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Messages - Madmacabre

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1
DFRPG / Spellcasters make the others obsolete?
« on: March 01, 2011, 02:16:59 PM »
Hello all!

I wanted to share some toughts and maybe get some insights from other Gms.

Over the course of the last few months we played a couple sessions of DFRPG. My group consists of a Red Court Infected (Stage Magician), Changeling (half brownie park ranger) and an Emmisary of power (Traditional chinese ways and spirits). The Emmisary of power has the Sponsored Magic power.

The characters are very interesting and the stories are a bliss to create and run. Gotta say that FATE is quite a nice system.

Unfortunately, after a couple game session we found that when you have a spellcaster (anyone with access to Thaumaturgy or Evocation in one form or the other), the other characters tend to become obsolete very fast.

Spellcasters always have the right spell for the right situation. In combat their damage potential is over the top compared to any other types of characters and they can pretty much do the same things as anyone else using a little time and magic.

We recognize that spellcaster have limited ressources based on their mental stress track, but when they choose to act, its never boring! A single attack could vaporize even the most powerful NPC.

How do you manage your spellcasters in your game?

How do you create challenge that others will excel at and where the spellcaster won’t “steal the show”?

Would it be more appropriate to have a full spellcaster campaign?


Thanks for the insights

2
DFRPG / Re: Addictive Saliva and the 4th Law of magic
« on: January 28, 2011, 02:57:47 PM »
Thanks a lot for the insights.


It also make total sense as for game balance. Red Court infected have already enough drawbacks. If they lose it and kill someone, they essentially lose their character.

And now that you say it, I remember why magic is such a problem when it comes to breaking the laws. Magic is like investing your beliefs and essentially a part of yourself. When you use that to cause break one of the laws, you essentially corrupt yourself.


3
DFRPG / Re: Addictive Saliva and the 4th Law of magic
« on: January 28, 2011, 02:37:49 PM »
Quote from: Kommisar on January 28, 2011, 02:27:46 PM
No, use of the saliva is not a law breaker offense.  It's not "magic", he is not a magic user, and not under the purview of the White Council.

Good point...

Now, with regards to the LAWBREAKER power, if the PC keep using its saliva to enthrall humans, should I force him to take a level or two?


4
DFRPG / Addictive Saliva and the 4th Law of magic
« on: January 28, 2011, 02:20:01 PM »
One of my PC is an infected red.

What happens when he uses his addictive saliva power? Does he break the 4th law? Is he subject to the Warden's retribution? Can he be forced to take the Lawbreaker power?

And given the vampire war being active in my game, are red infected targets of white council? Or do they still consider them humans?


Thanks

5
DFRPG / Re: Wards and Landmine
« on: January 21, 2011, 05:36:41 PM »
This makes wardmines VERY powerful...

Maybe too much. I'll have to play test that one.

6
DFRPG / Re: Wards and Landmine
« on: January 21, 2011, 05:05:26 PM »
Confusion remains...See [YS p.276]


If the attack surpasses the block strength of the ward, then the ward is breached; apply whatever shifts get through to the target just like bypassing a block (page 210). Alternatively, the attacker may apply those shifts directly toward getting rid of the ward itself; each shift will reduce the value of the ward by one until it’s gone. While a ward is technically still around at Mediocre (+0) strength, most lack the energy to hold themselves together at that point; a ward needs to be reduced to –4 to be completely nullified.

Now, if I understand, if an attack bypass the block value of a ward, the attacker can do two things: 1) apply the shifts towards a target behind the ward, and 2) apply the shifts to reduce the strength of the ward. But nevertheless, the ward is breached. Howerver, it does not seem to be "dispelled" yet.

Back to my "landmine" issue. Does it only go off the first time the ward is breached? Or when it is nullified (reduce its str to -4)?


7
DFRPG / Re: Wards and Landmine
« on: January 21, 2011, 04:10:43 PM »
Mmmm...

So if you have a 6 shift ward...and someone does a 8 shift attack on it, 2 shift bypass it.

Does it mean that its breached?

Or must you use the extra shifts from attacks to reduce the value of the ward all the way down to zero to actually "bypass" a ward?




BTW thaks for the help guys!

8
DFRPG / Wards and Landmine
« on: January 21, 2011, 02:46:13 PM »
Hello all...

Let's say you have a 6 shifts ward with a 4 shift landmine attached to it.

1) When does the landmine explode? (a) When the ward is "attacked", (b) when an attack actually bypass it, or (c) when the ward is destroyed?

2) In the event of (a) and (b), how many times can the landmine be activated? Is this a one shot deal? Does it have "charges"?


Thanks a lot guys!

9
DFRPG / Using thaumaturgy to cast a "shield" spell
« on: January 06, 2011, 04:11:24 AM »
One of my player (sorcerer) wants to protect himself with a shield spell (armor 2 or3) and wants to use the thaumaturgy approach to have the spell last for a whole day.

Is this overpowered? A player could easily build an armor 5 or 6 protection this way, which seems quite powerful.

What mechanics should be used? Item creation or ward type spell approach?


10
DFRPG / Using Thaumaturgy for Evocation effects
« on: December 11, 2010, 06:13:21 AM »
Hello all,

Is it possible to use Thaumaturgy to copy evocation effects?

For example, in the thaumaturgy section it is stated that Wards are really just bonified shield spells. But could a spell sligner build up a super strong shield, with a long duration, using the thaumaturgy method?

This seems quite powerful as high complexity spells are much easier to cast (but take more time) using the thaumaturgy method.




____________________________________

Another question...

What type of spellcaster have access to the sight, and to hexing?

I presume anything with Evocation, Thaumaturgy, Channeling and ritual are in for both effects. But what about the others?

Spponsored Magic?
Changeling?


Thanks

11
DFRPG / Red vs Black
« on: November 30, 2010, 06:45:36 PM »
Hello all!

What is the difference between the catch of Black and Red court vampires?

For black its said that its pretty much Stokers' traditional vulnerabilities (sun, stake, garlic, holy stuff).

For red, its said its such things as: sun, holy stuff...

Both are not being very clear and definitive. In addition, they look quite the same...


How do you interprete those catch in your game?

12
DFRPG / Blood Drinker
« on: November 26, 2010, 04:16:27 AM »
I am not sure I understand how it works and as one of my player plans to play an infected...I better get that part straight!


DRINK BLOOD

If I understand correctly, when you hit with your claws/firsts or a weapon, you an choose to actually drink blood. This boost you in some way as it grants you a +1 to attack on the same target.

Is the +1 cumulative per attack on the same target (draining more and more blood)?

Does the drinked blood help recover from any feeding dependency negative effect (failure recovery)?


TASTE OF DEATH

If you kill a victime from feeding...

Does it mean killing a victim using the DRINK BLOOD effect?

If you ever benefit from this effect, you are essentially moving from Infected mortal to full fledge Red Court right?


13
DFRPG / To compel or not to compel
« on: November 23, 2010, 03:02:14 PM »
As a GM, do you compel the "negative" aspects that affect your NPCs? Or do you wait for your PCs to actually spend some of their FATE points?

How does it work?

For example, an NPC is affected by the aspect "Stunned". When its his time to act, should the GM compel the aspect to limit his actions if none of the PC actually do so? If no one compel the aspect, its almost like the NPC is actually not Stunned...right?

This leads to my main issue I guess...which is probably caused by my lack of experience with the FATE system.

When an aspect is in place, it seem to only matter if someone uses a FATE point to activate it. Otherwise the aspect have no real impact on the scene.

Back to the "stunned" aspect on an NPC. What does it change for the NPC to have such aspect if no one compels it? He just goes and act normally? Or is it the GM's responsability to compel the NPC's aspect? And if the GM do so, why would PCs ever bother to actually use their own FATE points?

Thanks a lot guys for the help!


I think this is among the last elements I have to clear out in my head before I am fully comfortable with the FATE system...


14
DFRPG / Animate Dead - With Evocation'sMethods and Speed
« on: November 23, 2010, 04:33:51 AM »
Hello all...

Based on p.301, Zombie Animation requires a summoning portion (6 to 10 complexity levels) and then followed by an actual binding (10 to 14 complexity)

This is all fine and balanced.

But when you look at the KEMMLERIAN NECROMANCY sponsored magic, it is suggested that you could do necromancy effect "With Evocation'sMethods and Speed".

If I understand correctly, it means that the spellcaster would need to provide energy for 6-10/10-14 power (the summoning and then the binding), and he still would need to make a discipline roll for both effect to actually control them. Right?

How feasible is this? Looks like an effect that would actually use all of the character's resources at once. And even more...


I ask the question because one of my player came up with the concept of an Emissary of power who's abilities come from his asian ancestors. He would have the Sponsored Magic linked to the ability to summon ancestral asian spirits. One of the ability he was looking at was the ability to animate traditional asian statues using ancestral spirits...which would be very similar to animate a zombie. Ok, a little more powerful, but considering the rarity of suitable statues I can live with that.

So how does it work? Because if My understanding of the Zombie Animation With Evocation'sMethods and Speed is correct, there is NO WAY he could accomplish the task with starting stats.


15
DFRPG / Re: Thaumaturgy: Summoning
« on: November 22, 2010, 09:41:32 PM »
Quote from: Ryan_Singer on November 22, 2010, 07:11:45 PM
Remember, with the true name spirit attacks, the monster has to get at you through the ward, while you are free to blast it with evocations that skip toughness and recovery powers.

I must have missed that part about the special effects of using TRUE NAME. Where can I find that in the book?



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