I don't think Olivia is shooting 30 Agg even if she rolled all 10s. Unless there is a really great aim action that allows you to just keep stacking up bonuses. Still against most targets that can walk around a city 7 surprise agg is enough.
@DragonParadox : Has Molly shared that White court blackmail material with the intelligence agency of our kingdom? I feel like they should be better able to figure out how to use it effectively then we are or have been.
Okay.
Still not done wth the fomor powers or Gifts, but its midnight, and I promised to have the second draft up then.
I think I caught most of the errors.
Gonna try to do some more work before bedtime, but may fall asleep.
So here:
*********** FOMOR POWERS(BASE 14)
1)Disguise: Hide all powers
2)Armored Hide: +3 Armor. Soak lethal and bashing at DC6, agg at DC8
3)Armored Skin: Soak and heal lethal damage as bashing
4+5)Unholy Blessing x2: -4DC for activating powers
6)Mega-Attribute: Perception: +3 Perception. Included in stat.
7)Sense The Unnatural: Roll Perception + Occult at DC6 to detect supernaturals within 20 yards, and a second roll to identify type
8)Bestial Mutation: +2 to all Physical Attributes when activated. Appearance drops to 0
9)Enhanced Bestial Mutation: Switch between two powers
=Standby Power:
+++Siren's Veil: +2 to all Social Attributes, and may roll App + Empathy against (target WP) DC to appear as ideal mate
=Bestial Power: Wicked Weapons of Malfeas
+++Instincts for Violence: Free counterattack when engaged in close quarters; Dex + Brawl at DC7, damage Str-1.
10)Extra Speed: +1 Action, and 1.5x speed
11)Greater Gifts of Malfeas: Access to Rank 3 Gifts. May spend temp WP instead of Rage or Gnosis/Mana for activation, or roll WP for activation.
12)Twisted Gifts: Any Gift list instead of just Homid, Ahroun and BSD.Spend WP to activate gifts, may roll WP to activate gifts
13)Gifted Fomor: Adaptation(Rank 3 Silent Strider): No damage from poison or disease, and ignores environmental conditions for an hour per success
14)Gifted Fomor: Cybersenses(Rank 2 Glass Walker): Exchange senses for those of machines. X-ray vision, sonar, etc.
15)Gifted Fomor: Strength of Purpose(Rank 2 Philodox/Croatan/Get of Fenris): WP recovery. Once per scene roll Stamina + Rituals at DC7 to recover WP at 2 sux/1 pt of WP
16)Gifted Fomor: Grandmother's Touch (Rank 2 Children of Gaia): Roll Int + Emp at DC5 to heal self or others at a rate of 1 level of bashing/lethal/agg per success
16)Gifted Fomor: Persuasion(Rank 1 Homid): -1DC on social rolls. Increased impact on successful Social rolls.
Gifted Fomor: Surface Attunement(Rank 2 Stargazer/Bunyip): Attune yourself to the surrounding environment, and gain the ability to walk across surfaces like mud, water and snow without leaving tracks.
Gifted Fomor: Catfeet/Possum's Feet(Rank 3 Lupus/Bunyip): Immune to falls <100ft, perfect balance, all combat actions involving body slams and grappling get -2DC
Gifted Fomor: Speech of All Things(Rank 3 Children of Gaia): Understand, read and write any language fluently for the scene; Int+Academics roll at DC 7 for common use, DC9 otherwise. Does not provide mental protection from what you understand
************
NUMINA: 7PTS
<<Telepathy >> PLOT
Summoning/Warding 1
Psychic Invisibility 3
Mana Manipulation 1
Mind Shields 2
MERITS: 11 pts(Merit 18 - Flaw 7)
Poison Resistance(C20 p177): 1pt.-3DC to resist poisons and disease
Artistically Gifted(M20 Book of Secrets): 1pt.
Ability Aptitude(Occult)(Mage Revised): 1pt
Unaging(Mage Revised): 2 pt
Iron Will(C20 p180): 2pts: +3DC to mind-altering magic
Spark of Life(M20): 5pt.
Strength of Psyche(Sorcerer Revised p54): 2 pts
Crack Shot(C20 p177): 2pts
Seldom Sleeps(W20): 2pts
FLAWS: 7pts
Curiosity(W20 p477): 2 pts
Mistreated Minority(Sorcerer Revised p54): 1pt OR
Profiled Appearance(M20 Book of Secrets): 2pt
Debt(M20 Book of Shadows p61): 3pts (student debt)
SUPERNATURAL FLAWS: 8pts
Changeling Eyes (C20 p187): 1 pt.
Touch of Frost(Molly's version): 1 pt
Supernatural Enemy(2): 2 pts
Wild Talent(Psychic Invisibility)(Sorcerer Revised p55): 2pts [Can only use it consciously defensively]
Demon-Hounded (DAV20 p426): 2 pts.
Background: 5pts
Mana Background: 5
Arsenal/Armory: ???
2xp to raise Alertness from 1 to 2
2xp to raise Empathy from 1 to 2
2xp to raise Brawl from 1 to 2
6xp to raise Athletics from 3 to 4
5xp to raise Expression from 0 to 2
5xp to raise Subterfuge from 0 to 2
2xp to raise Etiquette from 1 to 2
2xp to raise Stealth from 1 to 2
5xp to raise Drive from 0 to 2
12xp to raise Firearms from 1 to 4
21xp total
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TERTIARY: 4 pts
Knowledges: Academics 1, Computer 0 , Finance 0, Investigation 0, Law 0, Medicine 0, Occult 3, Politics 0, Science 0, Technology 0
2xp to raise Academics from 1 to 2
3xp to raise Medicine from 0 to 1
3xp to raise Computer from 0 to 1
5xp to raise Investigation from 1 to 2
3xp to raise Finance from 0 to 1
16xp total
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
PATH SORCERY/NUMINA: 7[BASE 5 points + 2 from XP]
<<Telepathy >> PLOT
Summoning/Warding 1 [No summoning]
Psychic Invisibility 3
Mana Manipulation 1
Mind-Shields 1
4xp to buy Mana Manipulation 1
4xp to raise Mind-Shields from 1 to 2
8xp total
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Remaining: 9xp
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
FREEBIE POINTS: 21 PTS
13 points to Merits
5 points to Backgrounds
3 points to Willpower
============================================
PLAYERS GUIDE TO THE HIGH CLANS
P204
Ability Aptitude
You are particularly gifted with one Ability. Perhaps you are a poet of great renown or a master fleshcrafter. Within your specific Aptitude, reduce all difficulties by 2. Characters may purchase this Merit more than once, but Storytellers should feel free to veto any Ability selections that seem too powerful or unbalanced, especially for combat Abilities.
VAMPIRE THE DARK AGES p426
Demon-Hounded (1 to 5 points): A demon has taken a shine to you. It comes at odd and inconvenient hours and offers you bribes of wealth and power. Some days, it asks for favors; on others, it offers them. What black schemes does hell have in mind for you that one of its servants would bother you so? What fell powers have you toyed with that you should not? At 1 point, the demon is little more than an imp, asking for minor favors or stealing small objects. At 3 points, the demon is your physical or magical equal, or is a smaller threat that is willing to also drag your close friends into this affair. At 5 points, the demon is significantly powerful, able to threaten your coterie, or a lesser demon willing to torment your friends, family, and acquaintances.
M20 BOOK OF SECRETS p61
Debts (1 to 5 pt. Flaw)
Mages still need money in order to function in the human realm. And in your case, you're kinda fucked financially. Student loans, credit-card debts, child-support payments, gambling losses, legal judgments, medical bills, car and /or mortgage payments... the
ways in which a modern mage can get in over her head financially
are as numerous as the parties who prosper from such debts.
And then there's the possibility of financial manipulation from Awakened sources – mages or Night-Folk who, intentionally or otherwise, are keeping you broke in order to assert their hold over you (see Technocracy: Syndicate, p. 28). Maybe you just suck at the whole paying-your-bills thing. For whatever reason, your income keeps going back out. You might indeed have the Background: Resources, but the money just doesn't stay in your bank account for long.
As a Flaw, these Debts represent a minimum amount of money you owe your creditors. The more you owe, the more this Flaw is worth:
• (1 point) Minimal debt (less than $10,000).
• (2 points) Moderate debt (less than $50,000).
• (3 points) Significant debt (over $50,000).
• (4 points) Crushing debt (over $100,000).
• (5 points) Overwhelming debt (over $500,000).
From the three-point level onward, your creditors will expend a fair amount (perhaps a great deal) of effort to collect those funds from you. Certain creditors, like loan sharks, will start far lower than that. Tactics could range from round-the-clock phone calls and red-envelope letters to lawsuits, repossessions, threats, eviction, and physical violence. For folks with small and /or irregular incomes, the pressure from debt and debt-collection harassment can cause intense emotional and psychological distress... which, in turn, affects one's ability to make money... which deepens the debt... which deepens the stress... in a desperate cycle that can lead to desperate acts.
M20 BOOK OF SECRETS p43
Artistically Gifted (1 pt. Merit)
The Muses work their will through you, or so it appears. Whenever you employ your artistic talent (as in, the Talent: Art in Mage 20, p. 275), reduce the difficulty of those rolls by -2. As with other Merits of this kind, this Merit does not reduce the difficulty of magick-casting rolls, but may reduce the difficulty of Attribute + Ability rolls that are involved with magickal acts. (For more details, see Abilities Enhancing Magick, Mage 20, pp. 533.)
M20 BOOK OF SECRETS p41
Profiled Appearance (2 pt. Flaw)
You look like one of those people... y'know, the people that "respectable citizens" expect bad things from. Depending on the setting of your chronicle, this could involve physical mannerisms, body art, gender distinctions, individual features, ethnic heritage, cybernetic modifications, or other elements of your physical body that you cannot remove and probably don't want to "fix" anyhow. Problem is, the people around you are constantly watching your every move, making trouble for you when they can get away with it, and otherwise causing you grief. The authorities shake you down on principle, and most folks won't object to whatever they choose to do to you.
Although it's related to the Social Flaw: Cultural Other (below), Profiled Appearance is based on your character's physical features, not on their social behavior. Although it can be concealed to some degree, your Profiled Appearance is not something that can be removed without magick, and it reflects an essential part of your identity. Like Impediment, it does not carry a value judgment in the game even though it represents the way other characters will view you. If this feels unfair in the game, imagine how it must feel in real life.
VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE 20th ANNIVERSARY p490
New Arrival (1pt. Flaw)
You've just arrived in your new city of residence, and don't know anyone in the place. Existing factions may try to recruit or eliminate you, while vampires in posi-tions of authority size you up and take your measure. Meanwhile, your ignorance of the city's current events, history, and politics (not to mention the personality quirks of the vampires already in place) may cause you to make a serious blunder.
Recruitment Target (1pt. Flaw)
Someone in one of your Sect's enemy organizations wants you, and they want you bad. Every effort is being made to recruit you, willing or no, and the press gangs usually show up at the worst possible time.
CHANGELING THE DREAMING 20th ANNIVERSARY
P177
Poison Resistance (1pt. merit)It could be you've a natural resistance, or perhaps you've built up your defenses against all known types of poisons. Any time you need to make a soak roll against the effects of a poison or toxin, reduce your difficulty by three.
Crack Shot (2pt. merit)Whether pointing a gun, arrow, or dart, you hit your target with great accuracy. You receive no increased difficulty when targeting any specific location and reduce the difficulty of rolls not involving specific targeting by one.
===
P180
Iron Will (3pt. merit) To your detractors your head is full of rocks. In truth, your determination and stubbornness makes you unshakable once your mind is set. Characters attempting any mind-altering magic against you are at +3 difficulty, up to a maximum difficulty of 9. This Merit does not affect powers dealing with emotions. Characters with Willpower scores below 5 cannot take this Merit.
P182
Curiosity (2pt. flaw)You're a naturally curious person, your curiosity easily overriding your common sense. To resist temptation, make a Willpower roll. The difficult varies based on the temptation; difficulty 5 for simple things like, "I wonder what's in the armoire," but difficulty 9 for things like, "I wonder why young men keep going missing around the baron's freehold. I'll just slip in and check it out."
P185
Recruitment Target (3pt. flaw)An enemy organization wants you, and they want you bad. Every effort is being made to recruit you, willing or no, and the press gangs usually show up at the worst possible time. For every friend you have who will defend you, another will wonder what is so special about you that draws this malevolent group to your doorstep.
P187
Changeling's Eyes (1pt. flaw)Your eyes are a startling color, maybe emerald green, violet, or yellow. This is a sign you are a changeling, recognizable to those who know the ancient lore.
Bard's Tongue (1pt. flaw)You speak the truth, uncannily so. Things you say tend to come true. This is not a facility for blessing or cursing, or an effect that can be ruled by any conscious control. At least once per story, an uncomfortable truth regarding any current situation will appear in your head and through your lips. To avoid speaking prophecy, you must expend a Willpower point and take a Health Level (bashing) from the strain of resisting.
WEREWOLF THE APOCALYPSE 20th ANNIVERSARY
P476
Seldom Sleeps (2 pt. Merit)
Whether due to a strong constitution, a frenetic na- ture, or even a hint of ancestral magic in your blood, you require significantly less sleep than the average Garou. While rest is still required after exertion, sleep is seldom necessary. One hour a night is fine, and even an hour every three days won't make you more than a little bleary-eyed. You are not immune to sleep-causing supernatural effects, and you must still rest (no combat and no efforts requiring rolls) after using taxing rituals or Gifts. You are not always perky, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, but you suffer no penalties or ill effects from remaining awake for extended periods.
P477
Curiosity (2 pt. Flaw)
You find mysteries of any sort irresistible. Whether it's a closed drawer, a whispered conversation, or a mysterious light just beyond the trees, you have to know what is going on at all times. Anytime you are presented with the unknown, make a Wits roll or else you must go investigate. The difficulty varies with the roll involved: 5 for simple things ("What is in that storage unit?") and up to 9 for intense circumstances ("I wonder what those fomori are planning. I'd better go listen in. What could possibly go wrong?")
MAGE THE ASCENSION REVISED
P295
Unaging (2-pt. Merit)
Your mage does not age, ever. Perhaps she drank an elixir in the Mythic Ages, or she tasted the Peach of Immortality, or she ate the Apples of the Hesperides, or she dined on the forbidden savor of mermaid's flesh. Perhaps she was injected with the perfect Iterator nanotech or Progenitor symbiote. Perhaps her body is composed of timeless stone or metal. Perhaps the cause is a complete mystery. Regardless, she remains unchanged as the years pass by, save for scars and accumulated knowledge.
P291
Ability Aptitude (1-pt. Merit)
For every human ability, there are those who have a natural flair for it. Within your character's specific Aptitude, reduce all difficulties by two. A natural linguist picks up languages easily, speaking without any trace of accent, and a crack driver can perform phenomenal car tricks with ease. This Aptitude functions for one Ability, but it can be taken multiple times for a character who's a natural with, say, computers and technology.
Special or combat Abilities, such as Do, should never have an Ability Aptitude associated with them.
P288-289
Primal Marks (2-pt. Flaw)
Your mage may have an Avatar of the Primordial Essence, some totem or god of legend, or perhaps she's just gained some powerful spirit's patronage and it's set its mark on her. If the totem is an animal, she resembles what such an animal would look like in human form so strongly that people who don't even know her call her "Bear" or "Moose" or "Raven." If the Avatar is some well known god or hero, your character looks just like people would expect her to, including any particular deformities (although you do get extra points for such handicaps). Your mage looks the part so much that anyone can guess her nature
t a glance, and there is some danger in that, especially if your Avatar has a legendary enemy (as most do). Your character's totem or Avatar will also require her to protect its species or finish up its unfinished agenda.
Your mage might alternately be the descendant of some famous or infamous house: Pendragon, Murasaki, Bacon, Bathory, Borgia or Le Vey. Besides the family name, you've also inherited the family "look." Students of history can easily picture you banishing the Devil and slaying dragons, or poisoning entire families and bathing in the blood of virgins — especially since they have the illustrations that might give them this idea.
Alternately, your mage may just look the part of her pro- fession too well. Perhaps she has the red hair and green eyes of an Irish witch, the pale eyes and dark skin of an Arabic sorcerer, the grown-together brows and elongated ring-fingers of a born shapeshifter or the intense yellow, violet or emerald green eyes of one the fae. Students of ancient lore recognize these signs, and your mage may easily become the victim of witch-hunters. However, some witches, changelings, shapeshifters and others may accord you more status in their societies if you "look the part."
I don't think Olivia is shooting 30 Agg even if she rolled all 10s. Unless there is a really great aim action that allows you to just keep stacking up bonuses. Still against most targets that can walk around a city 7 surprise agg is enough.
@DragonParadox : Has Molly shared that White court blackmail material with the intelligence agency of our kingdom? I feel like they should be better able to figure out how to use it effectively then we are or have been.
They did not, they got a guy with four perception and time to aim
V20 page 277
• Aiming: The attacker adds one die to her attack dice pool on a single shot for each turn spent aiming. The maximum number of dice that can be added in this way is equal to the character's Perception, and a character must have Firearms 1 or better to use this maneuver. A scope adds two more dice to the attacker's pool in the first turn of aiming (in addition to those added for Perception). The attacker may do nothing
but aim during this time. Additionally, it isn't possible to aim at a target that is moving faster than a walk.
High quality electro flux gun: Damage 9 Levels; Range 400; Ammo: 5 (Can be recharged with Mana if the user possesses it) Conceal T (Trenchcoat) Special: Aggravated Damage as if it were flame; +2 Accuracy Bonus from the bound machine spirit Electro-laser pistol: Damage 6 Levels; Range 50; Ammo: 15 (Can be recharged with Mana if the user possesses it) Conceal J (Jaket) Special: Aggravated Damage as if it were fire; +2 Accuracy Bonus from the bound machine spirit Silver-Weave Armour: +4 Armour -1 DEX Surge Kit: High end medical nano-tech from vat grown Waste lifeforms magically realigned to human biology The user rolls Stamina+Medicine with each success healing 1 point of lethal damage or two points of bashing damage, starting with the most severe wounds. A botch causes debilitating pain lasting three to five hours hours (-2 Additional Wound Penalty)
So assuming a longarm with a scope, not even a dedicated sniper, that'd be:
5 (dex) + 5 (firearms) + 2 (scope) + 2 (demon aimbot) + 5 (perception/aiming) = 19 dice on the first strike.
Assuming we max out dex via Tiffany that is.
Per Yog's build, she'd also have the ability to give herself -3 difficulty on physical and mental actions by spending chi or mana. She'd also have -2 to Perception, which aiming is.
So assume she wants to really screw someone in particular. Baseline she's already taking aimed shots at difficulty 4. She spends 3 chi (or mana if aiming a gun is counted as mental instead of it all being rolled up in the physical firing action), and takes that to 1. Because we have a difficulty floor every reduction below 3 turns into 2 bonus dice.
So that's actually 24 dice at difficulty 3.
The dice pool calculator I use for this doesn't account for 1s or 10s, so bear that in mind, but leaving those aside she'd have an approximately 81% chance of rolling 18 or more successes.
For our purposes, let's assume we find a way to protect her from botching. I favor a 1 dot splendor because it'd also give her 2 more successes, not dice but successes, for free in this circumstance.
So make that 20 successes on 81% of first strike attack rolls.
Then active defense. This is totally by surprise, and most people can't dodge or parry lasers. We can only try shit like that because we have an unbreakable weapon. Especially since she'd be under an SEP field and we've seen multiple times that if you don't already have your defenses up those can stop you from realizing there's anything to defend against until the shot is already fired. Even those who can should find it pretty hard.
So for a lot of people it would actually be 20 + 9 (high quality electro flux rifle) = 29 dice of Agg damage. Unless you're a soak monster that's not going to be fun.
Even assuming you can actively defend as long as she has one round to aim so she gets perception bonuses the total number of attack dice stays pretty high, somewhere in the 16-20 range depending on the details.
So find the invisible teleporting demonhost in the next 3-15 seconds or be ready to deal with deal with that.
Sure hope for their sake that she didn't pick a vulnerable time, or show up with friends who form a killbox where you've got to defend against multiple lesser attacks at the same time to force penalties for multi action if you do anything but full defense and move at a jog.
Edit: just realized that in editing I messed up a bonus and that should be 23 attack dice.
That slightly changes the odds, but it's to 17+ 84% of the time and 18+ 69% of the time.
So the above is still happening most of the time, and if she spends willpower it comes out basically the same.
Oh those were the days almost exactly a year ago in game and about 2 years ago out of game. Back when Molly got badly hurt charging some thugs with automatic weapons. Look at her now.
Okay.
Still not done wth the fomor powers or Gifts, but its midnight, and I promised to have the second draft up then.
I think I caught most of the errors.
Gonna try to do some more work before bedtime, but may fall asleep.
So here:
Comment or criticism is welcome, when y'all see it.
I can't give recommendations to improve choices because as I said before I don't have knowledge of all the books and knowledge of the best way for gifts, advantages and abilities to interact together but for your plan I liked having enough disadvantages for more points and what it's like very different from that proposed of Yog.
However, for me, Yog is easier to understand the end result and how Olivia would act in a fight, while in your plan the choices give a feeling of being a confusion of advantages, and her transformation, from what I understand of your choices, is that of a short-range fighter, which wouldn't take advantage of her current gifts of forgetfulness, besides our circle already has too many close-range fighters between us and Lydia, not to mention Dabiel in the future with IDU and the yin sword.
Olvia is best as an intelligence agent/spy or sniper.
If your build improves later (and you actually explain what your ultimate goal is for it and how each part fits into your picture of it, like Yog did) and it appears as your vote in the count it will get my vote of approval with the of Yog.
Also the Eebs and their hit team against Dresden wearing his standard coat in Changes.
When he was coming out of the FBI building after having been arrested and interrogated.
Not a scratch.
And half-vampire Martin against Duke Paolo Ortega at Wrigley Field. Hit him two or three times, didnt work then either.
Successful sniper work requires very specific circumstances for success, both with regards to environment and preptime.
Not to mention that sniper work requires a mindset close enough to homicide that most professional soldiers cant or wont do it.
The only person who has ever successfully killed people with a sniper rifle in the Dresden Files was Kincaid at the Shedd Aquarium and at the Chicago harbor. At the Chicago Harbor Dresden specifically set himself up to be assassinated, and at the Shedd Aquarium he had a generous amount of preptime and the attacking Denarians came to him.
Mundane equipment. I am currently working on it, but I don't expect Olivia to be using mundane equipment. Just electrolaser rifle from the courts already would make her far more fatal, as it does agg. instead of lethal damage.
Yeah, I get what @Yog is going for with sourcing it somewhere else, but on a fluff level it being part of the base package instead of an add on feels a lot better.
We elevate her to something else, a lesser peer to things like whampires but still something worth putting in the same category.
It's entirely subjective, but I like the narrative better.
I agree. No, really, I agree. I just don't have the budget. I am trying to squeeze in a lot of things. If I am using the wrong math for XP spending, I'll try to put those in, definitely. Ideally, I'll scrounge for a 5 dot immortal merit.
For social - budgeting. I didn't have the points. I hope Wits 5 should be able to mitigate some of it. For Dex and other socials - I hope for Lash's upgrades. I will probably even move one point from str to social stats in the next version.
She spends 3 chi (or mana if aiming a gun is counted as mental instead of it all being rolled up in the physical firing action), and takes that to 1. Because we have a difficulty floor every reduction below 3 turns into 2 bonus dice.
Despite being called Ki flux, the physical DC reducer should also be using mana. However, that's a bigger question in general - does Olivia get two different power pools, one for chi (3 chi points at start) and one for mana (maxed out at 5)? Or does she get a combined pool of 8 energy points (5 from Techne background + 3 from chi rating)? @DragonParadox ?
Also, very nice calcs. And that's with a basic rifle, which we can probably improve.
White room scenario, of course.
With perfect advance intelligence of an unaware target out in the open, in a location with clear sightlines for at least 5 combat turns, moving at no faster than a walk.
If they move faster than a walk, by those rules, it fails. If they throw up obscurants, it fails.
If they duck behind someone else, or otherwise break line of sight, it doesnt necessarily fail, but you have to decide if you want to kill the person they are behind for a chance at killing them.
I can't give recommendations to improve choices because as I said before I don't have knowledge of all the books and knowledge of the best way for gifts, advantages and abilities to interact together but for your plan I liked having enough disadvantages for more points and what it's like very different from that proposed of Yog.
However, for me, Yog is easier to understand the end result and how Olivia would act in a fight, while in your plan the choices give a feeling of being a confusion of advantages, and her transformation, from what I understand of your choices, is that of a short-range fighter, which wouldn't take advantage of her current gifts of forgetfulness, besides our circle already has too many close-range fighters between us and Lydia, not to mention Dabiel in the future with IDU and the yin sword.
Olvia is best as an intelligence agent/spy or sniper.
If your build improves later (and you actually explain what your ultimate goal is for it and how each part fits into your picture of it, like Yog did) and it appears as your vote in the count it will get my vote of approval with the of Yog.
Despite being called Ki flux, the physical DC reducer should also be using mana. However, that's a bigger question in general - does Olivia get two different power pools, one for chi (3 chi points at start) and one for mana (maxed out at 5)? Or does she get a combined pool of 8 energy points (5 from Techne background + 3 from chi rating)? @DragonParadox ?
Thanks! That puts her on par with Lydia in energy pools. What about the purchase costs? Do we use the ones on the first page of this quest or the ones from M20 (and Sorcrerer: Paths of Power)? Specifically for Abilities and first dots of paths?
Shintai is an active power that's best suited for direct confrontation. Olivia is not going to be competitive in direct hand to hand fight, her main advantages are in ambush tactics, and remote combat. So, I chose to specialize her. She is even more specked for DC adjustment than we are. Her powers all lean into them. Hellweaving grants -1 or -2 DC adjustment when at 3 dots. So I went for that.
Thanks! That puts her on par with Lydia in energy pools. What about the purchase costs? Do we use the ones on the first page of this quest or the ones from M20 (and Sorcrerer: Paths of Power)? Specifically for Abilities and first dots of paths?
Shintai is an active power that's best suited for direct confrontation. Olivia is not going to be competitive in direct hand to hand fight, her main advantages are in ambush tactics, and remote combat. So, I chose to specialize her. She is even more specked for DC adjustment than we are. Her powers all lean into them. Hellweaving grants -1 or -2 DC adjustment when at 3 dots. So I went for that.
Front page, though those were meant for exalts XP cost is a vague enough gouge that I can wave it in the interests of her being able to get to a decent level with the rest of the Circle. She will not be able to Stunt though, that would take Ancient Sorcery to do, there is an example Splendor that allows that.
Front page, though those were meant for exalts XP cost is a vague enough gouge that I can wave it in the interests of her being able to get to a decent level with the rest of the Circle. She will not be able to Stunt though, that would take Ancient Sorcery to do, there is an example Splendor that allows that.
Ok then. This requires a rework of a sorts. Several more questions:
1) Is Synergy a path (well, psychic phenomena) available for purchase? If yes, can she use it in concert with spirits inhabiting her equipment to effectively increase her willpower pool? That's sorta like that spirit sharing path you showed previously, I think, a part of it.
Synergy
While sorcerers are often able to work together
effectively, psychics tend to have a lot more difficulty.
This very rare Phenomenon allows one psychic to link
several together to allow them to accomplish things that
they never could on their own. The synergist is able to
link together two psychics per dot of Synergy, plus one
for each success spent to do so.
Cost: Two Willpower points.
Roll: Perception + Awareness
Cost of Failure: On a botch, a random member of
the group has a random Phenomenon activate uncon-
trollably, causing everyone to suffer the Cost of Failure
for that power.
Effects
• Psychic Sense: This is a passive ability. Whenever
the psychic touches another psychic, they roll Perception
+ Awareness at difficulty 6. With success, they detect
that the person they are in contact with is a psychic
and with three successes they get a general idea of the
psychic's strength and the nature of their powers. This
only detects psychics, not other supernatural beings with
mental powers.
•• Share Will: Now, psychic links can be formed.
When linked, the group can use any power known to any
member of the link. The character with Synergy, however,
makes the roll. Each other member may spent a point
of Willpower to boost the effectiveness, however. For
any sensory power, the entire group receives the results.
••• Group Effect: The group of psychics become more
in synch. In addition to being able to spend Willpower
on the group's working, the highest Attribute and highest
Ability in the group is used for any Psychic Phenomenon.
•••• Share Powers: Now, the group can use multiple
powers at a time (though they are not combined in any
way). Each member can donate any two of the following
to an effect: an Attribute, an Ability, a Power.
••••• Power Gestalt: In addition to using multiple
powers, now the psychics can combine them. For example,
Clairvoyance will allow them to target things they see
from far away with other powers, such as Telepathy (or,
if they're in a more hostile mood, Pyrokinesis).
Associated Spheres: Mind
Because synergy + Arcana power armor (golem) + using spirits in her guns and other equipment seems like a great path for her. And if charm use is available through this, even better.
2) Chronomancy - is it available in any way, and would "shoot someone with a laser one round before you shot your rifle to bypass parrying / dodging" effects be part of it?
Chronomancy
Almost certainly the most dangerous Path for a
sorcerer, Chronomancy allows for the direct manipula-
tion of time itself. This is a rare case where sorcerers are
substantially better than Awakened mages at something:
even many basic uses of the Path of Chronomancy result
in devastating Paradox backlashes when mages do it.
Time seems to be more forgiving to those following more
tried-and-true Paths.
The use of Chronomancy changes a sorcerer. Either
everything needs to be done right now or else nothing seems
urgent anymore. They become meticulously precise about
arriving on time to things or else they become completely
unable to estimate when something is. Every sorcerer
reacts differently, but by the time they achieve the third
rank in Chronomancy, their sense of and relationship
with time has changed drastically.
Though some debate whether this can actually change
the past or if it just closes time loops that had already
existed, there can be little doubt that it interacts with the
past and not simply some alternate dimension. But one
thing is clear with this Path: the future is still completely
uncertain, so only interactions with the past are possible.
A note, this Path gives no ability to travel in space, so
all spells and rituals must be performed near the location
that the chronomancer wants to interact with.
Cost: Two Willpower
Roll: Perception + Ability
Cost of Failure: Failures are fairly simple, the effect
just doesn't happen. The worst this can do is leave the
chronomancer in an awkward situation. Botches, on the
other hand, can be completely devastating. For lower
rank spells, a botch can simply result in the character
being temporally confused for a while, unable to tell time
or coordinate things. At the higher levels, though, the
character could be pulled out of time entirely or sent to
a different time, one that is inhospitable towards them,
even if it is beyond their normal temporal range, and
need to survive until the effect ends and they are back
in the present.
Aspects
Target
X A small, generic object
• A larger, but still generic object or a small unique one
•• Larger unique object
••• The chronomancer
•••• Another person
••••• The contents of a roughly 10 foot by 10 foot room
Time Difference
X Same day
• Same week
•• Same month
••• Same year
•••• Same decade
••••• Same century
Effect
X A novice at chronomancy can see the past, though it
is weaker than Divination. If the spell is on an object, the
object can "perceive" the past however it normally could,
so a camera could take photographs or other sensors can
take readings, but a coin couldn't do much at all.
• The past can be touched. Only very slight changes
can be made, nudging something here or there, but al-
ready the chronomancer is able to change the outcomes
of simple random events, like coin flips or dice rolls.
•• More substantial changes can be made, an object
moved to a hidden location or a person can be nudged
in a small way. If not combined with some other pow-
er, that person can roll Willpower difficulty 6 to resist
changing course.
••• Small objects can now be pulled in and out of
time. Money can be pulled out of someone else's wallet
in January to pay the bills in July, documents can be
rescued from a fire before they burn, etc.
•••• Large objects can be pulled from the past or sent
into the past, including people. True time travel is possible
at this level, though anyone or anything anachronistic is
ejected to their home time after one minute per success,
while objects that could exist in that time can stay there
indefinitely.
••••• Legendary sorcerers can store things and step
outside of time. Essentially they can break the final rule
and travel to the future by exiting the universe, allowing it
to move forward, and stepping back in. This is functionally
a one-way trip, because though they can use lower rank
spells to go backwards, that will always be temporary.
Sample Rituals
•••• Save Keepsake: This ritual takes an hour to per-
form, but allows the chronomancer to rescue an object
of importance to them. The object must be personal (so
this can't be used for money, for example) and must have
been destroyed. The sorcerer completes the ritual and the
object is pulled forward in time from the moment of its
destruction, leaving the timeline unchanged, though the
object will exist once again.
••••• Time Enough at Last: One of the most complex
rituals known to sorcerers, Time Enough at Last takes
a full week to perform, working eight hours each day,
and cannot be hurried in any way. Each day requires the
expenditure of a Willpower point and a point of Mana,
plus two on the final day. For all this effort, the chrono-
mancer can travel to the past and has five minutes per
success rather than one.
Associated Spheres: Time
No to both on those unfortunately, the first one because you would need a circle of magicians to train you and there is no way Olivia could have rustled that up in the time she had and the second because messing with time is dangerous and the kind of thing no more than a handful of people on the planet know how to do.
No to both on those unfortunately, the first one because you would need a circle of magicians to train you and there is no way Olivia could have rustled that up in the time she had and the second because messing with time is dangerous and the kind of thing no more than a handful of people on the planet know how to do.
No to both on those unfortunately, the first one because you would need a circle of magicians to train you and there is no way Olivia could have rustled that up in the time she had and the second because messing with time is dangerous and the kind of thing no more than a handful of people on the planet know how to do.
WC may be willing to ignore First Law violations by near-humans as out of their jurisdiction, but the Sixth is a whole different ballgame. 1-5 have effects on the human casters that make further law breaking more likely. Six and Seven fall more under "Don't break the universe; we need it."
I feel like this plan fits her Raksha background better tbh
Black stars this circle is going to be so busted at full power… Baby primordial, Death goddess with a capital D, fallen angel/nascent goddess/demon, and now Raksha assassin
With exalted XP costs (2 XP * current rating for abilities, 4 XP to get a new path + 3 XP * current rating for paths) Olivia becomes much more powerful.
Changelog:
Added XP and freebie point tallies for better bookkeeping
Chargen section:
1) Shifted one point from strength to Charisma (physical are now tertiary attributes)
2) Shifted one point from Expression to Empathy on chargen for better socials
3) Shifted 1 dot of Larceny to Drive for roleplaying reasons.
4) Shifted one point of awareness to athletics for roleplaying reasons.
XP spending section:
1) Raised Empathy to 2 for better socials
2) Raised clairvoyance to 3 so she now can listen in from very far away
3) Gave her mana manipulation 3 for better detection and to get her better at regenerating mana (it's actually hard to come by per rules). I want her to be able to restore it in Dragon Nests, and, later, to take our essence donations, as Molly has busted essence regeneration
4) Gave her mind shields 3, for mental protections ( @DragonParadox do mind shields protect from mind detection or only intrusion?)
5) Raised athletics to 2
The plan for upgrades down the line:
1) Mana manipulation to 5 for mana regeneration and protection
2) Better teleportation and clairvoyance
3) Equipment that takes advantage of her abilities, like teleporting bullets, etc.
4) Something for willpower regeneration.
But she's a very scary assassin already. And has a non-combat application too, as a supreme dancer / performer.
[X] Plan stealth Archer v.2
-[X] Character generation v.4
Willpower 9
Attributes
PHYSICAL
SOCIAL
MENTAL
Strength ●○○○○
Charisma ●●●○○
Perception ●●○○○
Dexterity ●●●○○
Manipulation ●○○○○
Intelligence ●●○○○
Stamina ●●○○○
Appearance ●●●○○
Wits ●●●●●
Abilities
TALENTS
SKILLS
KNOWLEDGES
Alertness ●●●○○
Animal Ken ○○○○○
Academics ●○○○○
Athletics ●○○○○
Crafts ○○○○○
Computer ○○○○○
Awareness ●●○○○
Drive ●○○○○
Finance ○○○○○
Brawl ○○○○○
Etiquette ○○○○○
Investigation ○○○○○
Empathy ●○○○○
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
Backgrounds:
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
Merits and Flaws
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.
Mostly used by sorcerers with the Martial Arts Practice,
this merit indicates a deep understanding of the flow of
magical and life energy. A sorcerer with this merit has
prowess beyond what mere skill can accomplish, and in-
stead has learned to use their Mana to enhance themselves
physically. A sorcerer with this merit can spend Mana to
decrease the difficulty on physical actions in addition to
sorcerous ones.
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.
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.
The Muses work their will through you, or so it appears.
Whenever you employ your artistic talent (as in, the Talent:
Art in Mage 20, p. 275), reduce the difficulty of those rolls by -2. As
with other Merits of this kind, this Merit does not reduce the difficulty
of magick-casting rolls, but may reduce the difficulty of Attribute
+ Ability rolls that are involved with magickal acts. (For more details, see
Abilities Enhancing Magick, Mage 20, pp. 533.)
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.
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.
start 21 points
-4 points for Willpower 9 = 17 points
-4 points to Performance 5 = 13 points
-4 points to Stealth 5 = 9 points
-2 points for Strength of Psyche = 7 points
-3 points for The Flow of Ki = 4 points
-3 points for Acute senses = 1 points
-5 points for Clear sighted = -4 points
-1 point for Artistically gifted = -5 points
+2 points for Vengeful = -3 points
+3 points for Bizarre Hunger = 0 points
-[X] XP spending v.3
Attributes
PHYSICAL
SOCIAL
MENTAL
Strength ●○○○○
Charisma ●●●○○
Perception ●●●●○
Dexterity ●●●○○
Manipulation ●○○○○
Intelligence ●●●○○
Stamina ●●○○○
Appearance ●●●○○
Wits ●●●●●
Abilities
TALENTS
SKILLS
KNOWLEDGES
Alertness ●●●●○
Animal Ken ○○○○○
Academics ●○○○○
Athletics ●●○○○
Crafts ○○○○○
Computer ○○○○○
Awareness ●●●○○
Drive ●○○○○
Finance ○○○○○
Brawl ○○○○○
Etiquette ○○○○○
Investigation ○○○○○
Empathy ●●○○○
Firearms ●●●●○
Law ○○○○○
Expression ●○○○○
Larceny ●○○○○
Medicine ○○○○○
Intimidation ○○○○○
Melee ○○○○○
Occult ●●●○○
Leadership ○○○○○
Performance ●●●●●
Politics ○○○○○
Streetwise ○○○○○
Stealth ●●●●●
Science ○○○○○
Subterfuge ●○○○○
Survival ○○○○○
Technology ○○○○○
Paths:
Psychics, spies and magicians have all desired the
ability to see things that are far away from them as they
happen. This power allows psychics to cast their senses
out and observe places far away from them. Though sight
is the easiest, as they advance in this power, they can
use their other senses as well, though even their sense
of touch will let them feel sensations without affecting
the place they are observing. Despite sensing whatever is
happening at the place being viewed, the psychic is not
actually present in any sense. For that, Astral Projection
is necessary.
Once they pick a location to view, they can move their
vision around the area. However, they cannot leave the
area with their senses, and to even go to the next room,
or the forest around the clearing they are viewing, they
must make another Clairvoyance roll.
Cost: One Willpower
Roll: Perception + Awareness
Modifiers: -2 to +2 difficulty modifier based on how
familiar the psychic is with the location.
Duration: Concentration
Cost of Failure: On a botch, the psychic has sent their
senses away but gains nothing from it, they are rendered
blind (and otherwise insensate depending on the level)
for one turn per success.
Effects
• Though hazy and often dreamlike, the psychic can
see anything within approximately a mile of them.
•• At this level, sight clears up and faint hearing is
available. The range also increases, to 4 miles plus one
mile per success.
••• Sound is now clear, and a limited sense of touch
becomes available to the psychic. Texture is too subtle to
detect, but solidity can be managed, as though through a
heavy pair of gloves. The range now extends to 10 miles
per success rolled.
•••• Touch improves to the point where textures can
be made out, and strong scents can be perceived. The
location can now be 100 miles away per success rolled.
••••• With mastery of this power, the psychic can use
all five senses as though they are there, and can do so for
a location that is 1000 miles away per success.
Associated Spheres: Correspondence
This power allows a psychic to travel from one place
to another without visiting the intervening space. They
simply disappear from one place an then reappear in
another. How this works is mysterious, but most of the
psychics who do it don't particularly care, they only care
that they can get where they're going very, very quickly.
When the psychic teleports, they can carry a reason-
able load of personal possessions with them. No psychic
has ever been recorded successfully transporting more
than about 100 pounds of materials, however. Whenever
this is attempted, a feedback loop of some sort occurs
causing the psychic to take 6 levels of bashing damage.
Cost: One Willpower point
Roll: Perception + Alertness
Time: Instantaneous
Cost of Failure: One a botch, the psychic ends up
inside a solid object, taking 8 dice of Aggravated damage
and the same to the object teleported into. Alternatively,
the psychic ends up somewhere wildly different than
their intended location, often leaving behind valuable
equipment and even their clothing.
Effects
• Short Hop: The teleporter can appear 12 + Intel-
ligence meters from where they started. Through some
means, they must be able to perceive their destination.
•• Simple Jump: Exactly like Short Hop, but with
range 20 + (3 x Intelligence) meters.
••• Long Jump: Similar to Simple Jump, though
the distance is now 40 + (6 x Intelligence) meters and it
can be doubled by spending a full turn in concentration
to prepare.
•••• Very Long Jump: Exactly as Long Jump, though
range is now 80 + (12 x Intelligence) meters.
••••• Blind Jump: Finally, with this power, the psychic
no longer needs to be able to see their destination, but
can teleport to places they are familiar with. This requires
that they spend a scene memorizing a location and spend
a point of Willpower. These locations must be stationary.
Associated Spheres: Correspondence
Some sorcerers have a natural ability to work with
mana (represented by the Technê background), but others
study it and train to use it. This Path focuses on more
complex uses of mana, and some powers that will allow
its use even without Technê. Through the powers of this
Path, a sorcerer learns to detect and manipulate the flow
of mana in a variety of ways.
This Path rarely goes by the name "Mana Manipula-
tion." It is usually processed more fully through the lens
of their Practice. Often it goes by names like Geomancy,
Feng Shui, Channeling Ley Lines, etc. The Path, more
than any other, is shaped by the views of the sorcerer and
the tools that they use to perform it.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Roll: Manipulation + Ability
Modifiers: -1 difficulty near a Node
Time: One turn per level
Duration: Varies
Cost of Failure: While on failure, nothing happens,
a botch results in burns, a number of levels of bashing
damage (unsoakable) equal to the rank of the spell.
Effects
• The sorcerer can detect concentrations of Mana.
With a brief meditation or invocation, they can find
anything and anywhere that it (or similar substances) have
gathered. This includes Mana, but also Quintessence,
Vitae, Essence, Nodes, etc. If they score at least three
successes, then they also get hints of the resonance.
•• Now the sorcerer can see magical energy directly.
They can determine if someone is using magic (broadly
construed) near them, and even determine how potent
a concentration of magical energy is. Furthermore, they
can detect disrupted magic, including blocked chi, curses,
and other negative effects.
••• While before they could detect when something is
disrupted, now the sorcerer can alter and obstruct mana
flows themselves. They can block flows, causing Nodes
to go dormant (for one turn per success), they can push
it around, causing it to flow in a different direction or
along a different path, and they can even store a single
point of Mana in an object, albeit briefly.
•••• The ability to manipulate mana gets substantially
more fine-grained. The sorcerer can now increase the
amount of mana that they can store temporarily, draw
mana directly from a place of power, or even draw it directly
from others, stealing their vitality. When drawing from a
place of power, each success grants the sorcerer a point of
mana they can use the next turn. Drawing energy out of
a person is point-for-point with other sorcerers, but two
successes for one point with other supernatural beings,
including Essence from spirits, Gnosis from werewolves
and Quintessence from mages. Drawing the energy away
from anyone, including completely mundane people, has
no health effects immediately, but will cause long-term
health problems if repeated, and can cause some long-
term benefits if used to infuse energy into them rather
than take it away.
••••• With mastery of this Path, mana can be used to
create a magical "shield." This spends mana to decrease
countermagic difficulties. Other things that the sorcerer
can do include blocking the use of mana (each success
cancels out a point of mana being used by an opponent,
two successes can cancel Quintessence, Essence, Gnosis,
etc.). At this level, the sorcerer can even alter the resonance
of mana, with one success weakening it, three successes
canceling it out and five or more allowing the sorcerer
to reverse the resonance.
••••• • Legendary sorcerers can call up a surge of
magical energy in an area. For a few moments, mana
becomes available, with successes spent on number of
turns and number of points of mana per turn. Anyone
who can access mana can access this source, but it's dan-
gerous. For each success on magic channeling this mana,
the sorcerer takes one level of bashing damage in burns.
Many psychic Phenomena and sorcerous Paths allow
the invasion of other minds. Telepaths can read your
thoughts, Psychic Vampires can feed on you, Alchemy
can brew truth serums and Oneiromancy can invade
dreams. And of course, there are far, far worse things
in the world than psychics and sorcerers. Vampires have
Dominate, mages have the full and unbridled power of
the Mind sphere, and that's before worrying about what
wraiths and changelings can do to an unguarded mind.
So some psychics either naturally have or train
themselves to have mental defenses. Their minds are
arranged in some way that makes them harder to attack.
Depending on the psychic, though, this can take the form
of being disciplined to the point of being able to force
the invader out, thoughts that are too chaotic to make
sense of, or even just a projection of a blank state where
nothing, useful or useless, can be read.
This only affects mental attacks. A Mind Shield is
useless against Pyrokinesis for instance: no hope that an
exceptionally ordered mind can just ignore a fireball! So
any psychic power that stays outside of the mind works
as normal. For those occasions when the psychic wants to
allow access, they can lower their shields, but this leaves
them vulnerable to others and to betrayal. At level three,
however, the psychic can tell when an intrusion is friendly
or hostile, and can selectively allow the friendlies in while
maintaining their defenses.
When the psychic with a Mind Shield is mentally
attacked, they make their roll and successes are subtracted
from the successes on the attack's roll, which fails if the
difference is less than the number of successes required
by the action. If the defender would normally get some
kind of defense, such as a Willpower roll, the Mind Shield
dice are added to that defense.
Roll: Against arbitrary mental attacks, the psychic
rolls their Mind Shields rating at difficulty 6. Against
other psychics, they roll twice as many dice.
Time: Instantaneous
Duration: Instantaneous
Associated Spheres: Mind
Perception 4 - 8 + 12 XP = 20 XP
Intelligence 3 - 8 XP
Alertness 4 - 6 XP
Awareness 3 - 4 XP
Firearms 4 - 6 XP
Subterfuge 1 - 3 XP
Expression 1 - 3 XP
Empathy 2 - 2 XP
Athletics 2 - 2 XP
Clairvoyance 2 - 4 + 3 +6 = 13 XP
Psychoportation 2 - 4 + 3 = 7 XP
Mind Shields 3 - 4 + 3 + 6 = 13 XP
Mana Manipulation 3 - 4 +3 + 6 = 13 XP
-[X] Awakened Sleeper
--[X] Black Wind 3 dots
--[X] Hellweaving 3 dots
--[X] Iron Mountain 1 dot
My plan has capacity for 2 more dots of normal flaws, which can give Olivia unaging merit in exchange, and for 10 dots of supernatural flaws that can be exchanged for dhampyre disciplines (Black Wind or Iron Mountain, I think). Anyone has any idea what flaws to buy? I couldn't find anything easily manageable, and i don't want to intentionally trap Olivia in servitude to us completely. Circlemates are not servants, after all.
We also need to discuss what alchemical recipes we are getting soon, and if we are going to offer Murphy IDU. Because so far it seems like a great option.
We also need to discuss what alchemical recipes we are getting soon, and if we are going to offer Murphy IDU. Because so far it seems like a great option.
I'll laugh my ass off if Murphy takes IDU and spends the rest of the quest being studied in a lab, never being let out to use her new abilities in story-relevant time.
I actually considered buying her Guardian Angel in the form of her ancestor noticing IDU and popping up all worried about her. Great story potential for Olivia own quest lines. Sadly, couldn't fit it in.
I'll laugh my ass off if Murphy takes IDU and spends the rest of the quest being studied in a lab, never being let out to use her new abilities in story-relevant time.
Very unlikely. Infernal investment is a thing known to LoC. The source of investment is new, but poking us in this way would be a massive provocation not wortht he hassle, I think.
