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Messages - fabulator

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16
DFRPG / Re: Introducing DFRPG to a new group
« on: August 06, 2010, 07:07:12 PM »
I like the recommendation about going with non-aware characters but there's a few people in the group who are hard-core Dresden fans (me and 2 others out of about 6) and they want to play wizards etc...

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DFRPG / Re: Template Idea: Human Giant
« on: August 06, 2010, 06:47:39 PM »
Anyone else think if you do this you should have to ryhme ever other sentance? 


Anyone want a peanut?   :P

Hehehe, that could be your trouble.  Constant Rhymer maybe

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DFRPG / Re: The Power of SCIENCE
« on: August 06, 2010, 06:45:12 PM »
I think the suggestions for elements on here already are really good and that's what I'd go with. You're going to have to be a bit more creative, or know much more about science than I do, to come up with the 'reasonings' behind your 'spells'. I mean, Harry launches a jet of flame because he pours some will into his blasting rod and shouts a word in Latin; a science-mage is going to be pointing at a big group of atoms and telling them all to jump up and down really fast.  Once you get into forces like the strong and weak nuclear force I'm not sure how you can apply them to spell effects but if you can work it out, go for it. I can't see True Believer being right for this concept unless you want to make new powers to replace Bless This House and Guide My Hand and if you do, why be a True Believer? I think the fact that science is called a religion in the Dresdenverse is more due to an unreliable or biased narrator than anything else. as for the Hexing, I agree that the science-mage should still have some trouble with hexing sensitive equipment. A lot of his work can be theoretical in nature so he uses pencil, paper, chalk, chalkboards which should be fine. You could also give him an aspect or a a focus/enchanted item that helps with the problem. Maybe a Technology is my Friend aspect or an enchanted item that 'soaks up' a hit of hexing with each use of the item. Enchanted lab coat perhaps?  Dang, new character idea!

19
DFRPG / Re: Can a Glamour Torch shed real light?
« on: August 06, 2010, 06:27:11 PM »
As far as Glamouring up some light to see by I'd leave it up to your GM. I can see the point of the poster arguing that a -2 refresh power should give you more benefit than a no refresh cost flashlight but also consider that magic in the Dresdenverse is still reliant on physics. If you've got no real photons to bounce off stuff, you aint seeing anything. Glamouring a clone of you out of a hair; maybe, but the roll should be really, really difficult and require a lot of shifts for duration and such-like. Seemings for phantom sound and all that are right on; I really don't see why you'd need a connection to what or where you're putting the seemings. Also putting a seeming of a man over your fox form is totally fine too.  I think in the end its going to come down to your GM and what he or she lets you get away with.

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DFRPG / Introducing DFRPG to a new group
« on: August 06, 2010, 06:19:58 PM »
So I have a group here in Iowa that I'm hoping to get started with DFRPG but only a few of them have ever read the books (the philistines) and are not familiar with the setting or the system. I think they can handle it, especially since the system is pretty easy to pickup, but how can I give them a quick overview of the Dresdenverse and the current situation? The first chapters in YS are really great but they're a bit long, I need like a one or two page thing.  Also, pre-gen characters; yes? no? how much to pre-gen? any thoughts would be great. Oh, and if you live in Des Moines let me know and we'll add you to the group.

21
This idea sounds awesome and I hope it works out for you; love what you've put together so far. You're definitely going to need some face to represent the mortal authorities/staff etc... From what I've seen of these kind of gatherings there is usually a small group of die-hards that put everything together and run everything so you'll need something to represent that. It can be different from you Pure Vanilla Knight, he looks more like a dedicated performer or even a paying customer that just shows up all the time.  Something like Faire Organizer and a location like Information Booth or Staff Booth would do it.  Also, consider that the prime season for these kind of things is roughly May through September so you're going to work out what happens during the winter months.  If you're going for a permanent location then the PC's can definitely deal with the mundane issues of keeping the site in good condition as well as incursions from the Winter Court, a rogue practitioner playing with snow-storms, ice-beasts, etc...

22
DFRPG / Re: Laws of Magic and sponsored magic
« on: July 11, 2010, 04:52:33 AM »
Well what I'm trying to accomplish here is explain why beings like faeries, vampires etc... don't have to Lawbreaker stunts and things like that. Obviously they still have to suffer consequences for using black magic but for most of those creatures those consequences are part and parcel of being a monster; since they lack the capacity for true, meaningful choice and are beholden to their natures it doesn't really make much difference to them if they kill you with magic or with claws.  I'm also looking at a lot of people who are making Emissaries of Power and using sponsored magic and things like that and wondering why, how or if Lawbreaker should apply to them and I think not.  The user of sponsored magic still has obligations and suffers consequences for their actions and use of magic but those are all set by their sponsor and his/her/its agenda. Someone on the boards here, apologies for not getting the name, said something similar in that the equivalent of Lawbreaker for a character using Sponsored Magic:Seelie magic is coming closer to choosing to be Fae as opposed to human which I think makes perfect sense.  I guess what I'm setting out here is that I'm in the camp that sees the Laws and Lawbreaker stunts only applying to mortal practitioners (wizards, sorcerers, focused practitioners, etc...) who have free will (a positive refresh); all other groups either don't really care all that much (vampires) or have their own set of obligations (faeries).

23
DFRPG / Re: Laws of Magic and sponsored magic
« on: July 11, 2010, 03:57:01 AM »
   The flaw I see in this philosophy is that a huge theme in the books is the predominance of wizards corrupting themselves, and going darkside because they had no proper training. They do dark magic (sometimes with very good intentions) without knowing about the laws, or that there even ARE laws. So it can't be their belief in the ramifications of dark magic that is warping them, because they are unaware that there are any ramifications.
   As far as the supernatural community being able to break the laws without repercussion, its brought up many times in the novels (and in the RPG books) that the Laws of magic only apply to mortal practitioners using those forms of magic on other mortals. You can use those forms of magic (except time travel and dealing with outsiders) on non-humans without fear. It is specifically a condition of the human soul that causes it to become tarnished by treating ones own species in such a way.
   So even if supernatural beings where beholden to those rules of conduct (which they shouldn't be, because even the ones that have souls don't have human souls), it would only apply to them using those forms of magic on their own species, not mortals.

I should have been a bit clearer in my post but I was trying to get across is that the belief of mortal wizards in the fallout from black magic and the effects of Lawbreaking is something that has been happening for a very long time. At this point, that belief has changed magic (or at least the way mortals interact with magic) to the point that even practitioners that have no idea about the dangers of black magic suffer the consequences. Other casters (faerie, monsters, etc..) do not share these beliefs and are thus not affected by them or the consequences of so many mortals believing the same thing for so many years.

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DFRPG / Laws of Magic and sponsored magic
« on: July 10, 2010, 04:24:21 AM »
So I've just had a small brainwave about the way the Laws of Magic, sponsored magic and the Accords interact with each other.  Consider that the Accords define specific 'groups' like the White Council, Summer and Winter, the Freeholding Lords, etc... and each of these groups then set their own policies for internal affairs while the Accords handle external relations.  The White Council is a group that strongly believes in the power of magic being shaped and guided by mortal will and thus set up the Laws of Magic to preserve that belief and to keep their own potential for destruction in check. These Laws have been around for so long and the White Council has been believing in them and in the effects of dark magic for so long that these beliefs have actually changed the way mortal practitioners interact with and use magic.  Its almost as if there are now two kinds of magic; mortal and non-mortal.  The White Council 'group' and mortal users are bound by the Laws because they believe that they are and they believe in the backlash black magic provokes and, for them, this belief is true. Other 'groups'; fae, dragons, vamps, whatever; do not suffer from Lawbreaker penalties because they don't really believe in the Laws and don't even consider the fallout from black magic. For them, the Laws just aren't real.  JB and Bob mention a number of times throughout the series that magic is a quirky thing that changes over time and I can readily imagine the focused belief of countless mortal practitioners changing things enough that, for them only, the negative effects of black magic (heck, even the concept of black magic) comes into being and they create the Laws to protect themselves.  Well, there you have it. Just my 2 copper.

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DFRPG / Re: Sponsored Magic - Greek Pantheon
« on: July 08, 2010, 04:19:36 AM »
Well I think your doing pretty well already; your definitely going to have to limit yourself to one or two gods and Athena and Hermes are good choices.

Hermes - evocation elements would be air and spirit and it sounds like you've got some focus/enchanted items already. might wanna think out about a caduceus rod as well although that brings in Hermes' healing domains which you may not want to incorporate. For thaumaturgy probably a focus on divination and veils, maybe able to do divinations at evocation speed. 

Athena - elements would be earth fire and spirit; look for some kind of shield as a focus item. something similar to Harry's shield bracelet maybe or maybe a pendant. Thaumaturgy would be focused on wards, probably at evocation speeds, and maybe summoning/binding.

Hope that helps

26
One thing I've always like about London is the way the underground zones split up the city into manageable chunks. Try focusing on just Zone 1; that's got most of the big stuff.  Its a bit east of your location but its a thought. Otherwise just stat up your neighborhood/district as you would any other city and see how that goes.

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DFRPG / Re: Aspects for a Anubis oriented character
« on: July 04, 2010, 04:45:48 AM »
What about some things like "The dead don't bother me" or "The dead don't scare me", "Weighed in the balance", "That's Mr. Psychopomp to you!". Depending on how you see the whole judging thing you could go with "Fingers on the scales of justice" or "Those scales are rigged!" Hmmmm, maybe "the dead see all" or something similar which could go for either physical senses or truth detection.

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DFRPG / Re: LFG in Des Moines, IA
« on: July 02, 2010, 05:54:21 PM »
I haven't finalized the setting, might be Des Moines or might go with a bigger area. I think Des Moines could definitely be Dresdenized although it might be harder than some other cities.  Hmmm... I sense a challenge!

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DFRPG / Re: The Updated PDFs are Up
« on: July 02, 2010, 04:41:28 AM »
Email us using the contact form on the rpg website. Send a picture of you with the books or tell us a story that you'd only know from being at the convention. :)

But I thought what happens at cons stays at cons :)

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DFRPG / DFRPG and the Codex Alera
« on: July 02, 2010, 04:40:26 AM »
So, anyone else think that with just a few tweaks here and there this system could work for the Codex Alera, JB's other great work?  I mean all you'd have to do is alter some skills and redo some types/templates, fiddle with the stunts, take a look at the powers, ummm...rework almost everything. But still, it would work! hehe

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