Mechanics Break Down Challenge

[Tbora]

How would you model the Darkhallow ascension ritual, keep in mind it needs to grant enough power you go from Mortal to Old God level being.

Any takers for this challenge?

[Ophidimancer]

It would be a ritual of really really high complexity that transforms the caster, giving him at the very least Sponsored Magic and lots and lots of refinements, if not something like Modular Abilities.

Spend all your form points toward Evocation and Thaumaturgy Refinements and you have a uber powerful caster, or you can make yourself physically nasty like the

(click to show/hide)

Skinwalker

.

It doesn't matter how many Refresh points you spend, you're not going to be a playable character anyway, so go hog wild! 

[Tbora]

I wanted specifics hences the point of the break down for mechanics.

[Ophidimancer]

How would you know the complexity on a ritual meant to elevate you to the level of an Old God when Old Gods are about a power level above things like The Archive and the Faerie Queens, who are so powerful they don't even get stats?  Well, Ivy does, but only in certain things, in the things that matter she's of the "you lose" variety of stats.

[Walker_Blade]

The problem here is that there is no realistic way to stat out the darkhallow in this system.  It is a plot device, pure and simple, it involves exploiting a few loopholes in the way magic works in the Drsednverse, but I don't think there is any mechanical way to stat out any ritual that increases your refresh cost, all of those are plot devices that remain between you and your GM.  

All that being said,  Here is a weak attempt to stat it out:

 It is mentioned several times that Harry could pull it off, so it can't require actual necromancy sponsored magic, or be too difficult, in effect every single use of necromancy in the book is a declaration towards the ritual working, slowly building up the necromantic energy of the area, then they tag the declarations of every single spell they cast in the last few days to get the needed power.  I would personally set the difficulty at 10 shifts per point of refresh gained, and then allocate the points as the caster sees fit.

[Archmage_Cowl]

I dont know specifically how you would stat it up (i have a few ideas but it is late and i dont trust myself to be able to coherently express them), but one of the things i think it would do since it comments on the eating of ghosts, is it would be like the mimic abilities power and you would get to eat all of the shades skills making all of your skills effectively legendary(+8) or maybe higher. That definately sounds godlike to me. But personally i dont think i would want to stat it. I kinda like the idea of there being plot devices.

[Myrddhin]

Well, the following is my very rudimentary attempt at a first draft:

Three things to keep in mind: 1) This doesn't include the complexity to summon up the Erlking and initiate a Wild Hunt (itself likely in the neighborhood of 14+ complexity, and requiring the proper chant/tune); 2) Nor does it include the cost of establishing a city-wide threat; and finally 3) It requires GM approval to even gain The Word of Kemmler.
Okay... fourth thing: I treated the Darkhollow as having an effective Conviction of +15. Therefore 20 shifts to summon it, and 56 shifts (if I did the math right) to bind it.

Darkhollow Ascension Ritual Or: How To Become A Minor God (at least) If You Don't Die (By Getting Your Fool Head Cut Off) First
Type: Thaumaturgy, Summoning/Binding/Transformation (necromancy)
Complexity: 99+ shifts (Note: Someone with the Aspect Possesses The Word Of Kemmler is treated as being only 6 shifts short of prepared, those shifts can only be made up by tagging the special Aspects mentioned in the Notes section)
Duration: Until death (it could happen...)
Effect: The recipient of the Darkhollow gains all of the following:
-Master and/or Imbiber of the Darkhollow (or something to equal effect) replacing one of their permanent aspects, most likely their high concept...
-All of their skills are "bumped up" 10 levels, effectively ignoring the rules of the skill ladder by sliding the "base" of that ladder up ten levels.
-Mythic Recovery and Toughness with The Catch [+0] as theoretically unknowable (though if one were to completely consume your powers...) and Physical Immunity with The Catch (stacked) [+0] as presumably powers of other beings in your new supernatural weightclass.
- 30 Refresh Points to be immediately spent (along with any additional Refresh and Fate Points possessed by the character) on any combination of powers from the following list (including those developed on the spot and accepted by the GM): Psychic Abilities, Shapeshifting Abilities, Speed, Strength, or Spellcraft (though Refinements purchased this way cannot grant Focus Items or Enchanted Items)
Notes: The special Aspects which need to be in place before the ritual can be initiated are: Possesses The Word of Kemmler (needs to be tagged to make the ritual possible), Ongoing Wild Hunt (effectively a scene aspect), It Is Halloween, and a city-wide aspect of at least Threat level pertaining to Death and/or Fear which came about as a direct result of preparing for the ritual.
If, at any point, the caster should receive backlash from the ritual it is instead all expended as fallout, striking about a city block's worth of zones.
Finally, the astute reader will notice how this delightfully plot device ritual will turn the caster, should he survive it, into an NPC.

[Deadmanwalking]

I'd handle it as four or five separate rituals actually:

#1/2: Summon A Whole Lot of Ghosts, Bind 'em In A Circle. Pretty big, but not un-doable.
#3: Apply a Sticky Aspect or two to each Ghost individually (with only 2 shifts of power needed to target a Zone, this is actually the easy part).
#4: Kill Them All. Thematically, this is combined with #5.
#5: Tag every Aspect you just applied to the Ghosts for Complexity. Apply it all to a ridiculous Ritual designed to grant god-like power. The effects are likely more or less as Myrddhin says, or maybe a little bit more badass than that.