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View Full Version : Dresden Files Accelerate. First Character Help.



Metahuman1
2018-10-04, 04:03 AM
So, I'm applying to my first game for Dresden Files Accelerate. I'm familiar with the previous version of the game, but evidently this is so different it's almost like comparing OD&D to 3.5 is the vibe I'm getting.


I should mention, while the DM has the book, I don't, and it's a PBP game were he lives rather more distance than one can practically lone a book to a player.


Anyway. The set up for the game is were going to be playing in a VERY rural "Country" part of the Southern United States. Small towns and community's, LOT'S and LOT'S of wide open wilderness and areas with not another human for double digit miles in every direction easy.

So, I had a notion to play a Scion of The Forest People. Really big, Magically Strong and Tough and prone to Magical recovery. Probably eventually if not at first able to go into and out of the NeverNever, Veil Herself like a pro, and possibly shut down Magic ala what we Saw River do in the last part of the Bigfoot short story trilogy, or the Serial Killer Big Foot form Skin Game do.. Mayyyyyyybe have a thing were I can effectively communicate with Animals. Maybe.


Anyway, I explain this and the more personal sides of the character pitch in terms of personality, personal history, goals, ext to the GM. Who approved of that part. It was the Scion of The Forest People part he's having trouble with.


Turns out there's not a Mantle for that, and everyone has to have a Mantle.


The game is set to a Supernatural Power Level, and the GM says he's new to the system himself so unsure how to build a Mantle that works for what I want with out breaking the game.



Thus, I come to the playground for help. How do I do this?


Up front, I'd like the character to have equivalent to the following from the old system.

Inhuman Straight, Toughness and Recovery.

Maybe Hulking Size and just write it off as "Wow, your a BIG feller, aint cha!?"

Possibly something about aging slower/living longer than a normal mortal once I hit my physical prime just for flavor. This is none-essential.

High decent to high Scores in Might, Endurance, Lore, Conviction, Fists, Guns, Resources, Discipline, maybe so so scores in Contacts, Survival and Personality. Intimidate if it can be squeezed in. Some of these can start lower than I'd like if needs be and just go up as the game runs.

From there, a Veil power, Shutting Down Magic Power, NeverNever travel and possibly the talking to animals power. Those can ALL wait till after the game has started and the character has begun advancing to be purchased/come online.




So, I submit to the Playground. How do I do this in this system?

Kardwill
2018-10-04, 07:10 AM
Yeah, Dresden accelerated's mantles are much more central to the characters than in DFRPG (where they were just archetype buying powers in a general list). They're almost character classes. But they're pretty cool to toy with, so it's not that big of a problem to create/adapt a new one.


A mantle has several things

- Core stunts : Those are the things every member of the "class" has : Superstrength and narcotic saliva for Red vamps, evocation and thaumaturgy for a wizard, wolf form for a werewolf, backup for a cop... Usually there are 2-3 of them, and every character has them at creation.

- Optional stunts : stuff not everyone has (or that is not important/strong enough to register as a full stat on most members). Like for example mesmerizing gaze for vamps, council membership, warden swords and magic specialization for wizards, or officer status for a cop. Those can be picked as stunts at creation, or with XP.
Note that it is possible, under some circonstances, to buy stunts from another mantle with XP

- Conditions : those are new. They are a mix of the old consequences, stress tracks, with some powers and problems glued on them. They contribute greatly to the flavour of a character

For example, the clued-in mortal mantle has several cool knowledge/preparation stunts that are powered by the "Forbiden knowledge" condition. Each time the character uses one of these powers, the player crosses one of the 5 boxes of the condition. Those regenerate slowly (like, a research scen or a game session clears one box), but the player can chose to clear them all instantly by asking questions to dangerous people. In which case, he regains all his powers but must check the "in too deep" condition, indicating his inquiries have drawn the wrong kind of attention, and somebody he cares for is in danger because of it.

The vampires have a hunger condition (similar to the old hunger track) : fuels their powers, leave them as feral animals if they are wounded while some of the boxes are crossed, can be cleared by feeding on someone (clear 1 box for a light "meal", all of them for a murder). The cop has a "police" condition checked by default that allows her to do all sort of cool cop stuff, and a suspended condition that is checked if she goes too far (and ends her carrer if it is crossed a second time, forcing the player to choose a new mantle). The wizard has "burned out" and "exhausted" conditions that allow him to get huge bonuses on his wizardry, but leave him vulnerable afterward...

Every characters also have 3 standard conditions : "in peril" and "doomed" are like the consequences of most Fate games, and allow the character to absorb a stress hit (but ups the Ante : a character being permanently removed/dying becomes a real possibility when one of those are crossed), while the "Indebted" track records just how many debts you owe to dangerous people.

- Scale : A mantle gets "scale", that indicates just how powerful it is. Mortals get mundane scale (0), "light" supernaturals get the "supernatural" scale (+1) for things that relate to their powers (so a wizard gets +1 scale when he uses magic, a werewolf when he does wolf things or uses violence, etc...), "heavy" supernaturals (like Knights of the Denarius, true Fae) get Otherwordly scale (+2), and Mab gets a very scary "Godlike" (+4) scale when she operate from her domain. Each point of scale you have over your opponent gets you a +1 at your dice, a +2 on the margin (damage, for example), or a free invoke of the aspect you just created.
So note, all characters on DA do not operate on the same power level. But this allows to just simulate stuff easier without creating powers and rules for everything. (You want to break the door with a kick? Use the "Forceful" approach. You want to blast the same door with a shockwave spell? Use the same "Forceful" approach, but add your +1 scale because magic. A troll uses a tree as a club? Use the "otherworldly" scale for a nice +4 damage. etc...)

Usually, a character gets one mantle (either mortal or supernatural). Some "half human characters" (like scions, emissaries, vampire "virgins", changelings) have both a mortal mantle and a supernatural mantle.

I don't have the book on me (I'll have to check on them this weekend), but I think your wharacter could be inspired from other scions, especially the Changeling : the Fae stunts are pretty diverse, so you should find stuff fitting a half-bigfoot in them.
You'll have to change the condition, though : Changelings get "the choice" that powers their stunts but regenerates very slowly (and force the Choice on them if they use it too much). Not really fitting for your character, unless she feels a "call of the Wild" type of pressure. Maybe you could find some way to flavor it to fit?

1of3
2018-10-04, 07:55 AM
As a mantle condition Enraged might fit the theme. Providing that strength and resilience when marked. You just have to work out the recovery mechanism.

Possible Stunts:
- Glamour, or a limited form thereof
- Talk to animals / feeling for the natural world
- Healing factor

Those exist in other mantles in one form or another.

Metahuman1
2018-10-06, 11:08 PM
Frankly the more I talk to the GM and the more I figure out what everyone is talking about with this system, the more I think this was a mistake, and also want to throw books at whomever wrote this "Update", as so far from were I am sitting it is a massive downgrade from the previous game in every single respect that has come up thus far.




I'm trying to work out a way to substitute the choice for SOMETHING that doesn't just boil down to "The choice, but we ran it through the carwash and had it re-waxed and polished first.". I hate the element of "The Choice" in the novels, have for a very long time. It's one of the few issues I have with the whole first half of the series. It would bug me less except that only the fey, whom, the more you read the more you realize, while powerful and near to the material plane, are, at the end of the day, minority denizen's of the massive and densely packed NeverNever, are the only one's who do this stupid game with there half human children. Everyone else is content to let them have a measure of power and go about life. Maybe there are some work obligations, but nothing even remotely close to "The Change.".


But because the changelings go so much screen time in book 4, the 2nd system is set up to assume that's the default and F-over anyone who doesn't want to DEAL with that really asinine element of the lore being shoved down there throat.


Anyway. Currently were kicking around the idea of doing a thing were I need to eat like, a LOT of food, and I mean a LOT of food, to fuel my powers, in a similar manner to a Vampires Hunger.