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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Blk4ce on January 18, 2014, 06:54:31 PM
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Inspired by the hundreds of games out there, is there a way to cast curses in battle or is Evothaum the only way? I was thinking about taking a modified entropy element named "Curses" in Evocation, for example. Any ideas?
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Technically, anything can be an Evocation element. You can use curse-themed normal Evocation attacks/blocks/maneuvers just fine. If you want to use actual Entropomancy, like the example Entropy Curse? You'd need evothaum for that.
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I always imagined them to be short-hand for the Wizard's Death Curse...but yeah, what he said.
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And given an entropy curse either applies an aspect like "bad luck", a consequence-level effect, or is deadly... there's really not much mechanical difference in the effects (except how powerful/hard to defend against it is) from an evocation maneuver or attack. It's not like transportation/worldwalking or biomancy that can have totally non-evocation-like effects.
So yeah, it would be fine as an evocation element IMO. Might even kind of overlap with the entropy stuff water evocation can do... though that seems less evil, and more just physical disintegration.
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I'd go with Hick here. If you want to curse someone to be hurt, that's an attack. If you want to curse someone for bad luck so you'll have an easier time punching him in the face, that's a maneuver. If you want to curse someone to be too clumsy to hit you, that's a block (or again a maneuver that you can tag on your defense roll).
Instead of a bolt of energy smashing into your target, it would be more subtle, energy weaving around your target, tightening like a noose around his neck and finally striking, when he least expects it, making him stumble and hit his skull on the concrete.
You could also do a maneuver and tag it for effect, if you want a curse to do something besides bloody murder. Though as an evocation maneuver, I would be hesitant to allow for very big effects.
As an element, it could actually be anything, though water in its entropy capacity, and spirit as a general "invisible energy" theme would work best. But I like the Codex Alera interpretation of fire as a source of primal fear, so you could curse someone with fear. Or use air and its alignment with motion and put it in reverse and put a slow curse on them. Or a speeding up curse, where their body is too fast for their reflexes to follow. Not to mention an earth-magnetic curse in a knife factory. Always in concert, of course, with an aspect to flavor how your magic works, as described in the book.
As a focused practitioner, ritual (entropomancy) would work well, of course. Or flavored evocation, if you want to go full blown practitioner, but keep in line with the curses theme.