[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists (OOC)

[Anarion]

Hey all,

IC thread is going to get started today. ETA from time of this post is ~5.5 hours. Feel free to keep adding info here about fetches or other past character history including details about your meeting in the hedge and escape.

We'll be starting with a description of your exit from the hedge and where you appear, and then I'll open it to you for initial intros and stuff will happen from there.

[SiuiS]

Things that keep hitting the cutting room floor. I'm going to have to utterly redo the sheet eventually, and am loathe to admit it. At least the core facts are down...


Durance
The durance is intended to have lasted longer than age would indicate. Ten years or so? I would say fifteen but then that is half her life. Ten will do, leaving Charlotte approximately 20 but older-feeling, and her fetch roughly twenty five (which sounds really adult as a number until I remember I am 25 )

The durance was bleak. Think all those movie scenes where everything's washed grey or white or black, all color muted, homogenized. The appearance of something different, something vibrant, reminded her of other colors, other scenes. I feel I need to point out Charlotte was on her way home, even without Stephanie and crew. That I feel I have to point this out means I failed in the initial description. Alas.

The Fetch
The fetch is supposed to bethe same, yet different, right?
The fetch is clever. Everything that in Charlotte became reflexive, is in him active.

The fetch is controlling. Without the servile transformation Charlotte experienced, he would take to his environment, regimented and regimenting.

The fetch is manipulative. Having had time amongst others as his own master, he would develop the skills to succeed at and revel in interactions, especially when they reflect his cleverness and control aspects.

The fetch is also somewhat psychotic, from a moral point of view.

Glamour and Such
Key to my identifying Charlotte as a painter, I have her pegged as emotionally synesthesiac. There are color/space/texture associations with the emotions she drinks, and trying to render this on canvas is going to be her main introduction to mortal art.

Emotion and glamour, then, are key parts of her perception. Like magesight, they are everywhere; Charlotte may become neurotic about keeping strong colors out of the White Room, for instance. I know that her galleries, if ever it comes to that, are going to be arranged as works of art themselves.

-

There!
Durance was dropped because I thought of a way to tie Kalina into my escape.
Fetch info was dropped because I wanted to meander through the city streets and get a feel for it; I suspect a ritzy foster family would be high class and uptown, for instance, but I don't know of any buildings that fit the 'Gotham City' starkness by night I see in the prologue.
Art got dropped because its where the character is going, not necessarily who she is.

As an aside;

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Yet another recently identified type, visual motion → sound synesthesia, involves hearing sounds in response to visual motion and flicker.

What, normal people don't do this? I thought it was as much a survival instinct as seeing continued motion even when it stops. If you see someone on mute click their fingers you hear the memory of the sound, don't you?

[Anarion]

IC thread is up! I'll be online for a couple hours right now and then again later tonight.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244397

[Raz_Fox]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Just means you need to change your pitch. Lots of people own cars, computers, and suits, yet they're all expensive. Plus, a good vs. a bad teacher could make a large difference. Perhaps you can teach Hearth 2 relatively quickly, or do so in a way that is enjoyable for the learner. Perhaps you're willing to take on some of the more...unstable...students or offer your services whenever the freehold needs them, day or night.

Possibilities:
- Teach Hearth and Dream. Teaching is pretty time-intensive, though, and I'm not sure that teaching Contracts is very... Contracty?
- Sell people custom-tailored luck, exactly what they need when they need it, cast by a professional fortune-weaver who can guarantee success in any endeavor. I.E. shroud her abilities in myth and convince people that she's more powerful than she is.
-

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Hearth is relatively common, Hearth 2 is relatively easy to attain, you're not exactly selling uniqueness here.

Well, given the amounts of Seeming-only Contracts that Changelings could have, it's vaguely possible that San Francisco might be light on Hearth-capable Changelings. Vaaaaguely.

Advice is not to rely on your contracts (again), it's to provide a service that your contracts help you support. The difference between owning a mobile phone and being the guy who can get in touch with everyone in town. Don't say "I can boost your luck!", say, "I can provide long term fortune and care for an area you're interested in".

Contracts by themselves are commodities, essentially. They're open to anyone who needs to purchase them. There's very little profit in commodities. You want to find a way to turn that raw iron into kettles and buildings; that adds value. [/businessmajor]

Oooor I could do that, yeah. "I can give you good dreams for the next year, or I could follow you to your corporate speeches and make you the best speaker ever. Or I can hex your foes at a critical moment; I also guarantee that once you're my client, I won't go back on my word."

Originally Posted by Anarion

On that note, perhaps some sort of full service luck boosting would sell well? You're not just buying the hearth contract, you're buying the person behind that contract. A person who will dedicate the same level of care and attention to your interests that you would yourself.

Quite. This would work ideally in Court politics, as well as corporate Francisco, possibly...

Originally Posted by SiuiS

You're a Junk dealer. Someone wants luck and all they have are their track shoes? Sold. Someone would like a better shot at winning the title but can't pay? A favor or some glamour would work. Found a nice trinket? Sure, we'll add it as credit to your tab. No one has to know you're brokering these to goblin markets for a profit. Who knows what the shows that ran the 2003 UCSF track championship could bring?

Tempting.

You're a franchise chain. The lost of the City know you, but you'll be receiving calls from prospects who spoke to the spidery painter exhibiting in Sacramento. Your apprentice might move to Oregon for the weather (and the wild green... Hippies.) and network there. Every time Stephanie licks out she's a walking billboard, being too guileless to not tell people.

EVEN MORE TEMPTING

You're networked. Every time you provide a professional service someone takes note. And not only can they call on you, you can call on them. There were more but such custom as today's distracts me. You actually benefit from professional distance from your motley, though. Be sure to keep tabs and run it like a business.

Hmmmm. Not sure professional distance from the motley is where Marchande would go. Unless Rose decides to make the national news for breaking something.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

Possibilities:
- Teach Hearth and Dream. Teaching is pretty time-intensive, though, and I'm not sure that teaching Contracts is very... Contracty?
- Sell people custom-tailored luck, exactly what they need when they need it, cast by a professional fortune-weaver who can guarantee success in any endeavor. I.E. shroud her abilities in myth and convince people that she's more powerful than she is.
-



Well, given the amounts of Seeming-only Contracts that Changelings could have, it's vaguely possible that San Francisco might be light on Hearth-capable Changelings. Vaaaaguely.



Oooor I could do that, yeah. "I can give you good dreams for the next year, or I could follow you to your corporate speeches and make you the best speaker ever. Or I can hex your foes at a critical moment; I also guarantee that once you're my client, I won't go back on my word."



Quite. This would work ideally in Court politics, as well as corporate Francisco, possibly...



Tempting.



EVEN MORE TEMPTING



Hmmmm. Not sure professional distance from the motley is where Marchande would go. Unless Rose decides to make the national news for breaking something.

I'm just going to add that you should develop this however you want, which might include information gathering about what the best way to develop your luck selling would be.

Also, my own DMing style is that if you guys have clear goals and direction, I like to see where that goes. So if becoming a luckseller of some sort is a major thing Marchande is going to pursue, I'm not going to constantly drop explosions in your laps to make sure you never get around to it.

[Thanqol]

Oh, incidentally, a term I use quite frequently is "Consequences for failure". It's similar to the D&D idea of Take 10/20.

The idea is that if there are no meaningful consequences for failing to make a roll then the roll should not be made. This comes up most frequently in Changeling when invoking a contract which you meet the Catch for - it costs no resources to do it again and again until it works, unless you're under some kind of time pressure or are somehow down to a chance dice.

Also, let's do dis.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Oh, incidentally, a term I use quite frequently is "Consequences for failure". It's similar to the D&D idea of Take 10/20.

The idea is that if there are no meaningful consequences for failing to make a roll then the roll should not be made. This comes up most frequently in Changeling when invoking a contract which you meet the Catch for - it costs no resources to do it again and again until it works, unless you're under some kind of time pressure or are somehow down to a chance dice.

Also, let's do dis.

Doesn't each use of the same contract for the same thing impose -1 cumulative penalty to rolls? Or is that a generic multiple actions per round thing? Can't quite recall where I heard that though. It was in an example of... Something.

And my what terrifying red teeth you have, Grandqol.

Question: we can see each others masks as well, yes? Sort of superimposed?

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Doesn't each use of the same contract for the same thing impose -1 cumulative penalty to rolls? Or is that a generic multiple actions per round thing? Can't quite recall where I heard that though. It was in an example of... Something.

Oh, right, yeah good point. That's mentioned in general for repeated attempts though not specifically for contracts. And even so, that would let me roll 20 or so dice before I was down to a chance dice, and I only need one success. The overall point is that consequences for failure are neither meaningful nor narratively interesting.

And my what terrifying red teeth you have, Grandqol.

What? Oh! The mask. It was a gift.

Question: we can see each others masks as well, yes? Sort of superimposed?

My reading of it is that you can't. If the changeling spends a point of glamour to strengthen the mask for a scene, then you can.

[Anarion]

Bah, I knew I would stay online for a few hours and then as soon as I went to dinner with friends you would all post. Stupid universe with its stupid sense of irony.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Oh, right, yeah good point. That's mentioned in general for repeated attempts though not specifically for contracts. And even so, that would let me roll 20 or so dice before I was down to a chance dice, and I only need one success. The overall point is that consequences for failure are neither meaningful nor narratively interesting.



What? Oh! The mask. It was a gift.



My reading of it is that you can't. If the changeling spends a point of glamour to strengthen the mask for a scene, then you can.

Yeah I'm good with the "you're not going to fail this roll don't worry about it" though definitely point it out since it's always possible that circumstances unknown to you would cause things to turn out differently.

As for the mask, I think that's the right reading. You have to spend a glamour to see another changeling's mask for about half a minute.

[SiuiS]

It really is universal irony; my phone basically stopped behaving until seven. I had to restart it three times today. It's still acting poopy. Believe me, I was otherwise on this game like white on rice.

And, huh. I thought changelings were aware of the masks of others, as a vague thing they notice but see through.
So I could burn glamour to strengthen my mask and my own motley wouldn't recognize me? We could get a group photo done and not be able to tell who was who? That's profoundly sad, and more than a little terrifying. World of Darkness, indeed.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Yeah I'm good with the "you're not going to fail this roll don't worry about it" though definitely point it out since it's always possible that circumstances unknown to you would cause things to turn out differently.

As for the mask, I think that's the right reading. You have to spend a glamour to see another changeling's mask for about half a minute.

It's for "A scene", and a scene is about 20 minutes outside of dramatic time.

I feel like it should be mentioned, too, that sneaking up on two unsuspecting guys with A) Fog B) Darkness C) From underneath their feet/no clear lines of sight while they're D) Having a conversation should result in some kind of bonus to the roll. Perhaps cancelled out by a penalty if they're really worried about being spied on, but that was a situation where the environmental deck was really stacked in my favour

It's also worth always assessing environmental penalties because I've got a Contract that I could apply to double them. I need to know what they are if that's going to be any use at all.

Just for future reference, no worries in general.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

It really is universal irony; my phone basically stopped behaving until seven. I had to restart it three times today. It's still acting poopy. Believe me, I was otherwise on this game like white on rice.

And, huh. I thought changelings were aware of the masks of others, as a vague thing they notice but see through.
So I could burn glamour to strengthen my mask and my own motley wouldn't recognize me? We could get a group photo done and not be able to tell who was who? That's profoundly sad, and more than a little terrifying. World of Darkness, indeed.

Ayep.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

It's for "A scene", and a scene is about 20 minutes outside of dramatic time.

Pg 172, second column, second paragraph, last sentence.

Any changeling may spend a Glamour point to view a person or thing's Mask instead of its true mien; this glimpse of illusion lasts for only about half a minute.

I feel like it should be mentioned, too, that sneaking up on two unsuspecting guys with A) Fog B) Darkness C) From underneath their feet/no clear lines of sight while they're D) Having a conversation should result in some kind of bonus to the roll. Perhaps cancelled out by a penalty if they're really worried about being spied on, but that was a situation where the environmental deck was really stacked in my favour

It's also worth always assessing environmental penalties because I've got a Contract that I could apply to double them. I need to know what they are if that's going to be any use at all.

Just for future reference, no worries in general.

Well, I should definitely have given you the numbers, forgot you can double them. However, it struck me as a break even situation. First, the sound issue cuts both ways because you weren't just sneaking, you were trying to overhear a conversation. So if the fog was a -1 penalty for them, you had to get that much closer to hear them, giving you a -1 penalty as well. Also I had said they were leaning on the railing and you were sneaking around the outside edge of the balcony, meaning their natural body position would have been to look right at you, canceling out the -1 penalty for dim light.

[PhoeKun]

I'm a helper.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by PhoeKun

I'm a helper.

Yup!

And... I'm sorry, guys. But I can't post yet. I have to draw this.
I must. I must! I MUST!

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Pg 172, second column, second paragraph, last sentence.

Page 88, "Strengthening the Mask".

Well, I should definitely have given you the numbers, forgot you can double them. However, it struck me as a break even situation. First, the sound issue cuts both ways because you weren't just sneaking, you were trying to overhear a conversation. So if the fog was a -1 penalty for them, you had to get that much closer to hear them, giving you a -1 penalty as well. Also I had said they were leaning on the railing and you were sneaking around the outside edge of the balcony, meaning their natural body position would have been to look right at you, canceling out the -1 penalty for dim light.

Cool cool, fair enough

Originally Posted by PhoeKun

I'm a helper.

I see this going in the future,

Stephanie: "Okay, we need to get off this tall building."
Charlotte: "Bags Kalina."
March: "Bags - aw."
Stephanie: "Do you have a problem with how I jump off buildings?"

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Yup!

And... I'm sorry, guys. But I can't post yet. I have to draw this.
I must. I must! I MUST!

Ah, vertidrama.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Page 88, "Strengthening the Mask".

Oh we're not talking about the same thing, that's the problem. Strengthening the mask lasts 1 scene. But the question was whether changelings normally can see each other's masks and the answer is no. However, a changeling can spend 1 glamour to see someone else's mask for 30 seconds, which is the thing on pg 172 I was referring to.


Question for you for the current roll. Jumping is strength+athletics. But clearing the railing is easy and doesn't really need a roll. What probably should have a check is balancing the landing while holding on to Marchande. Would you just make that a generic athletics+dex roll?

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Oh we're not talking about the same thing, that's the problem. Strengthening the mask lasts 1 scene. But the question was whether changelings normally can see each other's masks and the answer is no. However, a changeling can spend 1 glamour to see someone else's mask for 30 seconds, which is the thing on pg 172 I was referring to.

Ah, yep yep yeppers.

Question for you for the current roll. Jumping is strength+athletics. But clearing the railing is easy and doesn't really need a roll. What probably should have a check is balancing the landing while holding on to Marchande. Would you just make that a generic athletics+dex roll?

I really don't think this is a roll. I am just flat immune to falling damage and so the only question is if my feet touch the ground before March's. Given how I've got a dice pool of 11 in acrobatics, and a dice pool of 13 if balance is involved, I think that I got a lock on this particular competency.

I think this is a routine enough motion for Stephanie to just be a thing I'm capable of. I think it's a roll if I'm doing it off a very tall building or if I'm fighting someone on the way down.

EDIT: Oh, if you were referring to Kalina, I don't think the consequences of failure are interesting enough to merit a roll there either. She is similarly immune to fall damage, has enough strength to keep a lock on Charlotte and worst case is that she falls on her butt. Not super valid consequences for failure.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Ah, yep yep yeppers.



I really don't think this is a roll. I am just flat immune to falling damage and so the only question is if my feet touch the ground before March's. Given how I've got a dice pool of 11 in acrobatics, and a dice pool of 13 if balance is involved, I think that I got a lock on this particular competency.

I think this is a routine enough motion for Stephanie to just be a thing I'm capable of. I think it's a roll if I'm doing it off a very tall building or if I'm fighting someone on the way down.

EDIT: Oh, if you were referring to Kalina, I don't think the consequences of failure are interesting enough to merit a roll there either. She is similarly immune to fall damage, has enough strength to keep a lock on Charlotte and worst case is that she falls on her butt. Not super valid consequences for failure.

You're trying to be stealthy though, and falling on her butt in a big pile of two changelings would probably make a loud noise.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

You're trying to be stealthy though, and falling on her butt in a big pile of two changelings would probably make a loud noise.

Make it a penalty to the stealth roll rather than a whole new roll. If you make it two rolls you've basically doubled the chance of failure.

[PhoeKun]

Originally Posted by Anarion

You're trying to be stealthy though, and falling on her butt in a big pile of two changelings would probably make a loud noise.

I'm not really trying to be stealthy so much as I am enjoying the fact that I have wings. Am I rolling anything?

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by PhoeKun

I'm not really trying to be stealthy so much as I am enjoying the fact that I have wings. Am I rolling anything?

I'm too pretty to hide! XD

Easy answer to that particular discussion.

[Raz_Fox]

I'm having trouble not seeing this bit as a riff on the "Raritycatchme" bit in The Last Roundup. Complete with surprised exclamation and girly scream from Marchande. XD

Also, just look at the expressions of Rarity and Pinkie Pie post cart fall. That's Stephanie and March, right there.


Also, using magic of darkness to gag a party member? HUZZAH. THE FETISHES HAVE BEEN DOUBLED.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

I'm too pretty to hide! XD

Easy answer to that particular discussion.

Well that's fair, I'm convinced for no additional check.

Edit: Phoe you should still roll stealth. Other party members have expressed a desire to not be seen at all.

[PhoeKun]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Well that's fair, I'm convinced for no additional check.

Edit: Phoe you should still roll stealth. Other party members have expressed a desire to not be seen at all.

I can't go against the party's wishes? They didn't express that desire to me...

Well, whatever. It's an untrained Attribute check at a minus bajillion penalty, so here's your Desperation Roll or whatever they call it: (1d10)[3]

Now let's all go home and have bagels.

edit: could I request that we shunt as much of the rolling and calls for rolls into this thread? The IC is getting all cluttered with it and it gets in the way of all the pretty pretty words.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by PhoeKun

I can't go against the party's wishes? They didn't express that desire to me...

Well, whatever. It's an untrained Attribute check at a minus bajillion penalty, so here's your Desperation Roll or whatever they call it: [roll0]

Now let's all go home and have bagels.

edit: could I request that we shunt as much of the rolling and calls for rolls into this thread? The IC is getting all cluttered with it and it gets in the way of all the pretty pretty words.

We can try doing the rolling here. Do you want me to make notes in the IC thread that rolls are needed, or just describe the results there and trust everyone to come check here?

Also, my apologies. You certainly can go against the party's wishes. I just thought you were all trying to stay stealthy.

Anyway, Thanqol still gets a freebie from his exceptional success, so if everyone else checks for stealth and succeeds, he might cover up your landing.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Ah, vertidrama.

Yeah. Cancelled for now, too. Work drama tweaked my pride, and being irked that it interferes with drawing just reinforces it. I need some goosefrabah.

Originally Posted by Anarion

You're trying to be stealthy though, and falling on her butt in a big pile of two changelings would probably make a loud noise.

Thought it was actually a set up destined to get us seen, myself. Let's see what's happened since, shall we?

[PhoeKun]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Yeah. Cancelled for now, too. Work drama tweaked my pride, and being irked that it interferes with drawing just reinforces it. I need some goosefrabah.

Well, that's a darn shame. I'm really sorry to hear it happened.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Thought it was actually a set up destined to get us seen, myself. Let's see what's happened since, shall we?

Well, I was trying, but Stephanie is just so gosh darned stealthy it hurts. I think we're still waiting on rolls from you and Raz, though.

Originally Posted by Anarion

We can try doing the rolling here. Do you want me to make notes in the IC thread that rolls are needed, or just describe the results there and trust everyone to come check here?

I think that making notes as part of a post would work fine and be easier for you, but whenever we do something that you think ought to have a roll attached, it would work better here. Ideally we should be checking this thread to keep in touch with our fellow players anyway, so we should already have a motive to keep checking for prompts.

[SiuiS]

I support Phoe's idea to keep the Eye-Sea clean. So! Avoiding squealing (I feel for Charlotte here, I am terrified of free fall) would be what? Stealth+composure? I'll roll the full amount and we can just take penalties off the end (cue last die being seven consecutive 10s~);

6, 3, 9, 2, 4, 2.

I need some dedicated dice... I'll check my ship for the right shade of pink.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

[- Team Obvious neither wants nor needs my assistance
- A chance to gag a fellow party member on the first page

Therefore I'll take the shout muffling]

This is doing wonders for my art block.

[Raz_Fox]

Rolling Composure+Stealth to avoid making a scene, yes?

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

Rolling Composure+Stealth to avoid making a scene, yes?

Yep. At this point Charlotte avoided screaming, so we'll see what happens.

Edit: What I think I'll try is to describe the environment and penalties in the IC thread. Then people can come roll here, as well as bring up any discussion related to the roll, as with the athletics question I had. After the roll, results get described in the IC thread.