Not sure who all has seen this yet, but it's up on Evil Hat's website.

The Dresden Files Fate Accelerated Play Test Application

So, I remember reading in the Dresden books where if Harry is attacked, he'll reflexively throw up a shield. Yeah, he will sometimes put one up before hand, but usually it's a thing he does to prevent an attack from landing instead of dodging. Unfortunately from what I remember of the RAW, the game mechanics don't really support it. Has anybody house ruled that into their games? If so, what problems (if any) have arisen from it?

To me, it seems like a way that a mage can use their magical abilities to get a dodge at the cost of evocation stress. It's still wearing them down but will generally let them use their apex skills + appropriate focus to deal with a situation while still tiring them out mentally.

Quick question... does a catch on a Toughness/Recovery power downgrade the power or does it bypass it completely? For some reason I'm remembering two different versions of the rules and the book isn't exactly helping me come to a conclusion.

First off, back in the saddle again. It's been almost a year since I've posted in here. I've missed the board and the discussion.

Secondly, I'm going to be running a two person campaign with my girlfriend and a mutual friend of ours. Inspired by that prospect, I've sat down and started statting again. I present to you, the Leprechaun. Any comments and critiques are appreciated.


Leipreachán
High Concept: Mischievous Wyld Fae Cobbler
Other Aspects: Not My Lucky Charms!
Skills:
Craftsmanship (+4)
Deceit (+4)
Fists (+3)
Lore (+4)
Presence (+3)
Most other skills default to Mediocre, with a few standouts as Average
Powers:
Supernatural Sense [-1] Pertains to his pot of gold. A Leprechaun seems to be able to feel the presence of his gold.
Glamours [-2]
Incite Emotion [-2; Greed, At Range]
Inhuman Speed [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
The Catch [+1] Cold Iron and the like
Wish Granting [Ritual reskin for Fortunamancy, which is a reskin of Entropmancy -2 ]

Total Refresh Cost: -10

Description:  A  human sized fae, the Leipreachán (westernized, Leprechaun) generally looks like an older human male wearing a red coat. Everybody thinks it’s green and they’d only be partly right. Generally considered Wyld Fae, only when aligned with a particular court will they change the color of their coat. Leprechauns also wear very fine leather shoes that never get dirty, regardless of where they’ve been walking.

What We Know:
A particularly vexatious fae, Leprechauns like to trick mortals and will often lead them on chases through the woods giving only the occasional glimpse of their quarry. They will also set up elaborate schemes motivated by their gold and can even throw out a mental whammy to help drive their plots. Leprechauns are also renowned for their cobbling abilities, something that few mortals know. While they are not as fascinated with shoes as Cobs, they can appreciate a good pair of shoes and can even be convinced to repair them on occasion. The spots where Leprechaun’s hide their gold, for some reason, makes the veil between the real world and the NeverNever thin. After a storm, a rainbow will mark the weakened area bringing about the whole “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” myth. Those with the know-how can enter the NeverNever at that location, although the creatures the Leprechaun has placed to guard the gold won’t be nearly as sporting as the Leprechaun would be.

If captured, the Leprechaun has been known to offer his captor three boons in exchange for his release. The mythology has gotten muddy and calls it three wishes. These boons can be used for good luck. (use as Ritual created Sticky Maneuvers)

Leprechauns can be a little rowdy when drunk. They also prefer to fight with their fists.

Powers:
Glamours and speed to befit their trickster nature, plus recovery for when things get a little hairy. They can also cause greed in mortals and when captured can alter chance for a price.

Weaknesses: Standard fae weaknesses

*edit: added deceit for Glamours and to befit his trickster nature*

I've been running DFRPG for a few months now with a group that started as four and has sadly dwindled to three. The campaign title is Austin City Limits. We've managed to get two case files finished (a short and longer one) and we're more than halfway through the third. I'd like to start sharing the adventures here, first with the characters.

Active PCs:

Charley Cane is a former Austin Police officer turned private investigator who has more than a hint of demon blood in her. She ended up as a first responder to a shoot out between Red Court thugs and a lycanthrope gang. She got to see the full brunt of their powers before they dispersed when the other cops showed up. When she was truthful in her report about the abilities of the creatures she was fighting, she was put in for a pysch evaluation and eventually discharged. She is now runs Cane Investigations out of a converted house next door to Nanking Kitchen (more about that later)

"Robert" Shen Lo is a 1798 year old wizard and a relative new comer to the White Council, thanks to extenuating circumstances. During the Han Dynasty in China, the wizard Shen Lo belonged to the court of the Chancellor Cao Cao as a mystic warrior. Shen Lo was cursed to get into a long running battle with a rival sorceror Feng Li. Due to the curse, only one of them is allowed out of the NeverNever at any given time. When they do both come out, they must battle with the loser trapped in a pocket dimension for an indeterminate amount of time. Since time in the NeverNever flows differently nearly 1800 years have passed with Shen Lo and Feng Li spending a few years out or in. They are each supported by a clan of their ancestors, and it has come out in story that Ancient Mai is a lineal descendant of Shen Lo. She is much more powerful than he is, but he is by far the older although for all appearances he is younger. Since the White Council is a geritocracy, by sheer dent of his age he should be on the Senior Council. Because of the extenuating circumstances surrounding his curse, he is not allowed to be on the Senior council because he could end up trapped in the NeverNever during important political decisions. The eldest member of his clan, a withered chinese man called Grandpa Po runs a chinese restaurant in Austin called Nanking Kitchen. Shen Lo has become an almost Marc Katz type restaurateur (Katz is a bit of a local legend with his early morning commercials) in which Shen Lo plays up the stereotypical old chinese man.

Syrena Keres is a bit of a mystery. Supernaturally gifted, she exhibits both demonic and angelic qualities (part of the secret backstory is that Syrena is the result of an experimentation when a demon possessed person raped an angel possessed person.). An out cast, she ended up joining a new mafia outfit in town secretly run by the Red Court.


Retired to NPC-dom

The man known only as Lucky has been homeless for a number of years, having run away from home at an early age. He is extremely friendly and pious, but believes in living on the streets to help spread the Good Word. Lucky eventually joined the ranks of the Knights of the Cross, picking up the fabled fourth sword (more of that in the case file). He is a lineal descendant of the Gypsy King who forged the nails for the crucifixion. Due to personal reasons, Lucky's player had to leave the group, although I have brought him back as an NPC.


I'll post up the three case files we've done when I've got a bit more time. I gotta say though, I'm thoroughly enjoying this game.


*Update: Shen Lo is from the Han Dynasty, not the Ming Dynasty. That is a 1000 year difference that I didn't catch until like 10 minutes ago. I have updated his write up accordingly.*

I found this great blog with an artists concepts of Lovecraftian outsiders. I plan on using these as Outsider inspiration when coming up with stats.

http://yog-blogsoth.blogspot.com/

Everybody seems to focus on spells that don't violate the laws. I personally like to think about spells that would break the laws, to give the villains (and some PCs with a more evil bent and refresh to spare) cool things to do that are plausible in the rules. A lot of the actual Law breaking seems to be done through thaumaturgy, but I don't think that the 1st Law should be the only one possible to break through Evocation.

The 3rd and 4th law seem easy enough to break through Spirit Evocations. What about the rest though?

I was just given a great idea by an old Fantastic Four comic. Let me know what y'all think of this quick veil.

Invisible Clothing
Type: Spirit Evocation, offensive attack
Power: Varies by what you think the characters perception is, typical is 3-4 shifts
Control: Roll Discipline plus appropriate specializations and focus items
Duration: One exchange
Target: One creature, with more shifts could affect everybody in a zone
Opposed by: Target's Presence
Effect: Renders the target's clothing invisible, causing the shifts of power and any spin to function as a Social attack.
Variations: The caster could add additional shifts of power to make the veil stronger (for more perceptive or against socially adept targets), to attack additional people, or to gain additional exchanges of duration without needed to concentrate and re-roll.

Thoughts?