Questions from a newbie

[Keith Senkowski]

A question on Destiny Points - when looking at character development, it is mentioned that it costs 6 Destiny Points to gain a new skill at Rank 1. How many points does it cost to increase a existing skill? Is it 6 per rank, or is it less for skills you already have?

Dom,

If I recall corectly it is a flat 6, be it for new or existing skills.

On the flip side, Apocalypse will be offering an alternate way of dealing with advancement and DP earning and the like that I think is a bit more intuitive.  We are in playtesting it and so far the playtesting is going very well.

[Keith Senkowski]

A question on the Disarm Conflict Modifier... how long does the effect last for? I assumed (when I did the cribsheet) that it was similar to Bind and lasted fro the rest of the exchange.

Yes it is similar to Bind in that regard.  It is assumed that after the exchange the opponent will either regain the weapon or improvise some shit.  When I wrote it up I felt it would be a little silly, with how conflicts are resolved so abstractly to worry about it takes X turns to pick up Y weapon and so forth.

[Keith Senkowski]

And another one...

If a character looses a simple exchange, do they suffer vitality damage? I didn't see anything that suggested they would, but the extra examples you posted on the wiki seemed to suggest that you would expect the character to escalate the conflict to an extended one at such a point.

Thinking of an example - say the character tries to initimidate a goon to let him into a private meeting, but gets turned away (looses the roll). Would it be appropriate - especially with the new negative descriptor idea - to give them the vitality loss (I guess loss of face) and/or a negative descriptor if they loose bad (e.g. you get picked up by the bouncer and encouraged to leave by being banged against the wall several times leaving you in a poor way!)

The character has the choice to escalate it if he wants to.  So you wack me good in a simple conflict, and instead of just accepting that I escalate it.  Problem is you wacked me good, so I suffer from a Vitality loss from the Simple conflict as if it had been the first exchange of an extended conflict.

However, if I accept the loss in the Simple Conflict, I just suffer the effects of the stakes et before hand.

Also only named characters can escalate it to an Extended conflict of exchanges right.

Does that make sense?

[Dom]

And another one...

If a character looses a simple exchange, do they suffer vitality damage? I didn't see anything that suggested they would, but the extra examples you posted on the wiki seemed to suggest that you would expect the character to escalate the conflict to an extended one at such a point.

Thinking of an example - say the character tries to initimidate a goon to let him into a private meeting, but gets turned away (looses the roll). Would it be appropriate - especially with the new negative descriptor idea - to give them the vitality loss (I guess loss of face) and/or a negative descriptor if they loose bad (e.g. you get picked up by the bouncer and encouraged to leave by being banged against the wall several times leaving you in a poor way!)

The character has the choice to escalate it if he wants to.  So you wack me good in a simple conflict, and instead of just accepting that I escalate it.  Problem is you wacked me good, so I suffer from a Vitality loss from the Simple conflict as if it had been the first exchange of an extended conflict.

However, if I accept the loss in the Simple Conflict, I just suffer the effects of the stakes et before hand.

Also only named characters can escalate it to an Extended conflict of exchanges right.

Does that make sense?

So if I get this right: If you stay as a simple conflict, the only 'penalty' is that you loose the conflict and your opponent gets their desired outcome. If you escalate, you take the Vitality loss straight away that you would have taken if the simple conflict had been the first exchange of an extended conflict, then carry on from there as normal extended conflict?

[Dom]

A question on the Disarm Conflict Modifier... how long does the effect last for? I assumed (when I did the cribsheet) that it was similar to Bind and lasted fro the rest of the exchange.

Yes it is similar to Bind in that regard.  It is assumed that after the exchange the opponent will either regain the weapon or improvise some shit.  When I wrote it up I felt it would be a little silly, with how conflicts are resolved so abstractly to worry about it takes X turns to pick up Y weapon and so forth.

That makes sense. :-)

D.

[Keith Senkowski]

So if I get this right: If you stay as a simple conflict, the only 'penalty' is that you loose the conflict and your opponent gets their desired outcome. If you escalate, you take the Vitality loss straight away that you would have taken if the simple conflict had been the first exchange of an extended conflict, then carry on from there as normal extended conflict?

Right you are.  Once you escalate it follows the usual order (initiative etc.)

[Dom]

Q. Can you change the skill + attribute pairs in between actions of the exchange in an extended conflict?

I assumed yes at Continuum, as it just reflects a change of approach/argument.

[Dom]

Does vitality lost through intellectual damage heal at the standard recovering damage rate?
Yes.  However we have been working on a new system in play and it works really well.  The penalties only last til the end of the conflict.  Afterwards, instead of penalty dice, the character gets a negative descriptor appropriate to the conflict.  It lasts for the recovery time, instead of having say three penalty dice for a damn long time...

Q. Using this, would the Vitality recover to full immediately after the conflict once the negative descriptor was given?

At Continuum, we decided as a group what an appropriate descriptor was based on how badly someone was mangled! Seemed a good way to do it.

[Keith Senkowski]

Q. Can you change the skill + attribute pairs in between actions of the exchange in an extended conflict?

I assumed yes at Continuum, as it just reflects a change of approach/argument.

Oh yes.  You can change it from exchange to exchange.  What fun would it be if I couldn't disarm you with a witty remark about what I did to your sister in a sword fight?

[Keith Senkowski]

Does vitality lost through intellectual damage heal at the standard recovering damage rate?
Yes.  However we have been working on a new system in play and it works really well.  The penalties only last til the end of the conflict.  Afterwards, instead of penalty dice, the character gets a negative descriptor appropriate to the conflict.  It lasts for the recovery time, instead of having say three penalty dice for a damn long time...

Q. Using this, would the Vitality recover to full immediately after the conflict once the negative descriptor was given?

At Continuum, we decided as a group what an appropriate descriptor was based on how badly someone was mangled! Seemed a good way to do it.

That is how we are doing it in playtest too.