aspect related to having it anyway). And Dinah isn't super limited, either. She could figure out a fair bit by asking the right questions.
I haven't even started yet. I've heard about Worm after I traveled to China, and am really curious about it.
Any copying would be much appreciated as long as the original Author doesn't mind.
Slightly off-topic but I used Skilled Projection for a villain in my IRL game recently. It went over fantastically, thanks for converting it over :-). A lot of these custom powers and character conversions are getting lost in the thread (and it's extra hard to search characters with the spoiler tags). Has anyone considered a google doc or similar to add these all to?
You guys are right about Grant Powers needing more of a limit. The following version has a limit to the amount of powers you can share, Refresh-wise:
Grant Powers [-2]: Touching a person allows you to grant them some or all of your powers for the scene, worth up to 4 Refresh total. If they are unwilling, you must succeed a Fists vs. their Athletics to affect them. Only one person can benefit from a particular one of your powers at a time (see below).
[+2]: Power Genie: Only someone else can benefit from some of your powers, not yourself. When you select this, you must declare which powers it effects.
[-1]: Share Powers: An additional person can benefit from the same sharing of power. This may be taken multiple times, using the progression table*.
[-1]: Extended Duration: At the cost of a Fate Point, Grant Powers lasts for an entire session. At anytime you can use an action to ‘rescind’ the powers you’ve granted.
[-1]: You can grant an additional 2 Refresh worth of powers at a time. This may be taken multiple times.
(*I don't think table quite exists, but it would look like the Time Progression people. A minute = a person, a couple minutes = 5 people, 15 minutes = 15 people, etc...)
As for the broken combinations of powers, there's many of those already in the DFRPG that is broken (Not the worst offender, but Supernatural Toughness is taken for [-1] too many times by PC's IMO). I think a healthy character approval process by the GM needs to be observed in every game to prevent abuse.
Actually, I'm not too happy with this ending. It feels kind of cheap.
I don't think that message was needed, though. Isn't it obvious that there's good in the world?
PS: I never found the two-bullet thing terribly convincing. It's not like she's got any real reason to conserve ammunition.
Anyway, Sancta? Could you ask wildbow what a power has to be to rate different numbers on the scale in each category? Tattletale seemed to imply there was an objective measure.
Also, I just noticed this line from the end. And I cracked up.
"...Valkyrie standing off to the side, trying to look far less interested than she was as a young man tried on a white bodysuit."
I'm not too exciting about how it ended. It kind of puttered out.
I’d seen the shift coming, and the bugs on the faces of the buildings let me know that the attack was coming a fraction of a second in advance.
...
I’d only dodged as much as I had by virtue of the ability to sense where the bugs that clung to the blades were moving, and enough luck to be able to move into a space that escaped the various thrusts.
This stat block came to me with a little thought, so I thought "What the hell?" and decided to preset you with a (very probably severely lowballed) Taylor as of when Jack woke up:(click to show/hide)
Precognition comes from these lines:
Which to me describe textbook Precognition. The Lore Stunt is because she's been reading up. The Unfettered custom stunt is because...you've met her.
You know, it's become clear that you and I have very different ideas of what a given Refresh level means. I think Taylor could work with 13 Refresh and 40 skill points, you think 21 Refresh and 50 skill points is lowballing it.I think it depends strongly if one counts everything Taylor's power can augment as base skills.
I wonder why.
You know, it's become clear that you and I have very different ideas of what a given Refresh level means. I think Taylor could work with 13 Refresh and 40 skill points, you think 21 Refresh and 50 skill points is lowballing it.
I wonder why.
She doesn't do much in those Endbringer fights that indicates really high stats, though. At least as far as I know.
The Snorkelling/Scuba Diving writeup was meant to cover all of her time as Weaver. She might get stronger over the years, but not so much that I thought new stats were needed.
Yes but Milestones. Especially the first Khonsu and the first Tohu/Bohu fight.
...
And Endbringer fights tend to Milestones. Minor at minimum, mostly Significantt, with definite Major on quite a few occasions(the Brockton Bay and the New Delhi fights, as well as the first Khonsu and T/B fight).
And as I pointed out, the latter /clearly/ demonstrates Precognition.
I disagree. Given that several points are made about her being Jack's equal, I think she probably was by that time.
Milestones don't quite work that way. They happen at the end of sessions, scenarios, and plotlines. Brockton Bay, New Delhi, and Khonsu #1 are all very milestone-ish, the others aren't really.
But Taylor is not a DFRPG character. She doesn't advance milestone-style. So the point is moot.
That passage just demonstrates good awareness and dodging skills. Precognition isn't necessary.
It's not inappropriate either, but her character works just fine without it.
Pretty much all characters do. It's the kind of power that's easily represented by narrating your actions differently.
Maybe she was. But that doesn't mean she has the same amount of skills and Refresh. Those concepts don't exist in the Wormverse.
Plus, Jack could be Snorkelling. I didn't write him that way, but I certainly could have. He'd just need an easy way to take Sponsor Debt.
Honestly, I don't think this difference in opinion is about Taylor specifically. You seem to stat everyone a bit higher than I do. And I'm not saying that's bad, I'm just saying it's a thing.
Technically, Harry isn't either. We still model it that way.
...
They don't in Dresdenverse, either.
The passage explicitly describes her dodging before the attack. We don't get that with many others.
Jack is too skill heavy to be Snorkeling. Plus, he isn't shown to take many compels, which he'd need to if he was taking Sponsor Debt.
That's...fair. But I'm wondering who else you're basing this off of. The only other person I can think of whom I've statted up is Dinah, and you have no post for her.
This is when she takes on Jack the second time, not when she first becomes Weaver (which is what I assume you wrote up with Scuba Diving). She's probably Jack's equal at that point, as explicitly stated by Golem. The reason I'm thinking I may be lowballing is the Endbringer Fights. The several of them.
I don't remember anyone saying she was jack's equal. Was it while she and golem were sparring?If I remember it right "Fighting Jack is like fighting Taylor, to much awareness of their surroundings" and the general sentiment of Golem that Taylor is "Jacks true nemesis" or something like that (around Killington he says that I think).
I remember golem saying their powers were similar. Jack was supposed to have a power he wasn't aware of. She manipulated/surrounded herself with insects and he did the same with capes.(click to show/hide)
Anyone read the previews of what wildbow is doing now that Worm is over? They're on his blog and i'll edit in a link if someone needs it. The previews thus far are-
-Peer (Fantasy)
-Face (Cyberpunk)
-Boil (Biopunk)
Just finished reading Worm. Wow, what a ride! Makes me want to play a game in that setting.
Tier 1: Infinitely versatile powers. E.g. Eidolon and Glaistig Uaine. These outclass the others so much that choosing them is almost no contest.
We've got one going on the PbP board.
Actually, I really wouldn't want Glaistig's powers. They start out kind of weak, using them is morally dubious, and even once you've built them up all the way you still have to work through the hands of others. No thanks.
I don't suppose there's room for one more? The game looks well under way now. Even if not, I wish you guys fun and will occasionally drop in to read.
Damn!
I was really hoping for Boil. I love biopunk.
Anyway, I was thinking about how to translate some of Worms characters powers into DFRPG concepts. Here's what I got.
Contessa-Emissary of Nike (goddess of victory)
Miss Militia-Emissary of War
Weld- Half-Metal Elemental
Regent- Neurokinetic Body Thief
Grue- Hob Changeling
Number Man- Intellect Spirit
Jack Slash- Half-Spirit Elemental (kinetic stuff and mind stuff)
Imp- Psychically Invisible Psychomancer
Skitter- Emissary of Anansi
Armsmaster- Vigilante Technomancer
Dragon- Technology Elemental/Spirit
Aegis- Half-Flesh Elemental
Vista- Teenage Ouranokinetic
Burnscar- Half-Hellfire Elemental
Glad I'm not the only one thinking of Anansi. Of course, I was thinking about him in the sense of "immortals whom Alice connived to death" sense, but still.
Anyway, a write up for the biggest badass in Worm:(click to show/hide)
Finally got around to reading Pact. Really impressed so far.
Too early to do any stat-writing, though. I just hope the mechanics of the Pact-verse are DFRPG-compatible.
There are three things that concern me, though.
First up, Dresden-style blast-o-magic might not be a thing in this setting. If it's not, the mechanics will need serious adjustment.
Second up, the Others seem to have funky symbolic powers rather than straightforward stuff like Inhuman Strength. I would have a lot of trouble statting up that imprisoned demon, for instance.
Third up, familiars might require decent minion rules. And we don't really have those.
You seem to have a lot of faith in me...
Time Reversal [-?]
Description: You have the ability to reverse time for yourself, giving you a limited view of the future.
Skills Affected: All
Effects:
Warned in Advance: Any attack that is able to be avoided and does not kill you allows you a second chance to avoid it. If you are not Taken Out by an avoidable attack you may tag your High Concept for a +2 or reroll, once per round.
So I've had an idea for a Perdition-like power (limited time reversal) and was wondering if you guys would critique it. I'm not sure on cost either, since this is can be a pretty broken power if used in conjunction with others.
It's essentially a free fate point that applies only to dodging, which makes it a very powerful ability if used in conjunction with, say, a speedster power or teleportation.
Some info on power classifications from Wildbow. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Swjz8BZZNE4bq6lTkHanTK4sJ-K_xVlFudxA16mYjH4/edit#heading=h.j83zu0o2t8cs)
Someone broke a shit load of mirrors.I really wonder if Rose can claim (ALL, ..many) reflective surfaces as demense, a deal with Bartimaus that he gets to eat whoever bothers her during the claiming mmh.
Some info on power classifications from Wildbow. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Swjz8BZZNE4bq6lTkHanTK4sJ-K_xVlFudxA16mYjH4/edit#heading=h.j83zu0o2t8cs)
I could, yeah. He'd basically be another effect-inciter. Spider Climb might be appropriate too, though it would need reflavouring, since IIRC he can make staircases of hands and stuff.
Stuff like the giant hand he deployed against Behemoth could probably be handled with high-difficulty maneuvers.
If I have time and/or want to procrastinate something else, I'll take a crack at him sometime soonish.
That one comes across as more of a defensive block against lightning. If you're starting him up with Incite Effect, he probably just did a bunch of maneuvers to get it blocking Behemoth's evocations. Or his Dangerous Aura, maybe.
Also, Gray Boy Aspect: YOUR SUFFERING IS MY SATISFACTION
No progress. I've had other things to do, and it wasn't a priority.
As for Moord Nag, maybe. We don't know much about her, so it's hard to be sure how to stat her.
Like...can she send her shadow far away from her? Why is she still alive, if she's a normal human apart from the shadow? What does she get out of having her shadow consume people?
I don't understand the second question: a shadow is not essential for life.
Basically, why hasn't she been shot?
If she sends her shadow after someone smart, they're not going to waste attacks on it. They're gonna try and kill her. Given how many people she's fought and beaten, why have none of them tagged her with something lethal?
Is she just a really lucky dodger?
Anyway, it sounds like you have a plan for her. Why not write her up herself?
Even if touching the shadow is dangerous and it can shield her, there are plenty of Blasters and Shakers who could kill her pretty easily. I'm thinking she might have something else up her sleeve.
I don't think that would be enough. No matter how smart you are, stray bullets can find you. And there are a lot of capes with non-dodge-able attacks. If they see you and you're not a Brute/Breaker, they can kill you.
Maybe she can hide inside the shadow. Or maybe she can send it out to kill people while hiding in a fort.
Grey Boy could get her through the shadow. So could Cherish. But they're both among the more unfair characters in Worm.
Grey Boy is bullshit and Cherish is mental attack. She's probably somewhat weak to mental assault anyway (see how she's the first to crumble in Speck).
The fact that ordinary people in her neighbourhood want to kill her just makes her survival even more puzzling.
Someone in her area must have mental attack powers. But she's still alive.
And then there are the Strangers. How does she avoid being ganked by someone like Nice Guy or Imp or Valefor?
PS: There are actually more parahumans in the third world than anywhere else. Says so early in the story.
Why not 3 elements for free then 1 pnt for each one thereafter?
Allowing specialization might help too
Edit: expanding on that. I don't see why tinker's can't specialize. It's even a part of the Fiction: each Tinker had his/her Niche. Why not take some categories from the list and let them specialize.
So speciality +1 complexity(size decrease); +1 complexity (Encryption); +2 Power (Area)
So you get a rebate for items with those specialities. It has to follow the speciality pyramid, as normal.
-Items can't be activated with mental stress. But they can be recharged with an hour or so of work.
-Attack items must use an appropriate combat skill.
-Item strength is hardcapped at Capes + Scholarship rather than Capes x 2.
-Defensive block items require actions to activate, like other items. Armour items, however, are still action-free.
-There is no such thing as a Crafting specialization/focus. But complexity bonuses also boost strength and control bonuses also boost frequency. So a Tinker specialized in gas is better with gas items than with non-gas items.
That cuts off the most abusable enchanted item tricks while including a second skill and letting every Tinker Craft in a different way. Makes things feel more technology-ish, too.
Might be good to add something about item size. Also, maybe ditch the recharging option if it proves abusable. Craftsmanship or Scholarship could cap frequency.
I don't know what divine toughness is. Just upgraded from mythic?
Why venomous on the natural weaponry? Just people catching fire n' stuff?
(click to show/hide)
Refresh Cost -100? Is that the highest anyone's ever done?
Also, is he really completely immune to physical stress with no physical Catch?
Refresh Cost -100? Is that the highest anyone's ever done?
Also, is he really completely immune to physical stress with no physical Catch?
Well, that would depend a bit on the GM. Mundane despair works, but should magical despair? Is a supernatural sadness beam going to work on something so alien, and is it going to get into the mental crack left by his sister-wife's death?
I guess I'd say yes, if I was GMing. If a White Court Vampire finds his weakness and manages to get a shot at him, they deserve a chance to take him out.
That aside, here (http://imakethecard.tumblr.com/tagged/Parahumans)'s a side project of mine that y'all might find interesting.
Huh. You know, I knew about that gallery, but it never occurred to me to look in the favourites. I'll poke around in there, see how many gaps I can fill.
Unfortunately good fanart isn't necessarily good card art. Card art has to fit in a rectangle that's wider than it is tall. So who knows how much I'll be able to use.