Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
Modus_Tollens
SCREAMING AT THE APOCALYPSE
- Location
- ALSO SCREAMING.
[X] Yog
Not really viable; the stronger you push with DF mind magic of any kind the more you damage your target. The white court doesn't care beyond the utility, but leaving them dominated long term or something should by DF rules start breaking even people as twisted as this in ways that effect their ability to function.
Light touches are a better bet, but also less effective against people like this.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Take the fastest route to the ocean (8 minutes flight; will involve a dangerous passage to a deserted island in the Antarctic Ocean)
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You keep pushing this line, but that's not the rational behind the vote because the majority didn't agree with you.
Convenience wasn't the reason, not in the sense of laziness or personal profit impact, or even to specifically make our life less difficult.
The primary arguments for doing this were that he was still an active threat/combatant*, we couldn't be sure about the viability of containment, and that the time cost of making an attempt was one taken out on innocent people we're obligated to protect.
He didn't even drop his warform or give any explicit indication he was interested in capitulating. That's the equivalent of keeping your gun out and pointed at an enemy who's also got their gun pointed at you. It's a stand off, not a surrender; made clearer by the fact that this happened once already and he shot first, happening to catch us in the plate carrier.
Treating this like we decided on a cold blooded killing because he took the closest parking spot to our destination or something is misleading.
* Which he absolutely was. He broke our hold and made a dangerous attack once, and it turned out he did have a second way to do that. Which makes validates the point on the risk of transporting him.
Sort of out of the blue, but @Yog I've been thinking about it, and I believe there's an additional way to stuff power into your ring design.
They'd certainly try to do what we ask, but I wouldn't be surprised if it got messy anyway.
Those favors are semi-directed magical nukes, especially because Mab is a drama Queen and will probably take the opportunity to show off Winter's power when given an excuse like this to operate so openly in the mortal world.
We should keep the splash zone in mind if and when we set one off.
My setup uses an enchanted item as the base, which should keep the currently unknown benefits of that item on top of the splendor + emanation(which I really need to redesign) based on RaW.
That trick should work for you as well, though the only real option would be a prodigy*. This sort of requires a reagent, but it's slightly different than the rules for everything else:
There are a few issues though; the first being that prodigies largely have to be used by exalts and have essence costs. Fortunately we have this rule on modifying the rating:
And this on essence:
Use without attunement costs a dot upgrade, and we can buy down dot ratings by making adding drawbacks.
We could make a 2 dot without complications usable by a mortal, but 3 is where they get useful.
My thought is to use it to add a security system since it's already established that prodigies are by default picky about the bearer. Thematics are defining for prodigies, so it plays into the ring pretty well because they're already symbols of association and connection.
The need to be actively used makes it awkward, but they can have very specific trigger conditions.
My first thought was something that shifts the ring into an unremarkable form when first put on at the cost of bashing damage to the wearer and restricts the item to mortal use only. Perhaps with a "bank" of damage they fill to allow limit future shifts as well.
That plays into the transformation themes of ash collected from Hank, limits the hypothetical influence of the ring by locking out those with the power to leverage it most, and makes the use cost something actually costly while still being bearable.
The user could put it on, let the damage heal, and then only take it off when they have to do that they don't need to pay it too often.
Honestly this might be more of a 2 dot effect brought to 1 by the annoying limits given that it's more utility than a combat relevant tool. Which would spare us the reagent use.
Another option would be to set it up so that plays off the cannibal themes for a more powerful effect meant to hurt an enemy for taking it. Use the mortal only lock to limit the item, bashing damage to the wielder to "charge it" at when first donned, but if someone other than the one gifted it by it's creator puts it on the ring starts charging more than bashing to use it at a harsher time table.
3 dots are the level of useful combat damage, so if we're paying down with flaws to get a 3 dot that doesn't require an exalt we could still get combat relevant damage from it:
Hit the cap and it doesn't keep going up but it does turn to (2/lethal an activation in scene). No shift to Agg because it's still a lower tier item.
Soakable if the subject chooses to resist after activation because they suddenly realized it was a bad idea, but if you don't willingly pay the toll it won't turn on to let you argue with the spirit inside in the first place.
Or if you're confident in the spirit's loyalty merit a different middling ability might work too. These guys can get pretty off the wall past 2 dots as long as they don't influence the plot too much themselves effectively.
The most ambitious suggestion I have being this:
Carve the base ring out of synthetic green-white nephrite jade, but use Molly's craft to make one where the white streaks are orderly, subtly forming alchemical symbols related to spiritual transformation. Specifically Albedo because we're talking about dreams and spiritual things touching on reality in an effort to improve. Still a lantern ring, but touched with something more.
Make it a 3 dot prodigy aligned to transformation and empowered to be used by mortals (and mortals alone) by Hank's ashes that gives the wearer the ability to train in their sleep in exchange for small amounts of bashing damage.
Maybe not full physical attribute training, but mental and skill related things. The malcoffee is great, but in terms of allowing the mortal weirder to better keep pace without the item dominating the plot this is a pretty good trick. Especially if the information spirit can guide them and push the dream into a carefully designed simulated training environment.
the end result is within mortal limits, but it makes getting closer to the useful ranges more practical.
* I don't think my complaints were wrong, but they were too harsh.
That trick should work for you as well, though the only real option would be a prodigy*. This sort of requires a reagent, but it's slightly different than the rules for everything else:
3 dots would be ideal, because even without a pass on the other stuff (which I hope for because without it we'd be locked out of almost everything for OOC months to a year of play) just substances work for them.
There are a few issues though; the first being that prodigies largely have to be used by exalts and have essence costs. Fortunately we have this rule on modifying the rating:
And this on essence:
Use without attunement costs a dot upgrade, and we can buy down dot ratings by making adding drawbacks.
We could make a 2 dot without complications usable by a mortal, but 3 is where they get useful.
My thought is to use it to add a security system since it's already established that prodigies are by default picky about the bearer. Thematics are defining for prodigies, so it plays into the ring pretty well because they're already symbols of association and connection.
The need to be actively used makes it awkward, but they can have very specific trigger conditions.
My first thought was something that shifts the ring into an unremarkable form when first put on at the cost of bashing damage to the wearer and restricts the item to mortal use only. Perhaps with a "bank" of damage they fill to allow limit future shifts as well.
That plays into the transformation themes of ash collected from Hank, limits the hypothetical influence of the ring by locking out those with the power to leverage it most, and makes the use cost something actually costly while still being bearable.
The user could put it on, let the damage heal, and then only take it off when they have to do that they don't need to pay it too often.
Honestly this might be more of a 2 dot effect brought to 1 by the annoying limits given that it's more utility than a combat relevant tool. Which would spare us the reagent use.
Another option would be to set it up so that plays off the cannibal themes for a more powerful effect meant to hurt an enemy for taking it. Use the mortal only lock to limit the item, bashing damage to the wielder to "charge it" at when first donned, but if someone other than the one gifted it by it's creator puts it on the ring starts charging more than bashing to use it at a harsher time table.
3 dots are the level of useful combat damage, so if we're paying down with flaws to get a 3 dot that doesn't require an exalt we could still get combat relevant damage from it:
Every time they put it on or use the ring's powers it charges (1 + activations in the scene /bashing) up to 3.
Hit the cap and it doesn't keep going up but it does turn to (2/lethal an activation in scene). No shift to Agg because it's still a lower tier item.
Soakable if the subject chooses to resist after activation because they suddenly realized it was a bad idea, but if you don't willingly pay the toll it won't turn on to let you argue with the spirit inside in the first place.
Or if you're confident in the spirit's loyalty merit a different middling ability might work too. These guys can get pretty off the wall past 2 dots as long as they don't influence the plot too much themselves effectively.
The most ambitious suggestion I have being this:
Carve the base ring out of synthetic green-white nephrite jade, but use Molly's craft to make one where the white streaks are orderly, subtly forming alchemical symbols related to spiritual transformation. Specifically Albedo because we're talking about dreams and spiritual things touching on reality in an effort to improve. Still a lantern ring, but touched with something more.
Make it a 3 dot prodigy aligned to transformation and empowered to be used by mortals (and mortals alone) by Hank's ashes that gives the wearer the ability to train in their sleep in exchange for small amounts of bashing damage.
Maybe not full physical attribute training, but mental and skill related things. The malcoffee is great, but in terms of allowing the mortal weirder to better keep pace without the item dominating the plot this is a pretty good trick. Especially if the information spirit can guide them and push the dream into a carefully designed simulated training environment.
the end result is within mortal limits, but it makes getting closer to the useful ranges more practical.
* I don't think my complaints were wrong, but they were too harsh.
It'd probably dangerous for the hostages. Even trying their best Winter fey aren't gentle or reflexively concerned with mortal safety.
They'd certainly try to do what we ask, but I wouldn't be surprised if it got messy anyway.
Those favors are semi-directed magical nukes, especially because Mab is a drama Queen and will probably take the opportunity to show off Winter's power when given an excuse like this to operate so openly in the mortal world.
We should keep the splash zone in mind if and when we set one off.
OK, looks like we are fighting weird things made out of frozen blood.... or really strafing them.
- Pronouns
- ImBuda
Not to help us find the hostales but to kill the enemy. We know he has been spying us for a long time so he might have contingencies to our powers. But he doesnt for Mab and due to our past relations with her court he would have never expected us to use them as allies a few weeks ago so there shouldnt be any surprises. Also is probably our best way to obtain an army at this moment.
That's an interesting idea, but the issue is that I can't really think of a prodigy-like function of a signet ring. The things you are suggesting are very clearly a Splendor functionality, and in fact I could build a splendor built for transformation / obfuscation easily.
In general, I feel, Prodigies and Splendors are badly delineated. I like Prodigy crafting rules (which don't require permanently breaking Dragon Nests) better than Splendor ones, but the functionality of Prodigies is a mess of "well, imagine something cool". In principle, if we are allowed, making a ring that can only be worn by mortals and burns non-mortals who try to wear it might be an option, maybe? I still remain sure that stealing a Splendor prodigy with Hero's Shadow form is just an exercise in frustration.
I tried staying away from prodigies and gadgets because I just feel that they are very badly designed from a mechanical and gameplay perspective. Either just give the players free reign / lean into narrative completely, or make rules that are meaningful.
For ring construction, I was thinking green magical jade (if it is available) alloyed with gossamer in its pure form. The sigil would either be Green Lantern one, to connect to the fantastical and whimsical, or, if Molly rolls enough successes, either an image of Luna or Oramus.
Also, you should consider that Kakuri's sword might be more of a splendor than a prodigy. Certainly it didn't express the functionality of a prodigy, as far as I remember.
And right now I am focusing more on perfecting / nailing the transformation trinket to accompany your sword so Daniel can have good defenses.
You don't spend the favor we were given to kill one naagloshii. You spend it for Winter court to help you genocide naagloshii species off the face of the world.
Arc 8 Post 49: From Sea to Shore
From Sea to Shore
18th of November 2006 A.D.
How exactly Piotr knew to find this particular tunnel, hidden in the shadow of baneberries and belladonna, but here and now you could not care less, only that he does, only that it is faster. The awkwardness of picking up so you can fly him down, the moment of dissaorientation as you summon your armor, a thousand voices raised in praise grading upon the ear listening for whispers of conspiracy, none of that matters, just getting home faster. To his credit Odin's soldier does not ask how you plan on getting from the frigid waters of the South Atlantic to Chicago, he just grabs on to one of the more ornamental pieces of your ruined armor and hangs on with the skill of a man who has done something like this a time or two before.
Lost 1 Essence -> Now at 11/15 (Viridian Legend Exoskeleton)
The tunnel which at first seemed like the kind of thing one might find in the side of a mountain widens as it turns, the sides which before had seemed rough hewn now smooth out, but not entirely, like frozen waves of stone which had been melted and cooled at uneven times. Further down a orange glow shows itself, then vanishes and comes again closer as the topography of the passage points you this way and that until you are not entirely sure where up is save by the pull of gravity.
"This isn't a vulcano is it? I'm immune to my fire, not all fire!"
"Nie," he shakes his head even as he raises his right hand a pouch of runes, of bones jingling in them. Smoothly you let him go on the Nevernever side of the veil calling thanks after him.
Reality hits you like a wall of cold, wind whistling though the cracks in stone, pale daylight reaching into what it a much larger and more irregular tunnel than the one you had com from. It drives you ever faster, the wind in your hair having already divested it of any shape, you have only to reach the sky and from there the sea you can smell, rich and inviting.
There is a screech behind you, in the darkness beyond the light of your anima something moves. When Piotr had said the guardians here were made of frozen blood, you had imagined something crystalline, perhaps a deep ruby polished to a shine as though they had been carved of a sanguine glacier. What you are faced with instead is a thing of frozen scabs and detritus, algae, feathers, driftwood, clumped together in old blood vaguely in the shape of a woman with three mismatched wings. Siren, the voice at the back of your mind whispers, half Usum's and half your own, not mermaids, but things out of sailor's nightmares, manifestations of their fears pushed to the literal edge of the map. Most importantly for your purposes slow.
Jetting past the local talent, their screeches growing more and more until you could not tell what's echo and what is newly awakening guardian you rise for a moment into the freezing air, noticing out of the corner of your eye the many wrecks arrayed upon the grey and stony shore before diving into the sea.
Blue, green, muddy and clear, filled with life and lifeless cold, you pass from one patch of water to another at first crossing the length of the Atlantic in a single bound then paying your respect to the rivers snaking inwards towards familiar lake Michigan.
As much as one may trust the accounting of time in the spirit world it has been about twenty minutes since you first spotted Hank, considerably faster than Broken Seeker would have assumed you could get here.
What do you do?
[] Call Izzy's phone, you know he is waiting, being the one to initiate contact might put him on the backfoot
[] Get some help on the line, your dad, Lyda Harry
[] Go by your friends place, with the right question you you should be able to trace where they are and land right on top of it
[] Write in
OOC: For once you guys were not rolling the inhumanly large dice pools but Molly managed it fine.
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Rolls
Do they notice? (one success needed, you are not being stealthy)
It's cold and you are trying to Escape so CCC procs
Do they catch up?
What is that? Some information
Would be DC 10 normally, this is not a situation where you should be able to apply classroom geography on the fly, but CCC and BSM save the day
Do they notice? (one success needed, you are not being stealthy)
It's cold and you are trying to Escape so CCC procs
Do they catch up?
What is that? Some information
Would be DC 10 normally, this is not a situation where you should be able to apply classroom geography on the fly, but CCC and BSM save the day
That's fair, but I think magic rings get a bit more leeway in this sort of thing because their classic thematic profile is a bit broader and more abstract.
A ring is mostly something that shows a bond, represents authority, or certifies identity. Usually a mix of all of those things at once. Classical magic rings are usually about abstract authority being used to enforce something supernatural.
Prodigies have to be interesting, active use, and operate on thematics that match the item.
My first idea is pretty straightforward, rather than obviously proclaiming you to anyone you sees it the ring shows a false face.
The second is only a bit of a hop; a signet ring has a rightful owner who is granted it by virtue of a position independent of the ring. If you want to steal that power you're going to need to bleed for it, the magic just gives the ring some actual teeth to make it happen directly.
The third is the biggest reach because it extends the thematics in the most abstract way.
Broadly the ring can be said to be something giving the bearer authority over dreams. It lets you shape their substance into something overtly physical and use them to unnaturally interfere with the physical world. The green lantern stuff is a veneer over that baseline part of what the magic actually does.
So the prodigy would "just" be empowering the signet ring to exert the authority inwards instead of outwards, giving them enhanced lucid dreaming.
It's not even that big of a difference fluff wise; we learned teaching Rosie that mortal souls form weird temporary pseudo-realms that constitute dreams from interaction with the nevernever when they sleep. The substance of those things is what the ring as described is messing with in the first place.
Fair enough if you don't like them, but I think the basic concepts are sound. Certainly no more distant thematically than making a crown that allows for a mind control effect or something.
I take issue with the extra stuff you stick in material wise.
The crafting rules don't require it or provide a benefit from it, and some of them might be dangerous.
Anointing the thing in our blood is just asking for a thaumaturge to do something nasty if they do get it, and the thing will work just fine without it.
Magical jade is sure to be a rare commodity that can be used for specific crafting improvements, but this isn't 2E. We don't need to slap it into everything just to make a project work.
No one else uses our crafting rules, so we don't have to translate. The sword is an enchanted item, which makes it qualify as a target but doesn't require us to measure it under restrictions from categories it isn't in.
As to the transformation stuff, I'm a bit wary of it.
You're basically making Shintai but better and able to get used way more frequently. Some of them also basically include multiple free scene long excellency equivalents if built right.
Seems like the sort of trick that should get shot down for the same reason that Jade discipline that let them make infinite high tier Agg weapons got nerfed.
Edit:
The example 3 dot prodigy is a clock that rewinds time a limited and set amount, so there's room for real bullshit at this level.
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I tried to be thematic. LIke, for the transfromation amulet that turns someone into a living diamond-skinned golem, a memorial diamond made out of a naagloshii's heart seems ldeal. Our blood, ok, I'll get rid of it. Mechanically there's no support for it, not when making a splendor. When making a prodigy this is basically how they are made, though. So, one might argue that by fulfilling one more creation step (if for an adjacent class of objects) we might be able to improve the power / quality of the splendor.
Well, it's kinda like a shintai? No shintai aspects, which can be really powerful. Superhuman, yes, but focused superhuman. Expensive to make also.
Also, splendors and arcana are unique. It's in the rules. So, yeah, we might be able to make one behemoth that can tank what even we can throw (13 to 16 soak dice rolled at -3 difficulty, can soak agg), but we can only make one. Ever. Here:
Splendors don't have that issue, but I think it would be fair to say that we can't reasonably make the same super-powerful splendor.
There's also one big difference with shintai: if you get wounded in shintai, when shintai is re-summoned, wounds reset. That's not a thing here. It's a transformation item. If you get wounded, you'll need to heal or repair the transformed form.
The issue is that "give people ability to lucid dream" or similar is mechanically described as "give someone oneiromancy 1", and that's splendor.
Personally I would make the use something that deals with signet ring's main mundane function - that being a stamp. Hmm... interesting functionality, active use, dream focus (I agree, that's reasonable). Hmm, how about "when stamped onto a text, the wearer of the ring will dream the text's contents the next time they go to sleep". Or, if we go with more powerful version "the wearer of the ring and everyone who have put their signatures to the text". Story-wise that enables some interesting investigations and practically, gives the user ability to train in dreams by using various novels.
We'd need a cyber devil in a few different cell towers to do that.
[X] Get some help on the line, your dad, Lydia, Harry
We should also probably call a cab to take us somewhere central but low key so any watchers don't notice our cars moving but we can still meet up with everyone okay.
If possible a pit stop for bleach would be good too; I want to move fast, but if we end up burning enough time to allow essence recovery we might as well get it.
[X] Get some help on the line, your dad, Lydia Harry
If we are busting open RVD, we could disperse into city's water supply, then reconstitute as close as possible near a naagloshii. Hell, use shintai, we should be able to burst out of a water pipe, if we know where to do it.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
We can be by spending a mote on TLoF. So long as it's environment and not an attack.
Can we ask Clippy and friends to call the relivent people on our behalf well we are busy?
[X] Go by your friends place, with the right question you you should be able to trace where they are and land right on top of it
-[x] Have Clippy call Harry on your behalf well you are busy.
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- Pronouns
- ImBuda
The Crown on the phone might be used also being trapped in the middle of the enemy fortress activates CCC
Only it it is environmental. If something throws a fireball at you, or uses a flamethrower the charm does not apply.