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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: admiralducksauce on October 12, 2010, 07:16:48 PM
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Hi all,
I apologize if this has been answered before but I didn't see anything in the rules that specifically address this, or I didn't know where to look. When an character's Aspect is compelled as a means to complicate their action, does it impose a -2 penalty (opposite from an invocation) or simply causes the stated action to fail? I'm especially confused when it comes to players compelling Aspects placed or discovered on opponents. Here's an example of what I mean:
Dean's PC, Sam, has just slammed a fire axe into an evil-but-fuzzy Friendigo and inflicted a consequence, "Barely Holding Its Guts In". When the Friendigo counterattacks, Dean says the Friendigo's vicious swings are poorly aimed due to its injuries, taking the free tag on its consequence and getting a +2 to Sam's Athletics roll to dodge. I get that, that's all well and good. Now, what if on the next exchange, the Friendigo tries to attack Sam's friend Bobby, who's in a wheelchair and can't really dodge? Dean throws down a FATE point and.... what?
1. Compels the Friendigo's injury, saying it can't make it to Bobby and kill him because it's too busy holding its guts in? Does the Friendigo just fail, accept the FATE point, and we move on?
2. Or does the Friendigo accept the FATE point and suffer a -2 to its attack on Bobby - but still gets to attack despite the penalty?
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Even though he's in a wheelchair, he still gets an Athletics roll to dodge. If he invokes that aspect (spending a Fate Point now), he gets a +2 to that dodge.
In effect, it's the same thing as giving the Friendigo a -2 because it's an opposed roll, but to be compelled is to fail ... or succeed at a cost, I suppose. I'd say you could adjudicate it that the Friendigo hits him, but it's not a solid blow, so he just does whatever Weapon damage, same as a matched roll.
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As far as I can tell Compels never give the victim of the Compel a penalty to their roll (in a mechanical sense). They are very powerful - which is why the option is there to buy out of them. In the circumstance you describe, if the GM accepts the compel on the aspect, then the Friendigo fails in his attempt to attack Bobby. If he buys out of the compel then he can act. The same is true if it were a PC suffering from the compel. Remember as well that Compels are negotiated. If the player is suggesting a compel they should have an idea as to how they want it to play out, and you can discuss it until you are happy with the proposed outcome. The consequence you're looking at in the example is probably a severe one rather than mild or moderate, so it's not out of the question to say that the compel forces the Friendigo to flee the combat - or at least attempt to.
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When you compel you bypass the dice altogether. In the OP's example a compel might be Frendingo you're to busy holding your guts in to attack Bobby and he runs away. When you compel you force someone to do something, not do something (less interesting), or otherwise complicate their life.
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Thanks for the clarification, guys. "Compels bypass the dice altogether" is the key point I was missing.
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I don't know if the rules back me up here but this is how I see it. The GM is the only one who compels. A compel is directed at a player asking them to complicate the situation (usually by failing or making some mistake) for the enjoyment of all. Everyone else invokes. Invoking is giving yourself a +2 on whatever your doing based on an aspect. Whether it's your aspect or someone else's you're still invoking it for your benefit.
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There's actually no reason why a PC can't compel aspects on NPC's. The key points to remember are;
1) They have to be aware of the aspect's existence (either as the result of an assessment or declaration, placing it via a maneuver or consequence, or an existing scene aspect)
2) They must pay a FP (unless they have a free tag, maybe [see below])
3) If the target accepts the compel, they receive the FP from the PC (in the case of the free tag above, either it can't be used to compel, or the target gets a FP from the pot instead of from the PC. Its not clear to me which way the rules lean on this point)
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I don't know if the rules back me up here but this is how I see it. The GM is the only one who compels. A compel is directed at a player asking them to complicate the situation (usually by failing or making some mistake) for the enjoyment of all. Everyone else invokes. Invoking is giving yourself a +2 on whatever your doing based on an aspect. Whether it's your aspect or someone else's you're still invoking it for your benefit.
The rules actually state flat out that players can compel NPC aspects.
Page 107 - "Compelling Other Aspects"
If you are aware of and can access an aspect on another character or NPC, you may spend a fate point to try to trigger the circumstances of a compel (see page 100) on the target. If the GM decides this is a compel-worthy circumstance, then she takes the offered fate point and proceeds with a compel, running it as if she had initiated the compel herself.
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Yeah, I saw that after I posted.