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Here we go! A few questions for each of you to kick things off:
Everyone
Before you joined the High Constabulary, you did something that convinced them you were trustworthy. What was it?
What is your favorite place in or near the city of Flint?
Retzack
How long have you been a vampire?
You're vulnerable to sunlight. Do you have a method of coping, or do you just try not go out during the day?
Adir
What is your tell, and your token of your land?
You did find an Eladrin woman one time, if only briefly. What happened to separate the two of you?
Burke
Do your pistols have names?
What does your 'mark of faith' look like?
Black Kappa
How old are you?
Your drive is "advance the agenda of your god." Do you serve one of the Fey Titans, or some other entity?
ZenFox42's Channeler
Where do you think your power comes from?
What race are you?
Also, a few random notes:
This will certainly be a learning experience for me. If you have a question about rules, how I'm ruling something, or just flat think I got it wrong, please bring it up in the discussion thread!
Reminder for those familiar with the setting/AP - nothing that hasn't been said in thread is defined, and I expect our version to diverge in hopefully interesting ways from the "canon" one.
For starting bonds, feel free to tweak or replace your default ones.
One rule in another game I've played in, that I'm going to adopt: on a 7-9 Defy Danger, you may (but aren't required to) narrate your own complication. If I'm impressed by your deviousness, creativity, or masochism, I'll tell you to mark XP.
We'll take a few days for questions and bonds, and then open the IC thread for real.
P.S. Thanks for playing!
Checking in, thanks for the invitation! =)
Burke believes in his office above all else. His mark of authority is the RHC Badge.
Pistols are unnamed. They are simply tools.
Favorite place is the Silverheart Theatre, where the city's best bards and illusionists work together to bring old ballads to life. Burke is a hopeless romantic at heart, but only attends in disguise lest his carefully crafted tough guy persona be ruined.
Burke caught the HC's attention after he turned in his partner of ten years, Lorde Tenning, for taking bribes. Despite their long professional relationship, Burke had no qualms about turning on Tenning when he learned she was willing to look the other way for a few coins.
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Sbodd - thanks for including me in this game!
Why, my power comes from *me*, of course! I am ice incarnate, a sliver of The Primary Elemental of Ice given form in this world.
Oh, and I'm human.
Her favorite place to hang out is Slasher's Alley, where the worst of the riff-raff hang out and drink. You never know what's going to happen!
When she was approached in prison by the person who would eventually become her handler/supervisor, they commented that on a previous job, when she was *almost* caught by the police, she didn't attack them, merely made the ground slippery beneath their feet so she could get away. My interviewer said that showed that I was really good down deep inside. Meh. If that's what he wants to think, who am I to disagree?
I've picked four Techniques, but they were merely riffs off of the examples in the class description. What other combinations of Tags have you used in your Channeler?
And, I get every Technique Tag except "Hazard" (couldn't find any reference to it in the DW on-line manual). Can you explain that one to me?
Finally, what information do you want in the "description" line that appears below the PC's name in each post (what *is* that thing called?)?
"Time to time, I hear voices from the things that ripple. I've been lucky enough that nobody else seems to be able to hear them so far, because they tell me to do some very strange things indeed that so far, I've just been able to pass off as part of my own set of quirks."
"I'm not sure how I'd explain it if someone discovered that a voice I heard from a puddle of blood told me to squash a pigeon on someone's windowsill. Or that spilling all that paint wasn't a flight of whimsy, and I did it because the pond outside told me to.
With difficulty, I imagine. But when you work for Fey, that's just part of the risks."
"I like to tell people I'm 627 though, just to see what reaction I get - some people start throwing questions at me, others are surprised at my 'youth'. It's quite amusing."
"There are a few people that know the truth of my age, but otherwise pretending to be so old helps with the mystique surrounding my existence. It also helps deflect any attempts at finding out just how I came to be. I don't know myself, but I feel like it'll end badly for me if they knew."
"After that, I was to take them to a nearby building, and reveal myself to the person there."
"As it turned out, I'd just brought a notorious serial killer into the hands of an officer of the Constabulary who was in the middle of investigations. That got my foot in the door. A few more such occurrences, and they trusted me as a contact, gathering information for them that nobody else could ever have acquired, for the low, low price of food and assorted baubles. 6 years later, they trusted me enough to give me jobs working alongside their groups. 11 years later, I was unofficial staff. 4 years later, I was finally officially a part of their number."
"I didn't do something. I did everything. It took me 21 years for them to trust me enough to make me a member of the High Constabulary, 3 more years for them to trust me full stop, and 5 more to earn the badge that marked out that I was actually an important part of the force. That totals up to 29 years spent getting where I am."
"I did a lot of hard work getting into a position of trust, doing their work for lower rates than any other would have. Only reason I originally started taking standard payment was to cover costs for the equipment that I was starting to need, and the random jumble of things that my patron wanted me to get."
"Originally. I've found a few pleasures for myself since then."
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Thank you for letting Burke join this league of extraordinary people.
A waterperson, an icy suicide squad member, a vampire, and a shapeshifter ... I think all of my bonds will be: "__________ knows that I'm getting too old for this s+*#!"
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How long have you been a vampire?
Hehe. =)
Retzack was originally a mage of some small power on a mostly swamp-laden planet. Through a series of adventures, he became a necromancer, helping his wayward tribe of refugees by using his power to cure sickness and replace limbs lost to swamp rot.
In time he, while trying to destroy a malignant spirit, completed a ritual with the Stone of Irrationality which granted him the curse of vampirism.
Initially he grew powerful, leaving that planet and seeking out many others.
Alas, he grew bored. After experiencing several lifetimes of hedonistic pleasure, or populating a planet with his kin, he had no hurdles left to climb.
He was slain battling a tarrasque on the planet Skylar IV. The creature's death throes thrust a massive tusk through his heart, freezing him on the sleep of Torpor.
After being rescued many centuries later by an archaeological crew digging up the now-ancient site, they removed the tooth.
Retzack was amazed that he knew...nothing.
None of his power or skills remained after the long Torpor sleep.
And life became sweet again.
Many times he will walk alive, again gather power and accumulating knowledge, until, at a certain peak, he will again enter Torpor, to awake as naive as he is refreshed.
This is such a time.
Lured to the planet by strange rumors of immortal peoples, Retzack came out of Torpor a few hundred years ago, and has largely maintained a low profile.
By shear chance he met Roland Stanfield and, confiding his vampirism to the man, they became good friends. Retzack was thrilled to finally have another immortal to confide in, and Roland, a sharp man worthy of his governor's chair, saw in Retzack an ally capable of keeping a good handle on the constantly-growing worker slums that Flint was finding more necessary, and more troublesome.
Retzack has kept his word to adhere to all the rules and try any task the governor puts before him. The tow have had a symbiotic relationship for some time, and they trust each other explicitly.
Retzack favors a bright cloak and large, festive hat when he goes outside. He finds that if he doesn't stand in direct sunlight for too long, he can mostly handle the irritation.
He tries to not go outside between 10a-2p when he sleeps, and, yes, he does his best work at night.
The Sweet Doomed Angel is run by a very understanding deva named Propoket. His son, Imrael, tends bar.
The bar is a front for a "den of inequity." However it is well-run and all the employees are there by their own free will. Both Retzack and Roland agree that "some" inequity must be tolerated, and since Propoket is a deva, he has an interest in keeping it relatively clean.
In return for an understanding with the local constabulary, Propket keeps the police well-informed of the power structure of the criminal element, and is the first to report when someone or some gang is getting out of hand and needs to be shut down.
In return, Retzack has a place where his "stable" can congregate. There are always humans seeking a rush of...something. And the Kiss can provide an endorphin high to rival morphine. Hence, the Sweet Doomed Angel is known as the place to be, so long as you behave...and keep paying.
Starting to wonder what would be more fun - trying to keep Retzack fooled about my age, or having him help me keep everyone else fooled!
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Well, what you rather: Fooling -1- person into thinking you're immortal...or fooling -everyone-. =D
I know which I'd choose. =P
Hey Black Kappa, can I call ya Black? Hey Black, what are some of the products that the Gilded Barrel Brewery makes? What's their best seller? The owner of the Sweet Doomed Angel has been looking for some good local lagers to sell on tap.
Before you joined the High Constabulary, you did something that convinced them you were trustworthy. What was it?
What is your favorite place in or near the city of Flint?
Adir
What is your tell, and your token of your land?You did find an Eladrin woman one time, if only briefly. What happened to separate the two of you?
RHC: Before joining, I worked as a contracted tracker for the RHC. After several successful missions, I was invited to join.
Favorite place: The Dreaming Grove, a forested area on a hill in the Park. Not only does it remind me of my birthplace, but there is an observatory there, and I have become fast friends with the couple that stays there, Karl and Dotti.
Tell: Golden irises that constantly roil.
Token: A Wooden Amulet that is part of a leather wristband I wear.
Eladrin: Lunaa was whisked away in the middle of the night by her brother, Matias. He used her as bait in a confidence scheme, pretending to sell her to slavers.
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Also, howdy Black Kappa/Sora!
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Bonds:
I am fascinated by Black Kappa, seemingly a manifestation of a primary element of nature.
You have a point, but you conveniently omitted that the one person in this case could plausibly be older than the planet, and a minimum of seven times my age.
...but I can't resist the double act. Let's do it.
Call me Kappa, Retzack. Together, we can be The Blacks, the immortal duo.
If you want something heavy, try the Constabrewlary. Dwarven kick, without the dwarven hangover, though make sure you have someone to keep an eye on you after your first drink. There's a reason it got the name.
I'll let you figure out how many of the stories you've heard can be blamed on that ale.
My personal favourite is the Silver Apple brew. It's a little taste of heaven, and I wouldn't be surprised if it literally was that. Accounts vary, but there's always a few points of consistency between the descriptions from people that have tasted it - it's light, it's airy, it leaves you feeling like you're floating, and it WILL be the best thing you've ever tasted.
If you can help me get a sponsor from the Gilded Barrel so I can get a lifetime's supply of that stuff...
I'm not sure what to promise. I can't think of anything that would be sufficient repayment.
It's just that good.
I'll help set up a deal with the brewery. Hell, I'll help you sneak in to get a taste of the goods, but you better bring me some back!
Liking the answers so far. Have some more questions!
Retzack
When you awoke on this world, the weapon that killed you previously was still in your heart. What was it, and do you still have it?
Black Kappa
What do you look like? Can you pass for one of the humanoids unaided, and if not, (how) do you usually try?
Tethys
What became of your family? Are any of them still with you?
Burke
Who knows about your romantic soul? Did you tell them, or did they find out?
Adir
You recently had a rather ominous vision. Tell me what it was, and what you think it means.
Everyone
Pick one from the list below. Tell me what rumor you've heard about it, and how you came by this information.
In recent months, Flint has been experiencing a string of small earthquakes. Nothing serious, but nothing like it has ever been recorded before. What's causing them?
There's a turf war of some kind heating up; one local criminal group has been wiped out. Who are the newcomers?
The military held a public demonstration of a new technology recently (a magic-and-technology fusion), but the demo almost got called off. What were they showing off, and what complication or interference are they trying to keep quiet?
Several factories have been sabotaged recently. There's no solid leads yet. How is the perpetrator(s) covering their tracks?
Word is, there's a lot more smuggling going on these days. What's being shipped in via unofficial channels?
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Retzack was initially drawn to this world by both rumors of immortals and of an odd "phenomenon" keeping the people from exploring space, or even other planes. Intrigued, he paid the fortune of a solar system to an arch-magos(someone with sublime skill in both magic and science) to get him planetside.
Of course he has no idea how this was done.
He landed in water off the coast of the Malice Lands and, greatly weakened by the Transferal, was overtaken and killed by a tiefling-sting ray. The devil-like fish with an eerily human-like mouth took several bites out of him before stabbing him through with a steel-sharp tentacle and leaving with a full belly.
The tentacle was ripped off and remained in his chest for several years, until the motion of the tides caused the thing to slip loose from the wound.
He emerged from the sea with that as his only possession. He keeps it in a strong box and has shown it to several marines biologists, but none can say from whence it came.
There's a turf war of some kind heating up; one local criminal group has been wiped out. Who are the newcomers?
Imrael, the bartender at the Sweet Doomed Angel, has kept tabs on this recent development, and he likes not the implications. The Black Ravens, a powerful group with a long and storied history, were pressured by a new group which seemed to coalesce out of nowhere, possibly by a new wave of disaffected sons of recent industrial immigrants, but it's hard to be sure.
The Ravens thought the newcomers were below them, and gave them scant thought, seeking to isolate and crush them in one swift stroke. Unfortunately their plan backfired and the newcomers, called the IronHand, wiped out the Ravens to a man, showing unusual skill and cruelty.
Imrael believes that the leader of the IronHand is called Lord Borak the Despoiler, but such things are hard to to sure of in the ever-changing eddies of street warfare.
Black Kappa
What do you look like? Can you pass for one of the humanoids unaided, and if not, (how) do you usually try?
Kappa's about the right shape, but it's pretty clear they aren't any of the known species if you get a good look. Rather than try and pretend they don't look strange, Kappa tells everyone they're a Lumin - a half-fey with a close natural connection to either light or dark. "You should see my cousin - you might have a hard time seeing me, but a few minutes with them and you'd have trouble seeing anything else for a while!"
Not to say he doesn't cover up. He usually goes about in a patterned blue robe and a large, pointed hat that does a very good job of covering him, and helping him draw a lot less attention than if he went about without it.
The military held a public demonstration of a new technology recently (a magic-and-technology fusion), but the demo almost got called off. What were they showing off, and what complication or interference are they trying to keep quiet?
As Kappa heard it, there were piloted magitek armour prototypes on schedule to be shown that day, capable of putting incredible levels of magical firepower and physical might in the hands of mundane soldiers. They were fitted with a complex, secure combination of magical and mundane measures to ensure only the designated pilot could operate one.
But apparently, a brightly coloured and undeniably insane clown managed to bypass all of them and steal one of the prototypes. That...raises questions.
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Hmmm, what do I do about bonds?
I'm not sure if I should be friends with Adir, or afraid of what they might find out.
I appreciate that Retzack's helping me fool everyone, but I can't help but wonder why.
I've picked four Techniques, but they were merely riffs off of the examples in the class description.You only get 3 Techniques to start. Signature Technique gets you a 4th slot.
The description under Techniques says "When you spend several hours developing a new Technique, add it to your list or replace an existing one." So I thought I could have a "pool" of possible Techniques that I've already thought of, and swap one out for another after several hours of concentration. That's why I said I've picked four Techniques - but only 3 of them would be "active" (available) at any time. Anything wrong with that?
Hazard is...defined in a sidebar in the Channeler class.
My PDF copy of GrimWorld doesn't have a sidebar definition, just "(environmental effect)" under its listing as a Tag. That's why I feel uncomfortable calling my Ice Shield a Barrier+Hazard, because it sounds strange to be holding on to an "environmental effect".
Is there another PDF floating around that's different?What about your racial move? You could take the GW Human move, we could create one based on a Zeitgeist theme feat, or I'm open to other suggestions.
Again, my PDF copy doesn't list *any* racial moves for Channeler. I'm beginning to think I have a non-standard copy.
Can anyone point me to the "full" copy?Now, on to the questions I *can* answer...
When she became of age, Tethys left her family in the village they were currently staying in, because even tho her parents loved her very much, she knew that the strain of always having to move every couple of years was taking its toll on them.
In recent months, Flint has been experiencing a string of small earthquakes. Nothing serious, but nothing like it has ever been recorded before. What's causing them?
There's an old legend in this area that a mighty dragon was defeated in its underground cave nearby many millennia ago. Altho it was defeated, it was not killed, and now it's waking up!
More on racial Moves and Bonds to come soon...
Hazard is...defined in a sidebar in the Channeler class.My PDF copy of GrimWorld doesn't have a sidebar definition, just "(environmental effect)" under its listing as a Tag. That's why I feel uncomfortable calling my Ice Shield a Barrier+Hazard, because it sounds strange to be holding on to an "environmental effect".
Is there another PDF floating around that's different?
I get the feeling you've only got access to the classes, rather than the actual Grim World pdf. I remember getting my hands on a sheet that features the classes in standard playbook format, which I get the feeling is what you have - the actual Grim World pdf doesn't display it's classes in standard format.
Whatever the case is, it's pg. 29, in the GM advice sidebar:
Tag: Hazard
Think of this as an environmental effect (possibly even a permanent one). It’s dealt with mostly fictionally instead of mechanically. It could be a ring of fire or an orb of water. When combined with a Barrier tag, perhaps it’s a wall of ice that gives protection when you crouch behind it.
Make more sense? You're pretty much putting something into the world that sticks around and that people will have to deal with while it's still there.
As for this...
What about your racial move? You could take the GW Human move, we could create one based on a Zeitgeist theme feat, or I'm open to other suggestions.Again, my PDF copy doesn't list *any* racial moves for Channeler.
Grim World has racial moves separate from its playbooks. You have all your standard playbook stuff, then an additional race move that's consistent no matter which class you're playing.
The human's race move is great - you can take one of your starting moves, and swap it with a starting move from another class that's not in use. For example, assume you're swapping out Summon Elemental. It doesn't have to be Summon Elemental, but I'm using that as the example. You'd be able to swap that with Keeper of Curios from Inverse World's Collector, or Bend Bars, Lift Gates from the Fighter, but not with the Druid's Shapeshifter, since Adir is a Druid.
Whatever you swap out, you can take later as an Advanced Move if you level up, so if you wanted the ability to summon elementals later, you could get that ability when you levelled up.
Everything clear?
====================
You can buy Grim World here from DTRPG. It's $15.
Adir
You recently had a rather ominous vision. Tell me what it was, and what you think it means.
I was in contemplation on Cauldron Hill near the Observatory. I looked out over the city and the City Council building turned into an erupting volcano, spewing ash all over the city and beyond while rivulets of lava covered the Central District. I believe that the city's politics are soon going to experience great upheaval. And I want nothing to do with any of that.
Everyone
Pick one from the list below. Tell me what rumor you've heard about it, and how you came by this information.
Word is, there's a lot more smuggling going on these days. What's being shipped in via unofficial channels?
I keep a watchful eye on the docks, knowing that Eladrin women are sometimes kidnapped and sold into slavery. Also, sometimes exotic animals come through there, allowing me to study them. I have several contacts at the docks. One of them, a merchant known as Ambar of Kotu, has recently informed me that glowing crystals are being smuggled into port. He has no idea what they are, or why they aren't going through the proper channels.However, he has heard that some or all of them are being delivered to the Duchess of Erat's residence.
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Also, howdy Black Kappa/Sora!
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I am fascinated by Black Kappa, seemingly a manifestation of a primary element of nature.
Is this knowing too much already? Or might I think you're a manifestation of shadow? Or something else? I don't want to intrude on your "I'm hiding my nature" feeling. I could make it weaker, like...
I am curious about Black Kappa's origins and nature.
I'm not trying to hide what everyone can see I am. Your bond's fine. I am, however, trying to smoke and mirrors people so that they don't look too hard into my true origins, because even I don't know anything about those. I can only guess that they're really, really fey, which could cause a lot of problems for me, to say nothing of the actual details.
As for what kind of manifestation I am...well, take your pick. I'm a liquid shadow thing that makes rain. I told you I'm a Lumin, but what does that mean, really? Do Lumins actually exist, or did I make that up? If I didn't, do I fit the profile for a real Lumin?
Whatever you're thinking, go for it. I'm not stopping you. Just be aware that Kappa's going to try and deflect any attempts at probing his origins, let alone his other secrets.
Only one question I'd like to pose to you, while you're thinking about bonds - do you hear the same voices I do? They might not be talking to you, but can you hear them anyway?
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Only one question I'd like to pose to you, while you're thinking about bonds - do you hear the same voices I do? They might not be talking to you, but can you hear them anyway?
Proposition: There have been a few times that you have seen me shake my head and smile wryly when you have received instructions, but I have never spoken about it. You think so, but aren't certain. It's an expression that you've seen me use at other times as well.
Paranoia fuel. I love it - let's go with that.
Tethys:
Re: the technique pool, with 3 designated "active" - that's completely fine. I misunderstood initially, sorry!
Black Kappa nailed the rest of your mechanical questions, as well as linking to the source of my PDF. (Thanks!)
As far as "ice shield" (hazard+barrier), I could see a few ways to spin that. It could be a reactive 'hazard' - the shield has a chilling effect on anything that strikes it, so if you're hit in melee while it's active, your opponent is frozen. (What exactly that means would vary, depending on your Channel roll, the fiction, and how hard a move I was making). You could go for an freestanding "shield", a floating disc of ice that you can take cover behind, and freezes the surface around it. Heck, you could change it to Ice Shield (blast, barrier) - when it manifests, it sucks the heat from whatever unfortunate foe you're in melee with. I'm open to other interpretations as well.
I should add - if there's a fictional effect you'd like but can't figure out how to make work mechanically, describe it here and we can figure it out together.
Retzack
Black Kappa
Everyone
Well, I've got a few more questions, but none of them are necessarily urgent. Once Burke has a chance to answer his questions, I figure I'll post the initial prompt tomorrow, unless you'd rather finish bonds and such first. (If you'd rather wait and develop your bonds as we go, that's fine too.)
Anyone have any questions for me before we get started?
BurkeWho knows about your romantic soul? Did you tell them, or did they find out?
Several factories have been sabotaged recently. There's no solid leads yet. How is the perpetrator(s) covering their tracks?
Adir caught me at the theatre a few weeks ago. There was an emergency and I wasn't responding to calls. He tracked me from the office. Damn druids. It was a stirring performance of Dusk on an Alien World, but duty called.
Portals. Everything is locked from the inside. No broken windows, no entry points. The culprits must just appear inside.
Adir caught me at the theatre a few weeks ago. There was an emergency and I wasn't responding to calls. He tracked me from the office. Damn druids. It was a stirring performance of Dusk on an Alien World, but duty called.
Haha, I love it!
Black Kappa
I don't know what you are insinuating and my friends in Balamb will back me up on this one.
But in all seriousness, I don't remember any vampires or status quo worshipping paladins in VI either. Though it could be argued that Adir is obviously related to a certain boy from the Veldt. Overall, I think we're good here!
Anyway, in actual seriousness, I'm good to go. Let's do this!
Regarding my racial Move - I didn't see anything in Zeitgeist's Character Theme Feats that looked interesting/relevant.
One question about the Human Move - how often can I swap out one Starting Move for another - just once, at PC creation? Every time I level up? Something else?
Regarding my Bonds :
I will make Burke respect the power I wield.
I see the raw potential in Kappa.
Adir is wary of my power, for good reason.
Retzak and I have helped each other countless times.
Everyone ok with that?
Once, at character creation.
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Kappa - please note that you responded in the *one minute* between my original post and an updated edit that involved you...so please go back and re-read my Bonds!
Oh my god, I'm dying. I love RSS right now.
Bond's fine. I have no idea what that means in more detail, but I have no objections.
Works for me Tethys.
I'm going to select my bonds in play.
I'm good with it.
Oh you switched them. So I don't respect your power to control elements. Hmm, I guess we'll have to play to see what happens with that.
Alright, let's get this started! Opening prompt in the IC thread in just a moment.
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Burke "Boom-Boom" Hoffa is a man of resources. I should learn more about him. (Retzack is unsure where the man picked up the nickname "Boom-Boom," and whenever he tries to say that that's not his nickname, Retzack just laughs and says that's why the name fits him so well.)
Adir does not trust me. I shall see to that.
Tethys shares my hunger for glory; the earth will tremble at our passing!
Black Kappa is a good wheelman, but does not see the big picture.
I'm really seriously thinking of swapping out Summon Elemental for the Skydancer's "I've Got A Bad Feeling About This" :
When you spend a moment surveying an area, ask the GM two of the following questions. The GM must answer truthfully.
• Where's my best way in, out, or through?
• Is there a trap or ambush here, and if so, where?
• What here is the biggest threat to me?
• What can I see that no one else can?
I know Summon Elemental is like my signature Move (and I'd also lose Elemental Protection and Elemental Attack), but I just don't like the idea of having to deal with an unleashed Ice Elemental *every* single time I use it!
Could you just plan on taking Reabsorb Elemental as your level 2 move?
Meh. That requires a roll, so the elemental could still stick around, and there's a 42% chance that I'd take d4 damage *every* time I reabsorb one!
I'd still have my Techniques, which provide a lot of flexibility and combat power...
Tethys, why did you want to play a Chaneller, may I ask? The core moves are all about having a lot of barely controlled power that tends to take a toll, and...you don't really seem to like that? It raises questions for me when you don't seem fond of what is really a core part of the class's identity.
You could always play a different class, and make use of Grim World's human move to take Channel if that's all you wanted.
I'm just trying to understand what you're thinking, especially since I don't think the things you're objecting to are as bad as you're making out.
I sympathize with the concern about the Elemental moves - even for a class about riding barely controlled power, that one's very swingy. Get a 10+ with 4 control, and you've got a ridiculous amount of narrative power *and* can ignore an attack or two; get a 7-9 with 1 Control, and you either don't get the tag you want, or commit to having a problem potentially the first time you use your elemental.
FWIW, if you're interested in taking the moves as an advance:
The group of starting moves you gave up (Summon Elemental, Attack, and Protection) can be taken as a single level up choice, just like Cast a Spell/Spellbook.
Also, I was apparently misreading Reabsorb. Every time I've read it, I thought you had to use it on one you still had Control for. Since it explicitly says "unleashed" elemental, that makes it a better choice than I'd been thinking!
At level 2 I'm planning on taking the Divine Favor move that gives me access to Cleric spellcasting. I've previously said that Burke's power comes from Druidic traditions rather than any sort of divine presence. Adir, perhaps you have been training me in the druidic ways? That could form the basis of our two bonds.
I have showed ________________ a secret rite of the Land.
...is one of the suggested bonds. I can work with that.
Black Kappa - I honestly chose Channeler because of the Techniques. I really like the idea of mix-and-matching tags to create "magic" effects (I once created a magic system that did exactly that). I didn't even *notice* the Summon Elemental Move until later, because it was on the left-hand side of the page (I know that may sound odd, but I've gotten into the bad habit of thinking of the right-hand side as the "class moves"). Then when I noticed that *every* elemental *always* gets unleashed, with no fixed remaining duration, well, that was a big put-off. And I hadn't thought of taking Channel as my Human Move in another class, but the game's already started, I don't want to change *everything* about my PC at this point.
DM Sbodd - thanks for letting me change! I agree with the extreme swingy-ness (and what's up with the d4 for Control, instead of 2d6+<something>, like for Druids and others?), altho there's only a 10% chance that you'd lose control as soon as it's summoned if you chose the "spend 1 Control" option on a 7-9 (with CON at +2). Still, anything that *can* happen eventually *will* happen...
I'll keep in mind re-taking the Elemental Moves on a future level-up. I might want to get my CON up to +3 first, tho! :)
Burke - let me know if you feel like you got shortchanged for your "I Am The Law" outcome. My intent was for that to be "back away cautiously, then flee."
Sounds good to me.
I forgot that vampires are repulsed by and vulnerable to holy symbols. Good thing I'm just a nature paladin or this could get awkwaaaaard.
I may have very limited internet access this weekend.
Tethys - for your Skydancer move, let me know if you have thoughts (now, in general, or at any specific place where you're using the move) about what unique perspectives you have that let you see things others don't.
Also, don't forget that you can ask two questions (though the others haven't been obviously relevant yet, which I assume is why you've only asked one.)
Also also, please update your sheet with the changes to your moves.
Thanks!
After Tethys' powers first appeared, she was experimenting with them one day when...something happened. The way she describes it is "the world freezes over", because everything in sight gets a slightly frosty blue haze.
The first few times it happened (during practices), she thought nothing of it. Then she discovered that she was noticing more, as if her senses had opened up. One thing within her field of view returned to its natural color, and she "heard" information about it.
After time, she became able to control its activation at will. As far as she's concerned, the information comes from the Queen of Elemental Ice.
(I'm aware that I get two questions, but as you noted the others haven't been relevant yet.)
(Character sheet updated.)