ParanetOnline
The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Loki5654 on July 22, 2010, 05:34:19 PM
-
Hello All,
I'm very new to the FATE system and am currently bumbling my way through the character creation process in an attempt to better understand it. I've got my Template, High-Concept Aspect, Trouble Aspect, Skills and Powers down (no problems there), but I'm having trouble coming up with the Phase Apsects (Background, Rising conflict, etc.)
I'll see if I can ape the format the PbP'ers use to identify their characters so you all can take a look. I'm hoping that by opeing up the discussion in my head to the wider forum that it might spark some creativity.
Also, in regards to "The Story", "Guest Star" and "Guess Star Redux": how much should one do prior to the game? I'm not currently in a game and was wondering how much a player should do on their own and hopw much I should leave blank to be filled in with input from the DM and the other players (should they exist)?
Thanks in advance!
Steven
-
Also, in regards to "The Story", "Guest Star" and "Guess Star Redux": how much should one do prior to the game?
The Story is pretty much back story, so this can be done before getting a group, but you might want to wait on the last two Phases.
Give us some of the answers to the questions asked in Phase 1 and 2 and maybe we can help you out with those Aspects.
-
OK here's what I have so far:
Adrian Huggins – Feet in the Water
High Aspect: Scion of Odin's Ravens
Invoke: To know some mundane information from books, or something specific to your supernatural nature.
Compel: You need to work. Something of your nature emerges and interferes with normal life.
Trouble: Self-Loathing Shifter
Invoke: Resist attempts to talk you into using your powers. Resist attempts to distract you with praise.
Compel: Don't use your powers when they would be convenient. Succumb to attempts to belittle you.
Phase One: Background
"Many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore..."
Adrian grew up in a small Alaskan town (Palmer) with his potato farmer parents. A shy, nerdish child, he has no idea that he is a direct descendant of Hugin, one of Odin's Ravens.
His heritage as a child of Thought and Memory gives him an insatiable curiosity for knowledge and a near-eidetic memory. He is constantly reading books, editing Wikipedia, addicted to TV-Tropes and an avid fan of all other sorts of information.
After High School, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Washington. He graduated with a degree in Library Sciences and currently works in the Archives of the University Libraries.
Phase Aspect: Odin's Memory Bank
Adrian has an encyclopedic knowledge on a vast variety of subjects and is always eager to learn more.
Invoke: To uncover or recall information.
Compel: To pique his curiosity and overcome his usual habit to "not get involved".
Phase Two: Rising Conflict
"From my books surcease of sorrow..."
Adrian has never fully embraced his were nature and has a strong desire to appear or be normal.
Ever since he discovered his shifter nature as a teen, he has done his best to suppress that part of his personality. Early on, this would lead to sessions of "sleep-shifting" where he would wake, naked, out in the Alaskan woods. Now an adult, he has learned to better control this problem, but he still wishes he didn't have to deal with it at all.
In pursuit of this he has begun secretly researching the paranormal and supernatural, attempting to find a cure for himself or a technique that will grant him better control.
Phase Aspect:Fight or Flight?
Adrian suppresses his wereraven nature, but sometimes has trouble controlling it.
Invoke: To avoid revealing his wereraven nature and conceal his abilities.
Compel: To force him to use his abilities when he would otherwise not.
Phase Three: The Story
"An Unkind Conspiracy"
Guest Starring: A Wereblank To Be Named Later
When a rare book of potential supernatural power is stolen, Wereraven Adrian Huggins must recover it before he loses his job and is exposed for what he truly is. But will Adrian succeed when he is up against a cabal of fellow were-creatures? Also, why does the Monoc Corporation seem so interested in the career of a simple college Librarian?
Phase Aspect: I Have A Destiny...But I Don't Know Why.
A mysterious conspiracy has marked Adrian as someone with potential, but he is unsure why they would think that.
Invoke:???
Compel:???
Human Form
Rank Skills
+4 Scholarship
+3 Alertness, Investigation
+2 Discipline, Performance, Lore
+1 Athletics, Stealth, Survival, Weapons
Raven Form
Rank Skills
+4 Alertness
+3 Stealth, Athletics
+2 Fists, Investigation, Survival
+1 Lore, Discipline, Performance, Scholarship
Stunts/Powers
Cost Stunts & Powers
-1 Beast Change
-1 Echoes of the Beast
+1 Human Form
-1 Dimunitive Size*
-2 Inhuman Speed
-1 Wings*
*Beast form only
-
Yeah the two guest star phases should really wait until you have some other characters and their stories to guest star in. But there's no reason not to make up your story and figure out the aspect you got from it.
I'll also point you to Rick Neal's blog on coming up with aspects for Dresden Files characters, really all of his DFRPG advice is well worth a read.
http://www.rickneal.ca/?p=619 (http://www.rickneal.ca/?p=619)
-
I'd actually contradict the advice of the above posters with regards to making characters in advance.
It is my experience that it is best to talk to your game group before making a character. Sharing a vision of the sort of game you all would like to play is important. It helps to avoid a lot of potential problems that can arise from a lack of managing expectations.
That said...
* Wereraven Librarian
Invoke -- To know some mundane information from books, or something specific to your supernatural nature.
Compel -- You need to work. Something of your nature emerges and interferes with normal life.
* Self Loathing Shifter
Invoke -- Resist attempts to talk you into using your powers. Resist attempts to distract you with praise.
Compel -- Don't use your powers when they would be convenient. Succumb to attempts to belittle you.
-
Hmm ... well for his Background, what's the thing that has the most impact on his present story? Where he's from, how he was raised, and all the other mundane stuff? Or is the most significant thing the fact that he discovers his powers and tries to hide them? If the second thing, then I suggest something like I Just Want To Be Normal, which is actually an Aspect I'm using for one of my characters, but hey it fits.
Then you want to come up with your first adventure, something to test the character and his ideals. Generally something comes up to test that first Aspect, and the second Aspect comes out of the kinds of decisions the character makes, how he deals with his Trouble intruding on his life.
-
The Story is pretty much back story, so this can be done before getting a group, but you might want to wait on the last two Phases.
That's what I figured, but thank you for independent verification.
Give us some of the answers to the questions asked in Phase 1 and 2 and maybe we can help you out with those Aspects.
OK, here goes:
What nation, region, culture are you from?
USA, Alaska, Palmer. Pretty darn close to 100% Scandanavian ancestry, but with enough other stuff mixed in to give me dark black hair. "Huggins" is actually a shortened form of something like "Hugenborgsturgsonsen" you know - typical Norwegian. (OOC: I'd like to imagine that he's actually a long lost decendant of one of Odin's Ravens and that his family name used to be Huginsen)
What were your family circumstances like? What's your relationship with your family?
Pretty normal. Only child. Both parents still alive and still married. We probably don't talk as much as we should. They've got that Norwegian stoic-ness you hear Garrison Keillor talk about so much. Our conversations don't range much beyond "How are you?" "Fine." "That's good, we're fine too."
How were you educated?
Public school, but I supplemented it by spending a lot of my free time at the library reading. I don't know why, but I seem to have a much better memory than most people. Once a month, my dad would drive me down to Anchorage and I'd spend pretty much a whole weekend inside the giant Loussac Library. That's what got me started on the path to becoming a Librarian. I got a small scholarship to the UW and graduated with a degree in Library Science and now I work for the University's Library Dept.
More to come.
-
What were your friends like?
I didn't have many friends. I preferred to read. I played with other kids when I was a kid and hung out with other nerd-types in school, so I wasn't completely socially inept, but there isn't really anyone I'd call "friend".
Did you get into trouble much?
As a kid? No. In my mid-teens I did have a bout of sleep-walking where I'd end up waking up naked in my parent's potato fields. I'd usually make it home before anyone noticed, but I did get picked up by the cops one time. I got off with a warning and my parents put me through some counciling. (OOC: He was suppressing his shifter nature and was "sleep-shifting")
If you're supernatural, how early did you learn this?
I, uh...don't know what you mean. I'm...uh...just a normal guy. (OOC: Early to mid teens)
Were there problems?
With what? I told you, I"M NORMAL. (OOC: The above mentioned sleep shifting, though he's practiced hard to keep that mostly under control and occasionally will indulge in some "raven nights" just to take the edge off.)
-
* Wereraven Librarian
Invoke -- To know some mundane information from books, or something specific to your supernatural nature.
Compel -- You need to work. Something of your nature emerges and interferes with normal life.
* Self Loathing Shifter
Invoke -- Resist attempts to talk you into using your powers. Resist attempts to distract you with praise.
Compel -- Don't use your powers when they would be convenient. Succumb to attempts to belittle you.
I like this! Thanks!
-
So with those background details, and your High Concept and Trouble aspects set down for the moment, let's take a look at your Background and the Rising Conflict phases.
Some possible places to look for aspects in his background, he's from small town Alaska, he was a bit of a nerd, he learned how to shapeshift in high school, and he just wants to be normal.
The first question I have is how did the whole wereraven thing come about? In the Dresdenverse most shapeshifters actively seek out the power and learn the ability on their own or from a teacher, so who taught Ardian how to do it? Or is this a bloodline Curse, or an natural ability that just sort of sprung up on him? If he didn't go looking for the power how did it come to him? Did he at one point want to be a weresomething and then get freaked out about the whole thing once he found out what it was like to grow wings and a beak, and having to learn to fly like a bird? Does his family know about it an how might they have reacted? Does he come from a whole family/flock of wereravens?
But most of those questions are a little bit more about your High Concept but taking a background aspect that deals with where the werepower comes from or a relationship with a mentor can be a good aspect. "Trickster's Bloodline", "Morrigan's Stormcrow", "Odin's Memory Bank" or maybe something about who taught him to shift. Other areas that you can look to for is his formative years in Alaska. How did that shape him as an individual? Did he learn anything from it, or could he not wait to get out of there? Also he's a bit nerdy, did he spend all of his time in the town library? What did he study and what did it teach him? "Head in the Clouds, Nose in a Book", "Knowledge is Power" and the like could work as ideas for possible aspects from his nerdiness and also tie in nicely with his librarian shtick.
For his Rising Conflict phase I'd look to the reason why he doesn't want to be a shapeshifter. What happened to make him want to abandon the power? Did something attack him or his family? Was there some responsibility that came with the power that he did not want? Also think about his move to Seattle, college, and his new career. Was he going to leave all that wereraven stuff forgotten in his past and go to the big city? If so did fate, or something else conspire to make him have to embrace his powers? The old with great power comes great responsibility saw comes to mind for his aspect in this phase combined with why he is ignoring that power. With his trouble as it is worded now why does he loath himself? Something that came up during his rising conflict phase is probably responsible.
Now with all that said I am really tempted to just look up Poe's the Raven and look for some nice quotes to make aspects from, but I don't know how much you want to embrace or avoid that idea. Though the aspect "Curious Volumes of Forgotten Lore" for a Wereraven Librarian is nearly perfect.
-
The first question I have is how did the whole wereraven thing come about? In the Dresdenverse most shapeshifters actively seek out the power and learn the ability on their own or from a teacher, so who taught Ardian how to do it? Or is this a bloodline Curse, or an natural ability that just sort of sprung up on him? If he didn't go looking for the power how did it come to him? Did he at one point want to be a weresomething and then get freaked out about the whole thing once he found out what it was like to grow wings and a beak, and having to learn to fly like a bird? Does his family know about it an how might they have reacted? Does he come from a whole family/flock of wereravens?
He's the greatx12 grandson of Odin's Raven, Hugin. I think I need to come up with some sort of incident from his teen years that would have caused enough stress to involuntarily "flip the switch" in his brain. His family doesn't know, or at least he doesn't think they know.
Now with all that said I am really tempted to just look up Poe's the Raven and look for some nice quotes to make aspects from, but I don't know how much you want to embrace or avoid that idea. Though the aspect "Curious Volumes of Forgotten Lore" for a Wereraven Librarian is nearly perfect.
I need a little more time to digest the rest and more free time to respond but I like the "Curious Volumes of Forgotten Lore". Maybe I'll swap out Rapprt for Lore and say that he's done some research into the supernatural hoping to find a "cure" for himself, but failing that some techniques to help him control it.
-
Damn it! I need to learn to type faster as you are answering questions before I've even posted them, and I dare not go back and change them lest those changes become obsolete by even more posts. ;)
A "Photographic Memory" aspect might be in order but that's a bit of a lamely worded aspect, that "Odin's Memory Bank" from my previous post would probably work better given the background and supernatural origin you've described. For the sleepshifting concept maybe "Night Flights", "I Dream of Flying", or "Restless Wing Syndrome", "Nocturnal Missions", though "Embarrassing Police Record" is a possibility.
-
So, in general, his Background would be something about his supernatural heritage and his love of reading with the Aspect being "Photographic Memory" or "Odin's Memory Bank" (which I like the sound of) or something like that.
His Rising Conflict would be about his desire to be normal/cure himself/avoid whatever fate he may have ("From my books surcease of sorrow") and how it has given him "Restless Wing Syndrome"?
This is the mental block I keep running into. I can come up with a story, I'm just not sure how to format it for the game system.
-
Sounds like a reluctant Hero to me which is a wonderful concept.
As a gm I would compel you to use your powers rather than not using them. Since you already avoid using them.
I would also advise you to expand upon the librarian aspect. Something along the lines of: Cannot forget about what he read about what's out there. In other words, your book knowledge is haunting you...
Another good aspect might be: Tries too hard to look normal or Appears to be normal at first sight.
-
Interesting character idea. One thought for you, if it's a bloodline thing then perhaps others in his family have the same blood. Maybe his father or grandfather shares the same secret and is equally embarrassed but far more experienced. Maybe, as others have said, there is a small and secret community (a murder) of were-ravens that he can all in.
So anyway, I'd basically suggest you have a aspect reflecting that you do have family and keeps the options open for how they can be included in to the story as either help or hindrance. Something like 'My family doesn't know' or similar. Including your secret and your family. It can be invoked when talking to the family or for keeping your secret (you're used to lying about your powers) and it can also be used as a compel; your family can be in danger, or can put burdens on you, both of which can generate fate points.
-
Point of Nerdity: A "Murder" is for crows. Ravens are an "Unkindness" or, occasionally, a "Conspiracy".
The corvidae family has such cool collective nouns. Crows: Murder, Ravens: Unkindness, Rooks: Parliament, Jackdaws: Clattering etc.
Back on topic: I do enjoy the reluctant hero aspect and enjoy designing characters with lots of hooks for the DM to grab onto. Maybe his family does know and just aren't able to tell him. Maybe his Great-uncle Munin is grooming him for something greater, maybe he's the great-great-(etc) grand-nephew of a former Archive. Maybe some Winter Court/White Court/Black Court higher ups are thinking "Ravens are cool, let's minion-ize him!" I'm not planning on writing out his background that deeply, but there are lots of possibilities out ther.
-
Well I think you've got the title of your First Story right there, "A Conspiracy of Ravens" staring Adrian Huggins.
Young Adrian has made a life for himself as a Librarian in Seattle when a part of his past he thought he left far behind him comes to his city and a malevolent flock of wereravens with a dark agenda show up one dreary midnight rapping at his chamber door.
-
Doh, you're right :) Thank you for being a nerd, they're my favourite kind of people.
-
Well I think you've got the title of your First Story right there, "A Conspiracy of Ravens" staring Adrian Huggins.
Young Adrian is made a life for himself as a Librarian in Seattle when a part of his past he thought he left far behind him comes to his city and a malevolent flock of wereravens with a dark agenda show up one dreary midnight rapping at his chamber door.
That sounds awesome! Now we just need to find out how the character reacts to this situation. What do the ravens want? Does Adrian embrace his heritage to meet the pressures that the complicated situation puts on him? How does this make him feel? How does he grow from the experience? In what ways does he still remain a flawed person?
-
That sounds awesome! Now we just need to find out how the character reacts to this situation. What do the ravens want? Does Adrian embrace his heritage to meet the pressures that the complicated situation puts on him? How does this make him feel? How does he grow from the experience? In what ways does he still remain a flawed person?
Yep all that, and what aspect he might have gotten from the story. But those questions should definitely be answered by his player. Which is where the Story Skeleton on Your Story p61 comes in mighty handy for figuring it all out.
The questions I'm really curious about is if he does have a Grandfather or Uncle who is in on the whole Wereraven thing, what part might he play in the conspiracy? And is Adrian related to any of these new Wereravens?
-
While I think it is a compelling idea for a story, I'm kind of fond of the idea that while werewolves (the Alphas, etc.) are relatively common, other were-creatures are somewhat more rare. So the idea of an entire Unkindness of Wereravens may be a little out of line with that. I suppose it would be down to whatever DM ends up overseeing this character.
I'm starting to write up the Background part now and will post what I have for review soon.
-
While I think it is a compelling idea for a story, I'm kind of fond of the idea that while werewolves (the Alphas, etc.) are relatively common, other were-creatures are somewhat more rare. So the idea of an entire Unkindness of Wereravens may be a little out of line with that. I suppose it would be down to whatever DM ends up overseeing this character.
Fair enough, but then again it only takes two to make a Conspiracy. ;) What if there is only one wereraven rapping at his door? His matched partner say?
I'm starting to write up the Background part now and will post what I have for review soon.
Awesome can't wait to see it.
-
While I think it is a compelling idea for a story, I'm kind of fond of the idea that while werewolves (the Alphas, etc.) are relatively common, other were-creatures are somewhat more rare. So the idea of an entire Unkindness of Wereravens may be a little out of line with that.
That's ok, the number can easily be changed, remember this is your story, you take what you want, drop the rest, and run with it. The point of Phase 3 is to put a preliminary adventure in your character's background. Adrian's response to what happens shapes his life significantly, which is what the Aspect represents.
-
Phase One: Background
"Many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore..."
Adrian grew up in a small Alaskan town (Palmer) with his potato farmer parents. A shy, nerdish child, he has no idea that he is a direct descendant of Hugin, one of Odin's Ravens.
His heritage as a child of Thought and Memory gives him an insatiable curiosity for knowledge and a near-eidetic memory. He is constantly reading books, editing Wikipedia, addicted to TV-Tropes and an avid fan of all other sorts of information.
After High School, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Washington. He graduated with a degree in Library Sciences and currently works in the Archives of the University Libraries.
Phase Aspect:Odin's Memory Bank
Adrian has an encyclopedic knowledge on a vast variety of subjects and is always eager to learn more.
Invoke: To uncover or recall information.
Compel: To pique his curiosity and overcome his usual habit to "not get involved".
-
Nice, plus with Odin's name in the aspect you can also Compel him with quests, requests, and messages from the old, one-eyed, all-father as well.
But with Odin being a key part of the aspect you might also consider throwing in a strange visit by an old man into the back story, to really tie it together. Or maybe that sort of thing can keep till the Rising Conflict phase.
-
Ooh, you can also probably use that for declarations of strange Lore that you shouldn't be able to know, tapping into ancient Norse magics and such.
-
Phase Two: Rising Conflict
"From my books surcease of sorrow..."
Adrian has never fully embraced his were nature and has a strong desire to appear or be normal.
Ever since he discovered his shifter nature as a teen, he has done his best to suppress that part of his personality. Early on, this would lead to sessions of "sleep-shifting" where he would wake, naked, out in the Alaskan woods. Now an adult, he has learned to better control this problem, but he still wishes he didn't have to deal with it at all.
In pursuit of this he has begun secretly researching the paranormal and supernatural, attempting to find a cure for himself or a technique that will grant him better control.
Phase Aspect:Fight or Flight?
Adrian suppresses his wereraven nature, but sometimes has trouble controlling it.
Invoke: To avoid revealing his wereraven nature and conceal his abilities.
Compel: To force him to use his abilities when he would otherwise not.
-
Phase Aspect:Restless Wing Syndrome
Adrian suppresses his wereraven nature, but sometimes has trouble controlling it.
Invoke: To avoid revealing his wereraven nature and conceal his abilities.
Hmm ... Restless Wing Syndrome wouldn't seem like something you could use to hide your nature.
-
Hmm ... Restless Wing Syndrome wouldn't seem like something you could use to hide your nature.
Good point. I need a more descriptive title I think, or rework the Invoke/Compel.
Suggestions?
-
While not quite as amusing as Restless Wing Syndrome:
Fight or Flight could be creatively argued to match up with the Invoke/Compel setup. Invoking to help fight his nature and the urge to use his powers, and Compel to the opposite effect.
-
I like that.
-
Interesting take on it that I did not think of. I love how this game is so flexible! With this Aspect I see him as more of a panicky character now, fleeing at great haste to avoid discovery, but also aiding him in taking bird form to fly faster or even fight with panicked adrenalin.
-
That's how I see him, too. At least for the first part of his career. I eventually see him embracing his wereraven nature and his Trouble will have to change.
Here's my start on Phase 3:
"When a rare book of potential supernatural power is stolen, Wereraven Librarian Adrian Huggins must recover it before he loses his job and is exposed for what he truly is. But will Adrian succeed when he is up against a cabal of fellow were-creatures? Also, why does the Monoc Corporation seem so interested in the career of a simple college Librarian?"
-
The idea sounds quite interesting. A couple of things to consider though.
Rather than have a High Aspect of "Wereraven Librarian", how does: "Bookish Scion of Huginn/Muninn" sound? The Huginn or Muninn depending on whether one is descended from "Thought/Mind" aka hugr, or "Memory" aka munr. To my way of thinking, for someone as interested in books and collecting/keeping lore, then being descended from Memory would seem more apropros, but that is just my own personal opinion.
By having Scion in the High Aspect, that establishes ones relationship to one of Odin's Ravens, as well as providing a potential explanation for how/why one might occassionally suddenly start having feathers. It also leaves plenty of room for hooks to any, every and all sorts of shenanigans that various Nordic groups might get into, or have been involved in. And would explain why statuescue blond-haired, blue-eyed "women" might sometimes stop by and check the character out.
For the Trouble Aspect "Self-loathing Shifter" would work. If one were willing to have a bit less (conscious) control over when/how one shifted between raven and human forms, then a Trouble Aspect which might work would be something like "Ignorant of the Family Conspiracy..." which can establish some lack of knowledge of what is going on, familial connections, secrets kept as well as links to ravens.
Definately interested in seeing/reading more about the character and his (mis)adventures.
-
Perhaps when he and other were-ravens change, they store parts of themselves in a section of the Nevernever called the 'Never Moor' :)
In fact, that might be how were-ravens, as rare as they are, find each other.
-
At least reading your invokes and compels I think you're being a bit too strict. Some of your invokes and compels give a good example of how you mean an aspect, but I think, particularly for "Self-loathing shifter" you have a great aspect and your descriptions shoot you in the foot (claw?). They are way too limited.
I even think, looking at it more, that you're taking invokes and compels the exact opposite direction I would go in. An aspect is a part of personality that can both cause you trouble (getting you fate points) and give you opportunities where that facet becomes a strength and lets you spend fate points. You want to get them in play a lot. "Self-loathing shifter" any GM worth his salt is going to see that coming up in social situations. You're drinking a bit at a party? I am going to throw a compel at you that you drink too much*. You actually want your aspects to come into play a lot. It gets you fate.
Think to the books: how often does Harry use his "Epic Wise-ass" aspect? Think of how much of Harry's flavor is from that. Additionally he gets a ton of fate points from it--and a good thing too--he needs them to pull off all the stuff he does later in the book. Heck, you can do neat things like have your aspects work against each other (which I think is great). Say the GM invokes your Fight or Flight aspect while facing a scary bad. You could take it and then spend the fate on your "self-loathing shifter" to resist the compel because you hate shifting.
Here's the way I am handling one for my character: she's a mentorless wizard with a trouble aspect of "Doesn't know enough". Now that is nice and short, but a little to vague. So I will let the GM know that its not Ricki-Ticki-Tavi's "run and find out" or "curiosity killed the cat" but that she's operating from a place of ignorance.
*Depending on the situation I could then see compelling self-loathing shifter again to make you a maudlin drunk, or belligerent. Or just give you a temporary aspect of "Hung-over" for the next scene.
-
Todjaeger - The way I envision it, Odin's Ravens are both Thought AND Memory at the same time. It's just that when storytellers needed to distinguish Raven A from Raven B that they named them "Thought" and "Memory" separately. A descendant of either raven would be functionally similar. So I'm sticking with Hugin because I like the last name it gives the character. But maybe you are right that I could be a little more creative with my High Concept phrasing.
CMEast - That is a painfully lame pun. I look forward to using it often with great glee! It also touches on a subject about were's who "store" their extra mass/mind in a subpocket of the Nevernever. The short version is this: If a were-form whose animal form is smaller than their human form "stores" their extra mass in a small part of the Nevernever, would it be possible to "workout" (as in exercise) and increase the storage space by a small amount? Just enough to hold maybe, you know, CLOTHES?
But that's a discussion for another thread.
YuriPup - I see where you're coming from. But at this point I really like where the character is at conceptually and would like to see how it plays before making any major changes.
Everyone in General - What do you think the skill shift should be for his Raven form?
-
Rank Skills
+4 Scholarship
+3 Alertness, Investigation
+2 Deceit, Performance, Lore
+1 Athletics, Stealth, Survival, Weapons
I'd suggest the following for the skill shuffle:
+4: Alertness
+3: Athletics, Investigation
+2: Scholarship, Lore, Fists
+1: Deceit, Performance, Stealth, Survival
Dropping scholarship is kinda iffy, since it's one of your major skills... but many of its uses, such as research or computer use, would be rather trickier to use as a raven. And doing that lets us bring up Alertness (Hey, there's a shiny over there!) and Athletics (ravens are relatively quick and agile). Deceit and Performance could have stayed at two, but, well, clearly he just doesn't have much experience at being social while a raven, and we need to move something out of the way to fit in Scholarship and Fists. Fists is, of course, replacing Weapons, and the remaining skills at level one stay where they are. (Though remember the bonus to stealth from diminutive size...)
-
Todjaeger - The way I envision it, Odin's Ravens are both Thought AND Memory at the same time. It's just that when storytellers needed to distinguish Raven A from Raven B that they named them "Thought" and "Memory" separately. A descendant of either raven would be functionally similar. So I'm sticking with Hugin because I like the last name it gives the character. But maybe you are right that I could be a little more creative with my High Concept phrasing.
I would need to reread the Prose Edda to know if they were actually different in terms of responsibilities, but assuming that they had the same capabilities, something like: Bookish Scion of the Huginn and Muninn, might be appropriate instead. I definately recommend leaving in the Scion portion, as it establishes that the abilities are a result of lineal descent as opposed to what the Alphas did which was go out and actively learn how to become werewolves. But then again, that is just my view, and it's a preference largely based on 'flavor'.
-
How about just "Scion of Thought and Memory"?
-
How about just "Scion of Thought and Memory"?
Scion of Odin's Ravens?
-
How about just "Scion of Thought and Memory"?
That could work too. Though one of the first things which came to mind was the outcome of Bob and the cupcake hooking up and the cupcake having a kid :o
Scion of Odin's Ravens?
Sounds pretty good to me. It conveys the whole raven and Norse link, and due to what the ravens do for Odin, the knowledge link. Ultimately though, it's your character/game, whatever feels right to you.
-
I like "Scion of Odin's Ravens".
-
I still haven't come up with a Guest Star for my Phase 3, I'm thinking some were-whatever NPC. I'm thinking the Aspect from it should be "I Have a Destiny but I Don't Know Why"
Also, I'm switching out Deceit for Discipline. I don't picture Adrian be that good a liar, and I'd like him to have a decent shot at controlling himself.
I've asked a nearby group to let me observe a game they're having tomorrow and now I feel that I have enough character together to stand a decent chance if they ask me to join in.
-
Guest stars are your fellow PCs, so that you have some sort of connection that the GM doesn't have to create for you--and you can avoid the usual tavern/bar brawl to have the PCs meet each other.
So your guest stars will have to wait until you have some other characters fleshed out for your game.
-
OK, so I've joined a nearby group. At first I was just planning to observe and learn a little more about the game and its mechanics, but they were very inviting and since I already had a character concept ready, they invited me to join. Yay!
That being said, I need to adjust the character from 6 Refresh to 8 Refresh. I plan on keeping the extra Refresh points unspent for now, to represent the character's potential to become better than he is now. I do, however, need to rejigger the skills as he's gone from 20 skill points to 30. I don't think I'll be upping anything from Great (+4) to Superb (+5). I'd rather go with 2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Fair and 5 Average. Then I'll have to figure out the new reshuffling for his Raven form.
I'll be working on this a bit today, but I'm open to suggestions.
-
Here's what I'm thinking:
Human Form
Great (+4) Scholarship, Investigation
Good (+3) Alertness, Discipline, Lore
Fair (+2) Performace, Stealth, Weapons, Athletics
Average (+1) Survival, Conviction, Endurance, Driving, Deceit
Raven Form
Great (+4) Alertness, Stealth
Good (+3) Investigation, Scholarship, Athletics
Fair (+2) Endurance, Lore, Discipline, Fists
Average (+1) Performance, Survival, Conviction, Driving, Deceit