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Messages - UmbraLux

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1651
DFRPG / Re: How do you create a familiar?
« on: December 30, 2010, 01:11:27 AM »
How would the Raven fit into just doing this as a skill check?
Looking back at it, my original response might be better categorized as a Maneuver.  As a skill use Declaration it probably fits better into something similar to Scholarship's 'Declaring Minor Details'.  Something like sending your raven to fly around a building and declaring "a city bus is on the way down the road" or "there's a lot of trash in the alley". 

Using the raven in a ritual to 'see through its eyes' would probably work better as a maneuver assisting the spellcasting. 

It depends on meta-game intent.  Are you attempting to create some specific scene aspect?  Declaration.  Or are you attempting to discover something the GM will need to tell you?  Maneuver which will assist your casting or spying.

If you want it to be separate from you and capable of independent action I'd go with Nyarlathotep5150's suggestion of paying for it as an IoP.

1652
DFRPG / Re: How do you create a familiar?
« on: December 29, 2010, 11:13:01 PM »
So, how do you envision the gameplay mechanics working in these hypoteticals:
1. Joe the Wizard wants to send his Raven familiar across town to secretly spy on some crooks at a shipping company
(my thought: spend 1 FP to tag Raven Familiar aspect in a much larger Divination Ritual)
That's one possibility, another would be rolling Investigation to declare 'the Raven is watching'.  Which one works may well depend on how important the scene is.

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2. Joe is in the middle of searching a warehouse and wants to post his familiar over the front door to act as a warning system
(my thought: spend 1 FP to tag Raven Familiar on any Alertness checks to see if trouble is coming)
Could also be an Alertness roll to declare 'the Raven will give warning'.

Kind of interesting when analyzing the meta-game differences between the methods.  (No familiar in our game so we haven't tried this.)

1653
DFRPG / Re: How do you create a familiar?
« on: December 29, 2010, 10:38:27 PM »
You can use skills for Declarations also - Alertness or Lore would fit the familiar depending on whether you're sending it on a scouting mission or using it to help with spellcasting.  Depending on what the familiar is, you might allow other skills as well. 

1654
DFRPG / Re: How do you create a familiar?
« on: December 29, 2010, 10:28:17 PM »
This came up in last night's game: one of my players wants to get a pigeon familiar, with all of the D&D-associated benefits, such as sharing senses and such. I'm inclined to leave it as an Aspect, but we can't really decide which of his current Aspects would be replaced with it. We may simply have to create it as an IoP during the next major milestone.
Have you considered leaving it as an aspect while still allowing sharing senses?  Sounds like a good Declaration to me. 

1655
DFRPG / Re: 1st Law of Magic Canundrum
« on: December 29, 2010, 10:21:57 PM »
While it's a different set of 'laws' I take the literalness of the Unseelie Accords and use that for the White Council's laws as well.  So, using an extremely literal interpretation, any magic directly causing death is a violation but using an object (or a person) enhanced by magic isn't a violation.  In addition to allowing a warden's sword this avoids getting into areas where killing someone with your fists after drinking a potion of strength can also be seen as breaking the Law.

Besides, I view the White Council as a group of disparate people and factions with differing, and often opposing, goals.  The only thing they'd agree on is a literal interpretation.  


1656
DFRPG / Re: Online Game
« on: December 28, 2010, 01:48:18 PM »
...even if I thought the program was worth the price (which it isn't)
That depends on how much you use it.  :)  I probably have three to four hundred hours of play via FG...which means it cost about thirteen cents an hour.  A bargain!   

1657
DFRPG / Re: Online Game
« on: December 28, 2010, 05:16:33 AM »
There are a few FATE / Dresden games run via Fantasy Grounds, might check there if you're willing to purchase the software.

1658
DFRPG / Re: Milestones and Game Play Hours
« on: December 27, 2010, 11:47:33 PM »
Probably doesn't help much but I'd go with "when it makes sense".  In other words when they complete something.  Could be a minor milestone for a couple sessions in a row and then four or five without a milestone.

Guess I'm saying I'd follow the story's pace instead of basing it on real life sessions.

1659
DFRPG / Re: Nevernever Locale: The Library
« on: December 27, 2010, 11:29:20 PM »
I thought Coke actually did have cocaine in it a hundred years ago or so, and pulled it when it became obvious how dangerous the stuff was. 
It did.

1660
DFRPG / Re: Help with seeli/Summer Magic
« on: December 24, 2010, 06:48:58 PM »
What bonuses does summer magic offer to a full wizard?

My understanding is that you're paying the 2 refresh to gain:
Summer as an evocation element.
Biomancy at evocations speed/rules. If you lacked thaumaturgy, summer magic would give you biomancy as a ritual.
The ability to go into debt with your sponsor.

The example says "you can supercharge an existing element... summer could combine with air..." but it does not list a mechanical benefit for how much more oomph this gives the spell. (As far as I see).
Mechanically, you can start combining refinements and foci.  A basic 'Lightning Spell' is limited to refinements and foci from the wizard's Air (or whatever) element.  Make it a 'Summer Lightning Storm' and the wizard can also add any Summer bonuses.  So power and / or control may be increased by combining the two.  Additionally, a wizard who has Summer but not Fire can duplicate some of the things a Fire Evocator might accomplish. 

1661
DFRPG / Re: Homebrew Stunts
« on: December 24, 2010, 03:19:15 PM »
Got some new stunts, some newish stunts, and one old stunt that I had forgotten about. I'm not too certain about the quality of these stunts, though, so I'm not adding them to the master list yet. Does anybody have any constructive (or destructive) criticism?

Alertness

Protector: You are an expert at the protection of others. Whenever you use a skill to create a block to protect another character, add two to your roll.
Shouldn't this be a stunt for the skill used to create the block?  As written it doesn't seem to affect alertness but would potentially affect everything from Athletics to Weapons.  Disicipline is potentially problematic - with some creativity most armor, blocks, and veils could be phrased as 'protecting another'.

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Craftsmanship:

Bunker Builder: You know how to make effective fortifications. Given time, you may fortify a zone with your Craftsmanship skill. Your Craftsmanship roll than functions as a block against entry to that zone and ranged attacks into it. Unlike most blocks, fortification is not removed as soon as it is defeated unless the action that defeated it was intended specifically to remove the fortification.
How does this differ from a Declaration using Craftsmanship?  May want to give it a +1...

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Deceit:

Illusion Of Grandeur: Making a good first impression is all about misrepresenting yourself. You may use your Deceit skill instead of your Rapport skill to make a good first impression. 
Looks interesting...

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Fists:

Kick The Bruise: It really hurts to take two hits to the same place. Whenever you tag or invoke a consequence to benefit a Fists attack, that attack inflicts two extra stress.
Touch Of Emotion: Mental attack, physical attack, what's the difference? You may use your Fists skill for your Incite Emotion power.
Storm Of Punches: A great warrior fights as well against a thousand enemies as he does against one. You may take a -2 penalty to a Fists attack in order to have that attack affect everyone in the zone (except yourself, of course).
Perhaps it's just me but I dislike the 'Touch of Emotion' stunt.  Doesn't fit my image of a WV.  Regarding 'Storm of Punches', have you considered phrasing it as a Spray Attack?  (Similar to Wall of Death for Weapons.)

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Lore:

Occult Ceremonies: Is there really that much difference between a seance and a play? Pick a type of ritual. You may use your Lore skill instead of your Performance skill to perform that type of ceremony.
I'm not entirely clear on this one - are you performing it for entertainment or effect?

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Stealth:

Among The Seaweed: You are a master of submersible subterfuge. Add two to your Stealth as long as you are at least partially underwater.
As situational as this is, you may also want to add something along the lines of "...the difficulty of moving stealthily through water borders is reduced by 2."

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Presence:

Social Weaponry: The right gear can make a lousy point seem brilliant. Pick an item and a social skill. As long as you possess that item, all social attack that use that skill inflict two additional stress. Don't pick a pair that makes no sense, please.
Well...I've been following the social weaponry thread and I'm not entirely convinced.  Most seem better as an aspect.  But, if it is allowed / used, why would it require a stunt?

1662
DFRPG / Re: Homebrew Stunts
« on: December 05, 2010, 06:54:39 AM »
The text stating that you can't cast as a defensive reaction is in a sidebar on page 253 of Your Story.
Thanks for pointing it out!  I kept bypassing the sidebar...

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Now, I'm dead certain that this stunt as written should consume your next action. But as written this stunt allows you to do a lot more than I think you think it does. You can roll your normal defense in addition to your evocation, and your evocation can be a lot more than just a block against one attack. It can be armour, a block with an extended duration, or perhaps even a maneuver. All of these options make spending your next action quite worthwhile.

If you took away those options, I think it might be balanced to let you evoke as a defense without spending an action. You're quite right about the value of stress boxes, and the current rules don't offer much reason to block single attacks with magic. So I'll put up a second, non-action-consuming version of this stunt once I figure out how to word it elegantly.
That's cool...I had read it as replacing a defensive roll instead of an additional roll.

1663
DFRPG / Re: Homebrew Stunts
« on: December 05, 2010, 04:53:46 AM »
If you do make it a stunt, I'd consider allowing the reflexive action without taking up the next turn.  It's costly enough taking at least one stress box, if you're paying refresh for the ability it shouldn't also take your next action. 

I can't find any text stating you can't cast as a defensive reaction.  In fact, YS259 has another example that appears to be a reactive spell (a block cast when ambushed).  One other reason I considered it as standard is the stress requirement - that's an inherent limitation.  Every spell the wizard spends on reactive defense is one less spent on laying down extreme firepower.  :)

1664
DFRPG / Re: Homebrew Stunts
« on: December 04, 2010, 09:18:34 PM »
Discipline:

Reflexive Shield: Magic is the only defence you need. When you are attacked, you may sacrifice your next action to cast a defensive evocation.
My interpretation is you can defend with magic (or any appropriate skill) without losing your next action already. 
Quote from: YS252
During the fight, she charges at Harry, who uses spirit magic to raise a magical shield to deflect her......the spirit is quite powerful and in her native demesne (page 170); she rolls an attack at Epic (+7), beating both Harry’s block and his normal defense.
  So the stunt seems worse than the standard rules.

1665
DFRPG / Re: Did I build this spell right?
« on: December 02, 2010, 11:15:52 PM »
Here's how I stated it:

Block:  Moonlight energy only.  +2
Veil:  To appear as the moon would appear.  +12 (judged on a conservative guess of alertness/lore +6, +4 for the roll and +2 for an aspect)
Size:  Cover one zone +2
Duration:  a few days +2

for a total of complexity 18. 

Also, how would this spell be taken down?  Would it have to be dispelled with a power 18 counterspell or it's thaumaturgic equivalent?
Dispelling it would presumably require at least 14 shifts (moonlight + perception blocks) and possibly the full 18 (I'm not clear on whether dispelling needs to cover duration and area shifts.)  And noticing the spell would require 12+ shifts...  However, if it is noticed (and analyzed), it can be pierced fairly trivially.  Opening a temporary hole in the moonlight block would only require 2 shifts plus enough to cover the needed duration.  If time isn't an issue, it might be worth making that more difficult.

@Papa Gruff - I see it as two blocks, one against the moonlight and another against perceiving the spell.  So it probably needs those two shifts.  Of course that is dependent on GM. 

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