Against what do you roll when making a First Impression? Is it the target's Empathy? A set difficulty? Something else?

I think it depends.  If you are making a First Impression against someone who is not anticipating it or at least not hostile to meeting you, I would use the NPCs relevant skill number as base target.  It also depends on what kind of first impression you are making.

Example:

First impression roll vs a powerful politician may be vs her Presence if you are trying to impress her with your character.
First impression roll vs a celebrity may be vs his Resources if you are trying to impress him with your knowledge of fine art or the latest fashion trends.
First impressions roll vs a scientists may be vs her Scholarship to impress her with your appreciation of science.

First impression rolls vs a NPC's Empathy is certainly appropriate in more general settings or where there is no specific area of knowledge the PC is targeting.

Now if the NPC has been given a heads up that either the PC or someone else is going to try to influence her, I would have it be a contested action.  This is due to the NPC being aware that someone is going to try to influence her in some way and thus can be working actively against such influences. 

Make sense?

~ GiS

So I have learned quite a bit about Invoking Aspects, Invoking for Effect & Compels this week, partly by reading a thread where Fred explained that Tags can be used to Invoke for Effect.

My question is this, can you Invoke for Effect after you perform an action but before your turn ends?

For example:

Mack the Monster Hunter uses his Shotgun and Weapons roll to place the aspect "Shaken Badly" on a BadGuy.  Can the player then immediately Tag "Shaken Badly" to Invoke for Effect and suggest that the BadGuy is now out of the fight, cowering on the floor? 

Or, does Mack have to wait until his next turn to do so or to pass the Tag to another PC who can then Invoke for Effect to suggest removing BadGuy from the fight in the same way?

Thanks all!  Slowly getting this system down.

~ GiS

What solbergb said.

At a quick glance at the wiki, I'd start with Beast Change and Human Guise, Aquatic, Incite Lust (and at least the At Range upgrade), probably Glamours, and then a few physical powers (speed and recovery strike me as first choices).

Good thoughts.  The player has their eyes set on being a Changeling and this led to an insight on Shape Changers from our world vs the NeverNever.

The Fae, Sidhe in particular, copy and play at being human or of our world.  Just as they copy our clothes, customs, food and appearance, any animal of our world they copies would have Fae adjustments.  Just as they are beautiful beyond measure, their shape changed animals would be striking or exaggerated. 

Whereas in our world, when a human uses magic to take the form of a wolf or bear, it looks much closer to natural wolves and bears.  They would not be perfect imitations and might seem off to naturally occurring animals, but it's closer and less otherworldy in nature.

Like the hexenwulfs, who's nature was demonic in nature or influence, they wolves they turned into were exaggeratedly large and menacing.

While this may be largely flavor text, I think this understanding will help me and my players work out which way to go and inform aspects choices.

Thanks again all!

~ GiS

Good afternoon all.

I'm starting up a new game and a player has chosen to play a Selkie (Wiki Link Here).

The player has initially chosen the Changling template.

Given the nature of Selkies to give up or lose their pelts and become human, I'm thinking it might be more in form to have her take the Shapeshifter template.

Now, it's interesting because in Your Story in the Nevermore/Baltimore section it mentions Selkies in relation to the Summer Court.

Now I think there is room for overlap between these two templates.  Can Fairies also be Shape Shifters?  Sidhe taking on the form of otters or sharks?   Shapeshifters having their own small place in the Nevernever or some status in the Wyldfae or Courts?

Any thoughts?

~ GiS

Hey folks!

So after a successful introductory game, my players and I are are rolling characters from scratch, doing a city creation process and talking about what kind of game we want to play.

Here is a question that my players and I have been thinking about.  Do the Accords or other treaties cover legal vampire feedings?  If I remember the various books, people who willingly agree to be fed upon (by any Court) seem to be considered legal game by the vampires.  By that i mean to interfere with this relationship/agreement is a breach of some treaty.

I have an idea for a Seattle game that locally there was pushed an even more broad agreement, that within a certain area all vampire feedings are legal.  This was to avoid an all out war or to pay off a large debt owed to a specific court.  Though the White Council would likely not willing agree to this, they may not have much choice if enough other local powers all agreed to it.  Wizards will be somewhat on their own to interfere in a local matter.

So, if a mortal agrees to be fed upon by a Vampire, is this protected under the Accords? Other agreements? If a Wizard or other member of supernatural nation interferes, can Vampires call foul?

~ GiS

p.s. Quick note, I know that I could run it any way I wanted in my game, I'm just looking for other opinions.

Good afternoon all!

More questions from a new GM.  I recently sat down with a player whose character that has a Resource of Great (+4).  She wanted to know what she could do with Resources as it seemed limited in use.  We ran some scenes to explore this and I'd like to get your opinions on what followed.

ASSESSMENTS

My understanding: Assessments are investigatory in nature and as such primarily rely on investigation skills but can be affected by other skills. Secondary skills can Modify (+1/0/-1), Help (0/+1) or Hinder (0/-1) depending on how they rank compared to the primary skill.

Assessments are uncovering Aspects or Details that already exist on the NPC or Scene in question (use Aspects if success should give a future dice bonus).  You may roll below the target number and incorrectly now believe an Assessed Aspect/Detail exists when it does not.  The GM may determine an Assessment roll uncovers/creates an Aspect/Detail that they did not think about before but which makes sense to have.  Assessments generally take some time to finish.

Goal: Convince a reclusive retired Professor to let Lucy (the player character) make a copy of an old town map in his possession. 

Assessment using Resources:

1) Roll Investigation helped by Resources to research if the Professor has any monetary Aspects of note. (Well Off, In The Hole, Gambling Problem, etc). Use Professor's Resource Skill as the target #.
2) Roll Empathy modified by Resources to talk with the Professor and see if he has any monetary Aspects of note. (Missing The Good Life, Supporting His Nephew, etc).  Roll is contested by the Professor's Presence.

DECLARATIONS

My understanding: Declarations are a specialized form of Assessments.  They are used to create Aspects or Details (Use Aspects if success should give a dice bonus) that did not previous exist in the story but are convenient and not game breaking or outlandish.  You make Invoke for Effect and offer the GM a Fate Point instead of rolling a skill.  The GM make take it and accept the Declaration or deny it and ask you to roll.  GM's may also Veto Declarations if they feel it's too out of place or overpowered.

Goal: Convince a reclusive retired Professor to let Lucy make a copy of an old town map in his possession. 

Declaration Examples:

1) Roll Resources to Declare the Professor is looking for a Patron to support his research during his retirement. Target number is Mediocre (0) because this Declaration would be interesting, have an interesting consequence if acted on and provides a specific and interesting course of action (pg 313 YS)) Aspect created would be Seeking A Patron.

2) Roll Resources to Declare the Professor has an expensive hobby the player shares.  Target number is Great (4) because this Declaration is Interesting, does not have interesting consequences if acted on and doesn't provide a specific and interesting course of action.  Aspect created would be Enjoys Sailing.

I'd like to get your thoughts on using Resources this way.

~ GIS

Evening folks.  Running my first game of DFRPG here and we had our first combat.  A player was attacked by a biker wielding a chain.  The biker rolled a 2, +2 for Weapon skill for a total of 4 to attack vs my friends Athletics dodge of -2.  This is an attack of 6 now and the chain is a Weapon:2 so that bring the total physical stress to 8.

Now, I explained that he only had 2 physical stress boxes and that he would have to take either a mild and moderate consequence or a severe consequence to bring his physical stress down to 2 (8 incoming stress - 6 for mild+moderate or severe consequence).  He asked what happened if he just didn't take the consequence and I said he'd be taken out.  So he went along with it.  Now, he was in a group of people so he figured he would survive the encounter but asked if the attack did any lasting damage or if he would wake up 100% ok.

The rules seem to support him waking up more or less ok. So even after taking a 8 stress attack and being taken out, when revived after the scene he would be back up with no stress and no consequences correct?  This seems odd but he did get taken out and in other more dangerous situations this could be deadly, but if you have faith in your group vs some minions, this seems like a no brainer.

I thought about at least adding a temporary aspect on him to account for having his head hit/bruised/wrung pretty hard.

Thoughts?

~ GIS