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Sketch of Generic Power Rules for Blades in the Dark
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<blockquote data-quote="Starfox" data-source="post: 9251647" data-attributes="member: 2303"><p>I'm feeling really presumptuous now, working outside my experience. I've only played a few sessions of BitD, but I am considering it for my Greyhawk campaign as it moves into the baroque. My players are used to games like DnD where spells/powers play a very important feature, and I am considering how to integrate this into BitD in a future game, likely several years in the future. So one of these nights, I got inspired and wrote the skeleton of a power system. Sleep is overrated. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> This is the why. <strong>Lets not discuss the why so much</strong>, some will think this is not BitD at all and that's ok and a personal preference.</p><p></p><p><strong>Powers</strong></p><p>No on to the how. Powers are special abilities that are much more open than most. The things you can do with powers are linked to the usual actions. For example, if you have the Fire power, you can use with Attune to communicate with, summon, or dismiss fire creatures, you can use Hunt or Skirmish too make fire attacks, Tinker to shape fires or use fire as a tool, and so on. This refers back to the normal actions of BitD.</p><p></p><p>The abilities of each power-action combination are divided into four classes, from easy to super expensive. As an optional rule, these effect can be tier-gated, so you only get access to the stronger abilities at higher tier.</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Free: Can be used anytime. This generally replaces a mundane tool.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Equipment: You have to tick off an item use each time you use this power. This is often a fine, potent attack and similar good equipment options</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Push: You must push to use this ability. This is area attacks and effects that are normally impossible, such as temporary flight or a short teleport.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Trauma: These effect use upp all your willpower, and have appropriately powerful effect, often able to escape (but not complete) a score or create some permanent effect like a gate. The GM may allow these to be used as long-time projects.</li> </ol><p>The power descriptions are pretty open, there are no specific spells. I have a large table with standard effects that most powers have at each of these costs. So Attune combined with most powers can summon and dismiss critters appropriate for that power, Tinker will work with objects based on you choice of power, and so on. This creates diminishing returns: if you buy multiple powers there will be overlap. Each individual power has a list of exceptions, that explain, replace, or modify these generic effects. For example, the attacks from mind power can only damage sentient creatures.</p><p></p><p><strong>Power Playbooks</strong></p><p>To pick a power, you have to have it as a special ability in your playbook. This creates the need for new playbooks that allow powers. My thought is to have power books for different magic traditions, like wizard, cleric, warlock, and so on. There is a price for power. Each power tradition forces you to start with a specific trauma condition, which generally restricts your use of powers. So "A wizard must speak out loud and gesture to use powers. Their powers are recoded in tomes called spellbooks, and a wizard gradually loses their powers if they can't access this book." Each power playbook also has a list of special equipment that generally helps power use, and a list of which specific powers that power playbook can pick.</p><p></p><p>Naturally all of this would be modified for a specific setting, especially the power playbooks; there are no technomancers in my Greyhawk campaign, and many actions would be inappropriate for some settings. Remove power from Hunt and Skirmish, and your setting's powers become a lot less flashy.</p><p></p><p><strong>Concerns</strong></p><p>My main worry at this moment is that the push powers are too cheap. With dramatic effects like these, you are likely to push anyway, so the cost is basically negleble. I may change to cost to 2 willpower, without giving the push benefit and allowing a normal, but is still up in the air.</p><p></p><p><strong>Further Reading</strong></p><p>I put all of this on a wiki page if you want to dive into it. <a href="https://hastur.net/action/wiki/Powers_(BiD)#Wizardry" target="_blank">BitD Powers@Starfox's Wiki</a>. As I said, this is a sketch, and I expect to polish it alot.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Starfox, post: 9251647, member: 2303"] I'm feeling really presumptuous now, working outside my experience. I've only played a few sessions of BitD, but I am considering it for my Greyhawk campaign as it moves into the baroque. My players are used to games like DnD where spells/powers play a very important feature, and I am considering how to integrate this into BitD in a future game, likely several years in the future. So one of these nights, I got inspired and wrote the skeleton of a power system. Sleep is overrated. :) This is the why. [B]Lets not discuss the why so much[/B], some will think this is not BitD at all and that's ok and a personal preference. [B]Powers[/B] No on to the how. Powers are special abilities that are much more open than most. The things you can do with powers are linked to the usual actions. For example, if you have the Fire power, you can use with Attune to communicate with, summon, or dismiss fire creatures, you can use Hunt or Skirmish too make fire attacks, Tinker to shape fires or use fire as a tool, and so on. This refers back to the normal actions of BitD. The abilities of each power-action combination are divided into four classes, from easy to super expensive. As an optional rule, these effect can be tier-gated, so you only get access to the stronger abilities at higher tier. [LIST=1] [*]Free: Can be used anytime. This generally replaces a mundane tool. [*]Equipment: You have to tick off an item use each time you use this power. This is often a fine, potent attack and similar good equipment options [*]Push: You must push to use this ability. This is area attacks and effects that are normally impossible, such as temporary flight or a short teleport. [*]Trauma: These effect use upp all your willpower, and have appropriately powerful effect, often able to escape (but not complete) a score or create some permanent effect like a gate. The GM may allow these to be used as long-time projects. [/LIST] The power descriptions are pretty open, there are no specific spells. I have a large table with standard effects that most powers have at each of these costs. So Attune combined with most powers can summon and dismiss critters appropriate for that power, Tinker will work with objects based on you choice of power, and so on. This creates diminishing returns: if you buy multiple powers there will be overlap. Each individual power has a list of exceptions, that explain, replace, or modify these generic effects. For example, the attacks from mind power can only damage sentient creatures. [B]Power Playbooks[/B] To pick a power, you have to have it as a special ability in your playbook. This creates the need for new playbooks that allow powers. My thought is to have power books for different magic traditions, like wizard, cleric, warlock, and so on. There is a price for power. Each power tradition forces you to start with a specific trauma condition, which generally restricts your use of powers. So "A wizard must speak out loud and gesture to use powers. Their powers are recoded in tomes called spellbooks, and a wizard gradually loses their powers if they can't access this book." Each power playbook also has a list of special equipment that generally helps power use, and a list of which specific powers that power playbook can pick. Naturally all of this would be modified for a specific setting, especially the power playbooks; there are no technomancers in my Greyhawk campaign, and many actions would be inappropriate for some settings. Remove power from Hunt and Skirmish, and your setting's powers become a lot less flashy. [B]Concerns[/B] My main worry at this moment is that the push powers are too cheap. With dramatic effects like these, you are likely to push anyway, so the cost is basically negleble. I may change to cost to 2 willpower, without giving the push benefit and allowing a normal, but is still up in the air. [B]Further Reading[/B] I put all of this on a wiki page if you want to dive into it. [URL='https://hastur.net/action/wiki/Powers_(BiD)#Wizardry']BitD Powers@Starfox's Wiki[/URL]. As I said, this is a sketch, and I expect to polish it alot. [/QUOTE]
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