White Wolf Community

Dragon: The Embers

This post has 223 Replies | 4 Followers

Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
ghelm23:
Speaking of this myth, i would like to launch of Beijing in the operation of our Appendix Two.  China has a rich history of the legend of the dragon, as well as a social protocol that gathers the frown in the attack to the images Dragon (OR the dragons itself, in this case).  A history set in a place so easily could be a virtue: the board game of chess of the political fight.  Besides the communism exists all it to play with



while we appreciate your interest in the project, we prefer that people speak in english as not everyone here knows español
"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 500 Contributor
Male
Posts 124
You know what's really weird about that?  He just translated the last paragraph of my last post, word for word, into Spanish.

@Shock: We won't worry about the supplements for now, but there is the matter of underwater breathing.  If we're making that a function of all Dragons we should at least mention an underwater setting in the template book, which we can expand on with a supplement later.  As for the fluff, I've been trying to type up the introduction section of our PDF book.  I'll post what I've got here when I've finished with the lexicon.

@Gepetto: I took a real interest in Biology in an effort to make my fiction more convincing.  If I could understand how an animal's biomechanisms interact I could create new ones without 'jumping the shark' (At least, for the most part).  I'm far from an expert, but I know enough.


For the moment I'll be skipping the 'Sources of Information' part of the Introduction, simply because I pull everything from rumor mills and my own noggin.  We could compile a list of books and movies that have good dragon interpretations, but we don't have to.  So I'll leave that up to anybody that wants to work on it.
=========================================
EDIT:
(This is unrelated, but I didn't want to post again.)

I've been thinking about our Philosophy mechanics, and they call for some pretty big dice pools (Two Attributes + Ability + Philosophy versus Two Attributes).  This sort of two attribute rolling hardly occurs at all in the other books (In the core book, most two-attribute rolls are for innate abilities like Perception only, and no abilities are applied.  I haven't seen it anywhere else).

The increased dice pool on both sides means a reduced possibility for chance rolls and vicariously a reduced chance of dramatic failure.  Do we want to keep this as a unique dragon mechanic, or should we chop off one attribute on each side (So Strength + Stamina + Survival + Wrath versus Target Stamina + Target Composure would become Stamina/Strength + Survival + Wrath versus Target Stamina/Composure)?
Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
CJC:
The increased dice pool on both sides means a reduced possibility for chance rolls and vicariously a reduced chance of dramatic failure.  Do we want to keep this as a unique dragon mechanic, or should we chop off one attribute on each side (So Strength + Stamina + Survival + Wrath versus Target Stamina + Target Composure would become Stamina/Strength + Survival + Wrath versus Target Stamina/Composure)?


keep it, in my view, it's one of the reasons why dragons are "trains"

they have bigger dice pools but they had to "unlock" each action before hand compared to other sups that can just use high level powers as soon as they get them.

"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 500 Contributor
Male
Posts 124
@Shock: Okay, we'll leave it as a Dragon-unique mechanic.  There was something else that needed to be a Dragon-specific mechanic, but I can't remember what it was.  Hopefully it'll come back to me later.

Dragon the Embers Wiki:

''Status 5:'' When a Bloody Chalice Knight at this status is within 15 yards of a supernatural being, he is overcome with the peculiar symptom of sweating blood.  This is not from malignant contagious disease (Though seeing him sweat blood might make someone knowledgable in medicine nervous for that reason), but a means of detecting non-human targets for his next ritual.  The blood also conceals how wounded the Knight is, hiding how much lethal damage he's suffered under the surge of blood.  Anyone trying to determine how hurt the Knight is (except with supernatural power) suffers a -3 to their attempt.

In addition, the Knight has been well-trained in the detection of various minor details which betray the true nature of a supernatural being.  Despite the fact there may be no physical signs, the Knight has learned the mannerisms attached to the supernatural state.  A knight can recognize any supernatural being for which he has an Occult Specialty after one scene of observation by rolling ''Wits + Composure -3''.  This observation can be 'aimed' over multiple scenes to reduce the penalty.

Status 5 Knights don't sweat blood for human-derivative supernaturals like Hunters and Mages, but can still detect them through observation.


Combined the two suggested features for Status (Knights of the Bloody Chalice) 5, so I wanted to post it here for feedback.  To counter-balance the blood-sweat with the supernatural radar, I made it so the knights can only watch for breeds they possess an occult specialty for (So a knight with Occult (Werewolves) 3 would be able to recognize a werewolf in Hishu form, but not a Changeling).

I've gathered all the Dragon-specific lexicon (Story oriented, mechanic oriented lexicon doesn't count.), but I haven't defined them yet.  Here's what I've got, let me know if I'm missing something.
You may notice that some have already been defined in other template books.  They're listed here because we're going to define them from a Dragon's point of view.  Mainly: the Twilight, the Shadow, and the Underworld.
Dragon the Embers Lexicon:

aspect
Attra
Breath
Brood Bonded
Challenger
Code
Collapse, the
Common aspect
Daylight
Devourer
Domain
Dominion
Dragon-Born
Embers School
Final Death
Finder
Furnace
Heart
Hydra
Inheritor
Knight
Lair
Metamorphosis
Method
Method aspect
Non-Method aspect
Oroboroi (or-ROB-or-roy)
Oroborus (or-ROB-or-us)
Philosophy
Philosophy of Ash
Philosophy of Blood
Philosophy of Bone
Philosophy of Envy
Philosophy of Greed
Philosophy of Pride
Philosophy of Sloth
Philosophy of Sweat
Philosophy of Tears
Philosophy of Wrath
Red Pearl
Saintly Devil School
Sect
Shadow
Slayer
Trickster
True Form
True Heart
Twilight
Underworld

Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
alright, i get started with dealing the crossover fluff and crunch issues that'll come up.

and try to come up with some Sects while im at it.

edit- i noticed on the wiki that the True Heart merit gives a Dragon fertility. im hoping this relates to the ability to make human offspring since making more Dragons would counter to the mood.
"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
alright, here are the sterotypes that i have come up with the Methods:

1.Slayers

Challengers: Go ahead and talk about "honor" and all that crap but sometimes, you got to break someone to make your point.

Finders: fine! keep digging, but don't be surprised when something comes out to fight back.

Inheritors: you had your Heart given to you. I ripped mine out of my sire. remember that.

Tricksters: you work in the darkness while i stand in the light, i respect that.

Vampires: be ready when these fuckers strike. otherwise, you'll be taking a dirt nap.

Werewolves: you stay on your side of the block and i'll stay on mine

Mages: why are you looking at me like that? 

Prometheans: i feel sorry for you. i really do. but as it stands, you are wreaking my turf and you are going to leave. Now!

Changeling: so, your telling me that alien like things have been kidnapping people, replacing them with animated leaves and shit, and say again how long has this been going on in MY domain!?

Giest: like us, they come back. unlike us, they have domain over the dead. best leave them be

Hunter: once upon a time, i was you. come on, fight me and see if you can take my place! 

2. Challenger

Slayer: ya, ya, you can fight but can you do it with style?

Finders: let me know if you find anything worthwhile.

Inheritors: Bound to the laws they keep.

Tricksters: distrustful but regrettably necessary.

Vampires: such a pretty package for a dead thing with no passion

Werewolf: They know of honor but good luck trying to find one only bring himself.

Mages: nice try, now try that without magic!

Promethean: beauty and grotesque all in one being.

Changeling: Brothers of a another stripe. that is if they don't kill you first.

Giest: we love being alive as well but it's the domain over the dead that we fear from you.

Hunters: so you wish to take my Heart? then come, take my challenge and risk it all to take my place.

3.Inheritors

Slayers: Brash, prone to recklessness but useful in a tight spot.

Challengers: Watch who they owe their Oaths too, it is the difference knowing if they are an ally or enemy.

Finders: they have recovered much over the years but some things should remain buried.

Tricksters: They are the Wildcards, Always keep an eye on them.

Vampire: the Mirror Darkly.

Werewolf: cunning, dangerous, hard to stamp out, best left alone.

Mage: Knowledge is power, Guard it well.

Promethean: harmful if in one of them is in your Domain but useful if you can steer them towards another.

Changeling: petty rivals and imposers but one has to wonder why they are hiding all the time. 

Giest: if you can keep them on good terms, you can have them deal with "after effects" of dying. let them become your enemies, you'll wish that you never met them.

Hunters: you come into the halls of power wanting to put me down like a dog and throw my kingdom to the winds. let me show you why i shall not be dethroned yet.

4.Finders
 
Slayers: Stop swing that thing around! you'll break it!

Challengers: you need to judge relics more than just on how pretty they look.

Inheritors: we know more than they would like us to know..

Tricksters: we deal in bringing light to the past. you want to keep it hidden.

Vampires: Long memories with long fangs.

Werewolf: keep away from all costs.

Mages: we once sought to hold Domain over the Earth, we failed. you tried to do the same to Earth and Heaven, and failed. we have learned our lesson child, have you?

Promethean: the fire within you consumes all that is around, keep out!

Changeling: a diffcult task to find them. a much more harder task to trust one.

Giest: useful but dangerous. one never knows when they will raise your Sire's Ghost.

Hunter: humrp, you either come to try to take my Heart or barter for Relics. make up your mind.

5. Tricksters.

Slayers: a bull in a china shop makes the man across the street less noticeable.

Challengers: stand in the spotlight, and we will spot your weakspot from the shadows.

Inheritors: the Kings of Kings still die the same of the rest.

Finders: watch them less they find you.

Vampires: kill them quickly less you be forever entangled in their webs

Werewolves: kill one and the rest shall follow.

Mages: the less they know, the better.

Promethean: decay rolls off of you like lighting in a storm, why is that?

Changelings: they mirror us in a strange why but for different reasons.

Giests: what is dead should remain dead, avoid.

Hunters: come and find my Heart like i found my predecessor's and my power shall be yours.




alright, that's the best i got for them at the moment. let me know if you have any issues with them. 
"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 500 Contributor
Male
Posts 124
EDIT:  Yeah, that's some pretty awesome work on the method stereotypes.  Are we going to do stereotypes by main philosophy too?

Shock:
edit- i noticed on the wiki that the True Heart merit gives a Dragon fertility. im hoping this relates to the ability to make human offspring since making more Dragons would counter to the mood.

At the time of reading you were correct to be concerned, it was originally written as a means of producing new hearts.  I've reworded it so that it only applies to birthing Dragonborn.

There's one addendum I attached partially, though, that I would like to discuss here in further detail.  I posted that two True Heart Dragons breeding with each other produce a child with the "Bond of Brood" merit.  That means that the child has one extra chamber in her heart, a piece of a Dragon heart.
This brings to light an issue with the "Bond of Brood" merit... mainly the state of the heart if the Dragon is replaced.  The heart has nine chambers, which means a single dragon could feasibly gift eight to mortals (Thereby reducing his max Furnace score to 2, but it's POSSIBLE).  Now, if somebody comes along and eats that Dragon's little chunk of remaining Heart, what happens?  I would assume the Heart becomes whole again, but how?  Do the removed pieces reassemble?  Do those bonded by brood perish when this happens?  I would say yes to both, but we should discuss other possibilities as well.
Also... since the Brood-Bonded of two True Hearts has a unique piece of heart (As in, it wasn't removed from a living Dragon's Heart), could several be gathered to assemble a new Dragon Heart?  They'd have to be genetically compatible (Nine Hearts from Nine Children born from the same two Dragons), and the knowledge that such an amalgamation is possible would be fiercely guarded if not lost to time.  I know this (slightly) damages the theme, but the notion of somebody hunting down an entire Dragon's family just to cut out their hearts is pretty sweet.
Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041

CJC:
EDIT:  Yeah, that's some pretty awesome work on the method stereotypes.  Are we going to do stereotypes by main philosophy too?


ya, i think we will do two categorizes for them though. one for the Domain and the other for the SotFE.

CJC:
This brings to light an issue with the "Bond of Brood" merit... mainly the state of the heart if the Dragon is replaced.  The heart has nine chambers, which means a single dragon could feasibly gift eight to mortals (Thereby reducing his max Furnace score to 2, but it's POSSIBLE).  Now, if somebody comes along and eats that Dragon's little chunk of remaining Heart, what happens?  I would assume the Heart becomes whole again, but how?  Do the removed pieces reassemble?  Do those bonded by brood perish when this happens?  I would say yes to both, but we should discuss other possibilities as well.


i would say that the share long life (im thinking that a Dragon has 50 extra years of life per dot in Furnace) that the person has with the Dragon stopped (they don't age rapidly via Ghouls but they do start aging again but do start aging again).

all pieces of the heart are made whole again when a Dragon undergoes it's Metamorphosis. (simply dissipating from people that have that merit) this allows a Dragon to have a full 9 chambered heart to gift mortals with (which he can give to who ever he deems worthy).

should someone eat the heart of mortal withe the Bond of Blood, the chunk of the Heart simply goes back to the Dragon. nothing is gained at all.

CJC:
Also... since the Brood-Bonded of two True Hearts has a unique piece of heart (As in, it wasn't removed from a living Dragon's Heart), could several be gathered to assemble a new Dragon Heart?  They'd have to be genetically compatible (Nine Hearts from Nine Children born from the same two Dragons), and the knowledge that such an amalgamation is possible would be fiercely guarded if not lost to time.  I know this (slightly) damages the theme, but the notion of somebody hunting down an entire Dragon's family just to cut out their hearts is pretty sweet.


indeed it is..

here's an idea: let's leave the door open for a ST on what Dragons can do to make more of themselves. we can have this as a number of theories (kinda like how some Vampires think they can become mortal again by drinking his sire and grand sire's soul). it doesn't metagame and leaves the hand open for ST's to use.


"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 500 Contributor
Male
Posts 124
Shock:
should someone eat the heart of mortal withe the Bond of Blood, the chunk of the Heart simply goes back to the Dragon. nothing is gained at all.

What happens to the mortals when that happens?  Is it a part that's missed, or are they no worse off for the loss?  By which I mean, do the bonded die when the Dragon dies final death?

Shock:
let's leave the door open for a ST on what Dragons can do to make more of themselves. we can have this as a number of theories (kinda like how some Vampires think they can become mortal again by drinking his sire and grand sire's soul). it doesn't metagame and leaves the hand open for ST's to use.

Okay.  We'll make it a story seed in Chapter 4.


I have two mechanics issues that we should discuss.  The first is the thing I forgot last time I posted (I remembered it!).  Both the "Attra" merit and the "Don't Touch My Stuff" Greed philosophy grant the Dragon valueables that are measured in Resource dots.  Because of this, some Dragons have the potential to collect an exorbitant number of resource dots (to the sound of 20 or 30).  While this works perfectly with the Calorie system (Where the Dragon gains 100 x Resource Dots Calories for each hour spent in the company of such wealth, or 200 x Resource Dots Calories if in True Form.  That means the wealth has to be liquidated and readily available, something that the standard Resources Merit doesn't guarentee), it totally breaks the equipment value system.  So here's what I think we should do:


To start, we should adopt Cogitare's Resource houserule, in which each dot of the Resources Merit grants 'spending' dots for the month.  (For example, somebody with 1 Resource dot can purchase equipment up to 1 Resource requirement within a single month.  Somebody with 3 Resource dots in the merit can purchase equipment up to 1+2+3 or 6 resource dots in a single month, with a maximum of 3 dots on a single purchase.  Somebody with 5 Resource dots in the merit can purchase equipment up to 1+2+3+4+5 or 15 resource dots in a single month, with a maximum of 5 dots on a single purchase.)

Secondly, resources acquired from the two sources mentioned (The Attra wealth magnet and the Greed life-wealth) should be consumable resource dots.  In other words, they count as resource dots for the sake of gathering Calories, but when liquidated for a purchase they are worth only their dot value (So a 4-dot vase is only worth 4 dots of equipment, not 10) and they are removed from the sheet.  It is expensive to give up such treasures, but there is an advantage: for those without prerequisite resource dots equipment can be purchased with these consumable dots (So somebody selling a 5-dot statue could purchase equipment that has a 5-dot prerequisite, even if they only possess the 2-dot version of the Resources merit).



Secondly, I would like to discuss the 'benefit' of high code.  Mainly that it's not a benefit, it's another penalty.  Taking penalties for actions that break the Code severely cripple Dragons, they don't make having a high Code rating desireable.  I think we need to consider a more beneficial bonus for high code.  I don't have any ideas at the moment, but it's something to consider.
Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
CJC:
Shock:
should someone eat the heart of mortal withe the Bond of Blood, the chunk of the Heart simply goes back to the Dragon. nothing is gained at all.

What happens to the mortals when that happens?  Is it a part that's missed, or are they no worse off for the loss?  By which I mean, do the bonded die when the Dragon dies final death?


well, if someone yanks out the Heart of a Mortal with merit, the mortal is dead. they don't have the same protection as a Dragon does.

if the Dragon dies it's final death, the Bonded continue to age as a normal human does. they don't age rapidly as Ghouls do but they do start aging again. this leave the option for the Bonded to become a Dragon themselves (if a Dragon dies in the Shadow or like) or to serve the next one.

CJC:
I have two mechanics issues that we should discuss.  The first is the thing I forgot last time I posted (I remembered it!).  Both the "Attra" merit and the "Don't Touch My Stuff" Greed philosophy grant the Dragon valueables that are measured in Resource dots.  Because of this, some Dragons have the potential to collect an exorbitant number of resource dots (to the sound of 20 or 30).  While this works perfectly with the Calorie system (Where the Dragon gains 100 x Resource Dots Calories for each hour spent in the company of such wealth, or 200 x Resource Dots Calories if in True Form.  That means the wealth has to be liquidated and readily available, something that the standard Resources Merit doesn't guarentee), it totally breaks the equipment value system.  So here's what I think we should do:


To start, we should adopt Cogitare's Resource houserule, in which each dot of the Resources Merit grants 'spending' dots for the month.  (For example, somebody with 1 Resource dot can purchase equipment up to 1 Resource requirement within a single month.  Somebody with 3 Resource dots in the merit can purchase equipment up to 1+2+3 or 6 resource dots in a single month, with a maximum of 3 dots on a single purchase.  Somebody with 5 Resource dots in the merit can purchase equipment up to 1+2+3+4+5 or 15 resource dots in a single month, with a maximum of 5 dots on a single purchase.)

Secondly, resources acquired from the two sources mentioned (The Attra wealth magnet and the Greed life-wealth) should be consumable resource dots.  In other words, they count as resource dots for the sake of gathering Calories, but when liquidated for a purchase they are worth only their dot value (So a 4-dot vase is only worth 4 dots of equipment, not 10) and they are removed from the sheet.  It is expensive to give up such treasures, but there is an advantage: for those without prerequisite resource dots equipment can be purchased with these consumable dots (So somebody selling a 5-dot statue could purchase equipment that has a 5-dot prerequisite, even if they only possess the 2-dot version of the Resources merit).


interesting but that would be a revision to the core WoD blue book rules and that makes me want to rethink that a bit.

how about this: the Attra merit gives a Dragon one free Resource dot per every 5 weeks. this may seem small but it carries over as dots start to stack and cap at 5 (i want to say 6 because in Damnation city, there is a point where a Vampire could basically turn a person into a millionaire with the amount of resources he has but for right now, let's keep it at 5). 

as for "Don't touch my stuff"... it seems fine to me. The person or thing trying to touch the Dragon's cursed object suffer (lethal?) damage equal to the number of dots of Resources the thing is worth. as the number of Resource the man turned object is worth, i would say equal to Stamina instead of subtracting the Health of the person vs the Dragon's Furnace. this would keep the mechanics is somewhat sane range while rewarding the Dragon.

also, i think Gepetto had a question about the Scholar's code.

as for me, i'll start working on the issues dealing with Crossovers with Dragon.



"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 500 Contributor
Male
Posts 124
EDIT:  I've got a solution to the Resources Points argument, it's listed in the EDIT section of that Optional Reading quote.


Shock:
also, i think Gepetto had a question about the Scholar's code.

Yeah, there's a problem with the good mode/bad mode swap mechanic.  Any attempt to fix this would be just as bulky and ineffective, so I think we should just strip away the mechanic and make it a Storyteller initiated thing.

Shock:
as for "Don't touch my stuff"... it seems fine to me. The person or thing trying to touch the Dragon's cursed object suffer (lethal?) damage equal to the number of dots of Resources the thing is worth. as the number of Resource the man turned object is worth, i would say equal to Stamina instead of subtracting the Health of the person vs the Dragon's Furnace. this would keep the mechanics is somewhat sane range while rewarding the Dragon.

Not quite.  They lose a number of health DOTS equal to the Greed Dragon's Furnace score.
For example:  Freddy (Size 5, Stamina 1) has 6 Health dots.
 O O O O O O
 E  E  E  E  E  E
             -1 -2 -3

He touches an item that has been marked by the "Don't Touch my Stuff" Philosophy (By a Dragon with Furnace 4).  His health meter changes to the following:

 O O
 E  E
-2 -3

Each month that passes after touching that object, he recovers one of the lost health dots.  After 4 months, he's back to normal.  Freddy is now immune to the "Don't Touch my Stuff" Philosophy, but only in relation to the object he touched.


...Now let's say he didn't get the message after touching the one object, and he touches another object in the Dragon's Den that is cursed in this fashion.  He loses another four health dots, and has a defecit of 2.  Because he now has no Health dots, he dies instantly.  He becomes a valueable worth 2 dots of Resources.  Such a valueable is created ONLY if the death is caused by a health dot defecit.  Consider this:

Freddy is in the same situation, but this time he has suffered a significant amount of physical harm before touching the cursed object.
O O O O O O
L  L  L  L  B  E
             -1 -2 -3
He loses 4 dots, which means that 2L and 1B damage roll back onto the health meter.  That puts him at:

O O
A  A
-2  -3
His wounds rip open when he loses the health levels and he bleeds to death.  He does NOT, however, become a valueable, his body just slumps to the ground.

...Because this is REALLY potent, I think we should reintroduce the 1 Willpower DOT cost to this ability, and make the roll instant at the end of the Breath expenditure, not extended as it is now.


Shock:
how about this: the Attra merit gives a Dragon one free Resource dot per every 5 weeks. this may seem small but it carries over as dots start to stack and cap at 5 (i want to say 6 because in Damnation city, there is a point where a Vampire could basically turn a person into a millionaire with the amount of resources he has but for right now, let's keep it at 5). 

While I was trying to defend my point, I found a serious problem with the "Calories from Valuables" system.  You can read the quote below if you want to see that problem, but the gist of it is this: a sufficiently wealthy dragon would never need to eat, and could possibly stockpile Breath while just sitting around.

Optional Reading:

Archived for Conversation Purposes:

There's one big problem with this: the free merit the player would recieve sequentially.  I looked up "Resources" in the World of Darkness Core Rulebook (p115-116), and I found this important bit:

"He might be able to afford one or two items with a cost equal to his Resources dots in a single month.  Items with lower costs can be acquired more often.  The Storyteller has final say on what's too much or what's too often."

Cogitaire's houserule doesn't override this, it just defines it a little bit.  That extra definition is really necessary with the volume of resources a Dragon can acquire.  We can change the statement from "Within one month" to "Within a period determined by the Storyteller" and that should make it completely compatible with the current resources system.
The only place where we start to really deviate from the established rules is with the 'consumable' resources.  We can anchor it by labling the resources acquired by an Attra or by tithing resource "Points", which can be spent like Breath or Willpower.  Each dot in Resources grants a certain number of resource "points" to be spent within a fiscal period (Probably a business quarter), with a spending limit on any single purchase equal to the dots in the Resources merit.


Here's how it would work:
Merit: Resources (1-5 dots)
In addition to the rules presented in the WoD Core, Dragons apply the following to Resources:
1st Dot: 1 Resource point per fiscal period.  (Can buy equipment with one-dot prerequisites for 1 resource point)
2nd Dot: 3 Resource points (1+2) per fiscal period. (Can buy equipment with two-dot prerequisites for 2 resource points, or one-dot equipment for 1 resource point)
3rd Dot:  6 Resource points (1+2+3) per fiscal period. (" " " " three-dot  prereqs for 3 resource points, etc.)
4th Dot:  10 Resource points (1+2+3+4) per fiscal period. (" " " " four-dot prereqs for 4 resource points, etc.)
5th Dot:  15 Resource points (1+2+3+4+5) per fiscal period. (" " " " five-dot prereqs for 5 resource points, etc.)

[Dragons can spend slightly more than the other templates within one fiscal period, to the sum of roughly one more purchase per period]

Merit: Attra (1-6 dots)
Accumulates a number of Resource points in a given fiscal period equal to its rating.  Spending these resource points is limited to the restrictions listed in the Resources Merit.  For an extra dot, the type and source of these resource points (Good Fortune, Illegal, Antique, etc.) can be specified.

Breath: Metaphoric Calories (Furnace Mechanic)
A Dragon can accumulate 25 Calories (Quartered from 100 Calories) for every four hours spent (4 times the original length) in the presence of Resource Points (Not dots, you don't get Calories for staring at your stocks online.  It has to be liquid wealth).  If in true form for the entirity of this hour, the number of Calories accumulated equals 50 per Resource Point.

With 6 points of Resources, that's 900 Calories a day, if the Dragon spends the entire day with the money.  In True Form, that's 1800 Calories, just short of a single point of Breath.
With 15 points of Resources, that's 2250 or 4500 in True Form.  Enough for 1-2 points of Breath in a single day.
...Come to think of it, that doesn't work very well.  In fact, that's very bad.  Dragons could potentially just pump breath by sleeping for weeks.  Bad mechanic, Bad!

Okay, so we'll throw out "Resource Points".  I don't know what to do to fix it.

EDIT:  Actually, if we make it 10 Calories per point per four hours, and put a limit on the number of points a Dragon can hold (Like say, 20), it'd work just fine.  We can make Attra add points once a week, and Resources add points once per fiscal period (Probably quarterly).



Another problem with making the Attra increase the Resources Merit directly is the experience cost.  The Dragons would be getting the other merit for free, potentially for only one merit dot if they only buy a one-dot Attra.  We need to find a way to differentiate between a Dragon's liquid and locked assests, and then make the Attra only contribute to the liquid assests.

Sorry for the huge post.
Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
CJC:

Shock:
also, i think Gepetto had a question about the Scholar's code.

Yeah, there's a problem with the good mode/bad mode swap mechanic.  Any attempt to fix this would be just as bulky and ineffective, so I think we should just strip away the mechanic and make it a Storyteller initiated thing.


well actually, it's somewhat simple(?). we just need to figure out the "Trigger point" where the Dragon has to go to "Good Dragon" to "Bad Dragon" and back again.

should the SotFE not gain Code fast enough, they will suffer derangements or automatically get them.

CJC:
...Because this is REALLY potent, I think we should reintroduce the 1 Willpower DOT cost to this ability, and make the roll instant at the end of the Breath expenditure, not extended as it is now.


you have brought this up before... but as it a SotFE final power (which are more powerful than the Domain), i am inclined to agree with you.

CJC:
EDIT:  Actually, if we make it 10 Calories per point per four hours, and put a limit on the number of points a Dragon can hold (Like say, 20), it'd work just fine.  We can make Attra add points once a week, and Resources add points once per fiscal period (Probably quarterly).


that's what i was thinking. we either limited it and/or cap it at a stage to prevent it from being overpowered.

also, what about the Horde Merit? how does this fit in to relationship between these three things?

also, im still dealing with the Crossover issues (dealing with Vampire right now) so i should have that up by tomorrow.

"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 500 Contributor
Male
Posts 124
Shock:
you have brought this up before... but as it a SotFE final power (which are more powerful than the Domain), i am inclined to agree with you.

Okay, I'll reintroduce the Dot cost (For that power only) and make the roll instant instead of extended (Being able to roll Greed + Furnace + Wits + Subterfuge TEN TIMES while the subject only gets to resist with one roll seems a little intense.  Well, maybe that's what makes the ability so scary, I dunno).
It's easy to justify so heavy a cost, since the object applied gains that feature permenantly.


Shock:
that's what i was thinking. we either limited it and/or cap it at a stage to prevent it from being overpowered.

also, what about the Horde Merit? how does this fit in to relationship between these three things? 

Okay, well with 10 Calories per 4 hours per resource point, that makes 6 periods during a day that a Dragon can gain nutrition from the riches.  Most dragons will only get 2 of those 6 periods (While they sleep).
Resource points can only be held in Lairs, the number of which is determined by the size of the Lair (So a Lair with 1 dot in Size could hold 5 resource points, each subsequent dot would add another 5 spots for points with the fifth maxing out at 25 Resource points, the absolute limit).

Here's what I found about Hoards in the first thread.
Gepetto887:

Here's the time it takes for you to get Breath from Hoard, depending on your Resources:

Resources 1 Every week.
Resources 2 Every five days.
Resources 3 Every three days.
Resources 4 Every other day.
Resources 5 Every day

So you won't need to eat at all for survival purposes at these levels (but keep in mind that you'll still be hungry, and if we're going with the "Higher Furnace equals more calories needed to start up your Furnace" thing, then you still need to eat those extra calories).

Resources 5, Hoard 1
Resources 4, Hoard 2
Resources 3, Hoard 3
Resources 2, Hoard 5

So it seems like Hoard was originally designed to gather bonus points of breath from the same amount of resources.  To make this work with our Calorie system, how about this?

We'll bump the time up from 4 hours to 6 hours, and put the Calories per period up to 25.  That makes it 25 Calories per 6 hours per Resource point, meaning there are four periods Calories can be gained (The madrugada, the morning, the afternoon, and the evening).  Most players will only get calories from one period, which is a maximum of 625 with 25 resource points (We would probably have to get rid of the Calorie doubling for sitting around in True Form).  While that provides the potential for one point of Breath with the lower Furnace ratings, it does not satiate the Dragon's appetite and is somewhat a waste of time.  The idea is to make it easier to reach the daily required calories, not to make the Dragon lethargic.

The Hoard Merit  doubles the number of Calories each period riches provides.  So Hoard 3 (The bottom rating) would make it 50 Calories every 6 hours (1250 in one sleep period for a wealthy dragon, that's 1/2 of a breath point per day).  Hoard 5 (The top rating) would make it 200 Calories every 6 hours (5000 in one sleep period for a wealthy dragon, that's 2.5 breath per day, before spending to maintain the Furnace).
That seems to be in agreement with the original function of the merit, albeit to a lesser degree.  It's probably not the best solution, so if you can think of something better let me know.

Shock:
also, im still dealing with the Crossover issues (dealing with Vampire right now) so i should have that up by tomorrow.

Awesome.  That is a really important job, and I'm glad you're working on it.  We have to make sure the Oroboroi aren't overpowering the other supers in combat (I'm sure they're fine in social and mental tasks for the most part).

I've been working on the Character sheet, but I can't finish the front page until we decide on Resource Points (That'll determine whether I put equipment lines or the Resource Points boxes).  Once that's done, I can start on the second page (Which is all Aspect space and True-form calculation).
Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
CJC:
The Hoard Merit  doubles the number of Calories each period riches provides.  So Hoard 3 (The bottom rating) would make it 50 Calories every 6 hours (1250 in one sleep period for a wealthy dragon, that's 1/2 of a breath point per day).  Hoard 5 (The top rating) would make it 200 Calories every 6 hours (5000 in one sleep period for a wealthy dragon, that's 2.5 breath per day, before spending to maintain the Furnace).
That seems to be in agreement with the original function of the merit, albeit to a lesser degree.  It's probably not the best solution, so if you can think of something better let me know.


well, at this point, im tempted to say that a Dragon can only gain Calories by the Horde Merit (simply having the Resource merit doesn't cut it, you have to put a dot of Resource merit, add an exp multiplier of 2, then turn that dot in Horde). once a Resource dot has been transferred to Horde, a Dragon can't use it to buy crap (i still need a fluff explanation for this).

should all else fail, we can simply state the the Horde Merit decreases over time (Paper Money ages rapidly, Gold bars start to break apart, objects start to decay) and Dragon may only spend Resource points to maintain the merit. this keeps everything somewhat level and makes a Dragon be somewhat rich but not so much that it breaks the system of WoD.

CJC:
Shock:
also, im still dealing with the Crossover issues (dealing with Vampire right now) so i should have that up by tomorrow.

Awesome.  That is a really important job, and I'm glad you're working on it.  We have to make sure the Oroboroi aren't overpowering the other supers in combat (I'm sure they're fine in social and mental tasks for the most part).


well, not just combat but also dealing with fluff issues (like how some Changelings view the Oroboroi as Banished True Fae or Mage try to see them as True Dragons).

i got to work tonight but i'll get it up as soon as i come back.
"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Top 75 Contributor
Posts 1,041
alright, here is my view of Vampire/Dragon crossover issues. as of right now, im only going to deal with the Fluff and a bit of the crunch (like how does a Dragon's blood affect the Vampire or what happens when a Bound becomes a Ghoul). im going to hold on the real crunch parts until we start play-testing and then we can decide from there on what we need to tweak.

Kindred-Dragon

of all of the "races" in WoD that the Dragons have dealt/are dealing with, the Kindred are the ones that give them the most trouble. both Dragons and Kindred are creatures that have a very keen intrest in the material world (the Dragons have their Domains, and the Kindred have their Neo Feudal system) and as such, have a tendency to clash when ever they meet  (it doesn't help the fact that Kindred typically try to manipulate leaders of organizations while Dragons try to become them.)

it doesn't help the fact that while Kindred typically have a central leader who can be persuaded, Dragons usually do not. each Dragon is a nation unto herself (the nation being her Domain) and this infuriates Princes who have to keep track of what Dragon is at war with the Kindred and which one is at peace (more than one Prince has made the error of attacking the wrong Dragon and thus adding more fuel to the fire).

also. even while being left alone. the Danse Macabre does not allow the Dragon to be out of Kindred Affairs. the knowledge of a big, scaly, Fire breathing beast is in the city is one that creates drama like no other inside brains of the Damned. some would see it as a menace that must be killed, other see it as a something that is better left alone, and the most impotently, some see it as a opportunity to rid themselves of their rivals. Dragons themselves only see a fraction of what is going on but the effects are still the same and just as devastating. 

another issue worth noting is the way that Dragons and Kindred go to war with each other. Surprisingly, younger Kindred come off having a better time killing a Dragon than Eldars do. the reason for this is length of time that Elders and younger Kindred act on and the way that the Kindred and Dragons are. Kindred are ambush predators. this shows in their powers, mindset, and skills. Dragons are long term power creatures that get more powerful as time goes on. however, Kindred Eldars don't realize this and tend to play the war as one of their typical long term tic for tac game. by doing this, they unknowingly play into the Dragon's strength and thus having a much hard time deal with them. younger Kindred (via dent of youth or some other reason) have a tendency to rush things and thus giving the Dragon less time to prepare and playing into the Kindred's strength.

for any Kindred interested in drinking Dragon's Blood, they find it has an interesting effect on them. for 24 hours, they find that they can use their Clan Disciplines more easily. however, they find that they have a tendency to be more paranoid than usual. as if much more powerful than them is watching them and just waiting in the shadows to strike.

that's all i got for the moment.
"Deductive reasoning has nothing to do with logic. In fact, deductive reasoning is illogical. Go define logic and come back to the discussion an educated man"

Page 10 of 15 (224 items) « First ... < Previous 8 9 10 11 12 Next > ... Last » | RSS
Powered by Community Server (Non-Commercial Edition), by Telligent Systems