General WoD Discussion #1: Assemble

[Baxter190]

So a couple who have shown interest, and two union players, one a nice doctor who works pro bono, and a crazy prepaired carpenter.

[Blackfang108]

So a couple who have shown interest, and two union players, one a nice doctor who works pro bono, and a crazy prepaired carpenter.

Personally, I wouldn't say no.

I can make a Union guy, but it'll take a bit. I could make a more compelling Long Night character, though.

EDIT: And I promise he wouldn't have Faith or Charity as his Virtue.1

[JollyChris]

One of my friends wants to pilot a giant robot in nWod is that possible, like building one in genius maybe?

[silphael]

I will say a Mage with Matter, Prime, and maybe Spirit or Forces... Some other may be needed too, like Life for a cyborg giant engine, or Mind to have an easy way to control it.

[Yuki Akuma]

Yes. Giant robots are perfectly possible in Genius. A starting character could build one.

[Morty]

Right, so it looks like I have a couple of people interested. I'll probably make a planning thread soon enough so as not to clutter up this one. Now, as far as my planned story goes, it's an urban investigation story. Combat is likely to occur, but I won't really force it. Since everyone seems to want a mixed Compact game, this is what I'll do.

[ocel]

I already sent my character sheet to you with the requested amendments, is there anything else you wish me to correct as well, aside from his back-story which I wish to discuss in length with you if your willing of course.
His concept is he's kind of a combination of Rincewind from Disc-world's round-world counterpart & a martial arts enthusiast; his back-story would depend on the general premise/plot of your game. If chastity/prudence is not good mechanically, I could put in temperance instead.
Here is the character sheet of: Nigel Albion

[Fouredged Sword]

I actualy just joined a promising DnD game, and I don't wish to overextend myself. I will have to withdraw intrest.

[JollyChris]

Thanks for answering my question.

[Wings of Peace]

Out of curiosity, can anyone tell me how Genius stacks up against the official splats? I'm just now starting to teach myself the system but I haven't gone in depth enough yet to see how it compared to Sin-Eaters, Mages, Changelings, Prometheans, Vampires, or Werewolves.

When I say 'stack up' I mean the full spectrum. How do they stack up in combat? In social situations? In versatility? So far it seems like Mania is one of the easier power sources to recharge (though still not as easy as Glamour is for Changelings).

[Wings of Peace]

Double post.

[Yuki Akuma]

Geniuses are around Mages in terms of pure versatility, although they require more time to prepare their abilities.

In combat: Geniuses are capable of improving the tool bonus of any piece of technology (where 'technology' can mean 'a club') by spending Mania, on a one-for-one basis. It's incredibly Mania intensive, but Geniuses are capable of giving themselves insanely high dice pools with weaponry and firearms attacks.

The grant for the Navigators allow them to spend Mania to improve their physical attributes, as well, which can give them extra health levels or improve their dice pools for attacks.

Katastrofi weapons can be incredibly powerful. Their damage is 5 + the core modifier of the weapon, they can attack multiple targets, at at Katastrofi 5 you can throw around aggravated 8-again attacks that can attack entire cities. And as they're technology, they can be buffed using Mania, although this has a chance of blowing them up. They can do this from halfway around the other planet because their weapon is a satellite.

Social situations: By default, Geniuses get a penalty to certain social situations - mostly, talking shop with sane scientists. High Obligation Geniuses get a bonus to social situations when they project an air of authority, however.

The grant of the Directors allows them to spend Mania to boost their Social attributes, which can definitely help.

And then there are Epikrato wonders, which can just skip the whole "talking someone into doing what I want" part and just do "making someone do what I want". And then there's Automata, which can just make new people for you to order around.

Geniuses are also capable of turning people into Beholden by ranting at them, which makes them much more pliable.

Versatility: Geniuses are like Batman. They can do anything with preparation.

[Fox Box Socks]

It's also worth noting that Geniuses are even more screwed than Mages when they're caught with their pants down. A Genius that's caught by surprise is a dead Genius, so the best he can hope for is to never get caught by surprise.

[Yuki Akuma]

Navigators are slightly better at being caught with their pants down, what with their 'spend Mania to increase physical attributes' grant.

And a Genius with no tools can still dismantle a main battle tank with his bare hands. And then fashion it into a crude bazooka (if he has Katastrofi).

[Morty]

Don't the Geniuses' creations also risk falling apart when examined by normal people?
Also, for the people who expressed interest in my Hunter game, here is the thread for organization and futher recruitment.

[ZardozSpeaks]

Hiya! oWoD newbie. I played a session of changeling once, and read some books, but I'm still a little lost amidst all the material.

I'm about to start playing in a friends Mage chronicle. Not much info on setting yet, 1990 possibly in Florida. I'm building a Virtual Adept, Shartz Arkhauser. He's a 45 year old electrical engineer, he made some money in the 80s programming early Arcade cabinets. He now runs a video game arcade frequented by kids and teenagers.

I'm a little confused on Foci, it seems simpler for a mage whose paradigm is not technomancy. For instance, I feel I don't want have just one foci, but lots! For instance maybe I want to do some correspondence scrying. I could use any kind of network (telephone, internet, radio, power) to travel through space and scry. Or am I not thinking about this right? Maybe my foci should be something more universal, a PDA or Laptop, some kind of multiformat device.

I also want to take the cult background, and represent it through the kids that frequent my video arcade. I had an idea that I might scry out complexes, like a NASA Void Engineer building, by creating a 3D simulation of the complex and having the kids explore it as if it was a FPS, like Golden Eye or Doom. Any other cool ideas for how I might utilize my Cult?

Another issue. Computers, Computer Hacking, Cryptology, Enigmas, Web Culture, Technology and Virtual Space. Do I need all of these skills? Virtual Space seems the strangest, its located in the revised VA handbook, its like some kind of combo web culture/hacking/computers skill. Cryptology, Engimas and Computer Hacking also overlap in funny ways. Should I just take one or two of them?

Any good ideas for Avatars? I'm going to be a Visionary/Architect, I was thinking my Avatar might be Questing. Maybe an AI that communicates via computers (think Gibsons Neuromancer) or maybe some entity that communicates in TV broadcast, I had an idea to make my Avatar have the personality of Marshal McLuhan, but it seems the Storyteller roleplays your avatar a little more than you do, so it could be a lot of baggage for a storyteller that isn't read up on him. Third idea was one of flying ostriches from Joust, and I'd ride it when I was in virtual space.

Long post, respond to whatever you find interesting.

Here's a character sheet.
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B1W...ut=list&num=50

[Yuki Akuma]

Don't the Geniuses' creations also risk falling apart when examined by normal people?

At best. At worst, they turn into Orphans.

[ZardozSpeaks]

Anyone have oWoD lists of all merits/flaws, backgrounds and skills/talents/knowledges?

[Pokonic]

It's also worth noting that Geniuses are even more screwed than Mages when they're caught with their pants down. A Genius that's caught by surprise is a dead Genius, so the best he can hope for is to never get caught by surprise.

Yeah, thats why so many Geniuses are paranoid: They realy are out to get you!

[Fox Box Socks]

At best. At worst, they turn into Orphans.

This is another valid point: 95% of a Genius' options go out the window when they're confronted by a Muggle. Hunters terrify Geniuses.

[Yuki Akuma]

You can still shoot the morties. Or mind control them. Or fling them in the air with telekinesis. And your armour still works against weaponry and firearms attacks.

Just don't let them touch.

[JeenLeen]

From the fan-made Leviathan: The Tempest: the seven Strains are associated with the Seven Deadly Sins, but I can'd find which correlates to which. Can somebody tell me?

Hiya! oWoD newbie. I played a session of changeling once, and read some books, but I'm still a little lost amidst all the material.

I'm about to start playing in a friends Mage chronicle. Not much info on setting yet, 1990 possibly in Florida. I'm building a Virtual Adept, Shartz Arkhauser. He's a 45 year old electrical engineer, he made some money in the 80s programming early Arcade cabinets. He now runs a video game arcade frequented by kids and teenagers.

I'm a little confused on Foci, it seems simpler for a mage whose paradigm is not technomancy. For instance, I feel I don't want have just one foci, but lots! For instance maybe I want to do some correspondence scrying. I could use any kind of network (telephone, internet, radio, power) to travel through space and scry. Or am I not thinking about this right? Maybe my foci should be something more universal, a PDA or Laptop, some kind of multiformat device.

I also want to take the cult background, and represent it through the kids that frequent my video arcade. I had an idea that I might scry out complexes, like a NASA Void Engineer building, by creating a 3D simulation of the complex and having the kids explore it as if it was a FPS, like Golden Eye or Doom. Any other cool ideas for how I might utilize my Cult?

Another issue. Computers, Computer Hacking, Cryptology, Enigmas, Web Culture, Technology and Virtual Space. Do I need all of these skills? Virtual Space seems the strangest, its located in the revised VA handbook, its like some kind of combo web culture/hacking/computers skill. Cryptology, Engimas and Computer Hacking also overlap in funny ways. Should I just take one or two of them?

Any good ideas for Avatars? I'm going to be a Visionary/Architect, I was thinking my Avatar might be Questing. Maybe an AI that communicates via computers (think Gibsons Neuromancer) or maybe some entity that communicates in TV broadcast, I had an idea to make my Avatar have the personality of Marshal McLuhan, but it seems the Storyteller roleplays your avatar a little more than you do, so it could be a lot of baggage for a storyteller that isn't read up on him. Third idea was one of flying ostriches from Joust, and I'd ride it when I was in virtual space.

I'd talk to your Storyteller about all of this stuff. Get his opinion and his attitude about how he's going to run some stuff. Things like how the virtual net works, what hacking can and cannot do (remember the Technocracy has good hackers, too, and they outnumber you), Avatar stuff, and how he wants foci to work.

A useful thing for your cult would be that they believe in your magic, so when they see you do stuff, you don't get witness Paradox. You should ask and decide if you've told them about other mages' magic. It'd stink if your Verbena ally heals you in front of them and gets extra Paradox because your helper doesn't believe in blood magic.

Scrying any sort of Technocracy Construct (which probably most NASA locations are) would be hard because they're probably Correspondence-shielded against scrys.

...though all the above is from Mage: The Ascension, revised. Maybe you have first edition. My book lacked the Cult background, but I'm assuming they are acolytes of the VA Tradition.

[ZardozSpeaks]

I'd talk to your Storyteller about all of this stuff. Get his opinion and his attitude about how he's going to run some stuff. Things like how the virtual net works, what hacking can and cannot do (remember the Technocracy has good hackers, too, and they outnumber you), Avatar stuff, and how he wants foci to work.

A useful thing for your cult would be that they believe in your magic, so when they see you do stuff, you don't get witness Paradox. You should ask and decide if you've told them about other mages' magic. It'd stink if your Verbena ally heals you in front of them and gets extra Paradox because your helper doesn't believe in blood magic.

Scrying any sort of Technocracy Construct (which probably most NASA locations are) would be hard because they're probably Correspondence-shielded against scrys.

...though all the above is from Mage: The Ascension, revised. Maybe you have first edition. My book lacked the Cult background, but I'm assuming they are acolytes of the VA Tradition.

The Cult background is located in the Guide to the Traditions, i think its a 2e book. Which reminds me, are 1st and 2nd compatible? My storyteller implied they are.

Cultists are sleepers who believe in your magic, you get bonus success or something when they watch/help you perform magic. I'd assume they wouldn't be able to help my Verbana buddy, they'd need to be shielded from the more vulgar aspects of my life style and friends.

I was actually thinking there performance in my rituals would be slightly abstracted, they'd consider it playing a video game (a really good video game), and their youth would make it more believable.

[Wings of Peace]

Would it be fair to say that a Mage using Supernal Vision can identify all supernaturals or should that be a custom 2 dot version of the spell? According to the table on pg. 206 it can identify Vampires, Shapeshifters, Ghosts, and Liches. I don't see why it wouldn't extend to other supernatural creatures too.

[Yuki Akuma]

Sure, it's just aura sight. You can tell a Promethean by sight because his aura looks like it's made of fire, and you can tell Changelings and Sin-Eaters by sight because their auras are [never-been-noted-down-because-they-don't-get-aura-sight].

[hiryuu]

Would it be fair to say that a Mage using Supernal Vision can identify all supernaturals or should that be a custom 2 dot version of the spell? According to the table on pg. 206 it can identify Vampires, Shapeshifters, Ghosts, and Liches. I don't see why it wouldn't extend to other supernatural creatures too.

I don't know if it should be able to identify Changelings, since their paradigm is "we're hiding." In fact, I think there's a difficulty penalty on anything that could potentially reveal a changeling's existence, and they get a resistance roll anyway. I forgot which book that's in, but it's where they're talking about how masks work. Sin-Eaters, on the other hand, can spot each other instantly. Like the Highlander. In order to detect them, a Mage needs a custom Death 1/Spirit 1 spell.

Speaking of "lighter" WoD and refluffing things, I just got done with a Hunter game, and rather than try to explain it, I think a handy image works better.

Spoiler

Show

[Wings of Peace]

I don't know if it should be able to identify Changelings, since their paradigm is "we're hiding." In fact, I think there's a difficulty penalty on anything that could potentially reveal a changeling's existence, and they get a resistance roll anyway. I forgot which book that's in, but it's where they're talking about how masks work. Sin-Eaters, on the other hand, can spot each other instantly. Like the Highlander. In order to detect them, a Mage needs a custom Death 1/Spirit 1 spell.

Speaking of "lighter" WoD and refluffing things, I just got done with a Hunter game, and rather than try to explain it, I think a handy image works better.

Spoiler

Show

Why spirit? Aren't Sin-Eaters entirely ghost related?

[hiryuu]

Why spirit? Aren't Sin-Eaters entirely ghost related?

The note about Mages is from a sidebar in Book of the Dead. In the core book, it mentions several times that Geists are effectively half-ghost, half-spirit. So much so that they might look like Ridden to werewolves. The Geist itself was once a ghost, but it has fused with an aspect of death, such as "death by bees" or "death by murder with guns," and the urges that a Sin-Eater gets aren't because those are things the Geist likes to do, they're what the Geist does because that's what it is. The Geist gone from being just a ghost to literally becoming car accidents or death by drowning or a hungry gun or whatever it is. That's what gives a Geist the powers that it can grant a Sin-Eater and the power to reawaken the dead.

This becomes more refined when tied to a krewe channel; a Geist might reveal that it's truly an angel, or some kind of death god, or even something more bizarre (dependent one whatever mythology the players wrote for their krewe). Basically, the flavor of Geist will change dramatically with each campaign. You can run it like Bleach, in which the Geists reveal to the krewe that they're not what reanimated the characters, and are really their "hollow natures," or perhaps the Geists reveal they're ancient death gods, and so on. Keep in mind that while the players are the ones writing the mythology, the Geists are the ones telling the Sin-Eaters these things during the dreams granted during the krewe binding. It become what is true for the krewe (and woe be to anyone who tries to tell them otherwise, especially another krewe). The possibilities are as limited as the players' ability to write their own mythology.

[Wings of Peace]

The note about Mages is from a sidebar in Book of the Dead. In the core book, it mentions several times that Geists are effectively half-ghost, half-spirit. So much so that they might look like Ridden to werewolves. The Geist itself was once a ghost, but it has fused with an aspect of death, such as "death by bees" or "death by murder with guns," and the urges that a Sin-Eater gets aren't because those are things the Geist likes to do, they're what the Geist does because that's what it is. The Geist gone from being just a ghost to literally becoming car accidents or death by drowning or a hungry gun or whatever it is. That's what gives a Geist the powers that it can grant a Sin-Eater and the power to reawaken the dead.

This becomes more refined when tied to a krewe channel; a Geist might reveal that it's truly an angel, or some kind of death god, or even something more bizarre (dependent one whatever mythology the players wrote for their krewe). Basically, the flavor of Geist will change dramatically with each campaign. You can run it like Bleach, in which the Geists reveal to the krewe that they're not what reanimated the characters, and are really their "hollow natures," or perhaps the Geists reveal they're ancient death gods, and so on. Keep in mind that while the players are the ones writing the mythology, the Geists are the ones telling the Sin-Eaters these things during the dreams granted during the krewe binding. It become what is true for the krewe (and woe be to anyone who tries to tell them otherwise, especially another krewe). The possibilities are as limited as the players' ability to write their own mythology.

This doesn't seem like it should affect the Supernal Vision spell though. A Sin-Eater should still have a particular aura like all other creatures, they wouldn't just show up as blank.

Death and Spirit mage sights might give more detailed information about what exactly a Geist is (for example your death/spirit combo might show the Sin-Eater as having a strange two part aura) but that doesn't mean they wouldn't register as special to a Mage using Supernal Vision or an advanced version of it. Granted this doesn't mean a Mage would take one look with Supernal Vision and say "By golly, that's a Sin-Eater", it just means that Sin-Eaters would have a particular aura about them.

[hiryuu]

This doesn't seem like it should affect the Supernal Vision spell though. A Sin-Eater should still have a particular resonance like all other creatures, they wouldn't just show up as blank.

Death and Spirit mage sights might give more detailed information about what exactly a Geist is (for example your death/spirit combo might show the Sin-Eater as having a strange two part aura) but that doesn't mean they wouldn't register as special to a Mage using Supernal Vision or an advanced version of it.

I never said Sin-Eaters wouldn't register as "special." I mean, they did die. And then come back to life. Also their aura's been fused with a horrible half-spirit half-ghost that fills them with crazy urges. It's just that there will be (obvious ones to the Mage) gaps in knowledge if the rote you're using doesn't have Death or Spirit in it.

Heck, something that would show up as "blank" would be peculiar, wouldn't it? Probably Abyssal. Better mess up its day, just to be sure.