Ok. So it's pretty clear to me that, based on various comments, magical grapples are pretty much broken. However, storyline wise, they make sense to exist. So, I came up with several rules to have magical grapples be less crappy, gameplay wise:

1. Before a magical grapple can be initiated, a target must have a taggable/invokable aspect relevant to grappling (and obviously, the aspect must be tagged/invoked).

2. Once the aspect has been tagged or invoked, the spell may be cast. The strength of the spell = the strength of the grapple. Take a mental stress to cast the spell, and roll Discipline to control. HOWEVER, any shift of failure in the spell casting MUST be directed to fallout, affecting the strength of the grapple.

3. The default duration of the grapple is one action: you may affect the original strength of the grapple to extend to duration (as per normal rules), or you may use a supplemental action and take one mental stress to extend the grapple (using Conviction + specializations/foci to determine the number of exchanges the grapple has increased by, and assuming a roll of zero on Discipline + Specializations/Foci against the extension to determine fallout).

4. Every exchange, you must take an action to roll Discipline + Specializations against the original number of shifts of power you have applied to the grapple. Any failure must be taken as fallout against the grapple strength. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT THE NEXT STRENGTH YOU MUST BEAT NEXT TIME TO NOT TAKE FALLOUT.

So, say someone's casting a biomancy Evothaum. Do you use Biomancy Complexity to determine power and Biomancy control to determine control, or do oh model it as an evocation with evocation bonuses, just with wider effects?

Does anyone have any ideas for Stoicism (Mental Toughness) Catches (in general)?

Ok, so I had made a thread a while back about debating the niceties of furycraft mechanics. I went through the thread, and reread bits and pieces of the Codex. So, I have two characters ready for posting. Feel free to tell me what you think (I probably messed up a fair bit). This is characters as they are at the end of First Lord's Fury

First up is Isana:


Rillwaterus Isana

HC: Watercrafter of Rillwater
TA: Mess With My Family Only Over My Dead Body

OA: 
Ridiculous Empath
Kindly Conniving
Confident Leader
Quietly Perceptive


Stats:

6: Lore, Conviction
5: Discipline, Empathy
4: Rapport, Presence
3: Endurance, Alertness
2: Deceit, Weapons, Intimidation
1: Scholarship, Contacts, Athletics

Stunts: 

Honest Lies

Counselor

Read the Surface

Social Graces 

Won't get fooled again

Powers:

Ritual (Watercraft) [-2]
Channeling (Water) [-2]
Refinement [-1]
Exceptional Supernatural Sense (Emotions–Lore) [-2]

Focus Items:

Rill (+2 Defensive Control Water, +1 Defensive Power Water, +1 Offensive Power Water, +2 Complexity Watercraft)

Base Refresh: 17
Refresh Cost: -12
Starting Refresh: 5

I made her more defensive with Rill because of that little thing where she fended off MULTIPLE attacks FROM A HIGH LORD with her watercraft. Part of it is the fact that she has Fate Points to burn, but there still needs to be a fair base to work from. She probably can get Mimic Form, but she shows no evidence of it. That extra thing in Supernatural Sense just gives her a +2 to work with, which makes sense, given that she sense emotions other High Ladies aren't able to (for example, she senses Gauis's awareness of his death when Aria doesn't, and she sense HIB's emotions when Invidia can't, and I'd stat Invidia as a Water Specialist).

And now for High Lady Placida:

Placidus Aria

HC: High Lady Placida
TA: Hating These Little Games

OAs:
Really, Really Cool
Forthright and Kind
Calmly Capable of Violence
Genuinely In Love with Sandos
Head of the Dianic League

Stats:
7: Lore, Conviction
6: Discipline, Weapons, Alertness
5: Endurance, Presence, Empathy
4: Resources, Fists, Intimidation
3: Contacts, Rapport, Scholarship, Investigation
2: Might, Athletics, Bows, Deceit
1: Stealth, Survival, Performance, Driving, Burglary, Craftsmanship

Skill Point Total: 85

Stunts:
Footwork (Weapons)

Powers:

Evocation (Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Metal, Wood) [-3]

Thaumaturgy [-3]

Refinement x32 [-32]

Supernatural Strength [-4]
Supernatural Speed [-4]

Incite Emotions (Lust, Calm, Agitation) at Range [-4]

Supernatural Senses (Lore–Emotions, Metal, Things Beneath the Earth) [-2]

Mental Flight [-1] (As Wings, but with Discipline instead)

Mimic Form [-2]

Specializations:

Evocation:
  
          Power:        Control:
Fire:       5                   6
Earth:    3                    4
Water:   3                    4
Air:        1                    2
Metal:    1                   2
Wood:   1                   2 

Thaumaturgy:

                   Complexity:    Control:
Watercraft:          3                  1
Firecraft:              3
Earthcraft:           2
Aircraft:               2 
Woodcraft:         1
Metalcraft:          1


Foci:

Fire Falcon (+3 Offensive Power and Control Fire)

Lithia (+3 Offensive Power and Control Earth)

Stress:

Mental: OOOO (+2 Mild)
Physical: OOOO (+1 Mild)
Social: OOOO (+1 Mild)

Starting Refresh: 57
Refresh Cost: -56
Base Refresh: 1

This is why one emphatically DOES. NOT. FUCK. with the High Blood of Alera.

I made Aria a fire specialist, because we see that fire falcon a lot. She's extremely potent primarily because she's explicitly mentioned to be an asskicker, even among the other High Lords. 15 shift offensive evocations. Casually. Be afraid.

I think Furycraft has a Thaumaturgy component, as the various High Lords are mentioned to be able to scry throught Alera, as well as healing stuff. The various forms of furycraft are perfectly appropriate thematic specializations, too.

Would you allow an upgrade to Supernatural Sense that gives a +2 to perception with the Senses?

How would you price the Blackstaff in a game, and what powers would you give it? My mind is thinking +1 Power and Control for any "destructive" magic (taking a life, subverting a will transforming someone) and a Discipline call against acting the way the Blackstaff wants you to (based on Eb in Changes). But I'm far from sure.

So I was trying to come with a biomancy focus item (4 slots) for my character, when I got an idea: what of the item wasn't an item, but a series of tattoos on his body, tracing different chi pathways of the body? Would you let this fly in your games?

So I've been making a Council level character whose specialties lie in healing and biomancy, and I want to emphasize this. I want to give him an Item of Power (it's a ring, so +1) granting him Inhuman Recovery that he enchanted himself. Would you allow it in your games?