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DFRPG / Some new spells for critique and comment (and use if you want)
« on: October 14, 2011, 11:58:34 AM »
As a married father of two daughters under 4 in full time employment and currently labouring under the burden of finishing an MA dissertation, I don't have a lot of time for gaming of any sort. What time I do have tends to be dedicated to Flames of War table top miniature wargaming - this is due to an interest in the subject that I have as well as the existence of a good club in my area.
I have not rolled a die in anger in a table-top RPG sense in about 6 years, but I do pick up rule sets that interest me and fiddle about with the mechanics. This is my only option really since RPG groups are like hens teeth where I live (Buckinghamshire, neat Aylesbury) and the DFRPG is a pretty niche game even if I did find one I wanted to (and could find time to) play with.
Picked up the DFRPG (both books) this week and it has been distracting me from the thrice-cursed dissertation ever since. I have read all the published books at least once and really dig the setting. Since my hitherto-now favourite setting for an RPG was Shadowrun, this is not surprising. I quickly "rolled" up a few concepts, and have fully fleshed out a very powerful warden concentrating on earth magic (but no slouch at air and spirit either).
I won't bore you with the full backgrounds and character sheet (unless you want them - feel free to ask), but it is basically a very scholastic Wizard who, after fighting in WW2, spent the subsequent decades involved in archaeology (and the research into non-Western and "old" magic), and became pretty combat capable fighting off the things-that-men-were-not-meant-to-disturb that he came across. He refused two invitations to become a warder before the war, finally being drafted at around the same time as Harry did (no warden sword). He had been living in South Africa for a couple of decades, so probably around the Congo incident. Decided on "rolling" him after the war as a battered veteran and -12 refresh.
Anyhow, loved fleshing him out and building stuff, and then I came to the point where I wanted to outline his more commonly used spells - not just his rotes. Copied and altered a few from YS, but came up with a few that I either modified/adapted from the books or came up with myself. I have added a selection to this post - comments, criticism etc welcome. In fact, look at this as asking if I have gotten the magic system "down" through my reading. The character as written has superb discipline and great conviction. His evocation specialities are control (air +1, earth +2) and power (air +2, earth +3, spirit +1). He has a staff focus that gives him earth offensive control +1 and earth offensive power +1.
******
Air lance
Type: Air Attack
Shifts: 6
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline
Oppossed by: Target’s Athletics skills, magical blocks, or other determined in play
Effect: A faint blue ball of force launched from caster’s outstretched hand. Fantastic (+6) aim/attack, weapon 3, applies sticky aspect “knocked on their backside” to a single target.
Bringing Down the Houses
Type: Earth Offensive Maneuver
Shifts: 8 or 10
Mental Stress: 1 or 3
Control: Discipline & staff
Duration: 4 exchanges
Opposed by: Determined in play, effectively building’s “endurance”.
Effect: Applies “Shaking Apart” sticky aspect to a single building. This applies a rolling +1 weapon attack per exchange (1st exchange – Weapon 1, 2nd exchange – Weapon 2 etc) dealing 10 physical stress to a building over the duration.
Variations: 10 shifts of power used to either widen effect to all buildings in a zone or for use on a single large building, although the 8 shift version can easily be used on part of a large building.
Knee Trembler
Type: Earth Offensive Maneuver
Shifts: 8
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline & staff
Duration: 4 exchanges
Opposed by: Target’s Athletics Skill or other determined in play
Effect: Applies “Can’t Keep Their Footing” sticky aspect to everyone other than the caster in the zone.
Magnify Vision (Homage to Codex Alera)
Type: Air Maneuver
Shifts: 3
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline
Duration: 1 exchange
Effect: Applies “Telescopic Vision” sticky aspect to the caster. Use more shifts of power to extend duration.
Shatter
Type: Earth Offensive Maneuver
Shifts: 4 to 7
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline
Duration: 1 exchange
Opposed by: Target’s effective endurance, determined in play
Effect: Applies “Brittle” sticky aspect to targeted inorganic matter and hits it with a weapon 1 – 4 attack.
******
I also wanted to run the thought of elemental evocations being used to temporarily get a single benefit from one of the inhuman physical powers. Not the benefit of the entire power, but just one of them, such as a "Strength of the Earth" spell giving the +2 damage to fists and weapon damage or bonus to Might checks from inhuman strength. Or "Speed of the Wind" giving the benefits of the inhuman speed in the form of either the initiative or athletics checks. 3 shifts of power for the effect, more to make it last multiple exchanges. What do you think?
I have not rolled a die in anger in a table-top RPG sense in about 6 years, but I do pick up rule sets that interest me and fiddle about with the mechanics. This is my only option really since RPG groups are like hens teeth where I live (Buckinghamshire, neat Aylesbury) and the DFRPG is a pretty niche game even if I did find one I wanted to (and could find time to) play with.
Picked up the DFRPG (both books) this week and it has been distracting me from the thrice-cursed dissertation ever since. I have read all the published books at least once and really dig the setting. Since my hitherto-now favourite setting for an RPG was Shadowrun, this is not surprising. I quickly "rolled" up a few concepts, and have fully fleshed out a very powerful warden concentrating on earth magic (but no slouch at air and spirit either).
I won't bore you with the full backgrounds and character sheet (unless you want them - feel free to ask), but it is basically a very scholastic Wizard who, after fighting in WW2, spent the subsequent decades involved in archaeology (and the research into non-Western and "old" magic), and became pretty combat capable fighting off the things-that-men-were-not-meant-to-disturb that he came across. He refused two invitations to become a warder before the war, finally being drafted at around the same time as Harry did (no warden sword). He had been living in South Africa for a couple of decades, so probably around the Congo incident. Decided on "rolling" him after the war as a battered veteran and -12 refresh.
Anyhow, loved fleshing him out and building stuff, and then I came to the point where I wanted to outline his more commonly used spells - not just his rotes. Copied and altered a few from YS, but came up with a few that I either modified/adapted from the books or came up with myself. I have added a selection to this post - comments, criticism etc welcome. In fact, look at this as asking if I have gotten the magic system "down" through my reading. The character as written has superb discipline and great conviction. His evocation specialities are control (air +1, earth +2) and power (air +2, earth +3, spirit +1). He has a staff focus that gives him earth offensive control +1 and earth offensive power +1.
******
Air lance
Type: Air Attack
Shifts: 6
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline
Oppossed by: Target’s Athletics skills, magical blocks, or other determined in play
Effect: A faint blue ball of force launched from caster’s outstretched hand. Fantastic (+6) aim/attack, weapon 3, applies sticky aspect “knocked on their backside” to a single target.
Bringing Down the Houses
Type: Earth Offensive Maneuver
Shifts: 8 or 10
Mental Stress: 1 or 3
Control: Discipline & staff
Duration: 4 exchanges
Opposed by: Determined in play, effectively building’s “endurance”.
Effect: Applies “Shaking Apart” sticky aspect to a single building. This applies a rolling +1 weapon attack per exchange (1st exchange – Weapon 1, 2nd exchange – Weapon 2 etc) dealing 10 physical stress to a building over the duration.
Variations: 10 shifts of power used to either widen effect to all buildings in a zone or for use on a single large building, although the 8 shift version can easily be used on part of a large building.
Knee Trembler
Type: Earth Offensive Maneuver
Shifts: 8
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline & staff
Duration: 4 exchanges
Opposed by: Target’s Athletics Skill or other determined in play
Effect: Applies “Can’t Keep Their Footing” sticky aspect to everyone other than the caster in the zone.
Magnify Vision (Homage to Codex Alera)
Type: Air Maneuver
Shifts: 3
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline
Duration: 1 exchange
Effect: Applies “Telescopic Vision” sticky aspect to the caster. Use more shifts of power to extend duration.
Shatter
Type: Earth Offensive Maneuver
Shifts: 4 to 7
Mental Stress: 1
Control: Discipline
Duration: 1 exchange
Opposed by: Target’s effective endurance, determined in play
Effect: Applies “Brittle” sticky aspect to targeted inorganic matter and hits it with a weapon 1 – 4 attack.
******
I also wanted to run the thought of elemental evocations being used to temporarily get a single benefit from one of the inhuman physical powers. Not the benefit of the entire power, but just one of them, such as a "Strength of the Earth" spell giving the +2 damage to fists and weapon damage or bonus to Might checks from inhuman strength. Or "Speed of the Wind" giving the benefits of the inhuman speed in the form of either the initiative or athletics checks. 3 shifts of power for the effect, more to make it last multiple exchanges. What do you think?