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Messages - Jeckel

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1
DFRPG / Re: Using DFRPG to stat your favorite non Dresden characters
« on: August 19, 2010, 08:42:11 PM »
@pfloyd

Yea, I can totally see just dropping the guns. The one ep is easy to explain as some invokes, navel-gazing, good rolls, etc.

@Archmage_Cowl

That is down-right awesome! I really like the aspects, very fitting.

2
DFRPG / Re: Using DFRPG to stat your favorite non Dresden characters
« on: August 19, 2010, 07:29:09 PM »
Looks pretty good so far. As for (3), I also couldn't remember of the top of my head Shawn using a gun, but after a little googling it seems to have been the pilot episode.

To quote from here.
Quote
In the pilot episode Detective Lucinda (Anne Dudek) uses a Walther P99 at the police shooting range before handing the weapon off to Shawn Spencer (James Roday) who procedes to fire several shots each adjacent to the Detective's hits.

3
DFRPG / Re: Conversions for Old World of Darkness Character Types
« on: August 18, 2010, 08:39:59 PM »
I'm working on compiling these templates into web-pages as well as a pdf, but with classes starting in a few days and this dang ear infection I'm fighting things have been going kinda slow.

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DFRPG / Re: Using DFRPG to stat your favorite non Dresden characters
« on: August 18, 2010, 08:34:16 PM »
Quote from: pfloyd on August 18, 2010, 04:13:01 PM
I'd be willing to try such characters as Michael Westen and Shawn Spencer...

Deadmanwalking wrote up the Burn Notice trio, I gave those sheets some web-pages here.

I'd love to see someone do Shaun and Gus from Psych. The crew from Leverage would be awesome, as would Cal Lightman from Lie to Me and the team from Warehouse 13.

5
DFRPG Resource Collection / Re: Custom Power List
« on: August 09, 2010, 03:20:47 AM »
Quote from: Fandraen on August 04, 2010, 01:17:11 AM
Inhuman/Supernatural/Mythic Stoicism; Mental Immunity [-2/-4/-6/-8]

As the corresponding Toughness powers, but applying to the mental stress track and mental damage.

Since it is in the vein of what I'm working on, went ahead and wrote out the three Stoicism powers.

I'm wondering though, how should the Catches be handled?

Say we have this:

Tom the Catched

Physical Immunity [-8], Stacked Catch (Silver) [+3]
Mental Immunity [-8], Stacked Catch (Magic) [+2]

Mythic Toughness [-6], Catch (Vampires) [+2]
Mythic Stoicism [-6],  Catch (All Fear) [+4]

Actual catch values aside, I'm guessing that the Stoicism Catch would grant the discount since it is the highest value catch and the Toughness catch refund would be ignored. But how would the Stacked Catches be applied? I'm inclined to say that both Stacked Catches would apply their bonus to their respective Immunity powers. Does that sound right or would the Physical Immunity bonus be applied and the Mental Immunity bonus ignored?




Quote
Inhuman Stoicism [-2]

Description: Your mind is abnormally stout, withstanding far more abuse then the average human.

Musts: No protection against self-inflicted attacks or stress is provided. You must attach this power to an appropriate mental Catch (page YS:185).

Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), other mental skills.

Effects:

  • Hard to Twist. You naturally have Armor:1 against all mental stress.
  • Hard to Break. You have two additional boxes of mental stress capacity.

Quote
Supernatural Stoicism [–4]

Description: Your mind can handle trauma that would normally destroy a person.

Musts: This ability replaces Inhuman Stoicism. No protection against self-inflicted attacks or stress is provided. You must attach this power to an appropriate mental Catch (page YS:185).

Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), other mental skills.

Effects:

  • Harder to Twist. You naturally have Armor:2 against all mental stress.
  • Harder to Break. You have four additional boxes of mental stress capacity.

Quote
Mythic Stoicism [–6]

Description: The durability of your mind is beyond the mortal scale.

Musts: You must have permission to purchase this ability. This ability replaces Inhuman or Supernatural Stoicism. No protection against self-inflicted attacks or stress is provided. You must attach this power to an appropriate mental Catch (page YS:185).

Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), other mental skills.

Effects:

  • Nearly Impossible to Twist. You naturally have Armor:3 against all mental stress.
  • Nearly Impossible to Break. You have six additional boxes of mental stress capacity.

6
DFRPG Resource Collection / Re: Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!: A Dresdenverse Bestiary
« on: August 09, 2010, 12:31:46 AM »
I finally got to throw a Giant Squid at my group. The were on a small magically-indestructible boat in the middle of an ocean and the squid attacked. All three players failed their alertness horribly and were surprised. A hectic battle ensued, a bunch of bruises, many cuts, and several broken bones were inflicted on the party. It was only ended when the Gunslinger maneuvered the Blinded aspect on the squid with a spray from his repeater. He handed the tag to our Clockwork Crafter who tossed a small bomb right done the squid's beak and blew the crap clean out of it. Later on, the tentacles that were still stuck to the boat came in handy as food after their meager supplies had run out.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a different note. I've been working on a small session to do in Africa while my group is on their way to Austraila and I noticed that Silverback Gorilla doesn't have any aspects other then the High Concept.

I was thinking that these aspects might work, though they might need a little rewording.

Defender of the Troop
Almost Human
User of Simple Tools

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few other ideas for neat animals.

Sloth. I had no idea that these things can swim and actually prefer to travel distance in the water rather then on the ground or in trees.

Manatee. The mild mannered cows of the sea and cute in a weird way.

Zebra. I have an idea of a guy on a zebra challenging one of my group to a joust-y kind of contest. Not sure if this warrants a new animal sheet or if one of the horse sheets would work with a change or two.

7
DFRPG Resource Collection / Re: Custom Power List
« on: August 07, 2010, 05:22:20 AM »
I'm reworking my Telepathy power, taking into account some of the things pointed out in this thread, but I finished up a Telekinesis power that I'm pretty happy with. Nothing to fancy or complicated, but I think it gets the job done.

Quote
Telekinesis [-2]

Description: Not all is magic and mysticism, the human body holds many wonderful secrets of its own. Your secret is the ability to move objects with the power of your thoughts. Regardless of the specifics of your power's source (evolution, chemistry, mutation, technology, etc) magic is not it. Your ability is "natural" and doesn't cause repercussions from the Laws of Magic, although those know as "wardens" generally don't take the time to ask questions if they think you have broken one of the "laws".

Musts: A template or aspect related to your status as a telekinetic is required.

Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124) and Discipline (page YS:127)

Effects:

  • Mind Over Matter. Why use muscles when your brain can do the heavy lifting. Might is replaced by Conviction for the purposes of lifting things with your mind. When attempting to throw an object or make a direct kinetic attack with this ability, Discipline replaces Weapons and Fists respectively.
  • Thoughts Take Flight [-1]. You may not have wings, but that doesn't mean you can't fly. Many kinds of borders (page YS:212) are reduced or eliminated and you are able to travel through zones (page YS:197) vertically. The Discipline skill is used to govern flight in the same way that Athletics is used for running.
  • Kinetic Defense [-2]. Your telekinetic power is great, manifesting in a persistent shield around you granting Armor:1 against physical attacks. When performing a Full Defense (page YS:199) this bonus becomes Armor:2.

8
DFRPG / Re: Two Spirt Form Questions
« on: August 06, 2010, 09:56:52 PM »
1) I like limiting it to one zone up, will have to use that. Seems both thematically and mechanically appropriate.

2) For the PC ghost in question I'm going to allow some full telekinetic effects, but in general what you said does seem the most logical interpretation.

Thanx for the input, its always nice to get a second opinion. :)

9
DFRPG / Two Spirt Form Questions
« on: August 06, 2010, 08:05:26 AM »
One of my part-time players is getting her current character phased out and we've decided that an upcoming NPC ghost that will be at the center of a few different game nights will work perfectly. Most of the character side of things is worked out, and now I'm just doing the stating.

I'm working on the powers and Spirit Form raised two questions in my head.

1) Does Spirit Form allow ghosts to fly? The Insubstantial effect mentions being able to move through walls, so there is no problem with the moving through the ceiling part. I'm wondering specifically if it allows the "ghost" to fly up like the Wings power. The Insubstantial effect also says that "most" borders are reduced to zero, so I'm thinking that would include the borders above you.

For my games I would rule it lets you fly, but I'm wondering if others think there is any BS factor there that one player might call if another player took Spirit Form?

2) Does the Poltergeist upgrade grant telekinesis like ability? As the upgrade reads I'm thinking no. It says that Conviction replaces Might "to move heavy things", but beyond that it talks about manifesting with ectoplasm and physically interacting with stuff. That all seems to mean that you are becoming physical-ish and able to interact as such. The part that made me wonder was the section on the Chicago Library Ghost in Our World where it says, "Powers: Standard ghost powers, with emphasis on telekinesis (via the Poltergeist upgrade on Spirit Form)."

Again, for the purposes of my game I'm ruling that the upgrade lets you do telekinetic stuff. But does that seem like what was intended?

10
DFRPG / Re: Writeable/Safeable Char. Sheet?
« on: July 30, 2010, 06:14:27 AM »
Quote from: CableRouter on July 30, 2010, 02:05:07 AM
my standard suggestion to get a much more user friendly PDF reader

After a virus forced me to do a format and reboot, I finally got around to taking this advice and I have to say that Foxit is as cool as has been suggested in this thread. Tons better then Adobe in loading speed and resource usage. Thanx for the heads up on it. :)

11
DFRPG / Re: Programming Character sheets
« on: July 29, 2010, 08:25:53 AM »
Very nice, nothing helps programers like explanations, after all information is what the web is about. :)

I don't have any advice on the Excel stuff, but I'm happy to help with desktop languages like C++ and Python, web coding with HTML/CSS/PHP/JS/etc, or any general programming questions, as along as they pertain to DFRPG.

Currently my favorite trick is keeping data, like stunts and characters, stored in XML files so I can parse them from any language and do whatever I need to with said data. As an example, if you have say 50+ mundane animal character sheets and want to change 'High Concept' to 'High Concept', it is tons easier to modify a few lines in one parsing script then changing anything in dozens of files. Anyway, just my two cents.

12
DFRPG Resource Collection / Re: Custom Power List
« on: July 26, 2010, 06:51:35 AM »
@Todjaeger

I don't really disagree with anything you said, though not sure what you meant by "just making the 'perfect' character build".

First, I enjoy making new powers/stunts/templates/whatever, its my favorite thing after "the obvious" and programming. Creating new stuff helps give me a better grasp on the system and, as in this case, helps my players better understand what they can reasonably do or expect.

I understand the concept of rp and character story being the most important. I've GMed for power gamers who only care about rules and rolls. I've also GMed for free-formers that don't understand using anything other then their mouths and note paper for rp. My favorite aspect of the Fate system is how it blends the two worlds together so well.

This power is a bridge between the two. Not as broad as Psycomancy or Supernatural Sense (Telepathy), which would make the stat players itchy and worried their powers aren't worth as much. At the same time it is pretty open, allowing upgrades and simple mechanics so as not to frighten my free-form players. Add to that the remove of worry for the metaphysical side of Lawbreaker, but still getting to fret over fanatic wardens not care how you "broke the Law".. that got both groups pretty excited, even the players not taking the power.

But like you said, "There are multiple ways to achieve the same desired end, all without taking the same path." This is just another path I am providing my players. Those that don't wish to take that path are by no means forced to. :)

13
DFRPG Resource Collection / Re: Custom Power List
« on: July 25, 2010, 09:15:00 PM »
Here is the first draft of my take on a Telepathy power. A few points before the power though.

1) I don't buy that every person with some kind of "psychic" ability is just a baby wizard that doesn't realize their true potential. There is plenty of room in the game for "real" psychics with powers based on genetics, biology, chemistry, and other science-y explanations.

2) Supernatural Sense (Telepathy) is certainly a viable option, and with some of my more free-form players it would be fine to just charge them a few refresh and just say they have "Telepathy" with no further defining of the power in any way.... But, most of my players would either want something more concrete or cause me to want something more concrete to point to when making decisions about what is acceptable and what isn't.

3) I think natural psychics would be separate from magic users, as such I've required the Telepathy power to be removed if any form of mortal magic is taken and suggested the same for sponsored magic. This allow the power to give some mental bonuses without the fear of wizardlings using it to boost their magic.

Quote
Telepathy [-2]

Description: Maybe you access a part of the brain most people never use, maybe your a genetic aberration or scientific experiment; regardless of the exact biological explanation, the effect is the same... you can read minds. You are not a minor talent, focused practitioner, or any other form of magic wielder, your ability is biological. Despite this fact, some crazy zealots calling themselves "wardens" may not give you time to explain that fact before attempting to remove your head.

Musts: Either a template or aspect denoting your ability with the non-magical psychic arts is required. Magic and Psychic powers (the real ones, not the magical imitations) don't play well together. In the event that any mortal magic power (Evocation, Thaumaturgy, Channeling, Ritual) is taken, the character must remove the Telepathy power and regain all refresh spent on it. It is recommended that Sponsored Magic follow the same rule, although the final decision for any specific sponsor is left to the group.

Skills Affected: Conviction (page YS:124), Discipline (page YS:127), and Empathy (page YS:129)

Effects:

  • An Open Book. People are easy to understand when you can hear the thoughts they project into the world. Gain a +2 to Empathy and any time requirements are decreased by one shift. Where appropriate targets defend with Discipline instead of the normal social skill.
  • Dig A Bit Deeper. Some say a person's trash is the best way to learn about them, they're wrong. When using this ability you connect your mind to that of your target, allowing access to thoughts below the surface. At the same time, some of your thoughts and emotions will bleed over into their mind. You may spend a fate point to stop your thoughts from entering the targets mind; however, the target may also spend a fate point, in which case you will not gain any of their thoughts. In the case of NPCs that have no fate points, roll Empathy defended by the target's Discipline to determine if the player gains any information. This skill can not be used more then once per scene. A fate point must be spent on any attempt against a target after the first.
  • Mind Trick. These are not the droids you are looking for. By rolling Empathy defended by a target's Discipline, you may place a simple suggestion into their unconscious mind. There is no explicit limit to the number of times this ability may be used on a single target, but it is highly recommended that NPC targets receive an increasing bonus to their defense roll on each attempt after the first.
  • Mental Fortitude [-1]. Taking this upgrade will grant two additional boxes of mental stress capacity (page YS:201).
  • Mental Fortress [-1]. If this upgrade is taken, you naturally have Armor:1 against all mental stress.
  • Psychic Strike [-2]. Purchasing this upgrade turns your mind into a weapon. Discipline may be used to make a direct psychic attack, dealing mental stress and consequences. The victim may defend with Discipline, however counter-attacks are not generally possible. Regardless of the success or failure, the attacker takes an automatic point of mental stress each time this ability is used.

All ideas, suggestions, and opinions are welcome.

I'm specifically curious about the base cost and the upgrade costs, not sure if they to high/low? Also wondering if I'm being to strict or to lenient with any of the effects?

14
DFRPG / Re: 4th Law Question: Did Obi-One Break It?
« on: July 19, 2010, 10:22:21 PM »
Quote from: Bruce Coulson on July 19, 2010, 09:11:38 PM
The Force isn't magic.

So, no, the Jedi don't violate the 4th Law of Magic...or any of the other ones, either.

I couldn't agree more. It ain't magic and has no relation to the Laws other then some over zealous warden thinking it is magic and punishing accordingly.

15
DFRPG / Re: pre-gen Characters
« on: July 19, 2010, 07:47:45 AM »
Quote from: Todjaeger on July 19, 2010, 05:25:38 AM
I still have a bunch of Feet in the Water-level characters that I created for a Con.  If I can figure out a way to post the files of them I will.

I haven't used the attachments option of posts around here, but most places you can put a zip file right in a post. If that doesn't work might want to check out MediaFire or some other upload web-site. If all else fails, feel free to send me a private message and I'm sure we can figure something out. :)

Quote from: GruffAndTumble on July 19, 2010, 05:46:54 AM
I have nine characters in varying degrees of usability, but I think posting nine characters at once in a single thread might be pushing it.

Not at all. Look at Deadmanwalking's thread of mundane animals, there are 62 animal sheets posted and still counting. That's just one example, but there are several others. After all, no one is going to get mad for you posting to many sheets, the more the merrier. 8)

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