One thing I see is, that most of those refresh costs are wrong.I tend to agree, balancing a refresh cost that high from scratch is going to be near impossible. Especially if the players and/or GM are still learning the games system. Heck I started my players at 8 refresh and I still had balancing issues due to learning the system.
Ebenezar has 30 spent
O'Suilleabhain has 25 spent
Scarlet has 29 spent
Mordred has 30 spent
I believe at some points you haven't counted the stunts in.
Other than that, I can't really say that much. I don't really like high power games like that. There is a point where people have too much refresh and just take powers because they still have points to spend. If everyone has supernatural toughness and strength, that basically means nobody has it. I guess it would be easier if you tone it down to a 12 or maybe 15 refresh game, that would still be high power, but easier to handle.
By the RAW suggestions, your main antagonist/s would need a refresh level of almost 400 to not get stomped into the dirt by your players.Which will basically be the "plot device powerful" end of the spectrum.
Which will basically be the "plot device powerful" end of the spectrum.Not a bad way to deal with the npc imbalance at all. Though that would mean he would need to stat everything from scratch, which is a lot of work, but not impossible.
You can have high powered characters without high refresh numbers though. Just adjust where things fall off the "low powered spectrum" and the "high powered spectrum" in your game. Our World has a lot of characters without stats, because those are either too weak or too strong to have meaningful fights with. If you push, for example, a red court vampire off the low end of this spectrum and on the other hand put stats on Lea, then your powerlevel will have changed significantly, while remaining the refresh level the same.
Other than that, I can't really say that much. I don't really like high power games like that. There is a point where people have too much refresh and just take powers because they still have points to spend. If everyone has supernatural toughness and strength, that basically means nobody has it.
By the RAW suggestions, your main antagonist/s would need a refresh level of almost 400 to not get stomped into the dirt by your players.
[-1] Armor-Piercer : Ignores all mundane and supernatural armor effects (not including those of Toughness powers). (This was over-costed...and shouldn't apply to natural Toughness.)
...
[-1] The Answerer. If the wielder pushes Fragarach against the throat or body of an enemy and speaks the magic word, that enemy cannot make Deceit checks or lie. It must answer any question asked of it, but this effect can be opposed by a Discipline check against Epic difficulty.
Enchanted Items
The Golden Cloak of War (6 shift Block or Armor 3, 3/session) [4 Enchanted Item Slots]
...
Wrathful Destruction [-1] The sword becomes far more powerful when wielded in anger. When the wielder strikes with intent to kill, or strikes with rage, the blade is Weapon:6.
Thank you for your thoughts. Any advice for a reword on The Answerer?
Thank you so very much. All of those are quite playable, and fit within the balance i asked for. Scarlet should be primarily a tank who can do, at her very best, four shift evocations. Deleting the skill replacement part of Transcendant Swordsmanship would probably help, but i love it as is and would be loath to change it.
And i'm also a huge Iron Druid fan, and was tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to represent his powers, which are limitless while touching the earth, and very very limited if he's not. (Come to think of it, should'nt he have a Physical Immunity to magic? I'm pretty sure that's a net refresh cost of -3, however, slinging him into NPC-dom.)
The RAW suggestions are best ignored. The importance of skills, optimization, and circumstances makes it impossible to judge character power purely by Refresh total.
Armour Piercer might be a bit too good once big enchanted items come into play. It could easily be +5 stress/hit.
The Answerer is just unfair. There's a reason that absolute effects are so rare in this game. I suggest modelling it as a Compel.
Personally I'm of the opinion that you have to choose Block or Armour when you make the item. I know this is a non-settled issue, so I'm not saying you're wrong, but I figure this deserves mention.
Wrathful Destruction would normally be overpowered, but with Incite Emotion and spellcasting to compete with it's fair.
Thank you for your thoughts. Any advice for a reword on The Answerer? Again, Atticus is basically lifted wholesale from the Iron Druid books, where he's actually depicted. That is a fairly accurate writeup of Fragarach's powers- In fact, it may be a little underpowered, considering in the latest book Fragarach proves quite capable of(click to show/hide). the powers of the Red Sword that are specifically related to wrath and killing intent were intended to be represented as compels, so good eye there.(click to show/hide)
I suppose the Answerer could just up the hell out of a Deceit check difficulty, but that's almost the same thing but just reworded to seem a little more fair.
(man I italicize a lot of things)
That's fair. I'm inclined to go with a slight modification of your later suggestion and having it use either Lore or Weapons as a Block against lying (possibly opposed by Discipline).
Blocks are not opposed. Blocks are opposition. Any roll (of any skill) that can be affected by the block can break the block. Any roll (of any skill) that cannot be affected by the block cannot break the block.
ooh! It's Sanctaphrax! I liked those books too, but I'm not very far in the series (Midnight over Sanctaphrax)
I strongly disagree, as do the Evil Hat folks (for those who care). You're quite right it deserves mention, though.
If you've discussed this before, I'd be interested in seeing a link to the discussion.
Lawbreaker is basically instant death anyway, for a 1-Refresh PC. Either way the character isn't playable anymore. So if Atticus has 1 Refresh then swapping out death for the Lawbreaker Power ought to be a fair trade.
I don't think Sponsored Faith should cost anything. Debt is, at least in theory, no different in value from FP.
PS: Link's interesting. Explains some of the current balance problems with enchanted items. I note with interest that Fred's on my side when it comes to unique abilities that let Luccio make rule-breaking items.
Certainly no more than -1.
I wouldn't even cost such a 'power' at -0. I wouldn't even call it a power.
The Dark Powers are always willing to help. Always. Even Pure Mortals. Some are likely especially eager to help Pure Mortals.
The idea is from the Generic NPC thread's statblock of an angel, which had this power. I felt it was appropriate.
Especially if the Sponsor is gonna enforce morality on you.I wouldn't say that. See above re: a compel is a compel is a compel
Oh, and Sanctraphrax, while i've got you on the proverbial line, Is there a thread for homebrew templates or some such? Or would that come under "Generic NPCs"?
I wouldn't say that. See above re: a compel is a compel is a compel
Compels 'enforcing morality' are no more (or less) potent nor punitive than those enforcing immorality, or those injecting new opposition, or anything else.
Sanctaphrax, I'm willing to start the thread, but I'd honestly prefer if you did it. Your name under the thread title will probably carry a lot more weight than mine, encouraging people to post.
Speaking of which, this custom power level is basically just Scuba Diving+1 refresh, if im not mistaken? And like five extra skill points?