Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - JGray

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4
16
DFRPG / Resources and Cost of Living
« on: August 02, 2014, 07:16:18 PM »
While I know Resources doesn't have to reflect a person's living conditions or the type of car they drive, I am curious if anyone's put any thought into how much one can afford for rent/mortgage and what sort of car they can afford with their Resources skill.

17
DFRPG / Re: Play Report - Ray of Sunshine Campaign
« on: August 01, 2014, 07:26:02 PM »
Nice write up so far.  I enjoy that you add in the compels to show how the group came together.

Out of curiosity, did the PC who turned into a cat retain her clothes when she changed back?  If memory serves in the Dresdenverse any clothes or items (outside of magic ones?) are lost to the Nevernever (or elsewhere) when you shape shift.  I always thought it was a nice limitation to shapechanging, at least socially and resource wise.

Looking forward to more!

Thanks for the compliments. When Lucia turns into a cat her clothing (but not any item she might be carrying such as her purse) seems to change as well. When she turns back human, she's wearing the clothing. Why? That's a great question... and it'll be a plot point in the game. :)

Narphoenix: I didn't name Sophia. That was totally the player. :)

18
DFRPG / Re: Play Report - Ray of Sunshine Campaign
« on: July 31, 2014, 10:43:26 PM »
With a group of four, each character is connected to two of the others using the fourth phase (Who's Path Have I Crossed). One because they guest star in someone else's story. One because someone guest star's in them. When we played with the fifth phase (Who Else's Path Have I Crossed) it got messy and a bit ridiculous. So, we worked up the idea of a Hope. Your High Concept is who you are. Your Trouble is what brings problems to your door. Your Hope is what gets you through the worst of it. It just seemed to work to me.

19
DFRPG / Re: Play Report - Ray of Sunshine Campaign
« on: July 31, 2014, 03:45:07 PM »
Kinda curious about the "hope" sections on those character sheets. Did you make a new category of Aspect for this game or something?

Yes. I should have explained that. Instead of second guest star spot, we decided that the seventh aspect would be a Hope. A flip-side of the Trouble. In part, this was because our attempts to create a second set of guest star aspects didn't work well. They seemed rather contrived. My players wanted a campaign that was set in the Dresdenverse but not as dark as the books. So, one of our ideas was Ray of Sunshine - a ray of light in the darkness. A chance to do good. We decided to codify this as an actual Aspect. Each player is defined and driven as much by their Hope as their Trouble.

I see Harry Dresden's Hope, btw, as "He Died Doing the Right Thing".

20
DFRPG / Re: Play Report - Ray of Sunshine Campaign
« on: July 31, 2014, 02:54:53 PM »
First Sesson - Act I: Murder Most Foul

Who Was There
Pippa Cavallo, Descendant of Epona.
Longfellow, Spell Slinging Thrill Seeker.
Sophia Rodriguez, Agent of the Furies.
Lucia Marie Santos, Reporter Who Turns into a Cat.

What Happened
In the last several weeks there have been three murders - two men and one woman. Each victim was found in their car with their throat ripped out. It is July in Orlando, the height of tourist season, and the authorities seem reluctant to name this a serial killing. Thus far, the media have gone along with downplaying the deaths...

* At the Orlando Sentinel, a latino intern wearing a red shirt hands Lucia a note, telling her that if she wants a scoop on the latest string of murders she should be at the parking lot of 601 S Semoran Blvd at 10:14 pm. She attempts arrive early but car trouble is compounded by needing to pull into a station for gas. As a result, she only gets to the parking lot a minute or two early. She drives by slowly and then parks down the street to watch. COMPEL: Curiosity Killed the Cat.

* Pippa is just cleaning up for the evening when she spots a horse running out of the barn. She gives chase, eventually hopping into her Ford F150 to follow. The horse, which started wearing a large, doofy straw hat roughly halfway along, vanished as Pippa turned into the parking lot of 601 S Semoran Blvd. COMPEL: I Prefer My Horse.

* Longfellow is out riding her motorcycle when a latino wearing jean shorts and a red shirt zooms by on his bike, obviously challenging her to a race. Never one to turn down a challenge, Longfellow gives chase. Her opponent stays ahead, vanishing just as he turns into the parking lot of 601 S Semoran Blvd. COMPEL: Never Met a Risk I Didn't Like.

* A ghost, a latino wearing jean shorts and a red shirt, appears before Sophia as she is closing up her law office for the night. The ghost, seemingly murdered, guides Sophia to the parking lot of 601 S Semoran Blvd. COMPEL: Agent of the Furies.
601 S Semoran Blvd is an older medical office plaza. At quarter past ten at night, the lot is empty except for the group's vehicles and a blue Toyota Prius. The Prius's headlights are on, creating a pool of light on the wall and the passenger side door is open.

* Cautious at first, the four women slowly approach each other. Some realize they know others there. Longfellow has met Sophia before and, together, they took down a Red Court vampire. Sophia met Lucia briefly when their professional lives intersected. Longfellow looks vaguely familiar to Pippa, who had saved Longfellow's life from hungry wraiths. And, in time, Lucia and Pippa will realize their loves intersected in a summer of teen romance when they were younger.

* They turn their attention to the Prius. Inside a man sits in the driver's seat, dead. His throat has been ripped out. There's blood splashed across the windshield and dashboard. The display lights on the dashboard are still on.

* Pippa looks over the torn out throat, trying to match it to damage she's seen done by animals on her horses. It doesn't match any animal she is aware of and looks more like the damage a human could do. Using her experience looking at crime scene photos as a lawyer, Sophia realizes that there isn't enough blood for the wound. She wonders, aloud, if this could be the work of a Red Court vampire. She's dealt with them in the past. Upon hearing this, Pippa heads to her truck and pulls out her gladius.

* Realizing that a killer might be getting away, Lucia transforms into her house cat form in front of everyone and begins exploring for clues. The others are surprised but, considering they all have supernatural powers, someone turning into a cat seems less worrisome than the nearby body. Longfellow leans in to examine the body. Her natural anti-tech field shorts out the Prius and the car's electricals die.

* Lucia the cat finds a set of tire tracks, wide and thick. Like those on a truck. They don't seem to belong to Pippa's Ford F150. She follows them to the end of the parking lot and returns, then hops into the car to examine further. Lucia finds a small, black box plugged into the dashboard. On it, written in yellow, friendly letters is the word: Y'all.

* Sophia opens the Prius' glovebox and checks the car's registration. It belong to a man named Milo Shepard. She also finds a business card that indicates Milo Shepard is a professional CPA.

* Lucia transforms back into a human and points out the box. They figure out that Y'all is an internet based ride-sharing service that started operations in Orlando a few months ago. The box tracks miles driven so drivers can get paid at the end of the month. It seems that Milo Shepard was sidelining and making money offering rides to strangers. They slip Milo's iPhone from his pocket in order to check the app connected to the Y'all box but are unable to guess Milo's passcode in three tries and the phone locks up.

* While the others try to crack the phone, Longfellow follows the tire tracks that Lucia found. She realizes that the truck turned too sharply out of the parking lot and knocked a highway marker askew. Looking carefully, she finds flecks of black, metallic paint. She carefully collects the paint chips and then puts them in a small, metal box. She moves to the center of the parking lot and lays a length of wire down on the ground in a circle around her. She whispers quietly to herself in Japanese and then releases the power. The wire leaps up and wraps around her forearm.

* Longfellow announces that she can find the pick-up truck that peeled out of the parking lot. Though a caravan is more obvious, they realize they can't leave their vehicles at a crime scene and decide to follow Longfellow in separate cars as she drives out of the parking lot on her bike.

21
DFRPG / Play Report - Ray of Sunshine Campaign
« on: July 31, 2014, 02:51:06 PM »
Ray of Sunshine is an Up to Your Waist campaign set in Orlando, Florida. The game opens around the time of Storm Front (before the Vampire War or the founding of the Paranet) but we've rolled the timeline forward so that the events of Storm Front are happening in 2014 instead of 2000. The campaign has a wiki with detailed themes, threats, locations and faces which you can find here.

The PCs of Ray of Sunshine are:

Pippa Cavallo
High Concept: Descendant of Epona
Hope: Peace, Quiet, Horses
Trouble: I Prefer My Horse
Other Aspects: Were You Born in a Barn?, Big Intimidating Dog, My Special Gladius, Tiny but Fierce
Skills: Athletics (+4), Survival (+4), Alertness (+3), Weapons (+3), Endurance (+2), Guns (+2), Resources (+2), Empathy (+1), Driving (+1), Lore (+1), Might (+1), Scholarship (+1)
Stunts: Acrobatics
Powers: Echo of the Beast, Inhuman Speed

Longfellow
High Concept: Spell Slinging Thrill Seeker
Hope: A Place to Belong
Trouble: Never Met a Risk I Didn't Like
Other Aspects: BFF Forever, Heart of Iron, Tricked Out Bike, A Different Job Each Week
Skills: Conviction (+3), Discipline (+3), Driving (+3), Craftsmanship (+2), Endurance (+2), Intimidation (+2), Performance (+2), Presence (+2), Alertness (+1), Athletics (+1), Guns (+1), Lore (+1), Stealth (+1), Survival (+1)
Powers: Channeling (Ferromancy), Ritual (Ferromancy), The Sight, Soulgaze, Wizard's Constitution

Sophia Rodriguez
High Concept: Agent of the Furies
Hope: White Picket Fence
Trouble: The Gun Always Whispers
Other Aspects: Never Far From the Barrio, Sting of the Scorpion, Defender of the (Mostly) Innocent, Struggling Law Firm
Skills: Scholarship (+4), Discipline (+3), Guns (+3), Alertness (+2), Athletics (+2), Presence (+2), Resources (+2), Contacts (+1), Conviction (+1), Empathy (+1), Endurance (+1), Intimidation (+1), Investigation (+1), Stealth (+1)
Stunts: Unshakable, Target Rich Environment
Powers: Item of Power (Sting of the Scorpion, a pistol empowered by the Furies): True Aim, No One Escapes Vengeance (functionally similar to 'All Are Equal Before God'.

Lucia Marie Santos
High Concept: Cat or Reporter?
Hope: The Truth Shall Set You Free
Trouble: Curiosity Killed the Cat
Other Aspects: Born in the Dream, Like a Cat With a Mouse, All About the iContacts, Fast Friends and More
Skills - Human: Rapport (+4), Contacts (+3), Investigation (+3), Empathy (+2), Presence (+2), Alertness (+1), Burglary (+1), Conviction (+1), Deceit (+1), Discipline (+1), Lore (+1), Performance (+1), Resources (+1), Stealth (+1)
Skills - Cat: Alertness (+3), Investigation (+3), Athletics (+2), Empathy (+2), Presence (+2), Rapport (+2), Scholarship (+2), Stealth (+2), Burglary (+1), Conviction (+1), Discipline (+1), Endurance (+1), Lore (+1), Performance (+1), Survival (+1)
Powers: Item of Power (Necklace of the Eldest Malk's Affection): Beast Change (Housecat), Human Form, Inhuman Speed, Marked by Power, Cloak of Shadows, Ghost Speaker

22
DFRPG / Stats for Bob
« on: July 27, 2014, 10:50:31 PM »
I'm going to be playing a young spirit of intellect in an upcoming PbP. So, now I am wondering... has anyone ever done stats for Bob? Either the tv show version or the book version? I can't seem to find any.

23
DFRPG / Re: New GM Questions
« on: July 27, 2014, 05:22:55 PM »
Once again, thank you for the feedback. I've got another question.

I'm looking over Milestones for advancement. Under Minor Milestones you have the option to 'purchase stunts or powers, provided you have the refresh to do so.'

Under Major Milestones you get 'new stunts and/or powers'. I am unclear of what this means, exactly. Why is the same option under both minor and major milestones?

24
DFRPG / Re: Pickpocketing rote?
« on: July 27, 2014, 04:01:13 PM »
I know y'all have been working on mechanics but I wonder if the method the spell uses wouldn't change things?

Is the item teleported from pocket to hand?
Is the item turned into mist and drawn to the hand?
Is a spirit being summoned to snatch the item?
Is the item being telekinetically summoned?
Is the item being taken by hand under the cover of veil?

That might decide on how things could be done.

25
DFRPG / Re: Sponsored Magic and Refinement
« on: July 26, 2014, 08:15:40 PM »
You might, however, use refresh to buy an Item of Power that enhances your magic. A gift of your station, perhaps.

26
DFRPG / Re: Silly Running Water/Magic question
« on: July 26, 2014, 08:06:42 PM »
Running water doesn't just affect mortal magic, though. Ghosts and fae and some vampires also have problems with it. It dissolves the ectoplasmic Harry, for instance, created by Kravos the ghost.

27
DFRPG / Sample Combat Summary
« on: July 26, 2014, 01:45:51 AM »
As I mentioned in another thread, I ran a sample combat for my group to help them get used to the system. I'm posting a summary of it here, hoping that I can get a critique from more experienced GMs.

Participants
  • Pippa Cavallo, descendant of the goddess Epona. Armed with a gladius.
  • Sophia Rodriguez, agent of the Furies. Armed with a magic revolver.
  • Lucia Marie Santos, reporter with a necklace that turns her into a cat
  • Two ghouls

The Scenario: Two ghouls have been hired by Winter to steal Walt Disney's first ink brush. The team has been tasked by Summer to retrieve it. They've tracked the ghouls down to a graveyard. The ink brush rests on a stone coffin. One ghoul stands near the ink brush and the other is near the entrance. The graveyard is divided into two zones - zone #1 is the entrance to the graveyard. The characters and ghoul #1 are there. Zone #2 is the far side of the graveyard, where ghoul #2 and the ink brush are.

Initiative Order: Ghoul #1, Ghoul #2, Pippa Cavallo, Sophia Rodriguez, Lucia Marie Santos

First Exchange
  • I start with Compelling Sophia's "Agent of the Furies" Aspect. She's Marked by Power and the ghouls can sense this as a threat. The Compel means that Sophia will be attacking first. She chooses not to spend a fate point to avoid this and is awarded a fate point.
  • The ghoul slashes at Sophia with his claws. He rolls O + O + and has no Fists so his total is 2. Sophia rolls Athletics (+1) to dodge and gets + O O +. With her Athletics she has a 3. She dodges. Barely.
  • Ghoul #2, standing near the ink brush, sets up a Block. He'll intercept away anyone who comes near, preventing them from reaching the brush. He rolls Athletics (+4) to set up the Block and gets + O + -. A total of 5.
  • Pippa decides to run over and grab Disney's brush. Since she is changing zones the movement would be a supplemental action and would impose a -1 difficulty on her Athletics check. However, she has Inhuman Speed which negates this penalty. Unfortunately, her Athletics is Mediocre. She rolls O + O -. Her grand total is 0. This does not beat Ghoul #2's block and she's stopped from reaching the pen and now facing a slobbering ghoul.
  • Sophia has her gun, a present from the Furies, out. When she is acting in accordance with her mission she has True Aim. She levels the revolver on Ghoul #1 and pulls the trigger. She rolls O - + +. Add to that her Guns of (+3) and the True Aim Bonus of +1 and the total is 5. The Ghoul rolls Athletics (+4) with an Inhuman Speed bonus (+1). - O O - for a total of 3. The bullet hits. The Ghoul takes 2 stress from the attack result plus 2 stress for the revolver's Weapon rating. The Ghoul decides to take a Moderate Consequence (Big Hole in Chest) instead of the stress. Sophia passes the tag for the Consequence on to Lucia.
  • Lucia decides combat is not her forte. She shifts from human form to house cat form. That's a Supplemental Action so her main action this round will be at -1. Her intent is to stealthfully run across the graveyard and grab Disney's brush. She has Inhuman Speed in cat form so that will allow her to change zones and still take the action. She also has Diminutive Size, which gives her a +4 to Stealth checks and Cloak of Shadows, which gives her a +2 when in darkness (like a graveyard at night). Finally, her Inhuman Speed negates the +2 penalty I assigned for going Stealth while running. Lucia rolls + + O O. Her Stealth is +2. The final total is 9 (2 + 4 + 2 + 2 - 1). That more than beats Ghoul #2's Block of 5. She has no problem getting to Disney's brush and picking it up. Because she didn't use it, her Tag on Ghoul #1's Moderate Consequence is lost.

Second Exchange
  • Ghoul #1 has no idea that Lucia has grabbed the brush so he tries to take revenge on Sophia for shooting him. He attempts to use his claws to make her insides come outside. The Ghoul makes a Fists (+0) roll. + O + + for a 3. Sophia rolls Athletics (+1) to dodge. She rolls O + + - for a total of +2. Deciding she likes her organs inside her body, she spends a Fate Point to tag the graveyard's "Swampy Ground" Aspect. Ghoul #1, she decides, has unsure footing and this throws his attack off. She comes out unharmed. Barely.
  • Ghoul #2 is also unaware of Lucia's snagging the brush because of her very high Stealth check. He decides Pippa needs a haircut and swipes for her head. He rolls Fists (+0): + O - - for a total of -1. Pippa rolls Athletics (+0) and adds in her Inhuman Speed bonus of +1. Her roll is O + - +. Grand total of 2. The ghouls claws slice the air but not her.
  • Pippa thinks one good turn deserves another. She uses her gladius, which is in hand, in an attempt to behead Ghoul #2. She rolls Weapons (+3) for - + O O. Total is 3. The Ghoul scrambles back to avoid the weapon, rolling Athletics (+4) with an Inhuman Speed bonus of +1. The roll is + + + -. A total of 7. Ghoul #2 doesn't just scramble back but backflips out of the way.
  • Sophia takes a step back, points her magic revolver, and fires. These ghouls killed a security guard while they were getting Disney's brush and the Furies are whispering in her ear, demanding dark vengeance. She rolls Guns (+3) with her True Aim bonus (+1). Her roll is O + O - for a total of +4. The Ghoul rolls Athletics (+4) plus his Inhuman Speed bonus of +1. His roll: O + + -. His grand total is 6. Ghoul #1 ducks down as the bullet wizzes over his head.
  • Lucia has the brush in her little kitty jaws and she decides to run for the car.

At this point it was late. We decided to break and called it there. The team had the brush. They got in the car and they drove away. Had this been part of an actual adventure I would have done a chase sequence.

So... how bad did I mess it up?

28
DFRPG / Re: New GM Questions
« on: July 25, 2014, 02:16:20 PM »
Thanks for the answers. The question of shapeshifting came up last night, actually. I ran a test scene to help everyone learn the rules and the character in question shifted into her housecat form and then stealthed. I gave her a penalty of -1 for the Supplemental Action of shifting (and changing her skills around because of it).

Which brings me to my next question (I know. I've got tons!).

The test scenario I ran had three members of the group on an errand for the Summer Court. Winter had stolen Walt Disney's first inking brush and were planning on using it as the focus of a ritual to bring a hard frost to the area in an effort to shift power away from Summer and towards Winter. The team was charged with retrieving the brush. They tracked the two ghouls who stole it to a graveyard. The brush had been placed on a stone, above ground coffin while the ghouls awaited the arrival of their employer. Conflict ensued.

During the first exchange, while two party members kept the ghouls busy, the shapeshifter stealthed past the bad guys and grabbed the brush. During the second exchange, she announced she was going to take the brush and run. Everyone agreed that they were going to follow her example.

It was getting late and I didn't want to run a chase scene so I figured they could jump into a car and speed away. The ghouls are fast but they can't outpace a car going full out.

Which brings me to my question. What would the ending of this conflict be considered? The players point out (rightly so) that their objective was to retrieve the brush and NOT to destroy the ghouls. Therefore, they don't feel that they were Conceding the battle. They won, after all. They got the brush back. On the other hand, the enemy wasn't Taken Out in any traditional sense.

Would this be a symbolic "Taken Out" effect? The team declares victory, announces that the way the battle ends is they get away with the brush, and we move onto the next scene? Or is this some sort of grey area in between?

29
DFRPG / Re: Orlando for the DFPG
« on: July 23, 2014, 04:45:08 PM »
This is really very cool. I live in Orlando and have toyed with the idea of statting up the city for awhile now. And, ugh, actually playing the DFRPG.

Thank you! I haven't been in Orlando since I was a kid (and even then, it was only to visit the parks) so everything is research. I took some liberties (Cassadagia is based on Cassadaga, FL which is not actually in Orlando and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's thingy is actually some miles east. I moved those both into the city proper for convenience). Other locations, such as the Kush Hookah Lounge, are real locations that I've repurposed for the game.

Quote
One note, in case you are interested: there is an occult bookstore here. Well, sort of; it's a very New Age/Wiccan store, that has a section for books, but is mostly full of charms, incense, rocks and crystals, that kind of stuff. It's called Avalon, located just outside of Orlando proper, surrounded on all sides various Asian stores and restaurants. Perhaps it's where all the local talent go for their spell supplies?

Quite possibly! I'll look into that.

Quote
Also,  have you considered including Walt Disney, himself? I can't remember which novel, but Harry mentions in one that he imagines that the Courts probably had some influence on the kinds of stories produced by the company. And Walt is rumored to be frozen in Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Perhaps he still is kicking after all... as a Sidhe Lord, whose still pulls the strings of his company from his throne in the Nevernever.

The Summer Courts certainly influenced Disney - both to spread their own view of reality and to build Disney World in a nice, warm, summer heavy place rather than a colder one somewhere up north. Is he still around? That's an interesting question...

Quote
Those are just thoughts that I toyed around with and might appeal to you. But yours are so fantastic, I might end up using some if I ever do get around to playing this. Unless that's looked down upon, in which case I totally won't.

By all means, please use whatever you like. If you look in my signature you'll see a link to the wiki where I've got more information, a map of the area, and NPCs fully filled out.

30
I'm not sure this is entirely true. Granted, I have not tried to emulate the scene in question but one assumes Harry has a mental stress track of four and likely has at least one extra mild mental consequence.

That is, by my count, a chance to cast eight spells in a single combat. Can we perfectly duplicate that specific combat scene? Maybe not. But there's anecdotal evidence based on the number of people satisfied by the magic system in this thread that the magic rules DO allow for plenty of epic spell fu.

That said, you are free to house rule or adapt different rules to your setting. I am unsure of why this is a trigger issue for you. Go with what is right for YOUR game. If other people don't agree that's no big deal. Gaming, like any art, is subjective and based on individual experience.

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4