Walking Dad
First Post
Sorry, I fear I have to bow out of this. PbP isn't the best place to learn rule sets, epically ones requiring so much communication. I fear I have just not the time to give this game the attention it deserves. Sorry again 
BURNED CIRCLE - City/Character Creation Thread (DFRPG)
There is a deep, bone-deep, subsonic rumble that shivers windows and rattles china sets in their cabinets. You feel it in your fillings, in your fingers, in your skull. As one, every bird perched on something solid flies up away from the ground, squawking and cheeping and cooing in protest.
In front of the SkippyMart, the pavement bulges slightly upward. Cars roll down the new incline and crash into each other in slow motion; adding the whooping of their alarms to the din.
The parking lot asphalt splits in a hairline fracture that swiftly cracks apart about as widely as a man's foot is wide. The inside of the crack is glowing a fitful orange, and the air above it immediately turns wavy with heat haze. From below comes a gassy exhalation, like some pocket of methane or carbon dioxide suddenly opening to the surface.
Only...after a moment, words can be detected in that noise; slow and impossibly deep, like the voice of the earth itself.
...hooooooooaaaagggghhhhh...my time...approaches...
In front of the SkippyMart, the pavement bulges slightly upward. Cars roll down the new incline and crash into each other in slow motion; adding the whooping of their alarms to the din.
The parking lot asphalt splits in a hairline fracture that swiftly cracks apart about as widely as a man's foot is wide. The inside of the crack is glowing a fitful orange, and the air above it immediately turns wavy with heat haze. From below comes a gassy exhalation, like some pocket of methane or carbon dioxide suddenly opening to the surface.
Only...after a moment, words can be detected in that noise; slow and impossibly deep, like the voice of the earth itself.
...hooooooooaaaagggghhhhh...my time...approaches...
Dragonwriter
First Post
I've also been working on my character. Settled on a Changeling of Ogre heritage, debating between the Fae parent being Summer or Wyld.
I have most of the first three phases worked out, though, along with the Aspects. I'll get them posted up soon enough.
I have most of the first three phases worked out, though, along with the Aspects. I'll get them posted up soon enough.
ThirdWizard
First Post
[MENTION=478]Thanee[/MENTION]
Sounds good on the character front! I can't wait to read it.
Guardian is good, probably better, you're right. Also, you might want to rename the "Gatekeeper" for the location, as that's a specific character in the Dresden novels. I meant to point that out before, but somehow forgot.
[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION]
Sorry you're bowing out. I'll keep you in mind if a spot opens up in the future. Perhaps you'll gain some more system mastery in the meantime. Of course, you can read the PbP and watch so to speak, and that might also help you better understand the system.
[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]
You amuse me greatly. Welcome! Any idea what you want to play?
[MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION]
Summer or Wyld, both could be interesting. I can run with either one. I warn you, I play me some mean faeries. I've incorporated Dresden-like fae into my D&D games, and the players are scared of dealing with any of them.
Sounds good on the character front! I can't wait to read it.
Guardian is good, probably better, you're right. Also, you might want to rename the "Gatekeeper" for the location, as that's a specific character in the Dresden novels. I meant to point that out before, but somehow forgot.
[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION]
Sorry you're bowing out. I'll keep you in mind if a spot opens up in the future. Perhaps you'll gain some more system mastery in the meantime. Of course, you can read the PbP and watch so to speak, and that might also help you better understand the system.
[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]
You amuse me greatly.
Welcome! Any idea what you want to play?[MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION]
Summer or Wyld, both could be interesting. I can run with either one. I warn you, I play me some mean faeries. I've incorporated Dresden-like fae into my D&D games, and the players are scared of dealing with any of them.
I have some idea, yep.
I was in a Mage game awhile back that sadly folded, but I liked some of the characterization I'd worked out for it...and it being an urban fantasy game, it's an easy one to 'repot' in this fertile ground.
I even have a location in mind.
As for archetype...I am considering the 'champion of god' notiong, with the caveat that the god in question is not the New Testament reiteration of JHVH or the Trinity. Rather, this character is descended from a bloodline harkening back to the Mesoamerican warrior priests; charged and empowered by the Jaguar Sun to patrol the boundary between the worlds of the living and dead; much as the Sun itself moved into our world during the day, and into the Underworld at night. They kept the living from wandering into the Unlit Land, and the spirits of the fallen from slaking their endless hungers and angers on the living.
Until, of course, it all went wrong. The lines of succession were broken, the civilization itself faltered and lost its way. Now it's just ruins...and a few last sentinels that hold to the old lore, who's blood still quickens with the echo of lost power, and who still hold the line against the forces of darkness.
Just a conceptual start, of course. It's still quite fluid, and can be adjusted any number of ways.
I was in a Mage game awhile back that sadly folded, but I liked some of the characterization I'd worked out for it...and it being an urban fantasy game, it's an easy one to 'repot' in this fertile ground.
I even have a location in mind.
As for archetype...I am considering the 'champion of god' notiong, with the caveat that the god in question is not the New Testament reiteration of JHVH or the Trinity. Rather, this character is descended from a bloodline harkening back to the Mesoamerican warrior priests; charged and empowered by the Jaguar Sun to patrol the boundary between the worlds of the living and dead; much as the Sun itself moved into our world during the day, and into the Underworld at night. They kept the living from wandering into the Unlit Land, and the spirits of the fallen from slaking their endless hungers and angers on the living.
Until, of course, it all went wrong. The lines of succession were broken, the civilization itself faltered and lost its way. Now it's just ruins...and a few last sentinels that hold to the old lore, who's blood still quickens with the echo of lost power, and who still hold the line against the forces of darkness.
Just a conceptual start, of course. It's still quite fluid, and can be adjusted any number of ways.
ThirdWizard
First Post
In Dresden, godlike beings of power like that might fade from the limelight, but that doesn't mean they aren't still active behind the scenes (like Donar Vadderung in Changes). So, you'd be a bit like Sigun Gard's concept in that respect.
I would suggest a combination of Champion of God and Emissary of Power templates. So, the True Faith powers that fit your concept, plus Marked By Power for the Jaguar Sun, an old being of great power.
I would suggest a combination of Champion of God and Emissary of Power templates. So, the True Faith powers that fit your concept, plus Marked By Power for the Jaguar Sun, an old being of great power.
Thanee
First Post
This here is what I have so far, background-wise.
[SBLOCK=Keira]Name: Keira Moore
Template: Were-Form
High Concept: Shadowcat Guardian
Trouble: Curious As A Cat
Aspects: Reckless Rascal, ...
Phase 1) Where did you come from? (Background)
One day, Brendan Moore, an irishman living in Atlanta, stumbled upon a rather strange place, when he was out hunting in the woods that are all around the city. The first thing he noticed was the frozen water on the ground, not particulary likely considering the warm temperature. There were strange lights, too. They were 'wrong' in some way, but he couldn't put his finger on it. When he investigated further, he stepped into another world. He had found a gateway to the Nevernever. And unfortunately, the creatures there weren't exactly the welcoming kind. Fortunately, though, a majestic, black panther rushed to his side to help him. It creeped the hell out of him, when the panther later transformed into a woman.
To make things short, the two got together and he learned a lot about the strange things that lurked beyond the curtains of the world from his shapeshifting lover. He became the guardian of that mystic place out in the woods. About a year after that incident, their first daughter was born. Even as a babe, she had hair as dark as the night. Therefore, they named her Keira.
Even when she was merely a child, Keira had a measure of her mother's powers. She had keen senses, and she was curious and reckless. The latter mostly because she was a lot more resilient than a typical mortal, probably because she isn't exactly mortal. This, coupled with the drive to explore everything around her, proved to be quite a dangerous mix. But you need to know your boundaries, even if they are a little higher, right? Her parents tried hard to keep her away from all things supernatural for the time being. She would learn about it soon enough.
Phase 2) What shaped you? (Rising Conflict)
In her teens, she began to develop her true power, the ability to change her shape into that of a black panther. A fast and strong animal further enhanced by the supernatural powers indwelling her. In her panther-form, Keira is a majestic sight. Her shoulders reach nearly three feet in height, and her body is a good six feet long (plus another three or four feet of tail).
During this time, the existance of the supernatural could no longer be kept away from her. She learned about the Nevernever, the fae and the occult mysteries. And she also learned about the time when her father first met her mother, about that mystic place out in the woods. Naturally, that spurred her curiosity to the fullest.
...[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Keira]Name: Keira Moore
Template: Were-Form
High Concept: Shadowcat Guardian
Trouble: Curious As A Cat
Aspects: Reckless Rascal, ...
Phase 1) Where did you come from? (Background)
One day, Brendan Moore, an irishman living in Atlanta, stumbled upon a rather strange place, when he was out hunting in the woods that are all around the city. The first thing he noticed was the frozen water on the ground, not particulary likely considering the warm temperature. There were strange lights, too. They were 'wrong' in some way, but he couldn't put his finger on it. When he investigated further, he stepped into another world. He had found a gateway to the Nevernever. And unfortunately, the creatures there weren't exactly the welcoming kind. Fortunately, though, a majestic, black panther rushed to his side to help him. It creeped the hell out of him, when the panther later transformed into a woman.
To make things short, the two got together and he learned a lot about the strange things that lurked beyond the curtains of the world from his shapeshifting lover. He became the guardian of that mystic place out in the woods. About a year after that incident, their first daughter was born. Even as a babe, she had hair as dark as the night. Therefore, they named her Keira.
Even when she was merely a child, Keira had a measure of her mother's powers. She had keen senses, and she was curious and reckless. The latter mostly because she was a lot more resilient than a typical mortal, probably because she isn't exactly mortal. This, coupled with the drive to explore everything around her, proved to be quite a dangerous mix. But you need to know your boundaries, even if they are a little higher, right? Her parents tried hard to keep her away from all things supernatural for the time being. She would learn about it soon enough.
Phase 2) What shaped you? (Rising Conflict)
In her teens, she began to develop her true power, the ability to change her shape into that of a black panther. A fast and strong animal further enhanced by the supernatural powers indwelling her. In her panther-form, Keira is a majestic sight. Her shoulders reach nearly three feet in height, and her body is a good six feet long (plus another three or four feet of tail).
During this time, the existance of the supernatural could no longer be kept away from her. She learned about the Nevernever, the fae and the occult mysteries. And she also learned about the time when her father first met her mother, about that mystic place out in the woods. Naturally, that spurred her curiosity to the fullest.
...[/SBLOCK]
Dragonwriter
First Post
Which is totally as it should be, IMO. That's one of the things I especially like about the Dresden stories -- the faeries are a lot more dangerous and akin to the older tales about them, not the happy-go-lucky, cute little things.
Anyways, I had best put down the character info I've worked out so far.
[sblock=Details]
Name: Logan Harcourt
Template: Changeling, Ogre.
High Concept: Big Son of a Wyld Ogre.
Trouble: Protector of the Weak.
Logan was "adopted" as an infant. Really, he was left on the porch of a grown changeling woman in Atlanta who had taken in children of Faerie heritage on a regular basis. The woman, Michelle, had refused to make her Choice, remained fairly neutral regarding the Courts, and was at least allowed to raise some of the unwanted changeling children. Logan was not the first and definitely not the last to come into her care, where he grew up in a sizable, crazy, changeling-filled household.
Aspect: Big, Weird, Changeling Family.
Signs of his ogre blood showed fairly early, as he became one of the biggest and strongest boys in the neighborhood. He also became something of a protector to his "siblings" in the house. He tested out of school early (16/17) to get a job and to help Michelle with keeping the house in good condition. The next year, one of his "older brothers," Sullivan, who had fully embraced his Winter Troll heritage came back around. Sullivan was out to strong-arm Michelle into pushing some of the youngsters in her care to Choose and go Winter. Logan took an iron-headed sledgehammer and taught Sullivan his mistake, though he refused to kill the young man/troll he still saw as a brother.
Aspect: Really Good With a Hammer.
[/sblock]
For the First Case, I was thinking something about Red Court servants pushing some new drug derived from the narcotic saliva, with the dealers really aiming to get a younger crowd hooked. Naturally, Logan would have a big problem with such a thing.
Power-wise, I'm looking at Inhuman Strength, Toughness, and Recovery (Catch being either "trappings of Winter" or the full "cold iron") and possibly Glamours. Tinkering with Skills is stalling me a bit, but they'll get there.
I have no idea what those things are, of course...but they sound appropriate.
Emissary of Power might even be more appropriate, since the Jaguar's gift is transmitted through bloodline and ritual rather than direct action on the god's part now. That's why it still works, even though his followers are long gone and the gods themselves have, as you say, largely faded from the picture at least in the sense of direct interventions. True Faith might be inappropriate, since my character does what she does from a sense of duty to her family and others...and because she can, and because it's what gives her purpose.
But she hasn't got a shrine to the old cat in her basement or anything, even though she does nominally believe. Hard not to after being introduced to all this. It's just not like Joan of Arc or a paladin where her faith gives her the power to overcome all odds.
At least not usually.
I need to look back at the chargen rules here and start converting all these ideas into quasi-game terms...then we can decide what suits this notion best.
Edit/Addenda - I am looking at my character having the mundane occupation of police officer. Should set up interesting scenarios since she essentially is two kinds of cop at once... Would this be appropriate for the game?
Emissary of Power might even be more appropriate, since the Jaguar's gift is transmitted through bloodline and ritual rather than direct action on the god's part now. That's why it still works, even though his followers are long gone and the gods themselves have, as you say, largely faded from the picture at least in the sense of direct interventions. True Faith might be inappropriate, since my character does what she does from a sense of duty to her family and others...and because she can, and because it's what gives her purpose.
But she hasn't got a shrine to the old cat in her basement or anything, even though she does nominally believe. Hard not to after being introduced to all this.
It's just not like Joan of Arc or a paladin where her faith gives her the power to overcome all odds. At least not usually.
I need to look back at the chargen rules here and start converting all these ideas into quasi-game terms...then we can decide what suits this notion best.
Edit/Addenda - I am looking at my character having the mundane occupation of police officer. Should set up interesting scenarios since she essentially is two kinds of cop at once... Would this be appropriate for the game?
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ThirdWizard
First Post
One thing I should have asked for is a few examples of how you would invoke your aspects and a few ways you expect to be compelled by them. This is just to make sure we're on the same page about what an aspect means. In many cases, the idea behind the aspect is probably more important than the name itself (although you can use the name in creative ways occasionally).
[MENTION=478]Thanee[/MENTION]
I like the trouble. I can compel that pretty easily. Especially considering one of the City's aspects is "Trouble Around The Corner." A character who just can't stop turning those corners is going to be great fun indeed.
The background is good. Your character, then is a kind of scion, with your mother being a natural shape shifter of some kind and you inheriting the trait? Or would you rather leave your mother's exact qualities to be explored later?
[MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION]
"Protector of the Weak" probably isn't troubling enough to be a trouble. It's easier to see how that could be used for an invoke than a compel. You should probably look to why or how everyone always comes to you for help as a trouble or why you always help those in need. So something like "My Muscle Is Taken For Granted" or "Can't Say No" would be more appropriate.
"Big, Weird, Changeling Family" is great. I can use that for some really good compels, and I can see you invoking it for a lot of lore type stuff dealing with faerie or getting some help from other Changelings. Very nice.
You might want to rework "Really Good With A Hammer." You're not going to get many compels off of that, so its probably a liability. It's fine to have one or two only good aspects, but make sure to have some easy compels in there, or you're going to be FATE starved.
I like the first case idea, as well as the powers. I'd go with Cold Iron (+3) as a Catch since you haven't made your choice between Winter or Summer yet. Keep in mind we're going 10 Refresh, so you could easily pick up a Supernatural Strength, Toughness, or Recovery with some stunts, or you could even do all three (leaving you with only 1 Refresh, of course...).
[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]
I don't know how far you are in the novels, but without going into anything too spoilery, there is basically a character of True Faith who is agnostic. So, it isn't wholly inappropriate for your character to make use of those powers, as long as there is something important you believe in. In particular you might want to look at the supernatural powers of Righteousness and Holy Touch (page 188), in your case dealing with things that should be dead (like Black Court vampires and zombies).
As for being a cop, that could be hard on your character depending on how you decide to go with it, but it could be very interesting. Here's how the police structure breaks down for the Atlanta PD.
99% of the police force for the city doesn't know about the supernatural and doesn't believe in it. There is no equivalent of the Special Investigations unit that unofficially deals with the supernatural.
However, Deputy Chief John Brady (one of five deputy chiefs for the city) knows quite a bit about the supernatural world and is always trying to learn more. He and his men operate in a gray area. They shake down businesses some days and they hunt down threats to the city another. They're definitely in it more for their own benefit than to protect and serve, though.
So, if you're a police officer in the know, you'd have to choose your relationship with Brady and his men.
[MENTION=478]Thanee[/MENTION]
I like the trouble. I can compel that pretty easily. Especially considering one of the City's aspects is "Trouble Around The Corner." A character who just can't stop turning those corners is going to be great fun indeed.
The background is good. Your character, then is a kind of scion, with your mother being a natural shape shifter of some kind and you inheriting the trait? Or would you rather leave your mother's exact qualities to be explored later?
[MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION]
"Protector of the Weak" probably isn't troubling enough to be a trouble. It's easier to see how that could be used for an invoke than a compel. You should probably look to why or how everyone always comes to you for help as a trouble or why you always help those in need. So something like "My Muscle Is Taken For Granted" or "Can't Say No" would be more appropriate.
"Big, Weird, Changeling Family" is great. I can use that for some really good compels, and I can see you invoking it for a lot of lore type stuff dealing with faerie or getting some help from other Changelings. Very nice.
You might want to rework "Really Good With A Hammer." You're not going to get many compels off of that, so its probably a liability. It's fine to have one or two only good aspects, but make sure to have some easy compels in there, or you're going to be FATE starved.
I like the first case idea, as well as the powers. I'd go with Cold Iron (+3) as a Catch since you haven't made your choice between Winter or Summer yet. Keep in mind we're going 10 Refresh, so you could easily pick up a Supernatural Strength, Toughness, or Recovery with some stunts, or you could even do all three (leaving you with only 1 Refresh, of course...).
[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]
I don't know how far you are in the novels, but without going into anything too spoilery, there is basically a character of True Faith who is agnostic. So, it isn't wholly inappropriate for your character to make use of those powers, as long as there is something important you believe in. In particular you might want to look at the supernatural powers of Righteousness and Holy Touch (page 188), in your case dealing with things that should be dead (like Black Court vampires and zombies).
As for being a cop, that could be hard on your character depending on how you decide to go with it, but it could be very interesting. Here's how the police structure breaks down for the Atlanta PD.
99% of the police force for the city doesn't know about the supernatural and doesn't believe in it. There is no equivalent of the Special Investigations unit that unofficially deals with the supernatural.
However, Deputy Chief John Brady (one of five deputy chiefs for the city) knows quite a bit about the supernatural world and is always trying to learn more. He and his men operate in a gray area. They shake down businesses some days and they hunt down threats to the city another. They're definitely in it more for their own benefit than to protect and serve, though.
So, if you're a police officer in the know, you'd have to choose your relationship with Brady and his men.
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