Questions on Fast and Parasite Stamina

[efindel]

I'm getting ready to start running a game of Sorcerer, and have been re-reading the rules in preparation for it.  In doing so, I've come up with a couple of questions.

First, I'm not sure how the Fast demon ability is supposed to work.  The description says the user uses the Demon's Power instead of his/her Stamina for determining actions... but the Combat section says that everyone gets one action.  Is Fast supposed to be used for determining *when* someone gets their action?  And if so, how is that worked, since normally your roll to perform the action determines when you get to do it?

I can see two different ways to work it:

 - Roll Fast initially.  When it's your turn, roll your Stamina to see how well you did your action.

 - Roll dice equal to Fast initially.  If this is higher than Stamina, then separate out the Fast dice from Stamina dice somehow (roll them elsewhere, different color, whatever).  The Fast dice only count towards getting when you get to go, not towards performing the action.

How do others do it?

Also, the Fast description and Combat section both say that someone with Fast can do "a little bit more" per combat action.  I know at least one of my players is going to immediately ask, "How much is 'a little bit'?"  How do others work it?

(My thought is to allow Fast to be used like a combat-related Cover -- you can roll it to actually do that "little bit extra" if you can come up with something your superior speed should let you do.)

My second question is on Parasites and Stamina.  Is there an interaction between the Stamina of a host and a Parasite?  The examples of NPC Parasite demons I've been able to find only give one Stamina score, which makes it look as if the Parasite's Stamina transfers to the host.  Is that how others work it?

Thanks for any and all input.

--Travis

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

More questions!

FAST
First, yes, it's about when the Fast individual performs actions, and everyone still gets one action (which is a pretty broad concept in and of itself).

I can see two different ways to work it:
- Roll Fast initially. When it's your turn, roll your Stamina to see how well you did your action.
- Roll dice equal to Fast initially. If this is higher than Stamina, then separate out the Fast dice from Stamina dice somehow (roll them elsewhere, different color, whatever). The Fast dice only count towards getting when you get to go, not towards performing the action.

I do it like your second description. The first one works all right too, conceivably, but it lacks that sense of "enhancement" that Fast should include.

Also, the Fast description and Combat section both say that someone with Fast can do "a little bit more" per combat action. I know at least one of my players is going to immediately ask, "How much is 'a little bit'?"
...
(My thought is to allow Fast to be used like a combat-related Cover -- you can roll it to actually do that "little bit extra" if you can come up with something your superior speed should let you do.)

Exactly. That's what I do. It's very much along the lines of never saying "You can't do that," as described in Chapter Four. If (as might happen) the player eventually suggests something that's out of your acceptance range, follow the guidelines there. Remember that you decide how many dice he is rolling Fast against.

My second question is on Parasites and Stamina. Is there an interaction between the Stamina of a host and a Parasite? The examples of NPC Parasite demons I've been able to find only give one Stamina score, which makes it look as if the Parasite's Stamina transfers to the host. Is that how others work it?

Hmm, I'm a bit confused about your question. The Parasite has its own Stamina score and the host has its own as well. Use the demon's Stamina for all demon abilities, no matter who the user is (which in the case of a Parasite is supposed to be the host anyway). An old thread called Possessor Stamina query from the Gaming Outpost seems to be the right thing for this question. Let me know if it helps.

Best,
Ron

[efindel]

Thanks for the info on how you do Fast... glad to know that my author-telepathy for that seems to be good.  :-)

My second question is on Parasites and Stamina. Is there an interaction between the Stamina of a host and a Parasite? The examples of NPC Parasite demons I've been able to find only give one Stamina score, which makes it look as if the Parasite's Stamina transfers to the host. Is that how others work it?

Hmm, I'm a bit confused about your question. The Parasite has its own Stamina score and the host has its own as well. Use the demon's Stamina for all demon abilities, no matter who the user is (which in the case of a Parasite is supposed to be the host anyway). An old thread called Possessor Stamina query from the Gaming Outpost seems to be the right thing for this question. Let me know if it helps.

Somewhat... that way of doing it makes sense to me, but there's a few things that don't seem quite right:

 - How would you do a Parasite that makes its host stronger?  The rules say that Boost can only apply to the Parasite itself, so it can't Boost Stamina.  The model I have in mind is the Vamphyri from Brian Lumley's books.

 - The examples I've been able to find of Possessor and Parasite demons in the book and supplements only list one Stamina score, which is what had me thinking that the host and demon share one.  Specifically, I'm looking at Sipe and Celine in The Sorcerer's Soul (pages 73-75).  Are they just given single scores because it's assumed that the scores of their host bodies won't matter?

--Travis

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

You're misreading Boost a bit. "Target" and "User" are two very different things.

1) Boost is always transitive - the demon has to Boost someone else.
2) The demon must be the User, meaning that the demon has total control over when the power is and isn't used.

In other words, my Parasite demon Boosts my Stamina, but the demon is always the User, meaning it decides when I get Boosted, not me. All I can do is request that it does so.

Now I see what you mean about the "single Stamina score." Yes, you are right, technically it would be useful and complete to include the hosts' Stamina scores in those descriptions. There would be one for the host and one for the demon.

Best,
Ron

[efindel]

Thanks again for the reply!  One question about Boost -- what's the point of having the demon always be the user, if someone else can be the target?  The only thing I can see that differentiates this from someone else being the user is that the demon can Boost someone who doesn't want to be Boosted... after all, the demon is "at the fusebox", to use the metaphor for the demon's ability to shut off the power that I like, so it can always prevent the use of the ability, even if someone else is the user.

--Travis

[Ron Edwards]

Travis,

The point of that rule is that the person being Boosted always has to ask the demon for it.

Also, you may be missing the detail that a demon cannot Boost itself.

Therefore, Boost is always like this: The demon uses Boost to enhance the ability of a target person. The target person may be surprised by this or he may have asked the demon to do it.

If a sorcerer wants reliable Boosting, he or she needs to make sure that the associated actions are in line with the demon's Desire (as far as the sorcerer can tell), and that the demon's Need is nicely fed lately.

Best,
Ron