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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Odd Man Out on April 09, 2010, 04:41:18 PM
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I've been messing around with magic in a white room style so far and have hit a few concepts that I like but don't have a deep enough understanding to pull off. If anyone else wants to ask questions in a similiar vein, go right ahead.
Alright, scenario number 1; I've got a focussed practitioner who specializes in Biomancy or Self-Enhancement Spells. How do most of these work if I want to; temporarily increase her speed/strength or alter her senses? I can see a few ways to handle short term boosts, what if I want it to last longer?
Scenario number 2; A Sorcerer decides that containing a lightning bolt in his hand for awhile might be more useful than tossing it as a single strike. How could this be played out to; add damage to his Fists/Weapon attacks (would it just be a weapon of the power value, aimed with a relevant skill?) or keep it contained for an exchange or two to be released when the timing is right?
Scenario number 3; Harry gets sick of his poor Latin Skills landing him in awkward situations with the White Council and develops a spell that's literally nothing but a translator. Do I just treat this as a spell that boosts his Scholarship, does it add an Aspect, what?
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Very interesting...
I am also wondering how to create spells that boost skills and abileties...
Also, could you copy effects sur as Inhuman/Supernatural STR or Toughness?
I'll sure follow this tread...
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Well, 1 Fate Point is generally equal to 2 shifts. I would probably handle it by, for Evocation, using that as a baseline. Want Inhuman Strength [-2]? Need 4 shifts on the Evocation, base. Plus duration of course.
I'd probably be -really- nasty with backfires and such though, as such magic is dangerous. Only one we've seen really is Injun Joe.
Not sure if it's balanced but it feels okay.
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Alright, scenario number 1; I've got a focused practitioner who specializes in Biomancy or Self-Enhancement Spells. How do most of these work if I want to; temporarily increase her speed/strength or alter her senses? I can see a few ways to handle short term boosts, what if I want it to last longer?
I think this is Thaumaturgy and takes the form of enchanted items. The reason why is because without storing the power somewhere it fades away pretty quickly (and remember, you craft as part of Thaumaturgy), so by the time you get to your car (from your magic space)
So if you wanted a "bull strength belt buckle" to function like Inhuman Strength for a few exchanges you probably need to devote 2 strength to the inhuman strength, then another strength for every extra exchange it functions for. So a 3 exchange belt might require a Lore of 5 (or an extra enchanted item slot per level of Lore under that).
Scenario number 2; A Sorcerer decides that containing a lightning bolt in his hand for awhile might be more useful than tossing it as a single strike. How could this be played out to; add damage to his Fists/Weapon attacks (would it just be a weapon of the power value, aimed with a relevant skill?) or keep it contained for an exchange or two to be released when the timing is right?
Sounds a lot like the kinetic ring(s). Only maybe it is a string tied to a key that you keep in a jar (this is a Benjamin Franklin reference).
Scenario number 3; Harry gets sick of his poor Latin Skills landing him in awkward situations with the White Council and develops a spell that's literally nothing but a translator. Do I just treat this as a spell that boosts his Scholarship, does it add an Aspect, what?
I don't think this would work. You need something that understands the language to help (Lascial did this for Dresden at least twice).
I can see a ritual to translate something, just not a real time usage. In this case I would see something like an appropriate dictionary acting as a component.
I think it is easier to just up Scholarship (take a second correspondence course).
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I thought about an Anti-Gravity Spell, directly out of an eastern.
Anti-Gravitas [Earth Magic]:
You turn off Gravity, while its turned off you can make jumps like in an eastern space station.
You need 3 Shifts (Maneuver rules say 3 shifts is basic) for one exchange, more shifts gain you longer Anti-Gravity.
Also usefull if you find yourself falling from an plane bridge.
Workable? Did I miss something?
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I think this is Thaumaturgy and takes the form of enchanted items.
I fully grant Thaumaturgy but, while I like Enchanted Items, they really shouldn't be required for all effects like this. Elaine's Hyperawareness Spell is a good example of the lines I'm thinking along.
The reason why is because without storing the power somewhere it fades away pretty quickly (and remember, you craft as part of Thaumaturgy), so by the time you get to your car (from your magic space)
So if you wanted a "bull strength belt buckle" to function like Inhuman Strength for a few exchanges you probably need to devote 2 strength to the inhuman strength, then another strength for every extra exchange it functions for. So a 3 exchange belt might require a Lore of 5 (or an extra enchanted item slot per level of Lore under that).
This might work as a good baseline, in fact I'm almost sure it does, but fails to address the point of wanting a similar effect on a briefer time scale. Making every increase an item feels off.
Sounds a lot like the kinetic ring(s). Only maybe it is a string tied to a key that you keep in a jar (this is a Benjamin Franklin reference).
I'm not thinking as an item. I'm talking a literal hand/focus full of lightning as a spell. Hm, Elaine may offer a starting point of such. It's essentially a more spontaneous version of her chain.
I don't think this would work. You need something that understands the language to help (Lascial did this for Dresden at least twice).
I can see a ritual to translate something, just not a real time usage. In this case I would see something like an appropriate dictionary acting as a component.
I think it is easier to just up Scholarship (take a second correspondence course).
Summoning might work, as could a handful of other things. Thought about a desk that, when loaded with proper reference material, could create rough but accurate translations of a work.
Thank you for the input. There's some good food for thought there, but none of them feel quite right so far.
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The only reason certain spells are stored in items is just for that, it contain it.
A "hyperawareness" spell that you pull off with no planning might be an evocation "block". Like a reverse veil "reducing" the target's Stealth?
But blocks are "expensive" in power.
I would assume any spell to augment a person to be similar to a block. Specifically, 1 shift of power extends the duration by 1 exchange. To rip through a door (which might take a few exchanges to accomplish) requires at least 1 shift for duration, otherwise the power you collected disappears before you use an action to take advantage of it.
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I must apologize, I have not had the privilege to read or test the Dresden Files RPG as of yet.
As such I must pull from other RPG games for references at times.
If I make any mistakes, simply correct them and continue.
I'll eventually get the time to read the response, as well as the DFRPG.
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I tend to see that Items last longer, until they are activated: in other words, the spell inside is in status for at least one day if the Test achieves base success. Each 'level' of Success after (Costing a Shift?) can increase this, from 7 days to 1 week, 4 weeks to 1 month, and 12 months to 1 year.
While there is a chance of the item losing Power, this is based on the Test Results for each item when it is made.
Scenario number 3; Harry gets sick of his poor Latin Skills landing him in awkward situations with the White Council and develops a spell that's literally nothing but a translator. Do I just treat this as a spell that boosts his Scholarship, does it add an Aspect, what?
I would think that a Thamaturgic spell that allowed a 'direct connection between User and Person/Advisor' would be far more useful to the Magus.
Imagine Harry being able to use what looks like a Bluetooth to get advice from Bob, who can hear everything that he hears through it. Item Creation ability/skill, 5 Shifts + $5,000 Resources?
Making it even smaller, so that it's like those hearing aids that fit into your ear would be a lot harder to make (10 Shifts?) as well as costing higher (above base x10) Resources?
I think this is Thaumaturgy and takes the form of enchanted items. The reason why is because without storing the power somewhere it fades away pretty quickly (and remember, you craft as part of Thaumaturgy), so by the time you get to your car (from your magic space)
I think it is easier to just up Scholarship (take a second correspondence course).
Raising Scholarship would always be the best way. Relying on someone/something else to translate for you means that you always have to keep a “High Level of Paranoid”, lest they 'deliberately' mis-translate (or leave out important details) on you. Example: Harry insists that every conversation with Bob is in Latin (pausing only to make sure that complete understanding is achieved) for a year.
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Alright, scenario number 1; I've got a focussed practitioner who specializes in Biomancy or Self-Enhancement Spells. How do most of these work if I want to; temporarily increase her speed/strength or alter her senses? I can see a few ways to handle short term boosts, what if I want it to last longer?
Biomancy is a tough cookie to deal with, mainly due to lack of evidence from the books. We've seen a couple of examples of minor healing stuff, and we know that the specialty exists, but we haven't really seen a powerful practitioner let loose with the specialty.
The best way to deal with any kind of intermediate questions about magic effects is to ask yourself, "How would I mechanically represent this in the game according to the given constraints?" and then talk about how many total shifts you'd need to bring about the effect you wanted. The only other thing it says in the Biomancy entry is that the body might not be designed to handle the kinds of alterations you're doing, so you have to take that into account too.
So, let's look at a Might enhancement. You have no Might, and want to be able to use a Might of Superb for a certain length of time. So that's a 5-shift complexity ritual right off the bat. That's going to tax your body, and system logic suggests you'd express that as a consequence. You want to have this enhancement for a whole session, so we assume the consequence is a self-inflicted moderate one. You have a physical stress track of 3 boxes, and a moderate consequence is worth 4 stress, so inflicting a moderate consequence on you takes 7 shifts. You're looking at a 12-shift ritual. (Maybe, if you're generous, you don't charge for the stress and only ask for the 4 shifts, and it's a 9-shift ritual. It's up to you. I'd charge the 12, but whatevs.)
Now we can tell a story about how you prepare for this and do it. Make sense?
Scenario number 2; A Sorcerer decides that containing a lightning bolt in his hand for awhile might be more useful than tossing it as a single strike. How could this be played out to; add damage to his Fists/Weapon attacks (would it just be a weapon of the power value, aimed with a relevant skill?) or keep it contained for an exchange or two to be released when the timing is right?
Hm. So, again, we're talking about setting constraints - no one's ever done this in the books, and all Jim's prose seems to suggest that when you summon up the power for the evocation, you have to let it out somehow, directed and basically in a straight line toward your target. (I know, there's an edge case in Small Favor. Don't look at me like that.)
Assuming you're fine with it at your table, I'd just pay damage and maintenance and have done - you want a Weapon:3 "electrical aura" or whatever, and you want it for the next 5 exchanges, you're looking at an 8-shift evocation. You wouldn't get the benefit of using your Discipline as an attack roll because of how you're describing the effect, though - in that case, you're just controlling the manifestation of power. In fact, you wouldn't even be able to damage anyone in the same exchange you cast the spell. In subsequent exchanges, you'd have to roll Fists or Weapons to connect, and it'd just work like a normal weapon.
Scenario number 3; Harry gets sick of his poor Latin Skills landing him in awkward situations with the White Council and develops a spell that's literally nothing but a translator. Do I just treat this as a spell that boosts his Scholarship, does it add an Aspect, what?
If it were me, I'd honestly just let you do it, and then I'd have other wizards in the scene make fun of him for having to use a translation spell to communicate with them instead of learning Latin like a real wizard. :)
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Also, could you copy effects sur as Inhuman/Supernatural STR or Toughness?
If you were to imitate powers, I'd say you'd actually have to measure the effects of the powers in actual shifts, like any other kind of magic. The refresh costs are a really big price break for most powers, a concession to setting needs. I wouldn't measure by them for magic.
So, Inhuman Strength does all of the following:
+3 Might for lifting/breaking stuff
+1 to Might in grapples
+1 to modifications with Might regardless of actual score
Weapon:2 on Fists attacks.
If you want it all, that's 7 shifts' worth of effects, before we even get into talking about duration and what it'll cost your physical frame. See the previous post for that stuff.
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Workable? Did I miss something?
My only problem here is that this seems like rather finicky work for evocation - it feels like it'd need to be a thaumaturgical effect of some kind, and define its effects in a slightly more precise way than "turn off gravity".
Got any thoughts? I might have some tomorrow, after some sleep. :)
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Pause to point out: Lenny is the wind beneath my wings.
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I thought about an Anti-Gravity Spell, directly out of an eastern.
Anti-Gravitas [Earth Magic]:
You turn off Gravity, while its turned off you can make jumps like in an eastern space station.
You need 3 Shifts (Maneuver rules say 3 shifts is basic) for one exchange, more shifts gain you longer Anti-Gravity.
Also usefull if you find yourself falling from an plane bridge.
Workable? Did I miss something?
I thought about requiring an Alertness roll before or an Athletics roll after the jump...
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Anti-Gravitas [Earth Magic]:
You turn off Gravity, while its turned off you can make jumps like in an eastern space station.
You need 3 Shifts (Maneuver rules say 3 shifts is basic) for one exchange, more shifts gain you longer Anti-Gravity.
Also usefull if you find yourself falling from an plane bridge.
Workable? Did I miss something?
Remember, Mr Butcher said that Magic can bend the rules, but must still obey the basic Laws of Physics.
Personally, I think that it would be a lot easier to use a variation of the exploitation of Aerodynamics that airplanes use.
The less 'help' the caster gets from Aerodynamic objects, the more Shifts it costs to cast.
Want to magically propel your hang glider? No problem! 3 shifts should do the trick.
Want to fly on attached 'wings'? 5 shifts!
Want to use an umbrella to fly away, Penguin-style? Um - ok? at least 7 shifts.
Want to duplicate Superman's flying? At least 10 shifts!
To negate Gravity itself, you would have to use another force to 'push against' it.
But these would cost more Shifts to do.
Telekinesis is possible (above x2), and perhaps Magnetism (Above x3).
A Thaumaturgic/Earth combination could also be possible - basically using one portion of the Earth's Gravity to push against another.
This would be at least as expensive as using Aerodynamic, with a 5 shift base. (take above and add five).
I would apply Athletics for both leap and land, and Alertness/Athletics to make adjustments mid-air.
And don't forget the Spell Refresh costs.
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Is it 3 shifts to get a sticky aspect on yourself?
Let's say I bend light to make myself appear 6 inches to the left, and I model it by an aspect "No to the left", or "Not where I appear"
Is that the right way to do it?
Could you model it as an athletics boost instead, saving fate points but having much lower duration?
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@DragonDM:
Gravitation manipulation is right there in the source Material (well at least in an short story)...
For the flying, I think it would work best with summoning/binding something like an Air-Elemental to carry you.
Dont know if it would be possible to bind an Air-Elemental into an object for continued use...
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Very interesting...
I am also wondering how to create spells that boost skills and abileties...
Also, could you copy effects sur as Inhuman/Supernatural STR or Toughness?
I'll sure follow this tread...
Boosting skills has puzzled me as well. I have decided it must be like a block. Normally, if you put up a block (like a shield) you still roll a defence against an incoming attack but if the block is better you use the block value instead of the roll. If the attack gets past the block then the spell ends.
You could do the same thing with, say, a Strength spell to improve your Might. You create the block, and still make your Might rolls as normal but if the block is better then use the block value instead of the roll. If the contest your in beats the block then the spell ends.
There are some issues here. A superb spell effect will be of more use to someone with mediocre Might than it would for someone who already has superb Might . The spell just "buffers" the dice a bit.
EDIT: I originally used Stealth as an example but then I relived that was just a veil. So I changed the example to Might.
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I have an idea how the translator spell could work. The game stated that using ectomancy you can allow yourslef to be possessed by a ghost containing a skill you lack and therfore have access. (paraphrasing here) So find a bi-lingual ghost. You might be able to temporarily bind him to a fetish and then use it for a scene based on how much juju you put into the spell after which the charge would be gone or sim,ply be possessed and have the spirit translate for you. You could use this for any type of skill. the problem would be finding and binding the appropriate spirit.
Just a thought.
Cajun Guy
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The block model is a pretty good one -- though really that's because block is a specific case of saying "I want to produce the result of a skill roll that's X good".
So when saying "I want to make my X skill better", really it's about saying "I want to create a result that mimics a use of skill X with a value of Y shifts", and Y is the power needed for the spell. You want to instantly comprehend ancient Irdu or whatever, that's probably a few shifts of a Scholarship effect. Or maybe it's a LOT of shifts depending on how difficult of a roll the GM believes it to be. I'd say someone who knows every language ever is probably operating at an effective linguistic Scholarship rating of Fantastic or higher (thanks to, say, Great or Superb skill and the application of a stunt or two), so I could see determining the power rating on such a spell to be 6, adjusting higher if the language is extremely obscure, adjusting lower if it's still a living language, widely spoken, just unknown to the caster.
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The block model is a pretty good one -- though really that's because block is a specific case of saying "I want to produce the result of a skill roll that's X good".
Is this in the section on Block in the text? I think that this models pretty good but (as with all the mechanics) thinking a bit outside the box gives you many, many more options.
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I have an idea how the translator spell could work. The game stated that using ectomancy you can allow yourslef to be possessed by a ghost containing a skill you lack and therfore have access. (paraphrasing here) So find a bi-lingual ghost. You might be able to temporarily bind him to a fetish and then use it for a scene based on how much juju you put into the spell after which the charge would be gone or sim,ply be possessed and have the spirit translate for you. You could use this for any type of skill. the problem would be finding and binding the appropriate spirit.
Just a thought.
Cajun Guy
This is indeed something that can be done.
Just remember that, technically, it's Illegal. "Thou shall not transend the bounderies of Life."
Harry had Lash (Lashiel's Shadow), but I think that Law would apply even to the lowest of two-bit Shades.
Need some ideas on just how hard getting the right kind of Ghost? Look into Ghost lab, and related TV shows.
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This is indeed something that can be done.
Just remember that, technically, it's Illegal. "Thou shall not transend the bounderies of Life."
Harry had Lash (Lashiel's Shadow), but I think that Law would apply even to the lowest of two-bit Shades.
Need some ideas on just how hard getting the right kind of Ghost? Look into Ghost lab, and related TV shows.
Ghosts aren't 'alive'. They're like memories. Sometimes really, really strong memories that leave you wondering where the last couple of days went though...
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Is this in the section on Block in the text? I think that this models pretty good but (as with all the mechanics) thinking a bit outside the box gives you many, many more options.
Well, hm, it's more that it's the whole "Simple Action" thing as covered on YS 264. Because spells determine the result first, instead of the normal "roll the skill, THEN see the result" way things work, the end result is a "block-like" effect in that you could always roll your normal skill alongside the Simple Action effect result, and take the better of the two.
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I've been thinking about a "Thief with the Magic touch" (a focused practitioner, who uses magic to help his thievery). Suppose he's got Burglary +4, Conviction +2, Discipline +3, Lore +1. I'm trying to understand how to pick a +8 lock using a spell (i.e. by creating a Burglary +8 simple action). [Any easier a lock, and he could just use Burglary, aided with a maneuver and a little luck.] Of course, for dramatic purposes, I'm assuming the cops will be coming around the corner any minute!
I'm imagining that he is going to envision the careful motion of the pins in the lock (maybe aided by the Sight), then push them "just so".
At first I thought I could do it with an Evocation, since I was thinking it could be quick and on-the-fly. But Evocations are really about combat, so now I figure it's Thaumaturgy. But although the casting of the spell is reasonably simple (say, a few exchanges, just like on YS271), the preparation seems impossible.
I'm thinking that the spellcaster does not need a symbolic link, since the lock is right in front of him. Perhaps his Burglary skill lets him make a declaration to get +2. Maybe a bonus or two due to a focus and stunts. But I don't see how he can get the 7 shifts of preparation he needs to do it on-the-fly.
Am I on the wrong track here? Or am I exactly right, and casting a Burglary +8 spell on-the-fly would require some major spellcasting ability, more than, say, a -6 refresh could allow? Maybe someone more junior has to find another way -- by prepping in advance, with a bit of "casing the joint" to get info (and a symbolic link)? Or maybe he needs a set of Enchanted Lockpicks?
I'd appreciate any thoughts. I'm impressed by the system, but a little surprised that I'm having so much trouble massaging it into the shape I'm aiming for.
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For a thaumaturgical version of it I would take a burglary assessment for a +2, I would let him have a connection to it by touching it. I would let him make a discipline assessment like focused or something for a +2. And ofcourse he would get to try a lore assessment(for like a magic circle to focus the power) for another +2 thats +6 plus the 1 from his natural lore. Find a way to make another one of your skill into an assessment or play it like you said and use caseing the joint to place a scene aspect you would tag for another +2 and wala. Though it probably should be noted this is considered a full blown ritual as your character's lore is not up to the 8 necessity without prep(basicly it would take longer.)
So to make it simple 1(base lore)+2(burglary assessment)+2(discipline assessment)+2(Lore assessment)+2(Scene aspect, something related to a cased building, tagged)= 9 which is enough shifts.
I'm pretty sure thats how it would be done in the rules(meaning i dont think i added anything i house ruled into there.)
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You could do that, but it would probably just be simpler to set up a two taggable aspects and use your burglary skill without worrying about the magic.
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Wouldn't the Burglary +4 be the 'base starting' point? And then add the taggable Thieving Aspects (+2 ?), and then +2 (discipline assessment) +1 Lore skill = 9 shifts [Plus another +2 for Lore Assessment? If so, total is 11 shifts.]
Then the +2 (Scene aspect, something related to a cased building, tagged) if he had the time to case the joint?
And then +2 for using a Circle Ritual (?)
Not sure how much using The Sight would grant: I'd say at least +4 Shifts, since the person can see the True Nature of the Lock, and How It Works. However, remember that Harry is reluctant to use The Sight, because it can "Show you too much" and it's there Forever, once Seen: Good, Bad, or Otherwise. I mean, I'd rather not have every lock I've ever picked being stuck in my head, for as long as I lived.
All of these together might grant a 20 point Shift: But, of course, negative modifiers can be applied:
"Tricky Lock" or "Stuck Lock" might give -2;
"Rusty Lock" might give up to a -4;
"In A Hurry" (cops/rival thieves getting closer real fast) might give at least -2;
"Improvised Tools" (a hairpin and/or paperclip) might give at least -2;
"Missing Tools" (only using Kinetic magic to move the pins and tumblers) might give at least -4.
* So "In A Hurry" and "Missing Tools" could stack to give at least a -6 to the Shifts.
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Another thing to remember, is that in this new World, there are more Electronic Locks, which means that the use of Magic is going to cause them to 'fail' and be considered at least a "Stuck Lock" (at worst I'd see that it was a "Tricky Lock" plus "Rusty Lock", for -6), and that only mundane skills (and an Aura Suppressing Spell, ala Harry in Larry Fowler's studio - Book Five: Blood Ties) can be used. (Maintaining the spell could be a Conviction/Discipline and Concentration Test, which might also give negatives to the Lock Picking Test, because part of your attention is on maintaining the Spell.)
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Ok. Did I get close in my mental ramblings?
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New post for a different Query.
I hate the fact that I can't get the books, to try and figure some of these things out.
So, there are only a few types of Magical Categories in the Dresdenverse?
True Name; Summoning; Thaumaturgy; Evocation; and Veils (Illusions).
Or are there others, as well?
After all - For me: It's difficult envisioning Telekinetic effects as anything other then Evocation.
Same with the various Wind Control spells that Harry Uses.
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Uh, you're right about TK and air magic. Those are definitely evocation.
As for thaumaturgy, there are more categories than you can shake a stick at, both functional (Summoning and Binding, Wards, Divination) and thematic (Biomancy, Ectomancy, Photomancy). Get a look at the book if you want a full list, but basically, you want to do something, you can theoretically do it with Thaumaturgy...though it might be quite hard and/or time consuming.
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There are two broad categories.
Evocation and Thaumaturgy
Evocation has the elements as subcategories (Fire, Air, etc.)
Thaumaturgy has as subcategories (Item Crafting, Summoning/Binding, Wards, Divination, did I forget something?)
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Uh, you're right about TK and air magic. Those are definitely evocation.
In my view evocation is about manipulating the elements...in YS 254, it CLEARLY states air magic would be used to pull apart locks, move objects around, etc. Water can change, dissolve, cut things, Earth can strengthen or twist things (magnetically i am thinking).
I think one problem I am having with the rules are evocation seems to be pigeonholed a bit too much into being pure combat oriented, I think this might be due to harry's whole not so subtle aspect in a way, he goes for the big blasts!! Perhaps the view would be a bit different if we saw a bit more magic use by Elaine, or Ramirez other then pure combat.
Am I off base here or does that make sense? The lockpicking just doesn't seem like it would be something thamaturgical, especial given it being in the example for air evocation.
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I think you are completely correct. Lockpicking should be something you can do with air. So, summon enough shifts of air to beat the complexity of the lock, roll discipline to control it, and voila. It would still be simpler to just pick the lock mundanely unless you are unskilled with burglary.
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I'm thinking that the spellcaster does not need a symbolic link, since the lock is right in front of him. Perhaps his Burglary skill lets him make a declaration to get +2. Maybe a bonus or two due to a focus and stunts. But I don't see how he can get the 7 shifts of preparation he needs to do it on-the-fly.
Am I on the wrong track here? Or am I exactly right, and casting a Burglary +8 spell on-the-fly would require some major spellcasting ability, more than, say, a -6 refresh could allow? Maybe someone more junior has to find another way -- by prepping in advance, with a bit of "casing the joint" to get info (and a symbolic link)? Or maybe he needs a set of Enchanted Lockpicks?
I'd appreciate any thoughts. I'm impressed by the system, but a little surprised that I'm having so much trouble massaging it into the shape I'm aiming for.
Well, you can bring a file and get some lock scrapings, or you can incude the actial lock as part of the ritual (draw your circle virtically on the door).
The other thing that comes to mind is create a stunt that lets you use burglery instead of lore for lock magic (expand the scope of a skill).