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Messages - vultur

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1051
DFRPG / Re: Listens To Wind (post-TC)
« on: June 05, 2010, 05:47:40 AM »
Bear in kind that Modular Abilities have a -2 Refresh surcharge. Also that a Bear should have both Claws and Inhuman Toughness.

So, for Inhuman Strength (-2), Inhuman Toughness (-2), Inhuman Strength (-2), Hulking Size (-2), Claws (-2) totaling -9, he needs -11 worth of Modular Abilities??? Ouch.  

Since he still needs pretty awesome spellcasting, I'm not willing to take his refinement below -8, -7 if absolutely necessary... but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a -30 Refresh Senior Council member. On the other hand, HWWB is -30 Refresh, and I don't think he's 'more powerful' than Listens-to-Wind... but if I start critiquing the 'canon' placements I'll never get anywhere. (Suffice it to say that everywhere the book says 'this is a minimum' - Faerie Ladies, Senior Council, etc. - I think they need like 10-15 more refresh on top. IMO the Faerie Ladies should be about equal to the Senior Council. I really do NOT buy 'the Denarians are Senior Council level' - Harry's killed way too many for that to make sense. Magog, a fairly cruddy Denarian by all accounts, has the same refresh as Listens-to-Wind??? Also I don't think Kemmler NEEDS to be beyond-stats; he's not Mab level, he never finished the Darkhallow...)

On the other hand, you seem to be OK with Senior Council Wizards with Refresh in the -30s, which works great. (Do you have all the SC at about that level? What about the Faerie Ladies?)


1052
DFRPG / Listens To Wind (post-TC)
« on: June 05, 2010, 05:25:26 AM »
The stats for Listens To Wind in Our World don't reflect what we learned about him in TC. Here's a first pass at doing that:


High Concept:
Senior Council Wizard
Other Aspects: Shapechanging Badass; Little Brother; Illinois Medicine Man; Patient and Quiet; I See Ley Lines; Friend of the Blackstaff; Friend of Martha Liberty
Skills
Alertness: Fair (+2)
Athletics: Fair (+2)
Conviction: Superb (+5)
Contacts: Good (+3)
Discipline: Fantastic (+6)
Empathy: Good (+3)
Endurance: Great (+4)
Intimidation: Good (+3)
Investigation: Good (+3)
Lore: Superb (+5)
Presence: Great (+4)
Rapport: Fair (+2)
Resources: Average (+1)
Scholarship: Good (+3)

Powers
Evocation [–3]
Thaumaturgy [–3]
The Sight [–1]
Soulgaze [–0]
True Shapechanging [-4]
Modular Abilities [-9]
Wizard’s Constitution [–0]
Refinement [–8]

Specializations
Evocation: Elements (Earth, Water, Spirit, Fire); Control (Earth +1, Water +1, Spirit +3, Fire +1); Power (Earth +1, Spirit +2)
Thaumaturgy: Control (Divination +1, Biomancy +3), Complexity (Divination +1, Biomancy +3)

Focus Items
Staff (+1 defensive power to Spirit)
others unknown

Stress
Mental oooo, extra mild consequence
Physical oooo
Social oooo

Total Refresh Cost: -28

Notes on Changes: I gave him the Aspect "Shapechanging Badass", True Shapechanging, and enough Modular Abilities to take Claws, Inhuman Strength, Inhuman Toughness, and Hulking Size for "bear the size of a minibus". (The other forms: raven - Wings & Inhuman Speed; coyote - Claws, Echoes of the Beast, Inhuman Speed & maybe Pack Instincts; snapping turtle - Inhuman or even Supernatural Toughness and Claws). I toned down his spellcasting somewhat (and focused it a bit more toward healing/biomancy in the process) so his Refresh cost didn't get TOO ridiculous, too. He also seemed to deserve a slightly better Intimidation.

Really, all the Senior Council should come in at about this refresh level, if not higher; it seems bizarre that the Nightmare is 'more powerful' than the Merlin, or that Magog is on par with the 'average' Senior Council member. (Personally, I'd put them all in the upperish 20s, Eb at about -25, Merlin about -30...)

1053
DFRPG / Re: Mordite Blade
« on: June 05, 2010, 05:22:51 AM »
You see, I got the distinct impression that the mistfiend was definitely an outsider.

I think that would have been mentioned, given all the White Council around and the Seventh Law...

1054
DFRPG / Re: Mordite Blade
« on: June 05, 2010, 01:32:01 AM »
If you are going by Dresdenverse canon, the mordite would destroy the metal it was smelted with, and the tools used to smelt it, and a bunch of other bad stuff, unless some specialized magic was used to control it.  It's basically anti-matter.

Well, Peabody was able to infuse a mistfiend with mordite. We don't know what a mistfiend is, but it doesn't seem to be an Outsider, so there seems to be some way to mix mordite with normal stuff without destruction.

(Also, I thought mordite just destroyed life, not matter?)

1055

If its a faerie then you need to have cold iron as the catch ;)

Right, thanks. It's a bit of a departure from the original myth, but I couldn't pass up fitting it into the DV that way rather than just having it be a bizarro one-off...

It's cold iron now.

1056
Tlanu'wa

Enormous hawks of the highest mountains, they are predators of practically everything, even the largest monsters. They hate giant snakes and often clash with them; tlanu'wa have been known to kill even the terrifying uktena.


High Concept: It's a Bird... It's a Plane ... Holy Crap It's A Hawk As Big As A Plane
Other Aspects: Death From The Sky
Defends The Nest
Hates Giant Snakes

Skills:
Superb: Fists, Might
Great:  Alertness, Endurance
Good: Athletics, Intimidation, Survival
Fair: Discipline, Conviction, Presence
All other physical skills default to Average, others to Mediocre.

Powers:
Claws [-1]
Hulking Size [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Mythic Strength [-6]
Supernatural Speed [-4]
Supernatural Toughness [-4]
 The Catch [+0]: unknown
Wings [-1]

Stress:
Mental 000
Physical 000000(0000), Armor:2
Social 000

Total Refresh Cost: -20

Notes: Weapon:8 claws and a massive physical stress track. Yes, it's scarily powerful, but the thing is described in the myths as killing uktenas. My original writeup was actually more powerful (with Mythic Speed and Supernatural Recovery); this is the toned-down version.

The exact size of a tlanu'wa is highly unclear; it was able to carry away an uktena (which ought to weigh several tons), but on the other hand, they're described as carrying off children and not adults. Personally I imagine them as tremendously huge; think the big dragon thing in Avatar, or a puddlejumper passenger plane.

1057
U'tlun'ta

This ogrelike monster disguises itself in human form to fool its human prey, which it then cuts open with its awl-like claws, devouring their livers. Its natural form is a bulky brute, with hideous claws and armored skin like stone. A horror of the Winter Court, u'tlun'ta are (thankfully) rarely encountered by humans; still, many remote villages of the Appalachians once were suspicious of strangers for fear of these beings. This fear has been forgotten now, but that does not mean the creatures are gone...

High Concept: Liver-Eating Horror
Other Aspects: Tough As The Mountains
Could Be Anyone

Skills:
Superb: Fists, Endurance
Great: Might, Deceit
Good: Survival, Stealth
Fair:  Alertness, Athletics, Presence
Average: Intimidation, Conviction, Discipline
Other skills default to Mediocre.

Claws [-1]
Flesh Mask [-1]
Glamours [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
 The Catch [+1]: cold iron and other traditional faerie weaknesses

Total Refresh Cost: -7

Stress:
Physical 0000(00)
Mental 000
Social 000

Notes: This is a minimal set of stats. More magically powerful U'tlun'ta will likely possess Unseelie Magic and/or Greater Glamours; more physically oriented types probably have Inhuman Strength and Supernatural Toughness.

I have made this creature a being of Winter; it seemed to fit.

Super U'tlun'ta
Claws [-1]
Flesh Mask [-1]
Greater Glamours [-4]
Inhuman Strength [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Supernatural Toughness [-4]
 The Catch [+1]: cold iron and other traditional faerie weaknesses
Unseelie Magic [-4]

Total Refresh Cost: -17

Physical Stress 0000(0000)

1058
Display Case / Re: DISPROVE THIS
« on: June 01, 2010, 05:46:02 AM »
It was a signing, and someone asked about the Darkhallow and the Erlking. Jim said Erl got to his rank from a mortal hunter to an equal of Mab with a rite of ascension, and at a later one he said close to the same thing about the Queens.

Not quite. He said that the Erlking got his power through a rite of ascension and that's why Kemmler's Darkhallow formula involved the Erlking, but nothing was said about the Erlking's nature pre-rite of ascension. Ditto the Queens.

(And the *power/position* of Queens seem to preexist that rite, 'a power older than time' per SK, so presumably the Stone Table rite established the current 'dynasty' of Queens rather than creating the power/position of Faerie Queens.)

1059
I do know that a giant leach has to be pretty gigantic, so this question is a bit foolish and I know that... But: What exactly is the pray for that HUGE leach?! What does he primarily leach on so to speak?!

Who knows? The only thing it is described as eating in the story is people.

(My main source, as for all the critters I have posted in this thread so far, is James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee; being published in the late 1800s, it's now public domain and available online - here is the section on "The Great Leech of Tlanusi'yi".)

Quote
Isn't house sized a bit over the top?!
Hey, I didn't write the myth!  ;D But, yes, it is.

(If it's any consolation, 'as large as a house' in that time and place was probably smaller than we imagine by it...)

Quote
Also: Leach is a funny sounding word  ;D

<nitpick> 'Leech' is the bloodsucking critter, 'leach' means 'dissolve out, percolate out', like leaching minerals out of the soil.</nitpick>

1060
Giant Leech

This enormous leech lurked in deep waters, rising up to devour people who came too close.

High Concept: House-Sized Leech
Other Aspects: Terror of the Deep Waters
Bloodthirsty Monster

Skills:
Great: Might, Endurance
Good: Fists, Survival
Fair: Stealth, Alertness, Intimidation
Average: Presence, Conviction, Discipline

Aquatic [-1]
Claws [-1]
Echoes of the Beast [-1]
Hulking Size [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
 The Catch [+0]: unknown
Supernatural Strength [-4]
Feeding Dependency (Blood) [+1]
applying to:
Supernatural Recovery [-4]
 The Catch [+0]: unknown

Total Refresh Cost: -14

Stress:
Physical 0000(00)
Mental 000
Social 000

1061
Awesome stuff.

Name: Lloyd Slate
...
The Catch is trappings of Winter [+1]

Shouldn't that be "trappings of Summer"?

1062
Uktena

The Uktena is the great serpent of the mountains. It is as big around as a large tree-trunk and much longer than any natural snake, and possesses extremely deadly venom. In its forehead is a shining gem, the ulunsuti, which possesses great magical powers; but it is nearly impossible to obtain, since the Uktena is so deadly that hardly anyone who meets one survives; confused by the powers of the gem, they wander into the serpent's jaws.

High Concept: Freaking huge deadly snake
Other: To see it is death
Mystical forehead gem

Skills:
Great: Fists, Endurance
Good: Might, Survival
Fair: Stealth, Alertness, Intimidation
Average: Presence, Conviction, Discipline

Powers:
Breath Weapon [-2]
Claws (Venomous) [-3]
Echoes of the Beast [-1]
Glamours [-2]
Psychometry [-1]
Supernatural Strength [-4]
Supernatural Toughness [-4]
Supernatural Recovery [-4]
  The Catch (for both of the above): seventh spot from the head [+2]

Total Refresh Cost: -19

Stress tracks (are these right? I doubt it):
Mental: 000
Physical: 0000(0000)
Social: 000


Notes: The Breath Weapon allows the Uktena to use its venom at a distance. The Catch is attacks in the seventh colored spot on its body; it's a +2 Catch because it requires no special equipment, but isn't very well known (easily found in the legends, but uktena are pretty obscure).

If an Uktena is actually killed and the Ulunsuti stone extracted, it is an Item of Power providing Glamours and Psychometry, with a -2 refresh cost.

1063
DFRPG Resource Collection / various more-obscure mythical creatures
« on: May 16, 2010, 01:57:06 AM »
Presumably lots of creatures from various world mythologies are real in the Dresdenverse; I thought I'd stat out some of the more obscure ones for anyone who wants to use them.

I'll start with some from Cherokee mythology, since I have a good book on that at hand  ;D


Dakwa
A dakwa is an enormous carnivorous fish, large enough to swallow a man whole. The legends tell of them swallowing armed men whole, who then cut their way out from within.

High Concept: Man-Eating Fish
Other Aspects: Scary Big
Always Hungry
Fish Out of Water Don't Do Well

Skills:
Good: Might, Fists
Fair: Endurance, Survival
Average: Intimidation, Alertness

Powers:
Aquatic [-1]
Claws [-1]
Echoes of the Beast [-1]
Hulking Size [-2]
Inhuman Strength [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
  The Catch: +0 (attacks by swallowed creatures)
Total Refresh Cost: -9

Claws represents its bite, it doesn't actually have claws. Otherwise, just a big, scary killer fish.

1064
DFRPG / Re: What would Shagnasty's character sheet look like?
« on: May 15, 2010, 08:05:06 PM »
It gains power from fear, I think it should have Emotional Vampire as well as Incite Emotion.

I'd give it, as an absolute minimum package:

Evocation [-3]
Thaumaturgy [-3]
for its magical abilities;

Emotional Vampire [-1]
Incite Emotion (At Range) [-2]
for its 'feeds on fear' stuff;

True Shapeshifting [-4]
Modular Abilities [-6]
for its shapeshifting;

Inhuman Speed [-2]
Inhuman Strength [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
The Catch (Dine Blessing Way Rituals) (+0)*
for general physical power.

(that's -27 Refresh)

It probably also needs:
Refinement [-2] (one each for Evocation and Thaumaturgy)
The Sight [-1]

to boost its wizard/sorcerer powers; that comes up to -30 Refresh, which is probably enough.

*could be +1, but TC seems to imply it requires not just the ritual, but the ritual being performed by someone of Navajo ancestry and actually inducted into the Navajo shamanic culture, so it seems a pretty tricky Catch.

But to boost it further I'd give more Modular Abilities and upgrade some of the Inhuman physical abilities to Supernatural. (Though, as is, it's supposed to do that with its Modular Abilities as appropriate to its shape; a falcon-form would have Supernatural Speed and Wings, a bear-form would have Hulking Size and Supernatural Strength, etc.)

High concept: Fear-Feeding Nightmare
other aspects: Hungry for Magic
Ancient Knowledge
Timeless Malice

1065
DFRPG / Re: The First Law Question.
« on: April 20, 2010, 07:00:10 PM »
Also don't forget during Changes:

(click to show/hide)

So did he discover what taints your soul and quanitfy it? Or did he warp mortal magic to fit his laws?

I would assume the former; the latter seems ... a bit beyond what I would expect even him to be capable of.

However, we don't know that all the laws taint the soul; Kumori does not seem to be twisted in the way Victor Sells or that Korean kid in PG are or the way Molly was beginning to head down the path towards. Even Cowl may be a bad guy, but it seems to be a qualitatively different sort of evil than the twisted-by-their-black-magic warlocks; those seem to become subjugated to their baser desires and become almost animalistic, while Cowl has retained high and ambitious (if likely extreme) goals and the full capacity to act towards them.

And Jim has said that the Laws don't line up precisely with the things that taint your soul; from DB, I'm tending to think necromancy is largely one of those exceptions. (Time travel may be too! I can see the 5th/6th and maybe 7th Laws being the Council saying "this stuff is too dangerous to screw with" rather than about crimes against people like the 1st-4th. I think necromancy is only 'tainting' if you use it in nasty ways. It seems to be the 'crime against a person' aspect that makes killing with magic tainting -- thus why killing vampires etc. doesn't do it; I think it's because (as Harry has said often) you have to really want that person dead and doing that to another human being is going to be damaging/corrosive to anyone who was remotely a healthy human being to start with. I'm not sure using necromancy even against humans in, say, the way Kumori uses it to save a life would do that. (On the other hand, it still might; it still sounds like it had creepiness going on.)

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