PSA: Player comments requested for a proposed rules change.
We have been looking at the Frozen Skein bloodline, specifically its "
The Best-Laid Plans" element. We aren't keen on it for a few reasons:
- It divorces the bonus from the FS level
- Every Mori gets the same bonus
- It divorces the bonus from the level of the skill the FS bonus is being applied to.
We are considering replacing it with a new version that should be a buff and better reflect the intention of the technique. Our analysis follows. We would like player comment before finalizing the change -- did we miss any ridiculous exploits that would cause the setting to become inconsistent, is the technique not worth its costs, etc.
The current version that we are looking to replace:
The user may trade mental stress for bonus on a roll at a rate of +5 per stress, up to the limit that can be absorbed by their stress track and available Consequences. The maluses from Mental Consequences do not affect them until after the scene ends. Regardless of how large a bonus they gained, after the scene ends the user takes 6 mental stress.
The new version we are considering replacing it with:
Starting next round, the user receives a (Frozen Skein AB) bonus to initiative.
The user receives the "Flicker of Omniscience" Aspect. Each round, they receive 2x(Frozen Skein AB) tags on it. They may use up to 2+(FS AB) tags on any given roll. Any number of tags may be passed to any teammate(s) with whom the user can communicate (but they are limited to using at most 1 of these tags per roll and the tags expire at end of round as normal).
The user takes 2 mental stress per round. They do not take mental stress from any other source, nor suffer from mental Consequence penalties. However, the technique cannot be manually terminated. The user will continue to take mental stress until they are Taken Out.
Once the scene ends the user must make a (Frozen Skein vs TN) roll, with the TN to be decided at the time based on QM fiat. If they succeed then they will wake up in an appropriate amount of time, typically days or weeks. After waking up they will have a permanent Severe consequence. If they fail the roll then they remain in a coma for an indefinite period. There are two Mori currently being cared for in the Garden of the Lost who have been there for decades.
The analysis:
Evaluating some possibilities of what Keiko (Ranged Weapons 40 (AB 5), Athletics 50 (AB 6)) could do with this. She is currently at FS level 30 but we've included lower levels as well to show what a Mori with an equal martial focus but less investment in the bloodline would be like.
- Level 1 in FS (1 XP): User gets +1 to initiative and 1 tag. This gives +5 to one attack roll or +6 to one dodge roll. Can pass the tag to someone else.
- Level 10 (55 XP): +2 to initiative, 4 tags. Can use all the tags on one roll, potentially giving +20 to hit or +24 to dodge. Can also pass the tags to others, giving the entire party a bonus.
- Level 20 (210 XP): +3 initiative, 6 tags. Can use 5 of them on one roll for +25 to hit (meaning she's rolling jōnin numbers before any other bonus) or +30 to dodge (Kage-level dodging).
- Level 30 (465 XP): +4 initiative, 8 tags. Can use 6 of them on one roll for overwhelming numbers. (+30 to hit = 70, +36 to dodge = 86)
Ranged Weapons 40 + FS 30 costs 820+465=1285 and allows you to roll 70 on your attack each round.
When leveled the normal way RW70 = 2485 XP, so the FS boost is very efficient.
Athletics 60 (a normal jōnin score) = 1830 XP, meaning it costs more than Keiko's RW+FS investment.
Under this model, Frozen Skein is a very efficient way to be able to generate one or two high-powered attacks. All else equal, with FS 30 she could get 70-60=10 = 4 shifts + kunai(weapon 1) + attached explosive (weapon 4) = 9 shifts against a jōnin. That's his entire track + Mild + Severe. Next round she can do the same thing again and tag both consequences for an additional 5+5= +10 on the roll, meaning an additional 4 shifts, meaning she explodes him into goo.
She can sustain 3+2+3+4= 12 mental stress before being Taken Out so she can do the above sequence for 6 rounds. She can also save her rolls for dodging, allowing her to dodge the low end of Kage-level attacks while (e.g.) spreading goo bombs around the battlefield in order to generate tags for other people to use.
