I think you can make an argument that it really is that rare.

Firstly, remember that not many people have access to true love.  Lots of people could have access to it, but it's not something you can find on demand.  Especially since looking for it probably makes it even harder to find (Since you're looking for it for profit, rather than out of love).

Secondly, weaponising it is bloody difficult.  Remember that in a person it only works on vampires who choose to feed on them (Or whose vampire side is in control).  You can be as truly loved as you want, but unless you have a token of that love, there's nothing you can do to force the catch on a vampire.  Slap Lara all you want, she's not going to blister. 

To actually weaponise it, you're going to need your true love to give you a weapon (or something you can improvise as a weapon) as a token of that love.  Which, again, probably won't work if they're doing it so in order to trigger the catch - It probably needs to be given out of love, not with deliberately weaponising it as the goal.  Otherwise it wouldn't be a "token of love".  Even then, just being given something by the one you love isn't enough, or Whites would blister on contact with Harry's coat, which actually Thomas wears.   

Thirdly, I seriously doubt it's well known outside of the WCV community (and I think it's reasonable to discount them for the purpose of calculating the catch's level of information - The fact that the vast, vast majority of people with knowledge to use the catch aren't capable of doing so really limits it's usefulness.  Thomas is the only White seen to show love, and he's the black sheep of the family).  Remember, Harry only finds out from Thomas, and I can't think of a single mention from the Council of that as their weakness.  Harry never says "Don't worry, I'm protected" to Luccio, or Ebeneezer, when they're worried about Thomas preying on him.  The WCV are masters of controlling information.  It's basically their business (Just ask Stoker and the Blacks).

I agree.

I can however offer another perspective that helps support this.

I'm a cynic.  That's what life does to you, or me in any case.  I still consider myself a hopeless romantic.  In many years i've never found anything close to what I'd consider the White Court catch.  I think it is that rare.

Look at the divorce rate.  How many people cheat?

 People don't fall in love anymore they fall in lust.  Then they fall out of lust and repeat the process.  I applaud the few who actually understand the term love and enjoy it in life.

Point is...I know hundreds of people, maybe thousands peripherally.  One couple had anything close to what I consider True Love.  Then they split because one died.

Then the question of how you weaponize it?

Narrative only more or less.  A knight given a token of affection by his love won't cut it.  Lets just say it was a lock of hair.  lets say he did tie it to his blade so it would always be with him.  Then...maybe it would count.  I still doubt it.

Where this conversation is leading us is to one point that makes people uncomfortable.

It is rare enough that very few people are ever that happy.  Now: It is your job as GM to explain to people in your gaming group what it is, how it works, and how common it is. 

Also, let's weaponize it and cheapen it!

I think it fits +0 as a symbol.  That it is rare and it is special.  How did Dresden and Thomas both find it?  They are characters of an author  it doesn't have to be fair that the good guys always eventually win... The author also ruins their lives all the time.   

Which brings up the uncomfortable fact that love hurts. (not a pun nor a weapon ;p)

So allow me to soften all of this with my standard disclaimer:  It is your game - do what you want.  Just don't expect hte forum to agree with you or come to anything resembling an agreement on True Emotions (love or otherwise) ; nor the rebate associated with it.


Though if I want to play devils advocate: which I always do...

Spoilered because it talks about the novels and is sort of a cause for debate.

pretty sure unthinkable size is too big.

Slender man is a beast.  I had to fight him on several occasions in the current game I play in. 

Swords of the Cross help!

It doesn't seem to fit the mythos you are using but I could see fire working for the character.

Yup.

It's on the Play-By-Post forum.

What do you think of the changes here? Any objections?

Can I use the following in one exchange?


•Enhanced Accuracy (1 stress): Add 1 to the enhanced attack roll

and

•Distant Strike (2 stress): Add 3 zones to the range of the enhanced attack.
or: •Enhanced Damage (1 stress): The enhanced attack inflicts 2 additional stress.

and

•Piercing Attack (3 stress): The enhanced attack ignores all armour, regardless of the source of that armour. or  •Whirlwind Attack (3 stress): You may apply your attack to an entire zone within its range, without a penalty or a risk of hitting yourself.

and

•Flurry (4 stress): Replace the enhanced attack with up to four attacks. Each of those attacks suffers a penalty equal to the number of attacks made, but all of them benefit from whatever techniques enhanced the original enhanced attack.

In one exchange if I spend all four stress boxes?

1 - 2 - 3 - 4?

Making 2 - 4 attacks at + 1 accuracy, +2 stress (or at a distance), ignore armor (or hit a zone)?

(yes I know the attacks woudl suffer - 2 to 4 accuracy from flurry [ they still could gain +1 from the 1 stress technique however])

I'm going to finalize Immunity, which I meant to do a while ago.

If I have time after all that, I'll do a project on the various types of Possession. Said project will probably involve a Domination rewrite.

Re: Immunity - hurray!

Re: Possession and Domination - sounds fun!

I started one game (Werewolf: the Apocalypse) off with all the characters waking up in free fall from a plane.  They had no parachutes.

 
When they collected themselves from various states of damage etc.  They had a common goal. 

Find out how they wound up in this position.

  Maybe get revenge.

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If I were you:

I'd give your players parachutes and skip rolls to see if they can land near each other or successfully open the chutes for this intro.  Just gloss over the details.

Drop them off in a hostile area or in the middle of nowhere.

Start your game from there.