SotC: Gadgets and Sorcery

[Ian O'Rourke]

I'm really liking the game, but I have two questions, relating to things I've not come across while reading, or my hopeless brain has missed....

You can create gadgets, which is great, and I'm enjoying the gadget rules. What's confusing me a bit though, is I'm fine seeing how gadgets are built that are just advances on existing items, the Jet Pack or Wrist Radio being a perfect example. What I don't get is how you'd create a true mad scientist device that emulates a stunt, or does something fantastic like teleport people? The only reason I ask is for the Gadget/Science type hero - say he wants to make a belt that provides some form of force field? Or a pair of goggles that hypnotise people? Etc. You get my drift.

The other question is relating to magic and sorcery, I understand the rules on creating arcane gadgets, but I'm unsure how to model someone who has true magic powers. Say an ancient chinese sorcerer who has just risen from the crypt with magical powers!

I have to say though, overall, it is a brillaint game, and probably one of the best megers of a narrative-style approach with standard rpg conventions - produces something great, and more appealing to most people than the narrative-style games that drop more of the standard gaming conventions. Excellent stuff.

[iago]

You can create gadgets, which is great, and I'm enjoying the gadget rules. What's confusing me a bit though, is I'm fine seeing how gadgets are built that are just advances on existing items, the Jet Pack or Wrist Radio being a perfect example. What I don't get is how you'd create a true mad scientist device that emulates a stunt, or does something fantastic like teleport people? The only reason I ask is for the Gadget/Science type hero - say he wants to make a belt that provides some form of force field? Or a pair of goggles that hypnotise people? Etc. You get my drift.

Teleporting people is basically just transportation with Mad Science principles applied.  There, I'd probably start with something that transports people (e.g., a car), change its form factor, use the Mad Science improvement to allow for another improvement that says "transportation is instant" and you're a go.

Stuff that emulates a stunt, usually I'll just take the Gadget stunt but say "this gadget provides this stunt effect: _____" and have done.  If it's something that seems stunt-like ... then it probably is a stunt.

The other question is relating to magic and sorcery, I understand the rules on creating arcane gadgets, but I'm unsure how to model someone who has true magic powers. Say an ancient chinese sorcerer who has just risen from the crypt with magical powers!

Elseforum, folks have usually solved this problem by creating stunts for the Mysteries skill that let it be used for things like attack spells, defending yourself in combat, etc.

[Ian O'Rourke]

On the gadgets that do stunt-like things, I did think of the solution you mention, but I suppose I got hung up on the fact the gadget might circumvent the stunt tree. I could allow a gadget that provides some form of protection, ideally there may even be a stunt, say in the Endurance Stunts, that serves this purpose - but it may be a second or third stunt in a tree?

If he uses it as a gadget he gets it without the others, though he is risking it (a) getting stolen or (b) he's also invested in it as an Aspect.

Not a big 'everything must be balanced' person, but I do keep a casual eye out for the obvious, etc.

[iago]

On the gadgets that do stunt-like things, I did think of the solution you mention, but I suppose I got hung up on the fact the gadget might circumvent the stunt tree. I could allow a gadget that provides some form of protection, ideally there may even be a stunt, say in the Endurance Stunts, that serves this purpose - but it may be a second or third stunt in a tree?

If he uses it as a gadget he gets it without the others, though he is risking it (a) getting stolen or (b) he's also invested in it as an Aspect.

I think of those as reasonably balancing factors.  It can get stolen, broken, misplaced, or just be somewhere inconvenient to use.  The upside is that it gets a little more "oomph" than a standard stunt.

Jet's jetpack actually started out as this sort of thing (it can fly! it lets you use Athletics instead of Pilot! it can fold up into a (heavy) briefcase!), only getting formalized when the gadget construction rules came long, and we figured it was still pretty balanced, since basically it was a "removable" stunt that gave Athletics a few new functions it didn't have before.

[Alan]

Hi Ian,

For an artifact I created, I treated each stunt-equivalent as an improvement. Now I see that I'd want to give a little more oomph for each slot -- either a bonus to the effect or two improvements gives the equivalent of three stunts.

As a more general trade off, I've observed that a single stunt generally give the same amount of advantage as an activated Aspect. Or we can look at each element requiring two disadvantages to balance the approximately +2 bonus they provide:

Aspect              1 FP to activate; taggable
Consequence    1 FP to activate; taggable
Stunt*               Requires ability roll; narrow use
Improvement      Removable; narrow use

*Stunts usually cost 0 FP. More powerful stunts may require FP to activate.

Disadvantages
FP to activate
Taggable by others
Requires Ability Roll
Narrow Use
Removable