Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
@DragonParadox , since Olivia is a college student, could you remind what she is studying? What ability would represent her progress as a student?
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Well be glad then that we are not in fact doing it from an in character perspective.
I think that the answer to that is "Whatever we put the dots in".
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Keep in mind you are using the one charm where you can painlessly take the whole thing back. It would cost you 7 Essence, but you can do it
She's in the Dance Program in Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Have to agree if we wanted make a melee combat monster Herald seems better, but all her training and magic is stealth and sniping.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Yeah and… we really don't need another melee monster, what we need is a rogue/ranger which she's *very* suited for anyways so…
@DragonParadox what are the XP costs for Olivia? Are we using M20 or the same costs as Molly? Specifically, I am asking about Ability costs, because in M20 it just says "3". Not "current rating * 3". Just "3".
We have MiS, which she's already under.
If we'd used a different fomori charm I wouldn't want to trap her in it, but IDU is reversible. If she wants out we can just remove the powers and let her go. That does make the power itself a chain, similar to Eko's in a way, but there are ways to manage that.
For balance reasons I think it should be a very lossy decision, so that we don't abuse it to rebuild her all the time*, but technically we can take IDU away and give it back again to the same target.
If she wants out we could potentially take all the power back, then return it in a lesser but tolerable form. Sure she would lose out on some power, but if it's been bought with flaws then she couldn't maintain it herself anyway.
Severance pay in the form of getting to take home a significant portion of your powers from the job totally free and clear is pretty much the best offer anyone makes.
Looking at Mac it's peer with the white God's retirement package, which is basically the gold standard.
Also on the diet thing; definitely not anything that involves feeding on mortals. We know we haven't made her a vampire or predator, but minor talents aren't going to be giving her a soul exam.
Remember during the ants of god thing when members of the Ordo didn't seem to care that much about us telekinetically beating people up, but having a whamp nonlethally shut them down got a visible reaction?
It makes sense that they're afraid of them, but the environment minor talents live in actively encourages othering nonhumans. A friend who comes back with new powers and a bit of a weird diet that they swear is safe isn't a new story; it's one that ends very poorly for them all the time.
We should pick things that won't alienate her social circle.
* Though this would be in line with how greater Akuma work if she's supposed to be out version of that.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
This power allows the akuma to infuse a victim's mind with
images of the Yomi World and what occurs within it. It is a
brave soul indeed that can withstand such an assault without
running screaming into the night.
System: The akuma must make eye contact with his victim,
while the player spends a point of Demon Chi and rolls
Perception + Occult (difficulty 6). Success means the victim
is tormented with visions of the Yomi World. The victim must
make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) and achieve more
successes than the akuma did, to avoid the effects of the
power. Failure means he will flee in terror from the akuma;
weaker victims (mortals with a Stamina of 1 or 2) may die of
heart failure.
Sacrifice: Gold (at least one coin's worth)
images of the Yomi World and what occurs within it. It is a
brave soul indeed that can withstand such an assault without
running screaming into the night.
System: The akuma must make eye contact with his victim,
while the player spends a point of Demon Chi and rolls
Perception + Occult (difficulty 6). Success means the victim
is tormented with visions of the Yomi World. The victim must
make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) and achieve more
successes than the akuma did, to avoid the effects of the
power. Failure means he will flee in terror from the akuma;
weaker victims (mortals with a Stamina of 1 or 2) may die of
heart failure.
Sacrifice: Gold (at least one coin's worth)
The akuma opens up a temporary window into the Yomi
World, releasing a tiny blast of the lacerating winds that howl
through the Thousand Hells.
System: The player spends one point of Demon Chi and
rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6). Success releases the
Razor Winds to shred the target's flesh and soul. The player
rolls Dexterity + Firearms or Archery (difficulty 6) to hit his
target. Success indicates that the target suffers the akuma's
Stamina + 2 dice of lethal damage; this can be soaked. The
Razor Winds will do +1 health level of damage for every
additional point of Yin Chi or Demon Chi the akuma spends.
Sacrifice: A point of Yin Chi or Demon Chi (in addition to the
points spent to activate the power).
World, releasing a tiny blast of the lacerating winds that howl
through the Thousand Hells.
System: The player spends one point of Demon Chi and
rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6). Success releases the
Razor Winds to shred the target's flesh and soul. The player
rolls Dexterity + Firearms or Archery (difficulty 6) to hit his
target. Success indicates that the target suffers the akuma's
Stamina + 2 dice of lethal damage; this can be soaked. The
Razor Winds will do +1 health level of damage for every
additional point of Yin Chi or Demon Chi the akuma spends.
Sacrifice: A point of Yin Chi or Demon Chi (in addition to the
points spent to activate the power).
To their more powerful servants the Yama Kings and their
greater vassals grant this power: a warping of joss to bring
good fortune to those who work the Kings' evil will.
System: The player spends a point of Demon Chi. For the
rest of the scene (or longer, at the Storyteller's discretion), all
rolls he makes in direct furtherance of his and the Yama
Kings' evil purposes are at -1 difficulty. Of course, it is up to
the Storyteller to determine what tasks are involved in
"furthering evil." Not everything an akuma does directly
furthers evil. For example, an akuma's hunting trips among
the slums of Hong Kong probably would not qualify for a
Favor of the Yama Kings bonus, since he is just seeing to his
own physical needs (even though, arguably, anything that
supports an akuma supports the Yama Kings and furthers
their purposes). Conversely, hunting to find sacrifices for the
Kings probably would qualify.
If the akuma has a Demon Mentor (see Kindred of the East,
p. 94), then he derives even greater benefits from this power
because of his intimate connection with a member of the
Kings' courts (or even one of the Kings himself, perhaps).
The reduction in difficulty should last longer (up to a night or
more, in some cases), and if the Yama Kings see fit, may
even be increased to -2 to all difficulties in crucial situations
(for example, arranging and performing a ritual to open a
gate to the Yomi World to bring forth an army of goblin
spiders into the Middle Kingdom).
Sacrifice: A point of Demon Chi (in addition to the point of
Demon Chi spent to activate the power).
greater vassals grant this power: a warping of joss to bring
good fortune to those who work the Kings' evil will.
System: The player spends a point of Demon Chi. For the
rest of the scene (or longer, at the Storyteller's discretion), all
rolls he makes in direct furtherance of his and the Yama
Kings' evil purposes are at -1 difficulty. Of course, it is up to
the Storyteller to determine what tasks are involved in
"furthering evil." Not everything an akuma does directly
furthers evil. For example, an akuma's hunting trips among
the slums of Hong Kong probably would not qualify for a
Favor of the Yama Kings bonus, since he is just seeing to his
own physical needs (even though, arguably, anything that
supports an akuma supports the Yama Kings and furthers
their purposes). Conversely, hunting to find sacrifices for the
Kings probably would qualify.
If the akuma has a Demon Mentor (see Kindred of the East,
p. 94), then he derives even greater benefits from this power
because of his intimate connection with a member of the
Kings' courts (or even one of the Kings himself, perhaps).
The reduction in difficulty should last longer (up to a night or
more, in some cases), and if the Yama Kings see fit, may
even be increased to -2 to all difficulties in crucial situations
(for example, arranging and performing a ritual to open a
gate to the Yomi World to bring forth an army of goblin
spiders into the Middle Kingdom).
Sacrifice: A point of Demon Chi (in addition to the point of
Demon Chi spent to activate the power).
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Is she even the type to make a deal with Tiffany.
Ivar
Dark Reaper
- Location
- Russia Moscow
The Deal and the Lore of the Fallen are two different things. The Fallen can use Lore without the Bargain frequently. And they can (not in the case of Lash) give their artifacts to mortals like (I may remember their crafting incorrectly). The deal is something more powerful and requires the giving party to sell their faith rating to Fallen/ Like Lidia did/ But she sold it for non lore buff. Lash has a flesh lore...And the lore doesn't require a deal. She can simply use it on herself or others for any purpose.
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- Location
- Dallas Texas
Hrmmm, I'm sure this can be fluffed somehow, maybe by looking deep into the Prision and a glimpse of whatever is deep within? Or refluffed to feel the raw majestic fury of the twin suns within her palace? Or the wieght of eternity brought about by the Wheel, the cycle of the Samsara is considered a 'Hell' of eternal suffering from the simple inevitable pains of life after all, though it can be escaped easier in Molly's hell rather then aiming for buddahood.
Ok, so I think we need to break this apart. Or at least I am breaking this into separate parts - Sorcerer chargen, then adding XP, then adding demon arts / fomori traits, once I find the books. I am tentatively calling this "stealth archer" build, and I am taking criticism and suggestions at all points.
So, step one. Character generation and supernatural flaws, because I think those are appropriate to put in immediately. This is very much work in progress.
I'll be moving onto XP spending next.
EDIT: Forgot to add Knowledges category of abilities. Added 3 dots to occult and one to academics (social sciences and such)
So, step one. Character generation and supernatural flaws, because I think those are appropriate to put in immediately. This is very much work in progress.
Willpower 9
Attributes
Abilities
Paths:
Backgrounds:
Merits and Flaws
Attributes
| PHYSICAL | SOCIAL | MENTAL | |
| Strength ●●○○○ | Charisma ●●○○○ |
| |
| Dexterity ●●●○○ | Manipulation ●○○○○ | Intelligence ●●○○○ | |
| Stamina ●●○○○ | Appearance ●●●○○ | Wits ●●●●● |
Abilities
| TALENTS | SKILLS | KNOWLEDGES | |
| Animal Ken ○○○○○ | Academics ●○○○○ | |
| Athletics ○○○○○ | Crafts ○○○○○ | Computer ○○○○○ | |
| Awareness ●●●○○ | Drive ○○○○○ | Finance ○○○○○ | |
| Brawl ○○○○○ | Etiquette ○○○○○ | Investigation ○○○○○ | |
| Firearms ●●●○○ | Law ○○○○○ | |
| Expression ●○○○○ | Larceny ●●○○○ | Medicine ○○○○○ | |
| Intimidation ○○○○○ | Melee ○○○○○ | Occult ●●●○○ | |
| Leadership ○○○○○ | Performance ●●●○○ | Politics ○○○○○ | |
| Streetwise ○○○○○ | Stealth ●●●●● | Science ○○○○○ | |
| Subterfuge ○○○○○ | Survival ○○○○○ | Technology ○○○○○ |
Paths:
While some mages take advantage of Arcane to walk
unnoticed through society, psychics can make use of this
Phenomenon. A sort of mass hypnosis, it projects "don't
notice me" into the minds of everyone nearby. It isn't
true invisibility: the psychic still shows up on cameras
and electronic surveillance equipment in general, animals
are unaffected because their minds are so different, etc.
Even some people might shrug it off because they can
tell something is wrong indirectly. Those looking for
something amiss can roll Perception + Stealth against
the psychic's roll, and if they have more successes, they
can see the psychic with no difficulty.
The number of successes on the roll determines how
thoroughly hidden the character is: one success makes the
characters still noticeable but people will tend to avert
their eyes, whereas with three or more successes almost
no one will noticed them. Mind Shields, of any sort, do
protect against this. The levels of this power dictate how
the psychic can behave and still remain hidden, and at
the higher levels, they can interact with select others and
even disappear from memories.
Cost: One Willpower.
Roll: Wits + Stealth
Duration: As long as the psychic actively maintains
the effect (this counts as an action).
Cost of Failure: On a botch, the psychic instead sends
out a "look at me!" signal to everyone in the vicinity.
Effects
• Hide: The character must remain completely still
to remain unnoticed. If they move, speak or do anything
else, the effect ends.
•• Slow Movement: Now the psychic can move while
maintaining their invisibility. However, they can only
move slowly, and cannot do anything that would draw
attention to them while maintaining the effect.
••• Invisibility: Now the psychic can walk and behave
normally, so long as they are not attempting to disappear
while being directly observed.
•••• Selective Invisibility: At this level of control,
the psychic can be invisible to some people but not to
others. This requires a Wits + Empathy roll (difficulty
7) and each success allows another person to see them
while everyone else is fooled by the Psychic Invisibility.
••••• Forget You Ever Saw Me: At the peak of power,
the invisible psychic is able to make a group of people forget
seeing them. The group's highest Perception + Alertness
pool is rolled (at difficulty 7) against the psychic's roll. If
the psychic gets a single success more than the observers,
they simply vanish from view. If they get at least three
successes more, they not only vanish but the observers
forget the psychic was there, losing memories one turn
back for every two successes.
Associated Spheres: Mind
unnoticed through society, psychics can make use of this
Phenomenon. A sort of mass hypnosis, it projects "don't
notice me" into the minds of everyone nearby. It isn't
true invisibility: the psychic still shows up on cameras
and electronic surveillance equipment in general, animals
are unaffected because their minds are so different, etc.
Even some people might shrug it off because they can
tell something is wrong indirectly. Those looking for
something amiss can roll Perception + Stealth against
the psychic's roll, and if they have more successes, they
can see the psychic with no difficulty.
The number of successes on the roll determines how
thoroughly hidden the character is: one success makes the
characters still noticeable but people will tend to avert
their eyes, whereas with three or more successes almost
no one will noticed them. Mind Shields, of any sort, do
protect against this. The levels of this power dictate how
the psychic can behave and still remain hidden, and at
the higher levels, they can interact with select others and
even disappear from memories.
Cost: One Willpower.
Roll: Wits + Stealth
Duration: As long as the psychic actively maintains
the effect (this counts as an action).
Cost of Failure: On a botch, the psychic instead sends
out a "look at me!" signal to everyone in the vicinity.
Effects
• Hide: The character must remain completely still
to remain unnoticed. If they move, speak or do anything
else, the effect ends.
•• Slow Movement: Now the psychic can move while
maintaining their invisibility. However, they can only
move slowly, and cannot do anything that would draw
attention to them while maintaining the effect.
••• Invisibility: Now the psychic can walk and behave
normally, so long as they are not attempting to disappear
while being directly observed.
•••• Selective Invisibility: At this level of control,
the psychic can be invisible to some people but not to
others. This requires a Wits + Empathy roll (difficulty
7) and each success allows another person to see them
while everyone else is fooled by the Psychic Invisibility.
••••• Forget You Ever Saw Me: At the peak of power,
the invisible psychic is able to make a group of people forget
seeing them. The group's highest Perception + Alertness
pool is rolled (at difficulty 7) against the psychic's roll. If
the psychic gets a single success more than the observers,
they simply vanish from view. If they get at least three
successes more, they not only vanish but the observers
forget the psychic was there, losing memories one turn
back for every two successes.
Associated Spheres: Mind
You know the fine art of disappearing. Whether this involves
a not-so-simple trick, the ability to cloud men's minds, nanotech
sensory disrupters, or some nameless power of obscurity, you possess
a talent for getting lost. Especially in the age of cell-phone cameras,
global databases, electronic trackers, DNA samples, and Closed
Circuit TV monitors on every corner, Arcane – or its Technocratic
version, Cloaking – is a useful Trait to have. Records get lost;
cameras malfunction or record fuzzy images in your place; folks
recall "Some guy… or girl, I guess – I'm really not sure." Although
this talent isn't invisibility per se, it helps you blend in with crowds,
blurs your features on camera, and allows you to slide in between
the cracks of an increasingly monitored world.
To mystic mages, Arcane is a bending of reality caused by
fluctuations of metaphysical energy, like echoes or Resonance.
As far as the Technocracy's concerned, this is a perfectly
explainable phenomenon… and they'll get back to you with a
reasonable explanation as soon as one meets the rigid criteria
for disbursed information. The Union prefers to keep track
of mysterious individuals, like Secret Agent John Courage,
who manifest this Cloaking effect; doing so, however, is easier
declared than achieved.
Game-wise, you add your Arcane/ Cloaking dots as extra
dice on all Stealth-related rolls. Your opponents reduce their
Perception or Investigation dice pools by that same amount
whenever someone tries to track you down. This benefit lasts for
as long as you remain inconspicuous. In combat, folks can see
you normally, although videos or pictures of that fight remain
blurred. A Cloaked character who runs around shouting and
being obvious will be obvious, although witnesses will probably
disagree about his exact description after the event has passed.
The Arcane/ Cloaking effect does not conceal really memorable
features. A purple-haired dude with facial tattoos is going to
get noticed, although folks may disagree about the shade of
purple or the patterns of his tattoos.
X You're as obvious as anybody else.
• You blend into crowds.
•• Your presence slides out of memory.
••• You're that person no one easily recalls.
•••• Records, pictures, even memories of you are
few and hard to find.
••••• You're like a ghost in this world, known only
to the folks you want to trust.
a not-so-simple trick, the ability to cloud men's minds, nanotech
sensory disrupters, or some nameless power of obscurity, you possess
a talent for getting lost. Especially in the age of cell-phone cameras,
global databases, electronic trackers, DNA samples, and Closed
Circuit TV monitors on every corner, Arcane – or its Technocratic
version, Cloaking – is a useful Trait to have. Records get lost;
cameras malfunction or record fuzzy images in your place; folks
recall "Some guy… or girl, I guess – I'm really not sure." Although
this talent isn't invisibility per se, it helps you blend in with crowds,
blurs your features on camera, and allows you to slide in between
the cracks of an increasingly monitored world.
To mystic mages, Arcane is a bending of reality caused by
fluctuations of metaphysical energy, like echoes or Resonance.
As far as the Technocracy's concerned, this is a perfectly
explainable phenomenon… and they'll get back to you with a
reasonable explanation as soon as one meets the rigid criteria
for disbursed information. The Union prefers to keep track
of mysterious individuals, like Secret Agent John Courage,
who manifest this Cloaking effect; doing so, however, is easier
declared than achieved.
Game-wise, you add your Arcane/ Cloaking dots as extra
dice on all Stealth-related rolls. Your opponents reduce their
Perception or Investigation dice pools by that same amount
whenever someone tries to track you down. This benefit lasts for
as long as you remain inconspicuous. In combat, folks can see
you normally, although videos or pictures of that fight remain
blurred. A Cloaked character who runs around shouting and
being obvious will be obvious, although witnesses will probably
disagree about his exact description after the event has passed.
The Arcane/ Cloaking effect does not conceal really memorable
features. A purple-haired dude with facial tattoos is going to
get noticed, although folks may disagree about the shade of
purple or the patterns of his tattoos.
X You're as obvious as anybody else.
• You blend into crowds.
•• Your presence slides out of memory.
••• You're that person no one easily recalls.
•••• Records, pictures, even memories of you are
few and hard to find.
••••• You're like a ghost in this world, known only
to the folks you want to trust.
Sorcerers are unable to shape the raw essence of cre-
ation like mages can. They need a slightly more refined
energy to aid in their work. This energy, called chi, ki,
essence, mana, orgone, prana, ionized electrolytes or
any number of other things, can be harnessed to aid
the techniques that sorcerers use. The ability to use it is
referred to as technê, or practice/the craft.
Sorcerers find this energy, most commonly called
mana (despite most sorcerers not being Polynesian) diffi-
cult to obtain. Those who are particularly skilled can draw
it from Nodes with resonance matching theirs, though the
Path of Mana Manipulation gives more options. They can
roll Perception + Meditation at difficulty 7, each success
restores a point of mana, but each point of mana drawn
will drain two points of quintessence from the Node.
Mana can be spent to decrease the difficulty of sorcery
rolls, by up to -3, on a one-for-one basis.
X You have to get by on your skill alone.
• May store a pool of/expend one Mana
•• May store a pool of/expend two Mana
••• May store a pool of/expend three Mana
•••• May store a pool of/expend four Mana
••••• May store a pool of/expend five Mana
ation like mages can. They need a slightly more refined
energy to aid in their work. This energy, called chi, ki,
essence, mana, orgone, prana, ionized electrolytes or
any number of other things, can be harnessed to aid
the techniques that sorcerers use. The ability to use it is
referred to as technê, or practice/the craft.
Sorcerers find this energy, most commonly called
mana (despite most sorcerers not being Polynesian) diffi-
cult to obtain. Those who are particularly skilled can draw
it from Nodes with resonance matching theirs, though the
Path of Mana Manipulation gives more options. They can
roll Perception + Meditation at difficulty 7, each success
restores a point of mana, but each point of mana drawn
will drain two points of quintessence from the Node.
Mana can be spent to decrease the difficulty of sorcery
rolls, by up to -3, on a one-for-one basis.
X You have to get by on your skill alone.
• May store a pool of/expend one Mana
•• May store a pool of/expend two Mana
••• May store a pool of/expend three Mana
•••• May store a pool of/expend four Mana
••••• May store a pool of/expend five Mana
Your mind is mystically empowered. So much so, that
instead of being restricted to use mana only on sorcery,
you can use it to reduce the difficulty of any mental task.
This has the same restrictions as spending mana to aid
sorcery. The specific form this takes depends on the task,
perhaps making the sorcerer more insightful, perceptive,
or quicker to solve puzzles.
instead of being restricted to use mana only on sorcery,
you can use it to reduce the difficulty of any mental task.
This has the same restrictions as spending mana to aid
sorcery. The specific form this takes depends on the task,
perhaps making the sorcerer more insightful, perceptive,
or quicker to solve puzzles.
Your physical senses are unusually sharp, capturing nuances
that few people ever notice. In game terms, your character
reduces the difficulty of her Perception-based rolls by -2.
At the 3-point level, all five physical senses are equally sharp.
that few people ever notice. In game terms, your character
reduces the difficulty of her Perception-based rolls by -2.
At the 3-point level, all five physical senses are equally sharp.
Even without employing your Arts, you have a preternat-
ural gift for seeing things as they are, not as they appear to be.
Illusions, disguises, cloaking spells, and other forms of trickery
rarely deceive your eyes.
In game terms, you can make a Perception + Awareness
roll to see through metaphysical deception powers: vampiric
Disciplines, faerie cantrips, werecreature Gifts, Sphere-based
illusions, and other powers that are based on deceiving a wit-
nesses' perceptions. This roll works only against powers that deceive
the target's perceptions, not against any other form of Gift, Discipline,
cantrip, and so forth. (Vampiric Obfuscate, for example, but not
Presence or Dominate.)
The difficulty for that roll is generally 5 + the highest Sphere
Rank or other level involved in that power; a Forces 2 /Prime
2 illusion, then, would be difficulty 7, while a vampire's Mask
of a Thousand Faces (Obfuscate 3) would be difficulty 8. If a
character could normally get a roll to see through the illusion
(as shown in How Do You DO That?, pp. 129-132), then your
character subtracts -3 from her difficulty when trying to do so.
Your clear sight also reduces your difficulty by -3 when you
try to see through a disguise, a cloaking spell or device, or other
attempts to conceal the truth from an onlooker. It does not,
however, allow you to see through darkness, notice stealthing
or invisible characters, or otherwise perceive something that
you would not be able to see without this Merit; combining this
Merit with the physical Merit: Acute Senses, however, could
make you a formidably perceptive character.
ural gift for seeing things as they are, not as they appear to be.
Illusions, disguises, cloaking spells, and other forms of trickery
rarely deceive your eyes.
In game terms, you can make a Perception + Awareness
roll to see through metaphysical deception powers: vampiric
Disciplines, faerie cantrips, werecreature Gifts, Sphere-based
illusions, and other powers that are based on deceiving a wit-
nesses' perceptions. This roll works only against powers that deceive
the target's perceptions, not against any other form of Gift, Discipline,
cantrip, and so forth. (Vampiric Obfuscate, for example, but not
Presence or Dominate.)
The difficulty for that roll is generally 5 + the highest Sphere
Rank or other level involved in that power; a Forces 2 /Prime
2 illusion, then, would be difficulty 7, while a vampire's Mask
of a Thousand Faces (Obfuscate 3) would be difficulty 8. If a
character could normally get a roll to see through the illusion
(as shown in How Do You DO That?, pp. 129-132), then your
character subtracts -3 from her difficulty when trying to do so.
Your clear sight also reduces your difficulty by -3 when you
try to see through a disguise, a cloaking spell or device, or other
attempts to conceal the truth from an onlooker. It does not,
however, allow you to see through darkness, notice stealthing
or invisible characters, or otherwise perceive something that
you would not be able to see without this Merit; combining this
Merit with the physical Merit: Acute Senses, however, could
make you a formidably perceptive character.
They've hurt you, and now they'll pay! Someone has committed
a crime you cannot and will not forgive, and whenever you get
the chance, you'll shower them with red-hot vengeance. This
grudge has become your highest priority in life – everything else
is merely a distraction. You may put this quest for revenge aside
temporarily if you spend a Willpower point in order to do so.
Until the guilty parties have been punished, though, vengeance
drives you to become that most dangerous of creatures: a mage
on a mission that ends only with blood.
a crime you cannot and will not forgive, and whenever you get
the chance, you'll shower them with red-hot vengeance. This
grudge has become your highest priority in life – everything else
is merely a distraction. You may put this quest for revenge aside
temporarily if you spend a Willpower point in order to do so.
Until the guilty parties have been punished, though, vengeance
drives you to become that most dangerous of creatures: a mage
on a mission that ends only with blood.
A pact or some other metaphysical occurrence has left you
with what old-school witch-hunters consider a "devil's mark": a
minor but noticeable deformation that remains insensate to pain
and yet allows a creature to draw your Quintessence out through
your body in physical form. Despite preconceptions, the origins
of this mark might not have come from a pact with some infernal
entity. That fact doesn't keep people – Sleepers and otherwise –
from looking askance at you if and when this mark can be seen,
especially since there's often something disconcerting about the
way it appears – a third nipple, a red or black growth, a vaguely
demonic face or sigil embedded in your flesh, and so forth.
Thankfully, you don't have to worry too much about
witch-hunters in the technologically industrialized world.
(Other regions are a different story; even rural areas of so-
called advanced nations still hold people who will harm or
kill someone who's "different.") The mark's disconcerting
appearance, though, may lead you to cover it up anyway. Folks
who do believe old-fashioned ideas about "witches" will not take
kindly to that devilish brand, so it could become a real problem
under the wrong circumstances. On the plus side, however,
you actually can nurture a Familiar (as in the Background
Trait of that name) on the mark, and do so without physical
discomfort. Of course, the idea of a talking, midnight-blue
winged tarantula taking hits of Quintessence off your body
may be uncomfortable in its own right.
with what old-school witch-hunters consider a "devil's mark": a
minor but noticeable deformation that remains insensate to pain
and yet allows a creature to draw your Quintessence out through
your body in physical form. Despite preconceptions, the origins
of this mark might not have come from a pact with some infernal
entity. That fact doesn't keep people – Sleepers and otherwise –
from looking askance at you if and when this mark can be seen,
especially since there's often something disconcerting about the
way it appears – a third nipple, a red or black growth, a vaguely
demonic face or sigil embedded in your flesh, and so forth.
Thankfully, you don't have to worry too much about
witch-hunters in the technologically industrialized world.
(Other regions are a different story; even rural areas of so-
called advanced nations still hold people who will harm or
kill someone who's "different.") The mark's disconcerting
appearance, though, may lead you to cover it up anyway. Folks
who do believe old-fashioned ideas about "witches" will not take
kindly to that devilish brand, so it could become a real problem
under the wrong circumstances. On the plus side, however,
you actually can nurture a Familiar (as in the Background
Trait of that name) on the mark, and do so without physical
discomfort. Of course, the idea of a talking, midnight-blue
winged tarantula taking hits of Quintessence off your body
may be uncomfortable in its own right.
You prefer – maybe even need – to eat weird shit… quite
possibly in a literal sense of that expression. Perhaps you've
sworn a vow, suffered a curse, been treated (or created) with
unhallowed rituals or arcane hyperscience, or initiated into
an occult fellowship with… interesting admission demands. In
any case, you must consume substances that may be degrading,
unpleasant, expensive, or downright illegal.
The more inconvenient the substance, the more this Flaw
is worth:
• (2 points) Easy to procure, though not as easy to devour
(paper, fresh eggs, poop, etc.).
• (3 points) Unpleasant, hazardous, and perhaps illegal
to consume (rotten meat, swamp water, raw cannabis,
and so forth).
• (4 points) Specialized, foul, criminal, and /or expensive
chow (human blood, custom-brewed potions or meals,
and the like).
• (5 points) You really shouldn't eat such things… but
you must (live humans, toxic sludge, gold dust, highly
specialized food-like concoctions, and other similar
forms of sustenance).
For each dot in your Stamina Trait, you can go one day
without satisfying your special dietary requirements. After that,
you lose one health level per day until you either consume
your particular substance, or else die of hunger or thirst, suf-
fer the punishment of a vow unfulfilled, or otherwise endure
whichever other consequences might result from denying your
bizarre hunger.
For a related (and probably essential) companion Trait,
see the physical Merit: Cast-Iron Stomach, p. 36. And for a
potentially related focus-instrument, see the Chapter Three
Expanded Instruments entry for Cannibalism, pp. 206-207.
possibly in a literal sense of that expression. Perhaps you've
sworn a vow, suffered a curse, been treated (or created) with
unhallowed rituals or arcane hyperscience, or initiated into
an occult fellowship with… interesting admission demands. In
any case, you must consume substances that may be degrading,
unpleasant, expensive, or downright illegal.
The more inconvenient the substance, the more this Flaw
is worth:
• (2 points) Easy to procure, though not as easy to devour
(paper, fresh eggs, poop, etc.).
• (3 points) Unpleasant, hazardous, and perhaps illegal
to consume (rotten meat, swamp water, raw cannabis,
and so forth).
• (4 points) Specialized, foul, criminal, and /or expensive
chow (human blood, custom-brewed potions or meals,
and the like).
• (5 points) You really shouldn't eat such things… but
you must (live humans, toxic sludge, gold dust, highly
specialized food-like concoctions, and other similar
forms of sustenance).
For each dot in your Stamina Trait, you can go one day
without satisfying your special dietary requirements. After that,
you lose one health level per day until you either consume
your particular substance, or else die of hunger or thirst, suf-
fer the punishment of a vow unfulfilled, or otherwise endure
whichever other consequences might result from denying your
bizarre hunger.
For a related (and probably essential) companion Trait,
see the physical Merit: Cast-Iron Stomach, p. 36. And for a
potentially related focus-instrument, see the Chapter Three
Expanded Instruments entry for Cannibalism, pp. 206-207.
Evil has an intimate hold on you. Your spirit has been
corrupted – possibly since birth, as with the reborn Nephandi
known as widderslainte – and you are, as the werewolves put it,
"of the Wyrm" whether you wish to be or not. This doesn't
necessarily mean you behave in an evil manner – you can
choose to resist the evil inside you. On a metaphysical level,
however, you bear an innate corruption which tests the ideal
of Enlightened self-determination. You may, perhaps, defeat
it, but it'll be a hard struggle before you do.
(Need we mention the Tragedy section again? I guess we just did.)
From a story perspective, this Flaw could come from de-
monic possession, the aftermath of an awful Quiet or a badly
botched high-level Seeking, corrupt Resonance, one too many
deals with malignant Umbrood, a curse, a vile past life, wicked
karma, Nephandic heritage, poor life-choices, the influence of
the Wyrm, a collection of tainted texts or artifacts, time spent in
a hell, or other forms of metaphysical poison. It almost certainly
shapes your magickal focus, and the things you do in pursuit
of your magicks (that is, your practices and instruments) may
well perpetrate this corruption. (Hey, now, hey now now…) To
entities who recognize such soul-stains, you are either a mortal
enemy (as far as most werewolves are concerned), an object of
pity and potential salvation (the nicer sorts of mages), or – most
likely – both. ("Hey, it's a mercy killing, right?")
Meanwhile, inside your skin, you wrestle with the urges
born from that corruption. Whether or not you give in to them
(which would, of course, just deepen the decay), your dreams
and impulses hold a distinctly unpleasant edge. Working malig-
nant magick is frighteningly easy for you (-2 to your difficulties,
up to the usual modifier limits), but your "good" spells are
harder to cast (+2 difficulty, as above) and have a tendency to
leave traces of corruption even when you succeed. Your aura
crackles or swirls with leprous stains, and your Merits, Flaws,
Backgrounds, and other Traits reflect the damnation you carry
inside. A truly epic quest might purge this evil (and buy off
this Flaw), but maybe it's just easier to go with the flow, even
if that flow leads you straight into the gutter and beyond…
corrupted – possibly since birth, as with the reborn Nephandi
known as widderslainte – and you are, as the werewolves put it,
"of the Wyrm" whether you wish to be or not. This doesn't
necessarily mean you behave in an evil manner – you can
choose to resist the evil inside you. On a metaphysical level,
however, you bear an innate corruption which tests the ideal
of Enlightened self-determination. You may, perhaps, defeat
it, but it'll be a hard struggle before you do.
(Need we mention the Tragedy section again? I guess we just did.)
From a story perspective, this Flaw could come from de-
monic possession, the aftermath of an awful Quiet or a badly
botched high-level Seeking, corrupt Resonance, one too many
deals with malignant Umbrood, a curse, a vile past life, wicked
karma, Nephandic heritage, poor life-choices, the influence of
the Wyrm, a collection of tainted texts or artifacts, time spent in
a hell, or other forms of metaphysical poison. It almost certainly
shapes your magickal focus, and the things you do in pursuit
of your magicks (that is, your practices and instruments) may
well perpetrate this corruption. (Hey, now, hey now now…) To
entities who recognize such soul-stains, you are either a mortal
enemy (as far as most werewolves are concerned), an object of
pity and potential salvation (the nicer sorts of mages), or – most
likely – both. ("Hey, it's a mercy killing, right?")
Meanwhile, inside your skin, you wrestle with the urges
born from that corruption. Whether or not you give in to them
(which would, of course, just deepen the decay), your dreams
and impulses hold a distinctly unpleasant edge. Working malig-
nant magick is frighteningly easy for you (-2 to your difficulties,
up to the usual modifier limits), but your "good" spells are
harder to cast (+2 difficulty, as above) and have a tendency to
leave traces of corruption even when you succeed. Your aura
crackles or swirls with leprous stains, and your Merits, Flaws,
Backgrounds, and other Traits reflect the damnation you carry
inside. A truly epic quest might purge this evil (and buy off
this Flaw), but maybe it's just easier to go with the flow, even
if that flow leads you straight into the gutter and beyond…
This is a stealth and counter-specialist build, or a start of one.
1) Psychic invisibility rolls are made with Wits + Stealth, so I am maximizing Wits to 5 dots. Very tempted to take a Legendary Attribute merit, but it costs 5 points, and that's too costly. I am also maximizing Stealth.
2) Arcane/Cloaking for stealth boost. In total, Olivia is rolling 15 dice for stealth, and her opponents roll five dice less than they should have for finding her. She should be undetectable to near anyone and anything.
3) Techne at 5 dots for access to her own essence-equivalent + Strength of Psyche for a DC adjuster on all mental tasks, including all perception tasks.
4) Acute senses for a further -2 DC reduction on all perception rolls with Clear sighted for ability to roll against glamours and such. That's potentially up to -5 DC reduction if she's willing to burn her mana in one go (we'll have to make jade talisman equivalents for her)
5) She's a dance student, so performance up to 3. I'll be buying it up to 5 with XP at the next stage.
6) Awareness and Alertness up to 3, and I'll be buying them up to 5 in the next stage with XP
7) Supernatural flaws are the ones I consider story-appropriate. She's bearing our mark, which is devil's mark. She has raksha ancestry and our power is boosting her, so that's taint of corruption right there. And raw meat hunger is, again, appropriate for her background, I feel.
8) Vengeance is how I am portraying her motivation for why she wants to act, to strike back at supernatural predators. If someone has something more appropriate, please tell me.
Point balance is:
4 points to willpower
4 points to stealth
5 points for Technê background
12 points for merits
-2 points for flaws
21 points total
1) Psychic invisibility rolls are made with Wits + Stealth, so I am maximizing Wits to 5 dots. Very tempted to take a Legendary Attribute merit, but it costs 5 points, and that's too costly. I am also maximizing Stealth.
2) Arcane/Cloaking for stealth boost. In total, Olivia is rolling 15 dice for stealth, and her opponents roll five dice less than they should have for finding her. She should be undetectable to near anyone and anything.
3) Techne at 5 dots for access to her own essence-equivalent + Strength of Psyche for a DC adjuster on all mental tasks, including all perception tasks.
4) Acute senses for a further -2 DC reduction on all perception rolls with Clear sighted for ability to roll against glamours and such. That's potentially up to -5 DC reduction if she's willing to burn her mana in one go (we'll have to make jade talisman equivalents for her)
5) She's a dance student, so performance up to 3. I'll be buying it up to 5 with XP at the next stage.
6) Awareness and Alertness up to 3, and I'll be buying them up to 5 in the next stage with XP
7) Supernatural flaws are the ones I consider story-appropriate. She's bearing our mark, which is devil's mark. She has raksha ancestry and our power is boosting her, so that's taint of corruption right there. And raw meat hunger is, again, appropriate for her background, I feel.
8) Vengeance is how I am portraying her motivation for why she wants to act, to strike back at supernatural predators. If someone has something more appropriate, please tell me.
Point balance is:
4 points to willpower
4 points to stealth
5 points for Technê background
12 points for merits
-2 points for flaws
21 points total
I'll be moving onto XP spending next.
EDIT: Forgot to add Knowledges category of abilities. Added 3 dots to occult and one to academics (social sciences and such)
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Likely leave it to DP it's obvious that it isn't just a literal window, but a vision.
- Location
- Germany
Investing this heavily in Arcana could lead to the Sidereal-problem, where nobody can remember you exist.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Well Olivia has already been complaining about that problem so it fits.
We can remove it but it causes indescribable amount of pain when we are invested her with the power.
True, but she did opt in to the pain willingly, at the very least retracting it would be painless.
@DragonParadox are we allowed to spend XP on Paths? What are the restrictions? What is the rating we can buy paths up to?
As I understand it, this version of Arcane is under her control. Ie she can waive it. She'll probably have problems with records, as it seems to be passively active, but she won't be forgotten by people she doesn't want to be forgotten by.
She's a dancer. Drama. Theater.
The Arcane Background is contraindicated unless you are deliberately aiming to make her miserable.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I like this so far<3
You could use XP to buy more paths up to 3 max, though not the Summoning part of Summoning and Warding, they do not teach that in sanctuary.
The description of this version of Arcane allows it to be an active effect under the user's control:
So, I want her to have the ability, but not have it uncontrollable. @DragonParadox is that allowed? Arcane as something she can turn off when she doesn't want to hide. The description seems to allow it.