Further trimming

I haven't forgotten to update the blog, but for a long time I had nothing to say. Real life became very busy for a while due to job, family, and health issues. I recently returned to working on Impressions with fresh eyes (one benefit of an extended break) and cleaned things up a bit more.

I transferred my files to my Google Drive and now I can work on them on my phone during lunch breaks and other quiet times away from home or office. I prefer to work on my laptop but that only works when I have plenty of time to work. With my phone, I can open a file and edit a paragraph or two while I finish my coffee after lunch.

I'm still slogging through the powers section and I'm having a lot of second thoughts about the content. There are some powers that I included just for completeness but which I don't really have much interest in using in a game. Mind control, for example. Should I include those for people that want to use them or just cut them out to save myself some time?

Sorting Powers

Since I posted the sample character sheet for Goran, I've been trying to sort out the chapter on Powers so that I can do a sample character that uses them. I've been struggling to organize all my ideas. I've got a lot of ideas for how different things can interact but I wasn't sure where to start. After all, there has to be a starting point before all the tweaks and adjustments. I think I've finally settled on a solution.

The base cost of a power will be based on it's duration: Instant (one quick effect that won't last into the next round), Focus (lasts as long as the caster maintains it as an action each round), and Scene (lasts for the rest of the scene). This base cost will be the basis for the target number of the casting roll and the cost to learn the power. The cost to learn the power will also be modified by a multiplier based on versatility and power compared to mundane options. In a wuxia game for example, if everyone has access to super-powered kung fu, then it doesn't matter how much the powers cost because everyone has them. On the other hand, in a fantasy setting with a mundane/magic divide, that cost is more important. If the powers are too cheap, you get D&D where casters can do anything and other characters are just along for the ride.

There are three rough categories of powers: Limited, Flexible, and Unlimited. For the sake of simplicity, this will be set according to each power source (i.e. arcane magic, super kung fu, etc.) instead and not per power. Powers can be limited in various ways. A flexible wizard who wants to blast things with fire and lightning can learn one expensive spell that can be cast as either fire or lightning; a limited wizard would have to learn two separate spells (the same Power twice with different special effects each time). There are several ways to limit powers, but I can't really make a GURPS style point break down for them. I can't say things like "requiring material components is a 5 point disadvantage" or "spells that drain the Body facet instead of the Magic facet are worth a 50% discount on cost" because the actual value of limitations like that will vary from setting to setting or campaign to campaign. I'm just going to provide the 3 categories and a list of ideas for limitations and some thoughts on their potential value in different situations. It will be up to GM in each group to decide how many limitations are needed to count as "Limited" and which limitations are actually limiting. I had already planned to include several examples of power sources to show how the generic powers could be used to represent different things. I think I'll tweak those examples to also show how powers can be limited for a given setting's tone.

When balancing powers, you need to consider not just how powerful they are, but also how powerful other options are. In a world with no ranged weapons, being able to telekinetically punch a dude is pretty useful. If everyone is carrying an AK-47, then it's not so powerful. In a primitive stone age tribe, being the shaman who can magically summon handfuls of salt makes you a handy guy to have around when it's time to make mammoth jerky, but it's hardly an overpowering ability. When your primitive stone age world is being invaded by the hyper-slug empire from space, being the guy who can magically summon handfuls of salt makes you a god on the battlefield and the savior of your planet. I can't foresee everyone's campaign for them, and I'm not going to try. I'm just going to try to make a checklist of things for GMs to consider when designing their own settings so that powers are as limited as they want them to be.

Because honestly, sometimes you want things to be overpowered. If you're running a Star Wars game set during the original trilogy, the Force is fairly understated: a little telekinesis, some telepathy, and a lot of intuition. You don't need a lot of powerful abilities and a blaster at your side is just as good. If you're playing in a setting like the prequel trilogy or the video games, you'll want the Jedi to be over the top and you don't want them to break a sweat when they use their powers in extreme ways.

After taking my latest thoughts about scale and using Facets to fuel powers into account, I can see that some of the powers are really redundant. Some are no longer needed as separate powers because they can be modeled as one power on different scales; some are redundant because they refer to the old preliminary damage system that I had penciled in back when I started working on the system (before I decided on using Facets). For example, "Bolt" is just "Strike" with range; "Blast" is just a scaled up "Bolt"; and, "Energy Drain" is just a "Blast" that targets a different Facet. I think I can easily shorten the list of Powers, which is good because it still looks a little long to me.

Eureka moment

I've just had a eureka moment while in the shower. I was thinking about the changes I made recently to the damage and healing system. (Specifically, I altered the way damage is recorded and finally settled on how it is healed and recovered.) Then, I suddenly remembered that I still have unresolved issues with how to balance the Powers system with everything else (i.e. how much does it cost to learn a Power compared to raising an Attribute, etc.) and I realized that I could link the two together. This is just a rough idea right now, but I haven't made a post in a while, so I'm going to put my notes here before I forget this idea.

The damage system: Each character will have Facets* that determine their state of health. Characters would have a Body Facet to represent their physical health or "hit points" in most settings (obviously in a setting like Wraith: The Oblivion where everyone is a ghost, this would be replaced with another Facet). In settings like Cthulhu Mythos investigations, there would be a Sanity Facet to represent mental stability. In settings where wealth is important but counting pennies isn't, there could be a Wealth Facet to represent how much money a character can throw around without denting their wallet. Not every setting will need or use every Facet. Facets will be part of the setting rules that must be chosen for any given campaign.

(*Originally, I called these Aspects, but I decided to change it to avoid confusion with FATE's Aspects which are more like Van Gogh's Talents and Drawbacks. I'm not really that familiar with Fate. I've only really read the Tri-fold FATE pamphlet made by Michael Moceri and absorbed a lot through osmosis by reading gaming forums like rpg.net. Still, I think that there may be some overlap between FATE and Van Gogh so I want to avoid using the same terms for different things.)

So how does this tie in to the Powers? Powers could be, er, powered by "damage" to different Facets. Warriors with special combat techniques could exhaust themselves by causing light damage to their Body Facet (or Chi in a wuxia "jiang hu" setting) when they use their techniques, so they can't use too many fancy moves without taking a break to rest. In a Cthulhu Mythos setting, using magic spells would be harmful to your Sanity Facet. In a D&D style fantasy world where magic has a limited number of uses per day but no real downsides, spells would damage your Magic Facet; once your Magic is depleted, you can't cast any more spells until you sleep/study/meditate/pray but your health and well-being is otherwise completely unaffected (because in a setting like that, the Magic Facet isn't used for anything else except limiting how much magic someone can use in a limited span of time).

Powers could be altered and adjusted for each setting simply by adjusting the Facet that powers them. In a D&D style world of Vancian magic, spells would be powered by draining the Magic Facet. The only drawback to draining the Magic Facet is not being to cast spells until it recovers, but recovering it is a simple matter of resting overnight and studying your spellbook: magic has no harmful effects but its use is limited. In a Cthulhu Mythos campaign, spells drain a resource that does more than just power your spells--it keeps you sane--and recovering Sanity is a slow and difficult process involving extensive therapy with an alienist who's probably not really equipped to handle your particular issues: magic is detrimental to anyone who wants to stay sane. In a superhero setting where all the important characters have a set of powers, they might not cost anything to use (because powers are always available unless it's a special "Captain X loses his powers to Yellow Flubtonite" collector's issue) but they have to be aimed and controlled with a skill.

Powers can also be controlled by the kind of damage they do to a Facet. A power that does light damage to a Facet can be used repeatedly because that damage is equivalent to being winded and disappears between scenes when characters can catch their breath for a few minutes. Powers that do more serious damage will have to be used more sparingly because it will be more difficult to recover the damage they do.

Divination and Example Power 12: See the Past

Many GMs are wary of allowing divination powers in their games because divination can neutralize mystery plots. It is true that magic or psychic powers or other divination methods might reveal clues about a mystery that ordinarily would have gone unnoticed by conventional investigation, but that doesn't necessarily invalidate the conventional investigation techniques. For example, if a psychic detective is investigating a series of murders, his special abilities may tell him that the killer is the brother-in-law of the mayor. That's a helpful piece of information but the case isn't solved yet because most settings don't allow psychic hunches or cosmic “vibes” as admissible evidence in a court of law. That poor psychic detective can't arrest the killer without real tangible evidence and a judge won't issue a warrant based solely on the detective's word or gut instincts.


Divination powers alone won't solve the case for you (unless you're a vigilante who acts as judge, jury, and executioner). On the other hand, they can save a lot of time by letting you avoid red herrings and dead end leads, because you can focus the investigation on the guilty party and spend your time gathering evidence that links them to the crime. Divination can tell you the answer to a mystery, but if you want anyone else to believe you, you'll still need to prove it. The key to running a good mystery game with divination powers is to ensure that the PCs don't live in a vacuum. PCs who have the ultimate authority to act on their information and answer to no one can just say "Oh, the mayor's son-in-law is the killer? I waste him with my crossbow. Case closed." In a campaign structured like that, you'll either need to disallow divination for PCs or be comfortable with the fact that mysteries aren't going to provide much challenge in themselves. On the other hand, PCs who live in a society with laws and public opinion that matters will still need to find real evidence. Just think of all the police dramas that feature detectives investigating someone that they know is guilty but they can't find the evidence they need to convict him. With that in mind, the first divination power is after the jump.

Example Powers 11: Intangibility

Kitty Pryde walking through walls, vampires turning into mist, sci-fi tech that makes things "out of phase" with the rest of the universe, and other powers that allow similar "here but not solid" abilities are covered by this power. 

Example Powers 10: Dispel ("I cast magic missile!" "Nuh-uh!")

The Dispel power is used to cancel another power. Classic examples include opening a magically sealed door by turning to the nearest magician and asking "Can't you wizard it open?" Or, turning to your Chief Engineer when faced with an enemy ship with powerful shields and asking "Can you re-modulate the frequency of our gigionic torpedoes to penetrate their plasmonic shields?" (The answer is yes because anything with that many made up technical words is bound to work!)

Example Powers 9: Deflection ("Not in the Face! Not in the face!")

This power is called Deflection. It's a defensive power that makes it harder to attack a character. Like Armor, this power could be replicated with a more generic power to alter a character's traits (such as boosting Defense), but I'm setting it aside as a common application for ease of reference.

Example Powers 8: Armor

This example power is called Armor and, as you would expect, it makes it harder to hurt a character under its effect. This power is basically a specific form of another power that alters a character's attributes (in this case, Toughness), but I'm making it a separate power because I think it will be a common application in most settings so I'm separating it for ease of reference.

Example Powers 7: Puppet

Today's power is called Puppet and represents a wide variety of ways to control another character through super hypnosis, telepathic suggestion, magical enchantment, or just physical force. 

Example Powers 6: Push (a.k.a. "Get over here!")

This power is used to move a target from one Area to another. Some examples of this in action are Mortal Kombat's Scorpion using his whip to pull enemies to him, Jedi knights using the Force to telekinetically knock battle droids aside, or tractor beams in various sci-fi media.

Example Powers 5: Energy Drain

This is another example of a power and how it can be adapted to represent different things. This power is called Energy Drain and it inflict Strain damage. Strain is a more generalized form of damage that covers things like drowning, thirst, exposure, exhaustion, and other environmental penalties. If you're engaged in a sword fight in a sauna, your opponent's sword will deal normal damage to your Health, but the sauna will inflict Strain on you. I enjoy a nice sauna, but it's not a comfortable place for strenuous physical activity and I wouldn't want to live in one.

Example Powers 4

Here's another installment of specific implementations of a generic power. In this case, it's the classic "Fireball".

Blast: This power allows its user to deal 3D damage to every target in an area. Advantage can be spent to increase the damage by +1D or to exclude a target in the affected area (to avoid friendly fire or self-inflicted injury).

• The Necromancers of Taj Neroth know two spells that use this power. The Western Rite necromancers use a Scene spell they call “The Dholian Maw”, which causes a black pool of oil to seep up from the ground and extend a swarm of gnashing black blade-like pseudopods that glisten like oily teeth. Anything on the ground (or within a few feet of it) will be repeatedly savaged by the blades that swirl and strike like a frenzied school of piranha. The Eastern Rite necromancers use a Focus spell called the “Convulsions of Rahng Nang”, which summons a cluster of greenish-brown spikes like giant porcupine quills that erupt from the earth then retract again. The quills randomly erupt from the ground every round the spell is maintained and are accompanied by the hellish tortured squealing of an apparently very large creature which is being wracked by spasms just below the surface of the ground. Perhaps it is fortunate that nobody has yet seen the body of “Rahng Nang” in its entirety.
• Among the Elemental Mages, this power is very popular and comes in many varieties. Most of them are Instant powers that take the form of an explosion of elemental energy or shrapnel. The most popular spells include “Ball of Fire”, “Meteor Storm”, “Avalanche” (which actually causes the ground in an area to overturn rather than fall from above as the name implies), “Rain of Ice Daggers”, “Acid Deluge”, and “Wrath of Lightning”.
• Aetheric Engineers and Hermetic Dynamicists use this power to create a wide variety of bombs, rockets, and grenades. Hermetic Dynamicists tend to focus on variations of thermal detonators and plasma grenades while Cryobionicists use this power to create frost flak cannon, flash freeze grenades, and bombs that project icy shrapnel. The so-called “void cannons” of Planet X that annihilate matter in a spherical area around the point of impact are also based on this power (Instant, 4D damage).
• The most powerful Ma Quy sorcerers have been rumored to use this power to create “Storms of Hatred”, a wild wide-scale version of the “Fires of Hatred” power. “Storm of Hatred” is a Scene power that deals 5D damage (difficulty 5: Scene 3 +2 for extra damage) and continues to burn even if the caster is dead, unconscious, or leaves the area. It is not unheard of for casters to be destroyed in their own conflagrations.
• The Tyrian Brotherhood use this power when facing many enemies single-handed. They call it “One Light Against the Darkness” or “Rage of Solitary Justice”. Their version of this power cannot be used at range: it can only be used against the Area the Tyrian Knight is in. Upon casting the power, the knight swirls through the area like a mad dervish cutting down every foe with broad weapon sweeps and swift strikes with elbows, knees, head, and feet.

Example Powers 3

Here's an example of how our sample groups would use another power.

Strike: This power allows its user to deal 4D damage to a target in the user's Area. Advantage can be spent to boost the damage or to affect additional targets.

• The Necromancers of Taj Neroth know two spells that use this power. The Western Rite necromancers use an Instant spell they call “Tsathic Flames”, which summons a fan-shaped spray of green flames from the caster's hands. The Eastern Rite necromancers use a Focus spell called the “Chant of Vajra Leng”, which summons a purplish-red streak of lightning that arcs from the caster's forehead and jumps from one target to another in a chain of electrical agony.
• Among the Elemental Mages, this power is known as many different spells. Most of them are Instant powers that take the form of a fan- or cone-shaped spray of damaging energy. Some of the more common spells include “Dragon's Breath”, “Cone of Frost”, and “Acid Spray”. The earth elementalists have two common variations: “Gravel Burst” is an Instant spell that creates a shotgun like blast of jagged gravel; “Scouring Sands” is a Focus spell that can eventually strip flesh from bone or whittle trees to kindling.
• Aetheric Engineers and Hermetic Dynamicists use this power to create plasmathrowers, directed-blast energy mines (labeled “This side toward enemy”), or even an irradiator with a nozzle choke to spread the beam. The effects of these weapons are generally horrific and diplomats are trying to limit their use in warfare by treaties such as the Luna Convention. The Cryobionicists use this power to generate blasts of icy shrapnel or rapid-fire frost needlers that can quickly spray an area with slivers of frozen death. The most hideous weapons to use this power are the close assault weapons of the Invaders from Planet X: they appear to use short range tractor/repulsor beams that alternate hundreds of times a second to shake targets apart. The gruesome effects of these weapons are evident from nicknames like “jelly guns” or “liquifiers”.
• Templars usually use the Bolt power to telekinetically crush or pummel targets, but several Ma Quy have been known to use the Strike power to generate blasts of purplish flame called the “Fires of Hatred”. It is extremely rare for Dai Zha templars to use this power, but very few have been known to use the Astral Source to mimic the effects of “Fires of Hatred” without using negative emotions. The Astral version of this power is called “Luminescent Judgment” and manifests as white lightning.
• The Tyrian Brotherhood use this power when faced with demons or undead. They call it “Glorious Light” because it summons a brightly shining aura that burns such creatures of unnatural evil. It has no damaging effects on living creatures, but the “damage” roll of the power can be used for Advantage on a Command roll (to rally allies) or Duel of Wits roll (to cow enemies).

Example Powers 2

Here is another power with specific examples of how it can be used by different groups and power sources.

Bolt: This power allows its user to make a ranged attack for 3D damage with a basic success. Advantage can be spent to generate additional bolts or add +1D to a bolt's damage.

• The Necromancers of Taj Neroth call this spell “The Breath of Choth Ka”. It is a Focus power (difficuly 2) that causes the caster to exhale a long tendril of greenish black smoke that lashes out to strike like a serpent each round for as long as the caster maintains the spell. The caster must make a Cunning roll to hit with it. Its touch burns like acid but no scientific analysis of the wounds has ever revealed the presence of any chemical agents.
• Among the Elemental Mages, this power is known as many different spells. Most of them are Instant powers that create some sort of projectile: Pyre Lance, Frost Missile, Acid Jet, Lightning Bolt, and so on, but there are exceptions. The Stone Talons spell causes spikes to erupt from the ground to skewer its target. Chant of Ignition is a Focus power that allows the caster to burn targets within line of sight with a Shooting roll each round the chant is maintained. The Frost Scorpion spell is a difficulty 4 (Scene duration 3 +1 for extra damage die) power that generates a large cloud of shimmering ice crystals vaguely shaped like a siege engine; it floats around the caster, who can use it to deal 4D damage to a target every round with a Shooting roll.
• Aetheric Engineers use this power to create a variety of death rays. The most common types are disintegrators that pervert tractor beam technology to rip targets apart on the molecular level, irradiators that bombard a target with highly energetic particle beams, or disruptors that use pulsing waves of energy to break down the atomic bonds in the target's molecules. Hermetic Dynamicists use this power to create lasers and heat rays and Cryobionicists from Neptune have been known to use it to give their war creatures the ability to extrude and launch ice missiles.
• Ma Quy Templars use the Cthonic Source to focus their hatred and anger to telekinetically crush and choke their enemies. Dai Zha templars sometimes use this ability against inanimate objects or to indirectly strike a foe by telekinetically flinging an object as a projectile, but such things are usually frowned upon by their order. In either case, this "Telekinetic Bolt" is a Focus power that can be used with a Concentration roll every round that the power is maintained. 
• The Tyrian Brotherhood does not use this power.

Examples of Powers in Use

I've promised that my next post would include examples of how to use the generic powers to make specific powers, so here are some examples with one power. First, let me introduce our example power users.

• The Necromancers of Taj Neroth, a dangerous cult that worships pre-human deities in a 1920s pulp adventure world. They have cells hidden all over North America, Europe, and Asia and are doing their best to infiltrate all levels of society. Their ranks include socialites, politicians, captains of industry, longshoremen, fishermen, and lumberjacks (although rarely in the same cell together). Their cells go by different names and appear to worship different gods but they all ultimately serve the pantheon of Taj Neroth in various guises. For example, Nai Ctagn, may be worshiped as the Great Buck by lumberjacks in the north woods while urban middle-class businessmen worship it as the Black Stag in their local lodge hall and the idle rich worship it as Naitan, a hedonistic satyr-like figure, in wild debauches in swank hotel ballrooms.
• Elemental Magic, a loosely organized tradition of wizards in a medieval fantasy world. These wizards rarely convene in one place, but sages often communicate with each other to exchange advice and information. More adventurous wizards who travel the world in search of knowledge also seek out their more sedentary brethren to learn new spells and share the knowledge they have gathered in their travels. Some specialize in a particular element while others are generalists.
• Aetheric Engineering, an exciting field of scientific endeavor which is as much art as it is science in a "sword and planet" setting. Aetheric Engineering is used by all the great powers in the Solar System from Venus to Uranus to design and construct their advanced technology which is powered by nuclear reactors and aetheric power transmitters. The Mercurians and Neptunians both use some kind of psychic amplification technology which is not yet well understood (or functional) for the other peoples of the Solar System. Mercurian ascetics use technology based on the field of Hermetic Dynamics (which seems to allow them a greater degree of control over thermal and kinetic energy) and the mysterious Neptunian priesthood uses technology based on Cryobionics (which allows them to create pseudo-living machines of icy crystal). The piratical invaders from Planet X use a previously unknown type of power but reports are still too sketchy to speculate on what it might be.
• The Source, a mystical energy field that permeates the galaxy and can be harnessed for telepathic, clairvoyant, and telekinetic abilities in a space opera setting. The Dai Zha Templars use the positive Astral Source to defend justice and peace in among the worlds of the Galactic Confederation. The Ma Quy use the negative Cthonic Source to service their own ambitions of conquest and empire-building.
• The Tyrian Brotherhood, an order of holy knights whose signature purple tabards and standards have come to represent honor, courage, and goodness throughout all the known kingdoms. They travel the world righting wrongs and correcting injustices. They lead armies against the forces of evil and stand as a shining beacon in the darkness. They possess miraculous powers, but perhaps the greatest is the infectiousness of their incredible courage.

Powers can be used with one of 4 durations: Instant (has an effect one time, usually immediately), Focus (can be maintained from round to round but maintaining it counts as an action), Scene (effects last for the entire scene), and Permanent (effects continue indefinitely). The base difficulty to use these powers is 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively (although Permanent powers may incur an additional cost). Using powers at range also increases the difficulty by 1 per Area (just like Shooting attacks). 

Now, let's take a look at a power and how it is used by these different groups and power sources. 

Enhance Weapon: This power adds +1D to a weapon's damage (including unarmed attacks) or other qualities for each point of Advantage. For example, a blade enchanted to guide its wielder's hand could be given the Precise quality (+1D to attack rolls), one given preternatural sharpness can be given the Brutal quality (+1D to damage rolls), etc.

• The Arrows of Nai Ctagn: Among the Necromancers of Taj Neroth, this Instant spell is used to temporarily enchant ammunition with a powerful corrosive venom. It grants a single shot the Brutal (+1D damage) and Armor-Piercing (+1D damage against armored targets) qualities. The difficulty to cast it is 2 (Instant power plus an extra point of Advantage for a second quality).
• Among the Elemental Mages, this power is known as many different spells. They are all  Scene powers that add one quality to a weapon. The Burning Blade sheathes the weapon in a halo of fire that grants the Brutal property. The Diamond Edge spell supernaturally hardens a weapon's striking edges to give it the Armor-piercing quality. The Fluid Weapon spell gives a weapon the flexibility of a rivulet of water which gives long weapons the Short quality and short weapons the Reach quality. The Storm Blade spell grants the Precise quality by surrounding a metallic weapon with crackling arcs of lightning; these arcs jump to foes on a near miss and help to draw the weapon into the foe.
• Aetheric Engineers use this power to create many upgraded melee weapons such as vibroblades (Brutal, Armor-piercing), shocklances (Armor-piercing, Tricky), and force field generating batons (Parrying, Shielding). Hermetic Dynamicists also use this power to boost the speed of their melee and ranged weapons (Quick, Sweeping).
• Templars use the Source to enhance their fighting abilities with an energy blade by using the Blade Focus Meditation, a Focus power that they use to give their blades a variety of weapon qualities as they need them (most commonly Parrying, Quick, and Sweeping). When targeted by blasters, they use the Shielding weapon quality to deflect the shots with their blades.
• The Tyrian Brotherhood knows this power as Reaping the Unrighteous, a Focus power with difficulty 3 that grants their weapons Sweeping and Brutal to allow them to mow through evil hordes.