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Messages - devonapple

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2056
DFRPG / Re: Thaumaturgy: Declarations to help Discipline checks too?
« on: November 10, 2010, 08:09:13 PM »
In Rick Neal's discussion on Magic in DFRPG (http://www.rickneal.ca/?p=629), he discusses preparing for combats, and suggests:
Quote
If you’ve got some time before going into battle, gird your loins. Take a little time to employ some maneuvers to stick Aspects on yourself that you can use in the combat to come.

Would a player then want to create Sticky versions of Aspects, to make them stick around long enough to be tagged? Or is Neal suggesting that this preparation happen immediately preceding a combat, during a "power-up montage"?

2057
DFRPG / Fillable PDF City Planning Sheets?
« on: November 10, 2010, 07:45:40 PM »
I had downloaded City Planning sheets which had been made into fillable Acrobat PDFs. IIRC it was from this forum, but I'm having trouble finding the original post.

Anyway, I had found (and resolved) one error in how the forms were created (the 'Relationships' field for two Faces was keyed to the same variable), and I wanted to track down the original poster to see if it had already been identified and remedied.

Can anyone remember where that was or who had created it?

2058
DFRPG / Re: Tagging a Scene Aspect
« on: November 10, 2010, 04:53:13 PM »
You can only tag an aspect when you "make a roll to gain access to or create an aspect." So aspects that are just on the scene and require no roll to gain access too can't be tagged.

For that matter, how do the players or storyteller work in the Aspects for Locations and Themes/Threats?

2059
DFRPG / Re: Thaumaturgy: Declarations to help Discipline checks too?
« on: November 10, 2010, 01:00:42 AM »
The stuff that the wizard routinely carries is supposed to be represented by his Lore ability.

Well, yes, but imagine that a player took some game time to Declare Aspects and then didn't tag them until a spellcasting challenge some time later, would those Aspects have faded?

For instance, an in-game sojourn into Chinatown affords a player wizard an opportunity to acquire some special herbs (and a successful Resources roll complemented by Rapport allows him to Declare upon himself the Aspect "I Acquired Rare Magical Herbs in Chinatown"). Some time later, presumably after several conflicts have been played out, the wizard finds a narrative reason to bring in that Aspect during a Potion-making session.

2060
DFRPG / Re: Thaumaturgy: Declarations to help Discipline checks too?
« on: November 09, 2010, 10:09:43 PM »
I do need to re-read the rules on how long skill checks can take.

I wonder if Wizard players intentionally use in-game down-time to make a laundry list of spellcasting-related Declarations which they can then tag at their leisure later for Thaumaturgy or Evocation - like stockpiling a satchel full of magical paraphernalia, Mana batteries, etc.

Then again, the bad guys could successfully Assess that the Wizard is carrying around all those toys, and start using Maneuvers to remove them from play.

2061
DFRPG / Re: Thaumaturgy: Declarations to help Discipline checks too?
« on: November 09, 2010, 09:53:00 PM »
Note, of course, that you only get one free tag on an aspect (after that you must spend Fate), and I believe that you can only tag an aspect once per 'event', so any aspects you use for the complexity can't also be used for the control roll(s).

Of course - only one free tag per Aspect.

So, what I think I'm concluding is that a ritualist could (with enough time) make additional Declarations which are meant to be tagged for the Control rolls portion of the ritual. For example: 8 Declarations were needed to meet the Lore requirement, but the ritualist opted to spend time/resources/skill checks to make another 5 Declarations on top of that: one for each of the 5 rounds they planned to be making Control checks.

Or (if time was a serious factor) the ritualist could spend Fate Points for a second tag on those Aspects already declared (and tagged) for the Lore check (which would be expensive and possibly foolish).

2062
DFRPG / Thaumaturgy: Declarations to help Discipline checks too?
« on: November 09, 2010, 08:30:57 PM »
For Thaumaturgy, one can make Declarations to provide taggable Aspects which will help a ritualist build up enough bonuses to their Lore check to prepare the spell construct for a ritual.

After that, they then have to start feeding shifts into the ritual construct to make it work, using Discipline checks to determine success (and taking Fallout/Backlash on failed Discipline checks) for each exchange.

Would the ritualist also be able to make (or have made prior to the ritual) Declarations to provide taggable Aspects which will help with those Discipline checks? It seems like a legitimate option, but I may have missed something in the rules forbidding that.

A ritualist in our game successfully set up an 8-shift ritual, and started dribbling one shift per exchange into the construct, which should have been the easiest way to go. But he rolled poorly on several of those supposedly easy Discipline checks, bringing down stress and consequences on their heads (and with rituals, you bring down stress equal to ALL of the currently amassed shifts!). Had they been able to set up some Aspects to help with those Discipline checks things may have been a lot less hairy.

2063
DFRPG / Re: Aspect Ideas
« on: November 05, 2010, 07:42:04 PM »
Is there any room for a little Meat Loaf?

"Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are"
Invoke: Your rough childhood taught gave you a broad base of experience and wisdom to draw upon in many situations.
Compel: The current situation touches on some childhood trauma - you are unable to be cool about it.

"I'd Do Anything for Love"
Invoke: Your commitment to love fills you with strength when the chips are down.
Compel: Your commitment to love obligates you to step up when the chips are down.

"I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)"
Invoke: Your lies are more effective when they are serving the best interests of someone you care about.
Compel: Someone you care about needs you to cover for them, at risk to your reputation.

"If It Ain't Broke, Break It"
Invoke: If you have to break a rule, you can break it good and hard.
Compel: You could let this go and play nice, but today just isn't that day.

"Inducted in the Armies of the Night"
Invoke: Your leather jacket, tough demeanor, and party attitude earn you some serious street cred in some circles.
Compel: There's a problem, and those chains and spikes on your leather jacket mean you better step up.

2064
DFRPG / Re: Help Clear Up Some Misconceptions: "No-Prep" Thaumaturgy
« on: October 19, 2010, 11:47:59 PM »
I think it seems like a fair interpretation. If you can get the big two-exchange spell off without being attacked or interrupted, the additional duration isn't too overpowering, but most people will opt to use evocation to avoid being temporarily defenseless.

I don't see any hard rules on how long turns are in DFRPG, beyond this:

"Exchange (conflict only): The amount of time
it takes in a conflict for everyone to take one
action and defend against any actions that are
directed against them—usually not longer
than a few minutes."  (YS314)

My DFRPG players are a little bewildered by this uncertain definition, coming as they do from very simulationist games like D20 D&D, where time is very clearly definied.

2065
DFRPG / Help Clear Up Some Misconceptions: "No-Prep" Thaumaturgy
« on: October 19, 2010, 08:47:42 PM »
There is a one-time reference to "no-prep" thaumaturgy (YS278) in the discussion of focus items, where the rules explain that if a thaumaturgic ritual's Complexity is equal to or less than one's Lore ranking, it requires no additional preparation - the caster is assumed to have the materials. Would such a ritual be possible in combat (like Waldo scratchiung out that impromptu warding circle)?

As such (though it is clear from the character writeup that Molly Carpenter's veils are powered by a high Discipline and specialization, with extra shifts pumped in for duration), is it possible for a spellcaster to be throwing down impromptu ritual-strength Veils which last until the next sunrise?

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