I am thinking his background jobs are lot of sous chef; like kitchen prep work where you get stuff ready for the chefs; line cook for 24 hour diners; sometime as they both have odd hours and you get customers from every walk of life; plus he gets to work with and practice with knifes. Probably several stints in butcher yards; as that is hard work with knives and mostly done by immigrants who are taken advantage of and often oppressed and worked over by gangs and mobs. Also; work for mom and pop shops like hardware stores and groceries which are often the target of gangs that run protection rackets and have a lot of deliveries and loading/unloading of stuff. I cant see him doing more migrant farm worker type stuff such as picking seasonal fruits; but doing seasonal fishing would be ok and in line with his heritage. I could also see him doing stints as carpender or bricklayer or roadworker as these jobs are always hireing and laying off people as they gear up or finish jobs. These type jobs can be found in just about any city. I would think he would not do sales type jobs; is just not charismatic enough to work the counter or stuff; but could do warehouse or work with the less refined; more crass people of the world. Might take a job as night help in a convience store where mom and pop have been held up many times and the cops dont do anything about it. After all, that aint right.
Let me just apologize to all the other players right now for this argument. I'm spoiling my next part of this argument about the exact uses of Discipline and Conviction, because no one really wants to read that.
** spoiler omitted **
Why do I care this much about this? Oh, yeah, because I'm a pedantic idiot and I'd rather argue about this sort of thing now than when it might actually be important.
Conviction p124-125
Discipline p127-128
Conviction Stunts p150
Discipline Stunts p151
Mental Conflicts p217-219
You are correct that Discipline is the main default mental defense.
Conviction can be used as an alternative defense in situations that affect the character's belief systems (religious, friends, magic or anything else that you might tightly believe to be true).
Conviction is also used to determine the amount of points of stress that you can absorb of damage.
Never be afraid to argue a point. This is a new game and system to me and others so it will likely be rocky to begin with.
If you don't agree with something, give your reasons, and we'll check the rules and talk it out.
how is this for a first draft?
Warrior Code:
Show No Fear : thus dont get punked or intimidated; thus cant refuse a challenge to duel or anything that would imply character less than a couragous heart. Dont let Rash challenges distract from the quest or goal; thus learn when a challenge is a foil or a true test of heart.Spartan Focus : Avoid any lifestyle that ties a person down or encumbers him from being ready and able to go into action with a clear conscious. Thus accumulation of wealth, lust, drink, sloth are distractions to avoid as over time they entangle.
Pure Heart: Work hard in menial labor for that is the fruits of strong hands to build the foundation of society; no task is ignoble if it serves society as a whole. Avoid tasks in service of questionable loyalies.
Sheltering Arm: The Strong often must use goods, property and services
of society in the course of the good fight without asking; thus in return the warrior must give service to the weak by protecting them from threats out of their league be it making a bully back off, a gang prowl elsewhere or fight a monster in a back alleyway for little or no compensation to maintain a karmic balance.Honorable Word: Only the weak break their word of honor and dance with language. Dont mince words; speak simply and with purpose, mean what you say and back it up.
Honor thy Ancestors: No man births himself; be true to your blood and honor the ancestors from which your strength and bearing come. One honors their ancestors when one honors any aged warrior in the struggle of life against time. Heroic deeds; not ignoble ones, give you the company of heroes in the afterlife when you become an honored ancestor.
Lead, Follow, or Get out of the Way: Avoid endless debate; better to act and trust fate than quibble or disseminate. Warrior as men of action; restless in peace with an eye for the next encounter. Obey when following; expect to be obeyed when leading, all else is chaos.
Works for me. A good balance of ideas and in keeping with the aims of the character.
Updated Character.
Character: Pernilla Tharaldson
Player: Songdragon
Template: Emissary of Power
High Concept: Daughter of the Valkyrie (Valkryie Love Child?)
Trouble: Forbidden to Die Peacefully (replace Forbidden with Prophesied work?)
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Phase One: Background: Where did you come from?
Pernilla was born to the Valkyrie Kára and a mortal hero in the late 1800s. She has grown up knowing her mother’s nature and expected to fulfill the role of a young Norse maiden. Even as a young child, danger always found Pernilla. She has had to endure and be strong. Her otherly nature has allowed her to live for sometime. As she became an adult she was taken to Asgard and given the opportunity to become more. Pernilla accepted and was taught and shown what was to be expected of her.
Phase Aspect: Duties to the Norse
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Phase Two: Rising Conflict: What shaped you?
Pernilla was introduced into Monoc Securities and her mentor Bergen Hall. He took the young woman under his wing and began to teach and guide her. Her many assignments and responsibilities have brought many troubles, both mundane and supernatural, which continue to find her. Now though, they have become more dangerous. Because of this many people will not work with this ‘cursed’ woman. One person did not shy away from those dangers, Sara Bell, readily accepted the risks and the two became and have remained friends since. With the help of Sara she has accepted that around her and vows to continue and live for each day.
Phase Aspect: Always Fighting the Good Fight
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Phase Three: The Story: What was your first adventure?
Many artifacts of a First Nations nature have gone missing. Pernilla was given the assignment from her superiors in Monoc Securities to find the items and return them. With help (insert others perhaps?) she was able to track down the shapeshifters who had taken the items. Interrupting a ritual a confrontation ensued. Most of the small pack escaped and have vowed to get Pernilla for messing with them. Having returned not only the items she was sent for but many other recovered artifacts, Pernilla was granted a choice of her own. She took up a small Norse hammer made of cold forged iron.
Phase Aspect: Hammer Time
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Phase Four: Guest Star: Whose Path Have You Crossed?
Phase Aspect: (To be determined)
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Phase Five: Guest Star Redux: Who Else’s Path Have You Crossed?
Phase Aspect: (To be determined)
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Not sure where the Troll Slayer aspect would fit?
Updated Character.
** spoiler omitted **...
This all looks good.
The Trollslayer might fit into one of the guest appearances. With a guest appearance you can add a complication to a story or add something to the solution.
If the story has trolls or fae then you're a Trollslayer.
If the story doesn't have trolls then you can add trolls showing up and then you're a Trollslayer.
Anyways, it looks like you're ready for guest staring roles.
I was looking at another site and got a pointer to this character creator for Dresden RPG.
I haven't yet played around with this app much so I don't know the good and bad of it. If it helps some of you make up a character than that is all that you can ask for.
If you have been following the Actual People, Actual Play podcasts of the Dresden Files then they have their episode 36 up.
They discuss how the game was to play and how it handles the feel of Dresden RPG.
I also found a pointer to The Walking Eye Podcast which has four episodes covering the Dresden RPG. I have yet to listen to these but intend to listen to them over the next week.
Dresden RPG podcasts The Walking Eye
Scroll down the page to find the first podcast as they have a variety of other things on the page beyond the Dresden RPG. Their chosen city is Washington DC. They do a good job of putting links in their show notes.
I found the following example of combat shown and explained. (originally posted in Happy Jacks RPG Podcast Forums)
... wanted me to post this example from our discussion about aspects, tagging, maneuvers and declarations.
An aspect is a defining part of really anything. Tagging someone with an aspect, means temporarily attaching that aspect to them. this is covered in detail on page 207 under maneuvers. You should note, also, that declarations about the environment are a free action and are not defended against, so you may see players start to make declarations instead of maneuvers, depending on the situation. A "Tag" is a temporary aspect, you can use it once, then it goes away, but you don;t need to spend a fate point when you use a tag. if you succeed with one or more shifts on a maneuver, the tag becomes "sticky" which means it can be use a number of exchanges equal to the number of shifts, but you must use a fate point to use it on subsequent rounds, and the opponent receives that fate point (as he is "compelled").
Lets say my character, the Capoeirista Muito Tempo is fighting Jack "The Freight Train" Hall in an underground pit fight. Train is big, powerful and uses that to terrible efficiency, as showing in his Superb Fists skill. His is also tough (great endurance) and a good all around athlete (good athletics) but not very good at keeping his head (average discipline). Muito Tempo is crafty (superb deceit), an acrobatic showman (great athletics and performance), and a good fighter to boot (Good fists). the smart money is on "The Freight Train, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve called maneuvers.
As the Fight starts, I roll higher with my awareness allowing me to go first. Muito Tempo is crafty and has a superb deceit skill, and so I elect to get the upper hand immediately by performing a maneuver, that I describe as "tricking him with my body language that I am going one way, then dropping to a negativa and role'-ing the other way to get him on the wrong foot".
I roll my deceit (+5) against The Freight Train's discipline (+2). I roll an epic (+7) while the Train's rolls (+3) making the tag "Wrong-footed" sticky for 3 extra uses. (from page 207 "Exact success on a maneuver (as in, one that garners no shifts) creates a one-shot temporary aspect (also called a fragile aspect) that fades after it is tagged. If you generate one or more shifts on the maneuver, the aspect created is sticky and lasts longer, allowing it to be used more than once"). So not only is he on the wrong foot now, but he's having difficulty reading my body language and second guessing himself, allowing me to keep the upper hand.
The Freight Train then takes the direct approach with a mighty haymaker with his superb (+5) fists skill to crush the smile right off my face as I attempt to spin away. My Athletics skill is great (+4) but I really don't want to get hit by this one, so I invoke "wrong footed" for free (no fate point spent) for a +2. however I'm out of luck when my roll comes up -,-,-,0 for a total of +3 against his -,0,+,+ for a +6, I'm hit!
However I still have a trick up my sleeve, as Muito has the "Perfect Timing" Aspect and I spend a fate point to re-roll. My second roll is much better giving me a (+7) beating the sledgehammer-like attack of my opponent. As I am invoking one of my own aspects, the fate point just goes away, and not to my opponent.
In the next exchange, I decide to perform an athletics maneuver (+4) to maneuver around him with a move called "entrada" trapping his foot behind mine. I roll a +5 on the athletics roll, and he rolls a +4, allowing me to tag him With the "off balance" tag. since I didn't get any extra shifts, the aspect is fragile, and will go away after the first time I use it.
Now the big guy tries to catch his balance and get rid of the "Off balance" tag I just placed on him, I am totally uninterested in letting him do so I spend a fate point to invoke his "wrong footed" tag, but since he is tagged with it he gains the fate point I spent! he describes a flurry of punches coming my way to fend my off as he finds his footing as I describe an esquiva to an S-dobrado (a ducking evasion to a fancy reversing direction handstand/cartwheel) to keep him off balance. I roll a null for a (+6) but he rolls two negs for a (+3), so he invokes his "Crushing Strength" aspect with the fate point I spent to re-roll, but only rolls a null for a (+5) and the tag stays on him.
On the third Exchange it's time to end this. as free action I use my performance (+4) to make a declaration that the pit has "blinding lights" in the form of industrial arclights that are shining on the fighting pit. The Gm decides that it a likely declaration and gives the difficulty of good (+3), which I succeed upon, giving the aspect “blinding lights” to the location (which I can invoke once for free).
Now on my action I declare that I duck under the wild punches of my opponent spinning to the side until I am directly in front of one of the arclights so it is shining into his eyes, then switch legs and perform a spinning kick (a meia lua de compasso) in the direction he least expects it so that off balance and wrong footed he walks into the kick.
I invoke perfect timing, off balance and blinding lights, spending one fate point for my own personal aspect (off balance and blinding lights are free). For a +6 bonus to my fist skill of +3 (+9 total). We roll off, and I get unlucky with a +8, but ole train gets a null for a +5. With a grin, I invoke “wrong footed” and re-roll, gaining an epic +3 roll for a total of +12 versus his +5 for 7 levels of stress! Freight train decides to take the consequence “broken nose” along with 1 point of stress, and falls back, blood covering his chin from his destroyed nose, trying to regain his senses.
On the next exchange, I want to close in for the kill, but the gm waves a fate point to me, and mentions the “excessive showboater” aspect on my character sheet. I instead spend the next exchange cartwheeling and spinning around as my opponent gets up, taunting him and eliciting an cheer form the audience as I receive my fate point. I could have chosen to ignore the compel and beat my opponent down, but I have spent 3 fate points already and am going to need more as the fight goes on.
Cool, thanks for the pointers.
|
Okay Smerg tell me what you think
high concept Forgotten Prince Of Autmun
trouble Rasied As A Sidhe Knight
Where did you come from
Raised by the Mothers to one day take back the power of Autumn. They trained me in all the proper things telling me i was the son of a lost lord. Telling me all the legends and stories of All the courts but, never telling me who i was.
what shaped you
When the Mothers told me i could no longer stay with them. I wandered awhile, then met a acient being who meerly called himself The Smith. I labored in his forge as an apprentice for years before even getting to strike the metal for the first time. He told me i didnt yet want it bad enough yet, that "your will isn't strong enough yet the metal will master you instead of you mastering it should i let you strike now." Years later he let me forge my first work i mad the metal sing for days and shaped a dagger i carry to this day. I felt a pat on my back and heard well done but, when i looked around the cave was empty execpt for me and my dagger. I have been a smith since.
what was your first adventure
After finishing a piece of work for a sihde he told me that what he was paying me was unworthy of my work. So in addition he told me that while he was bound not to reveal who my father was he did know where his hammer was. I tracked it down through the nevernever and finaly found it in the hands of a Wildfey troll. I nearly died that day.....
Just posting my updated character sheet, nothing to see here.
Problem: The Cracks Still Show
Background: Nathaniel Had A Pleasant Childhood. He was the only child of rich parents, and they gave him whatever he wanted. What he wanted was knowledge. He went from subject to subject, learning enough to be considered learned before moving to the next. Truly, he became a Scholar of All Trades (and, by extension, a master of none.)
Aspect: Price Is No Barrier To Knowledge
Rising Action: In his junior year of college, Nathanial found an arcane tome in the TML and knew he had to read it. A homeless man warned him not to, but he didn't listen. After all, how bad could the book be?
He should have listened. The book pried open his third eye and made him stare into the abyss outside the universe, where he Saw The Watcher Beyond Sight. His mind snapped like a dry twig. Two weeks later, his landlord found him in his apartment, bleeding out from the arcane runes he carved into his arm in a failed ritual attempt. This lead to a quick trip to a padded cell, and five years later he has been deemed sane enough to return to normal society.
Aspect: Saw The Walker Beyond Sight
First Story: The Baying Of The Hounds
When a bizarre series of crimes are committed around the Library, Nathaniel can't help but get involved. But can he survive when the warlock behind it gets tired of his meddling?
Aspect: "'Close At Hand' Is Too Far Away"
For the story aspect, I was going for a "Keep you friends close, keep your enemies closer, and keep your armor on at all times" sort of thing, if you understand what I'm going for. Armor doesn't do you any good if you're not wearing it when you need it, etc.
Oh, and the story title was a distant reference to the Hounds of Tindalos.
can someone tell me what exactly the skills; Might; Survival and weapons do; is weapons for melee as well as throwing stuff?
Can you work on your skills in game to increase them from the starting 30 points and say raise your presence from +1 to +2?
can someone tell me what exactly the skills; Might; Survival and weapons do; is weapons for melee as well as throwing stuff?
Can you work on your skills in game to increase them from the starting 30 points and say raise your presence from +1 to +2?
Survival's basically the same as the skill in 3.5, basic outdoorsman stuff. Might is lifting stuff, feats of strength, that sort of stuff. (Athletics covers the running/jumping/acrobatics end of physical activities.) Weapons is, well, hitting things with weapons that aren't guns/bows or your own fists. (Attacking with those is covered by Guns and Fists, respectively.)
It wouldn't be much of an RPG if you couldn't get better. When you reach a minor milestone in the plot, you can switch your skills around or change an aspect, that sort of stuff. At a significant milestone in a story(usually the conclusion), you can improve one of your skills in addition to what you get from a minor milestone. When something really big happens and you reach a major milestone, you get an extra point of refresh, you can remove one extreme consequence and you get all the benefits of a significant milestone.
(Have we mentioned what Consequences are yet? You can take a Consequence to not get taken out of a fight when you take too much damage. Each rank would negate more damage but lasts longer and is generally worse for you. Extreme consequences are the most extreme and change one of your aspects until it can be removed. The example from the book is when Harry got his hand burnt off with a flamethrower and couldn't use fire magic for a while even after it healed.)
EDIT: To expand on Consequences, here are the three types you're probably going to use:
-Mild cancel out 2 boxes of Stress and stay around for one scene after this one. It's just stuff like "Nasty Bruise" or "Tired", you can get over it after a few minutes of rest.
-Moderate cancel out 4 boxes of Stress and stay around for the rest of the session. It's stuff you need at least a few days to get over and (depending on what it is) you probably should get a doctor to look at it. It's stuff like "Twisted Ankle" or "Bad First Degree Burn".
-Major cancel out 6 boxes of Stress and stay around for the rest of the adventure(or 2-3 sessions, whichever is shorter). It's stuff you'd need to go to the ER for, like "Broken Leg" or "Bad Second Degree Burns"
I used examples from physical conflict, but you can get the same sort of thing in social and mental conflicts. The Consequences would just be stuff like "Too Ashamed To Show Your Face" or "Crippling Phobia" instead of "Broken Leg", to give examples.
okay i think i have this right
skills 30
alertness +1
athletics +1
intimidation +1
presence +1
suvival +1might +2
lore +2
disicpline +2endurance +3
conviction +3resources +4
fists +4craftsmanship +5
Total checks and you have the pyramid so this all checks out.
To work magic you have discipline, lore, and conviction.
If you plan to be using your father's hammer for combat then you will likely want weapons +4 instead of fists +4.
Just posting my updated character sheet, nothing to see here.
** spoiler omitted **
For the story aspect, I was going for a "Keep you friends close, keep your enemies closer, and keep your armor on at all times" sort of thing, if you understand what I'm going for. Armor doesn't do you any good if you're not wearing it when you need it, etc.
Oh, and the story title was a distant reference to the Hounds of Tindalos.
Could you consider rewording your story aspect? The phrase doesn't really convey what I think is the concept. I might suggest that you focus on either having your equipment close at hand like Prepared for the Apocalypse or you focus on keeping close to your enemies like An Eye on my Enemies.
can someone tell me what exactly the skills; Might; Survival and weapons do; is weapons for melee as well as throwing stuff?
Can you work on your skills in game to increase them from the starting 30 points and say raise your presence from +1 to +2?
Survival's basically the same as the skill in 3.5, basic outdoorsman stuff. Might is lifting stuff, feats of strength, that sort of stuff. (Athletics covers the running/jumping/acrobatics end of physical activities.) Weapons is, well, hitting things with weapons that aren't guns/bows or your own fists. (Attacking with those is covered by Guns and Fists, respectively.)
One important thing to remember.
Fist skill can be used to block Fist skill or short reach Weapons (knives and small clubs). You need some sort of stunt or power to block swords, axes, and other larger weapons.
Weapon skill can be used to block Fists or Weapons skill (but does require you to hold a weapon). Weapons also have a built in modifier on damage.
Guns (which includes crossbows and archery) can not be used to block. You need to use Athletics usually to dodge unless you have some sort of equipment (bullet proof clothing) or power to defend against these. Note: if using Guns for Archery you may rename the skill (if this is your focus) or use Guns with a -2 modifier since you are more used to guns with bullets. Guns are like weapons and have a built in modifier on damage.
Could you consider rewording your story aspect? The phrase doesn't really convey what I think is the concept. I might suggest that you focus on either having your equipment close at hand like Prepared for the Apocalypse or you focus on keeping close to your enemies like An Eye on my Enemies.
Anyway, I was going more for him having a thing about always bringing what he might need with him personally because that flashlight won't do you any good if you left it in the car and even if it wasn't useful it could have been. Yeah, I probably could of come up with a better name for his overpreparation. Prepared For The Apocalypse doesn't quite hit the right chords for me, so I'll come up with something better later.
*Skill Discussion*
Also, Athletics can be used as a defense for anything that could physically be dodged. Fists, swords, bullets, bolts of arcane force, anything. It's the default defense for physical attacks when the other skills are worse or wouldn't apply.
Cool; thanks for the info. Do we put a wish list together for gear; or is there some other way of doing starting gear?
Cool; thanks for the info. Do we put a wish list together for gear; or is there some other way of doing starting gear?
There are a couple of elements that play out for equipment in Dresden RPG.
The first is your High Concept. You can initially claim basic equipment that fits your high concept.
A police person has hand-cuffs, defense club, access to a couple of guns, a bullet proof vest, and a few other appropriate items like radio.
The second thing is the skill Resources which determines what life-style you have and how much money you have to spend on things during the game. A low resources means you are just getting by and a high resources means you can purchase almost anything you want.
This can be important if you lose an item and need to replace it and what type of item that you get to replace it.
The third thing is if you have an item named in connection to an aspect. If you have a favourite item in your aspects then you will have that item. You can still lose the item but generally that item or a replacement will return to you to 'renew' the aspect.
Smerg,
I was looking into the possibility using Rune Magic. It looks as though it would be sponsored magic with a -4 refresh cost (ick!) What kind of things can this type of magic do, was it is not the normal evocation or thaumaturgy. The only really place it is seen is the short story with Gard and Harry vs a Grendlekin.
It sounds interesting... but I am not sure if I want to pay the -4 for it, where I could get other abilities. But at the same time, extra magic of any kind can add as well.
Thanks
Yeah, I probably could of come up with a better name for his overpreparation. Prepared For The Apocalypse doesn't quite hit the right chords for me, so I'll come up with something better later.
How about Overprepared For The Apocalypse? Could be used to show extreme preparation, but also a tendency to see trouble where there is none.
I like Aspects that have a good positive and negative side. For instance, my Seen It All might have a negative consequence of him appearing uncaring about someone's tragedy.
Smerg,
I was looking into the possibility using Rune Magic. It looks as though it would be sponsored magic with a -4 refresh cost (ick!) What kind of things can this type of magic do, was it is not the normal evocation or thaumaturgy. The only really place it is seen is the short story with Gard and Harry vs a Grendlekin.
It sounds interesting... but I am not sure if I want to pay the -4 for it, where I could get other abilities. But at the same time, extra magic of any kind can add as well.
Thanks
You could just take Ritual and have it cover Rune Magic. After all, I doubt it could do much that wouldn't be covered by Thaumaturgy, and it seems to be a bit excessive to take Sponsored Magic just for that. (I'm assuming there aren't any rune-based spells that are quick to cast that can't be modeled as enchanted items.)
You could just take Ritual and have it cover Rune Magic. After all, I doubt it could do much that wouldn't be covered by Thaumaturgy, and it seems to be a bit excessive to take Sponsored Magic just for that. (I'm assuming there aren't any rune-based spells that are quick to cast that can't be modeled as enchanted items.)
In the short story Heorot, Gard uses two runes (it is her stats in Our Story is where I have looked for ideas for the Valkyrie concept: Her rune magic is sponsored magic and she has a Runecaster Aspect).
One of the runes was a Rune of Routine. It helped with an illusion that Harry cast to get by some nasty critters.
The second was a Sunder rune which collapsed a tunnel.
In the short story Heorot, Gard uses two runes (it is her stats in Our Story is where I have looked for ideas for the Valkyrie concept: Her rune magic is sponsored magic and she has a Runecaster Aspect).
Well, no one said I actually knew anything about rune magic in the books. So, yeah, Thaumaturgy effects cast in the time it takes Evocation. Definitely Sponsered Magic mechanically. I guess if Smerg doesn't mind you can take Ritual(Rune Magic) and once you can spare the refresh you can buy it up to Sponsored Magic(Rune Magic)?
In the short story Heorot, Gard uses two runes (it is her stats in Our Story is where I have looked for ideas for the Valkyrie concept: Her rune magic is sponsored magic and she has a Runecaster Aspect).
One of the runes was a Rune of Routine. It helped with an illusion that Harry cast to get by some nasty critters.
The second was a Sunder rune which collapsed a tunnel.
One thing to remember in FATE is to separate the mechanical from the descriptive.
For example, a .44 Magnum Revolver and a .50 Cal Desert Eagle semi-auto pistol are very different weapons in reality but in FATE they would both likely be described as Weapon 3 Guns. The 3 would let someone know how many points of damage the weapon did if it just touched someone. A level 3 Weapon is enough that an average NPC will be taken down with a wound that will put them out of the fight (NPCs usually don't take consequences and are just retired from a fight).
What this means is that whether you call it Shamanism or Rune Magic, that is likely just a descriptive bit like Harry listing the various items that he drops in his potions. They have no mechanical 'value' inside of the game beyond the story value they provide.
So, focusing on the spell casting, the first thing is to decide is the magic being used, Evocation or Thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy is the catch all for magic that is not Evocation; so, let's see if the Rune Magic is Evocation first.
Evocation magic is limited by two features.
The first feature is that you can not do anything with Evocation that is outside of your range of sight. You can call a lighting bolt down from the heavens but you can't use that lightning bolt to hit someone on the other side of a building unless you have a way to see them with your eyes (magical scrying is not allowed).
The second feature is that the magic must be of a short duration (a few seconds for combat things and a scene for something like a Veil).
Collapsing a Tunnel can be an Attack (various elements work for this but Earth is the best for attacking structures). If it was within Gard's sight when she did this then evocation could be the spell used.
The Rune of Routine is a Maneuver in FATE where you 'place' or 'tag' a scene or area with a description. This can be done with Spirit element of Evocation. Gard created a 'tag' and then gave it to Harry for him to use instead of him having to pay fate points to create a tag himself.
Now, if you want to do things like the following; Summoning/Binding, Conjuration, Divination, long lasting Veils and Wards, Crafting, and Transformation require that you do Thaumaturgy. It is the usually long slow art to do out of combat 'stuff'.
I would suggest that you consider going with either Channelling for 2 pts (choose a focus like Air Element) or Evocation 3 pts to start. You can later upgrade this part of your character as you build your refresh pool and decide what you want to do with it. You can even later buy up to 4 points and go for a full sponsored package.
The thing with sponsored magic is that you would have to work with me to decide 'who' is providing the sponsorship and 'what' was their agenda. A sponsor provides 'aid' when something either directly supports their agenda or if they can trade aid to their sponsored in exchange for a later compel on a project the sponsor wants done.
One thing to remember in FATE is to separate the mechanical from the descriptive.
No worries. I was merely looking at what it has in the books themselves (Gard's character sheet has Sponsored Magic (Runes) [–4] listed) and trying to see how that it works in game terms. Since I have to really read over the magic myself.
Even if was the Evocation, the Runes were described as being like scrabble tiles, and Gard did not seem to put any will in using them, saving being careful with the box the Rune tiles were kept in, could it be prepared before hand?
Yes I know that the mechanics are being applied after the writing of the book. Sometimes one does not work with the other as it is written.
So as you suggested it might be better to use it in a lesser form before spending all the refresh up front. I will read the magic again.
What I was thinking for Pernilla was warding and for combat. Not throwing fire about, but to augment melee (weapons and say increase abilities to take and give out some damage) and defense. Considering danger is on her doorstep, often. (Hey, that almost sounds like an aspect! ;) )
Another question I have... how will working for Monoc Securities help/hinder here... should I consider making it an aspect? Or would Duties to the Norse cover that on occasion?
Skills (willing to take any advice)
Endurance (5)
Weapons (4)
Alertness (3), Athletics (3), Contacts (3)
Conviction (2), Discipline (2), Lore (2), Presence (2)
Guns(1), Might (1), Resources (1), Stealth (1)
So as you suggested it might be better to use it in a lesser form before spending all the refresh up front. I will read the magic again.
What I was thinking for Pernilla was warding and for combat. Not throwing fire about, but to augment melee (weapons and say increase abilities to take and give out some damage) and defense. Considering danger is on her doorstep, often. (Hey, that almost sounds like an aspect! ;) )
Well, most of what you want to do can be done just with Thaumaturgy/Ritual if you don't mind being unable to do it instantly. Warding is explicitly part of Thaumaturgy, and you could emulate the weapon enhancements and evocation-in-tile-form with enchanted items and possibly potions. Now that I think about it, you could probably just stick with Ritual(Rune Magic) for this.
Another question I have... how will working for Monoc Securities help/hinder here... should I consider making it an aspect? Or would Duties to the Norse cover that on occasion?
Personally, I'd make working for Monoc Securities a different Aspect, if only because their goals will probably be different than Odin's at some point.
Skills (willing to take any advice)
Well, you're going to go down like a chump in any social combat that isn't heavily stacked in your favor. Since I would go down like a chump in any actual combat that isn't rigged in my favor, I think you'll be fine.
Anyway, since that's the thing to do at the moment, my skills:
+4: Discipline
+3: Scholastics, Awareness, Resources
+2: Conviction, Deceit, Investigation, Rapport
+1: Endurance, Athletics, Presence, Weapons
No worries. I was merely looking at what it has in the books themselves (Gard's character sheet has Sponsored Magic (Runes) [–4] listed) and trying to see how that it works in game terms. Since I have to really read over the magic myself.
Yup, as GM my job is to try and help you identify what you want to do and then suggest ways to get it done inside of the rules. I looked at Gard and saw what they had written down but there were no additional explanations on her sponsored magic.
Sponsored magic can be purchased straight for four points or it can be purchased as an addition to Evocation or Thaumaturgy. It makes it a catch all that needs explanation to make 'sense' of the creator's aim.
Even if was the Evocation, the Runes were described as being like scrabble tiles, and Gard did not seem to put any will in using them, saving being careful with the box the Rune tiles were kept in, could it be prepared before hand?
Preparing ahead of time is Item Creation or Potion. You get four 'slot' of Item Creation when you take Ritual or Thaumaturgy. You can get an additional four 'slots' by taking Refinement.
The 'strength' of the spells will be determined by your character's Lore skill.
Items are things that you can use usually once per session. You can use them more if you define the 'strength' of the spell as weaker.
Potions are one shot Items. Potions can be declared as being 'carried' in any empty slots at the start of a session or you can leave a slot empty and pay a fate point to 'happen' to be carrying a useful potion on the spur of the moment (this would essentially be reaching into your box of tiles and just happen to have the tiles for a spell ready).
Yes I know that the mechanics are being applied after the writing of the book. Sometimes one does not work with the other as it is written.So as you suggested it might be better to use it in a lesser form before spending all the refresh up front. I will read the magic again.
What I was thinking for Pernilla was warding and for combat. Not throwing fire about, but to augment melee (weapons and say increase abilities to take and give out some damage) and defense. Considering danger is on her doorstep, often. (Hey, that almost sounds like an aspect! ;) )
There are Wards and Shields. A Ward is a long lasting magical shield that you set up to protect an area. A Shield is something you use to protect yourself and tends to be very temporary. Wards are crated through Thaumaturgy and Shields are created through Evocation. Now, you can use an Enchanted Item to provide you with a Shield (Harry uses a type of Enchanted Item called a Focused Item which modifies your Skills <+1 to Defensive Spirit Evocation> and isn't a one shot item but Focused Item's use up two Enchanted Item slots).
When it comes to modifying your weapons with magic the level of your current Lore is going to be the barrier. Lore of 2 means a strength 2 spell and spells strength translates on a 1 to 1 level effect for the Weapon Damage. An Axe or Hammer used 2 handed will be a Weapon 3 for your character. You won't be able to 'super charge' it higher in terms of damage with your level of Lore.
What you can do with your level of Lore is try and create a maneuver or 'tag' that you can call upon to give you a modifier in combat. You can also use this to help satisfy a condition that allows you to get around supernatural protection on a creature that might be immune to most attacks but not to fire. You could then use a 'potion' (runes from the box and a fate point if not prepared ahead of time) to turn your weapon into a flaming hammer for one attack.
Again, when it comes to shields, you have Athletics of 3 which is a pretty good defense. A Lore of 2 won't make a better 'block' then what your skills provide. You could use your Lore to create 'armour' which would give you 1 pt of armour for 2 pts of strength. If you are wearing plain clothes then this is better than plain clothes. If you are already dressed in battle armour then this won't give any additional benefit unless it is to block a special type of damage your armour could not normally block.
Another question I have... how will working for Monoc Securities help/hinder here... should I consider making it an aspect? Or would Duties to the Norse cover that on occasion?
This is a question you have to answer yourself by defining that relationship. If you make it into an aspect then the way you word the aspect will define much of the relationship.
For example;
Never Working for Monoc Again! defines a past relationship like an Ex-CIA agent that the CIA will recall but only through some sort of negative tactics (it is a compel with fate point when used by the GM but the player can invoke it to ask 'old friends' for aid).
On Loan from Monoc defines the character as having a primary loyalty to Monoc which could 'yank' them away or 'specify' their services don't happen to include some sort of work (it is a compel when the GM says Monoc has their own agenda that supercedes the situation).
Monoc, it is like a second Home to me defines a tight relationship where the character can easily invoke for aid or as a base of operations. The GM can still compel Monoc to push forward their agenda.
Skills (willing to take any advice)Endurance (5)
Weapons (4)
Alertness (3), Athletics (3), Contacts (3)
Conviction (2), Discipline (2), Lore (2), Presence (2)
Guns(1), Might (1), Resources (1), Stealth (1)
You have 30 points and the skill pyramid so that is good.
You have all the main defenses covered which is good.
You have a high Endurance, Weapons, and Athletics; so, you will be good in battle. You have Contacts which can help with any investigations you are involved with.
You have the skills you need to do minor magic. Going with Ritual (focus on Enchant Items gives you the flexibility with a few fate points to cast up to 4 minor spells per game session which should be pretty good and costs only 2 Refresh points).
Anyway, since that's the thing to do at the moment, my skills:
** spoiler omitted **
You have 30 pts and the skill pyramid so you are good.
You have all the defenses covered. You are heavily weighted to mental and magical but that is intentional and fine as we have several 'bruisers' in the group.
I might suggest switching Convictions to 3 and Awareness to 2. Casting spells can tap you quickly without enough Convictions. You are going to be very good at Thaumatury/Ritual magic (though you can still be a very decent Evocation/Channeler). If you choose to keep your Convictions lower then I would suggest putting 1pt of Refresh into Refinement to get the extra 4 slots of Enchanted Items. This will avoid having to 'burn' your mind as much.
When your Convictions got higher you could then 'rededicate' that point of refresh during a Major Milestone to some other magical art saying that you just didn't need to prepare as much stuff ahead of time.
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okay i think i have this right
skills 30
alertness +1
athletics +1
intimidation +1
presence +1
suvival +1might +2
lore +2
disicpline +2endurance +3
conviction +3resources +4
fists +4craftsmanship +5
Total checks and you have the pyramid so this all checks out.
To work magic you have discipline, lore, and conviction.
If you plan to be using your father's hammer for combat then you will likely want weapons +4 instead of fists +4.
Got a stunt planed for that.
Also in the books runes have been set as traps the locker in small favors for example they more like thamaturgy
Got a stunt planed for that.
Also in the books runes have been set as traps the locker in small favors for example they are more like thaumaturgy
Okay, if you have a stunt to cover that then you're good.
With powers/magic it is easier to focus on the result wanted then ascribe something to a category first.
For example, if you want to do traps then that is under Wards which is Thaumaturgy. The rules for Wards, says it needs to be tied into a threshold or a doorway. A locker won't have a threshold but it is a doorway and can have a ward and tied to the ward a trap.
It is a separate area of Thaumaturgy from Item Creation.
For skills, not knowing much; I am thinking:
Athletics 5
Might 5
Weapons 5
Endurance 5
Presence 3
Fists 2
Guns 2
Inimidation 2
Alertness 1
For skills, not knowing much; I am thinking:
Yeah, it need at least as many skills in the rank below as any particular rank. (You need at least 3 skills at +1 to have 3 skills at +2, you need at least 4 skills at each level from +1 to +4 to have 4 skills at +5, you get the idea.)
For skills, not knowing much; I am thinking:
Athletics 5
Might 5
Weapons 5
Endurance 5Presence 3
Fists 2
Guns 2
Inimidation 2Alertness 1
Here are the rules for Skills;
1> Each level of skill costs 1 pt. A skill with a rating of 3 costs 3 pts. Each level of skill adds +1 to the die roll when a skill roll is involved. Higher numbers are always better. The range on the die roll is -4 to +4 normally.
2> You can only have as many skills at a higher level then you have at a lower level. This is called the 'Skill Pyramid'. If you have two skills at level 3 then you must also have two skills at level 1 and two skills at level 2 (A total of six different skills).
3> At our level of play, the highest rating skill is 5 or Superb. You also have 30 pts to spend.
It is recommended that all characters consider having some level of the following skills;
Endurance, Conviction, and Presence as these determine your hit points called 'stress boxes' in FATE for Physical, Mental, and Social situations.
Athletics, Discipline, and some sort of social skill as these are often the defenses compared against for attacks in FATE for Physical, Mental, and Social situations.
It is good to have some sort of fighting skill like Fists, Guns, or Weapons.
It is good to have some value in Resources and/or Contacts.
The character generator I posted the link to has the full list of skills.
The previous points are guidelines when picking skills. You can still do things without having any levels of skill in them. Harry doesn't have the Driving skill but can still drive his car. He is just counted as having level 0 in the skill and gets no 'bonus' on his die rolls. Luckily, most driving requires a skill level of -2 Terrible to succeed or we'd have plenty more crashes on a daily basis. ;>.
yeah, i cant use the character generator yet; need some .net file and not sure what effect that would have on my pc.
yeah, i cant use the character generator yet; need some .net file and not sure what effect that would have on my pc.
When you downloaded it? Just allow it to run, nothing really happened when I downloaded/ran it. Besides, I doubt Smerg would of linked to it if it was computer-breaking.
It gave me an error that I needed a .Net file and from the download page its says you need windows .net file; so am going to try another computer and see if that has it loaded.
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Pretty sure this is what you need.
I've had to install it for virtual tabletops in the past. I think vista and beyond come with it preloaded.
It will take 15-20 minutes to install.
EDIT: Spoilsport. Well, at least I know why I didn't need to install it now.
It gave me an error that I needed a .Net file and from the download page its says you need windows .net file; so am going to try another computer and see if that has it loaded.
Well, Here's the .net website. I'm pretty sure you can just downlaod it Here.
Is this the correct list of the character concepts at the moment?
Several of the people are getting ready to start generating the guest star roles in stories; so, I want to make sure I have the list to generate which goes with which stories.
divine shadow - forgotten prince (autumn changeling)
valegrim - divine heritage (emissary of power)
songdragon - fallen daughter of the norse (emissary of power)
davi - outsider scholar (some type of practitioner?)
adastra - psychic insurance guy (focused practitioner or minor talent?)
barcas - savvy retired cop (pure mortal)
torolf - forgotten apprentice linguist (sorcerer?)
ithuriel - fey oracle or half-nephlim ??
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I'm working on a changeling oracle. Haven't worked out the background or background aspects, but roughly she's a barrista by day, painter and occasional black metal guitarist by night. I think she might be a little unnerving due to the oracle business. Anyway- it's coming along.
At the moment it is just this:
High Aspect: Changeling Oracle
Trouble: Knows Too Much
Athletics +1
Contacts +1
Endurance +1
Rapport +1
Resources +1
Deceit +2
Performance +2
Stealth +2
Discipline +3
Presence +3
Conviction +4
Empathy +4
Alertness +5
Powers: (I may add more here, haven't fully explored them)
Cassandra's Tears -1
Unseelie Magic -4
I'm working on a changeling oracle. Haven't worked out the background or background aspects, but roughly she's a barrista by day, painter and occasional black metal guitarist by night. I think she might be a little unnerving due to the oracle business. Anyway- it's coming along.
Your character might be a good choice for being based in our yet to be named neutral ground / meeting point for the players.
Powers: (I may add more here, haven't fully explored them)
Cassandra's Tears -1
Unseelie Magic -4
While you have Discipline and Conviction, you don't have Lore. That is an important skill to spot supernatural and to work Thaumaturgy magic.
You have all the base defenses.
You don't have any guns, fists, or weapons but you have Unseelie Magic which you can use. Your discipline 3 and conviction 4 means that you can make a fairly decent attack spell if you need to smack something.
Your selection of skills gives you an emphasis in social combat. This is good as the group doesn't really have someone with a skill selection like that yet.
davi - outsider scholar (some type of practitioner?)
At the moment he's 3/4 of a Sorcerer, mainly because I didn't want to not be an NPC only because you gave us an extra point of refresh to play with. I put the stats up in an alias Here, if you want to take a look.
Okay, I organized who is support role with which player's main story.
I would request that one of the two aspects that you choose in this phase in some way names or tags one of the other player's in the story.
I am making the request; so, it is a bit easier for me to use Compels to bring characters together if I decide it useful for the story. It will also make it easier for you to work as a group if you can use an aspect to tag another character to get a bonus to yourself or the other player.
divine shadow - forgotten prince (autumn changeling)
valegrim - divine heritage (emissary of power)
songdragon - fallen daughter of the norse (emissary of power)
davi - outsider scholar (3/4 Sorcerer)
adastra - psychic insurance guy (focused practitioner or minor talent?)
barcas - savvy retired cop (pure mortal)
torolf - forgotten apprentice linguist (sorcerer?)
ithuriel - changeling oracle (changeling minor talent)
divine shadow - forgotten prince (autumn changeling)
valegrim - divine heritage (emissary of power)
songdragon - fallen daughter of the norse (emissary of power)
davi - outsider scholar (3/4 Sorcerer)
adastra - psychic insurance guy (focused practitioner or minor talent?)
barcas - savvy retired cop (pure mortal)
torolf - forgotten apprentice linguist (sorcerer?)
ithuriel - changeling oracle (changeling minor talent)
Main Adventure Character // Support Role One // Support Role Two
divine shadow - forgotten prince // Davi // Torolf
valegrim - divine heritage // Barcas // Ithuriel
songdragon - fallen daughter of the norse // Adastra // Barcas
davi - outsider scholar // torolf // Adastra
adastra - psychic insurance guy // Ithuriel // Valegrim
barcas - savvy retired cop // Songdragon // Divine Shadow
torolf - forgotten apprentice linguist // Valegrim // Davi
ithuriel - changeling oracle // Divine Shadow // Songdragon
At the moment he's 3/4 of a Sorcerer, mainly because I didn't want to not be an NPC only because you gave us an extra point of refresh to play with. I put the stats up in an alias Here, if you want to take a look.davi - outsider scholar (some type of practitioner?)
I looked at your character. You have Convictions 3; so, you should have 4 Mental Stress boxes.
Everything else looks good.
Okay, I organized who is support role with which player's main story.
Assuming I understand what you said right, Here is a nice map of all our guest stars. If the arrow points away from you, you're guesting in whoever's story it's pointing towards. If it points towards you, the person it started at is guesting in your story.
Okay, working on refining concepts, history and numbers now.
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Because I haven't read the magic rules in depth yet, assuming I used unseelie magic to defend myself does it require fate points to power it? Or could you just plug away only using them as enhancement like you would in other situations?
Also- Unseelie magic catches Mab's notice and using your changeling abilities push you toward the choice. Is this a gray scale here? It's not like every single use causes some kind of internal confrontation or catches Mab's eye, right? I'm imagining it is just something you know to expect at dramatic points throughout game.