|
|
Post by pageturner on Sept 27, 2013 15:36:27 GMT -8
Allow me to barge in here and give you some advice/corrections about your character. You have a d10 in spellcraft which would give you 3 extra cantrips to choose from besides Magic Trick. Under different circumstances I would say you should choose one extra (since there's only two extra cantrips you have on there) however with the new magic playtest rules Telekinesis is a spell, not a cantrip (although I forget if that was ever a cantrip or not). On the other hand Levitate is, however it's not as powerful so edit it as you see fit. I see also that you have Trixie as an enemy. This isn't so much as bad...more like personal opinion but I'd encourage you to think of an entirely different NPC instead of pulling one from the show canon. This is your character though so do what interests you. It might be prudent though to tell within your character sheet or in on the thread why Trixie is enemies with Page Turner. Was it a Twilight situation where he showed her up and embarrassed her? Did Page Turner get better grades than Trixie and she resents him for it? Some other drama? etc. Other then the spell thing and my personal opinion about what you did with the enemy hindrance your character checks out fine. You used 15 skill points and I see you used your 4 hindrance points for an extra attribute point and a new edge. Good luck in your new campaign! So a spell is worth two cantrips? That's actually one of my biggest questions, no matter how many times I read through the Spells section I can't figure it out, so I just decided to ignore it. As for the Trixie thing, I figured they were friends at CSGU, (they may have dated at some point I dunno, you date a lot of people in high school) but then at some point she decided she was Above associating with a nerd like him and left. |
|
|
|
Post by Rodger Phillips Marsh on Sept 27, 2013 15:52:34 GMT -8
Spells and Cantrips are different: you start with Magic Trick plus one cantrip for each rank of Spellcraft you have (d4=1, d6=2, d8=3, d10=4, d12=5). You cannot gain cantrips except by raising your Spellcraft skill. By default, unicorns start with a d4 Spellcraft and so always have at least Magic Trick and one other cantrip of your choice. If this game is allowing the Magic Playtest rules (see the SW:MLP resources thread and contact Wyvren) you can get more cantrips down the line, but as written it is as I explained above.
Spells are only gained by taking the New Spell Edge, which is a Power Edge available only to unicorns. You do not start with any spells and cannot take cantrips with the Edge.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hunterwolf on Sept 27, 2013 15:59:51 GMT -8
So a spell is worth two cantrips? That's actually one of my biggest questions, no matter how many times I read through the Spells section I can't figure it out, so I just decided to ignore it. As for the Trixie thing, I figured they were friends at CSGU, (they may have dated at some point I dunno, you date a lot of people in high school) but then at some point she decided she was Above associating with a nerd like him and left. Whoops! Rodger beat me to it. Ah I see, let me explain. In the previous full version rule book it explains that new spells have to be learned through the "New Spell" Edge. This is the only way a Unicorn can get new spells. On the other hand, the new magic play test allows you to gain new cantrips every rank you obtain and an additional cantrip upon getting a new rank (i.e. Seasoned, Veteran, Heroic and Legendary). There is no way to trade in cantrips for spells as it is very clear that there is only one way to gain spells. However, you could always take Telekinesis on your first advance!  |
|
|
|
Post by pageturner on Sept 27, 2013 16:41:45 GMT -8
Okay, Also, as long as I'm thinking about it, If I take a connections edge with Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, does that only apply to the staff, or can it also refer to Ponies who were in my class?
|
|
|
|
Post by Rodger Phillips Marsh on Sept 27, 2013 17:21:56 GMT -8
Up to the GM, really, but I would think both.
|
|
|
|
Post by Equestrian Wyvern on Sept 28, 2013 11:39:36 GMT -8
Okay, to answer the various questions now that I do have time:
1) I was under the impression that you were using the playtest magic rules given the attributes arrangement, but you are able to use the old variation if you want
2) Personally speaking I would prefer not having to act Trixie out on a quasi-routine basis, but I guess if you are really attached to having her as your enemy that is fine.(though knowing me the more difficult the antagonist the more you will come to regret picking them)
3)Connections would cover both staff and alumni from similar years as you, however using such connections in this game style will not be trivial, given the fact that you will be frequently travelling.
Other than that it seems reasonable.
|
|
|
|
Post by gogglesparks on Sept 28, 2013 21:15:01 GMT -8
News Flash!
Two daring ponies going to the city of Cairoan, Neigypt! What Will they find there? Stay Tune, for the next TALE OF THRILLING INTERESTS!
|
|
|
|
Post by pageturner on Sept 29, 2013 15:44:41 GMT -8
Okay, to answer the various questions now that I do have time: 1) I was under the impression that you were using the playtest magic rules given the attributes arrangement, but you are able to use the old variation if you want 2) Personally speaking I would prefer not having to act Trixie out on a quasi-routine basis, but I guess if you are really attached to having her as your enemy that is fine.(though knowing me the more difficult the antagonist the more you will come to regret picking them) 3)Connections would cover both staff and alumni from similar years as you, however using such connections in this game style will not be trivial, given the fact that you will be frequently travelling. Other than that it seems reasonable. 1: I think I want to go ahead with the Playtest Magic rules, I want to emphasize magic use with this character. 2: I honestly don't expect the Trixie thing to pop up that often. (Apple Cider's Flim Flam enemy has only been relevant once so far) I just picked it more as a piece of my backstory that affects my attitudes in the present, like if I ever try to get into a relationship with some other mare, or we meet some other travelling magician my history with Trixie would color my responses. (TL;DR, Trixie herself doesn't have to be present for my character to feel her presence) 3: That's actually why I picked Connections to begin with, although if you think it might be to OP I imagine we can impose some sort of limiter, only once per session, A higher target number, I have to spend a bennie to use it... something like that. |
|
|
|
Post by Equestrian Wyvern on Sept 29, 2013 19:16:15 GMT -8
Okay, to answer the various questions now that I do have time: 1) I was under the impression that you were using the playtest magic rules given the attributes arrangement, but you are able to use the old variation if you want 2) Personally speaking I would prefer not having to act Trixie out on a quasi-routine basis, but I guess if you are really attached to having her as your enemy that is fine.(though knowing me the more difficult the antagonist the more you will come to regret picking them) 3)Connections would cover both staff and alumni from similar years as you, however using such connections in this game style will not be trivial, given the fact that you will be frequently travelling. Other than that it seems reasonable. 1: I think I want to go ahead with the Playtest Magic rules, I want to emphasize magic use with this character. 2: I honestly don't expect the Trixie thing to pop up that often. (Apple Cider's Flim Flam enemy has only been relevant once so far) I just picked it more as a piece of my backstory that affects my attitudes in the present, like if I ever try to get into a relationship with some other mare, or we meet some other travelling magician my history with Trixie would color my responses. (TL;DR, Trixie herself doesn't have to be present for my character to feel her presence) 3: That's actually why I picked Connections to begin with, although if you think it might be to OP I imagine we can impose some sort of limiter, only once per session, A higher target number, I have to spend a bennie to use it... something like that. 1) You kinda lost me, seeing as your character doesn't even know any spells at this point... 2) That is not even remotely how Hindrances are supposed to work, They are not background details of your character but instead are exactly what it says on the tin: Hindrances(things that hold your character back). While Rodger's Bronyville games are a great way to demonstrate the mechanical aspect of the game system, they are fairly terrible for demonstrating the Player and GM Driven Hindrances. For the Player driven hindrances it largely has an issue that his players do an absolutely amazing job at following through with them (The GM is supposed to partially enforce them if the players ignore them), while for GM driven hindrances Rodger's method for running sessions doesn't focus on tailoring them to fit each character in detail. (No offence intended if you are reading this.) In reality, taking a GM driven Hindrance like Enemy is encouraging me to make use of the character to make your life miserable at the least opportune moments. From my personal GMing tactics, you can expect to have Trixie show up at least once an arc on average to throw some sort of monkey wrench in your plans.(Major Hindrance version of enemy would be more like having Queen Chrysalis showing up once an arc to mess with you) 3) I am not saying it would be OP, but instead that it would be nigh impossible to actually use. Given the fact that a majority of this campaign will be spent abroad in random cities without significant pre-planning you would have to make a Streetwise check at a -2 to -20 penalty(Manehattan in the former; The middle of a random Jungle for the latter) to get in contact with somepony connected to the School without resorting to sending a letter which wouldn't arrive until after the arc is finished. |
|
|
|
Post by Toboe LoneWolf on Sept 29, 2013 20:08:50 GMT -8
2) That is not even remotely how Hindrances are supposed to work, They are not background details of your character but instead are exactly what it says on the tin: Hindrances(things that hold your character back). Straight up from the SW:Core rulebook: "They're [Hindrances] there to help you roleplay your character, and might even net you more Bennies since the Game Master awards them for properly playing your character. [...] Finally, Hindrances are more about helping a player figure out who his character is than inflicting a gameplay penalty on him." Strictly speaking, Hindrances are things that hold your character back, but they can also be used to drive a character towards a certain reaction (Mean, Code of Honor), as well as simple mechanical hindrances (Doubt, Anemic), on top of giving GM plot hooks (Enemy, Geas). They are used to help roleplay your character; there's nothing saying you can't come up with background details explaining why this is a particular Hindrance of your character. Just note that it means it's a defining part of your character's makeup and should either be roleplayed in game (because you can get bennies) or be aware that the GM can use it to hinder, drive, or push your character freely. |
|
|
|
Post by pageturner on Sept 29, 2013 20:25:48 GMT -8
1) You kinda lost me, seeing as your character doesn't even know any spells at this point... 2) That is not even remotely how Hindrances are supposed to work, They are not background details of your character but instead are exactly what it says on the tin: Hindrances(things that hold your character back). While Rodger's Bronyville games are a great way to demonstrate the mechanical aspect of the game system, they are fairly terrible for demonstrating the Player and GM Driven Hindrances. For the Player driven hindrances it largely has an issue that his players do an absolutely amazing job at following through with them (The GM is supposed to partially enforce them if the players ignore them), while for GM driven hindrances Rodger's method for running sessions doesn't focus on tailoring them to fit each character in detail. (No offence intended if you are reading this.) In reality, taking a GM driven Hindrance like Enemy is encouraging me to make use of the character to make your life miserable at the least opportune moments. From my personal GMing tactics, you can expect to have Trixie show up at least once an arc on average to throw some sort of monkey wrench in your plans.(Major Hindrance version of enemy would be more like having Queen Chrysalis showing up once an arc to mess with you) 3) I am not saying it would be OP, but instead that it would be nigh impossible to actually use. Given the fact that a majority of this campaign will be spent abroad in random cities without significant pre-planning you would have to make a Streetwise check at a -2 to -20 penalty(Manehattan in the former; The middle of a random Jungle for the latter) to get in contact with somepony connected to the School without resorting to sending a letter which wouldn't arrive until after the arc is finished. 1: 'at this point' being the operative term. 2: ....wow. Okay, I was just saying that if you wanted to get creative you could use my Trixie Enemy without having to involve her DIRECTLY. Instead, you could put me in situations that will REMIND me of her, which would lead me to behaving irrationally at a moment when I need to be rational. I thought that would make it EASIER for YOU to work it in. Sorry if that doesn't work for you. 3: Actually, I think that the travel aspect woulds make it easier, since I can say "I happen to know a guy who specializes in X from school, and he happens to live close by!' at which point i can go knock on his door. (obviously this would only work if I'm in or near a big enough town.) |
|
|
|
Post by Equestrian Wyvern on Sept 30, 2013 7:07:54 GMT -8
1: 'at this point' being the operative term. 2: ....wow. Okay, I was just saying that if you wanted to get creative you could use my Trixie Enemy without having to involve her DIRECTLY. Instead, you could put me in situations that will REMIND me of her, which would lead me to behaving irrationally at a moment when I need to be rational. I thought that would make it EASIER for YOU to work it in. Sorry if that doesn't work for you. 3: Actually, I think that the travel aspect woulds make it easier, since I can say "I happen to know a guy who specializes in X from school, and he happens to live close by!' at which point i can go knock on his door. (obviously this would only work if I'm in or near a big enough town.) 2) The Enemy hindrance works by having the pony in question show up and in general make things difficult. There is no hindrance for having a failed relationship with somepony years in the past; and I am very firmly in the camp of GMs who believe that every hindrance should actually matter, which the ex-marefriend hindrance concept doesn't even remotely make a difference (as far as I can tell, it would never show up unless I made repeated points of having you constantly having to deal with new Mare Friends which is something I will not do in any campaign.) I am fine with you having Trixie as an enemy, though it will be far from getting hindrance points scot-free. 3) At this point arguing over this is just a waste of my time, you can just handle the streetwise checks however you want. |
|
|
|
Post by pageturner on Sept 30, 2013 13:22:16 GMT -8
2) The Enemy hindrance works by having the pony in question show up and in general make things difficult. There is no hindrance for having a failed relationship with somepony years in the past; and I am very firmly in the camp of GMs who believe that every hindrance should actually matter, which the ex-marefriend hindrance concept doesn't even remotely make a difference (as far as I can tell, it would never show up unless I made repeated points of having you constantly having to deal with new Mare Friends which is something I will not do in any campaign.) I am fine with you having Trixie as an enemy, though it will be far from getting hindrance points scot-free. 3) At this point arguing over this is just a waste of my time, you can just handle the streetwise checks however you want. 2: OR my party could... say... run into somepony who speaks in the third person, or is that particular shade of blue, or acts superior, or wears a pointy hat, or has some other trait that strongly resembles Trixie who we can treat as a Trixie surrogate for the duration of the adventure. I'm just saying there are other ways to make Trixie relevant, and of course I'm not asking for free hindrance points. 3: Am I sensing hostility here or is it just the failings of text based communication? 'arguing over this is just a waste of my time' Implies that you think there is something to argue about, I'm not trying to be contrary, far from it, I'm trying to be as reasonable as I can. |
|
|
|
Post by Equestrian Wyvern on Oct 1, 2013 11:16:26 GMT -8
2: OR my party could... say... run into somepony who speaks in the third person, or is that particular shade of blue, or acts superior, or wears a pointy hat, or has some other trait that strongly resembles Trixie who we can treat as a Trixie surrogate for the duration of the adventure. I'm just saying there are other ways to make Trixie relevant, and of course I'm not asking for free hindrance points. 3: Am I sensing hostility here or is it just the failings of text based communication? 'arguing over this is just a waste of my time' Implies that you think there is something to argue about, I'm not trying to be contrary, far from it, I'm trying to be as reasonable as I can. 2) "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck." (you can keep the hindrance as it, but Trixie will be making appearances) 3) More or less I have told you repeatedly that Connections isn't going to be particularly useful in this type of campaign, which you have been responding to saying it should more or less be a player controlled Deus Ex Machina; The actual usefulness of the edge is not a matter of bargaining, but is instead based on my rulings of just what sort of aid it can present in any given circumstance. |
|
|
|
Post by pageturner on Oct 1, 2013 11:26:26 GMT -8
2) Alright, That's fine with me, but keep in mind that according to my backstory she has probably forgotten me, so the first Time she shows up I need to be in a position to do something that will make her hate me back.
3) Should I Replace it with, say... Hometown then? would that be better?
|
|
