Welcome to My (Flat) World

[Legendary Sidekick]

I updated magic. "Create obstacle" will be an effect you can add to an attack spell when it's charged. The attack will hit 1 target, but the obstacle will cover AN AREA, potentially damaging several enemies without nerfing damage. (That's why it requires charging. There's no way setting a house on fire is equal in power to hurling a fireball.) The size of that area is GM-controlled. Fair warning: don't cast obstacles too close to your friends!

PS- If you guys go with Mariya zapping orcs to make them run, if Mariya rolls low enough that charging isn't risky, charging is the way to go. (0 = no risk; 1 = odds 80:1 the spell WON'T backfire; 2 = low risk)

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Now that I've updated the magic post, I've got a better solution that's simpler, and it prevents having to add numbers to support spells (which I prefer). I'll make the update tomorrow, but now you know why I want to use an existing system: that way I don't think and rethink stuff.

So multi-hit fighting will be as in the Fate PDF. (You need to have a bunch of enemies around you to multi-hit, and it does weaken the damage, so I don't think it's overpowered as is.)

For magic, it'll be based on area-of-effect magic which requires a charge. I'll get into all the things you can do with charged spells tomorrow. For now, don't worry about it. Think of the existing post as a partial list of what magic can do for the time being.

 

[Ruby]

Hi everyone,

Fenella's just arrived in the game and introduced herself. I apologise if she forgot to say hello to anyone in the scene.

One question: how do we roll dice for this? Do I go in the same dice room as before? I ask because I've noticed your dice rolls have various categories written in them. Thanks.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Still use rolz.org, but now you roll 4u1+___. The number that goes in the blank depends on the number associated with that skill. For example, I think Fenella has fight at +3, so to fight, you'd roll 4u1+3.

We've been including the skill names, too. "4u1+3 #Fight"

 

[Ruby]

Sorry I don't understand this.

I go in the room and how do I roll 4u1+_ ? When would I type that in and where?

Also, how am I to know what skill function to type in and its number?

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

@Ruby,

I still need to post your character sheet, but I believe FIGHT is +3 (assuming you're fine with RESOURCES being her highest skill).

 

[Noma Galway]

How does casting lightning work now? I got used to the old way.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Roll "4u1+4 #Magic" (or "4u1+4 #Lightning", if you prefer). If you roll a 0 or 1, you may want to charge. Any higher and you'll want to release the spell.

I'll have GM rolls confirm hits. I was planning on doing that part differently, but Fate uses active defense rolls, meaning enemies and players roll defense. I'll walk you through this first battle.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I should probably mention that Ireth and Aspasia can RP what their characters are doing, or how they're positioning themselves outside the cave. If you want your characters to take cover, you can make stealth rolls. (And if you want Lily's "Silent But Deadly" stunt, you can have it. Bear in mind that I'll let you opt to change your stunts after the play-test, so you can always try out up to three stunts then decide whether they're keepers as you play.)

I'd like to update the game Thursday. Generally, I'll allow 48 hours to post your turn and I won't update on a weekend unless everyone's posted.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Ireth plays Dragon's Egg, so we've got at least one player who's used to things not going as planned. Anyway, I can see how greater numbers is advantageous in this system. This orc must regret peering around the corner, but I imagine the sound of high heels clacking on rock would make him curious. He's not really a stealthy guy.

I think the way for combat to work best will be for players to roll defense after the GM post, plus an additional action. You'll need to know what type of defense to roll. If you're hit more than once by more than one type of attack, well... that'll suck. (I suppose your additional action would be another type of defense. Everything can either be defended with athletics and will, while you can opt to defend fight with fight or magic with magic.)


Oh... one more thing: mental stress isn't something you'll need to worry about often. (Maybe vs. demons.) Provoke requires some kind of connection with the target, and even then, you can't get name-called to death. I think the only point of multiple mental stress boxes is more about not taking a consequence from a single mental attack. So, for example, if a demon tries to mess with your head with tempting visions, and his 'provoke' beats your 'will' by 5 (or any number greater than your highest mental stress box), you take a consequence.

Fate discourages mind-control, meaning you can't provoke a character into doing what they normally wouldn't do. Even with magic, I'm fine if we go along with that. The demon's visions (in my example) could simply be a distraction. So a mild consequence might mean you RP your character being flustered. A moderate consequence might mean you're momentarily blinded by disturbing images, stunning you for a turn. A severe consequence means the images are all you can see, blinding you from your surroundings. (Empathy can recover a mental consequence.)


NPCs might become victims on mind-control, but they're not always at the level of players. (NPCs who can fight will usually be at the level of an average player or a level below. Only NPCs who are martial arts masters might be a level ahead of players, or ahead of some players like in Lily's case.)

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I updated the notes on magic. I think creating an obstacle might be a bit powerful if you don't need to charge, but only because I was thinking the obstacles would either be painful or like a mass stun...

Suppose the obstacle is harmless AND the area is very small (without a charge). In that case, I think we can justify something like Furtano creating some kind of illusion in the "door" of the orc's cave (such as making a rainbow or making the wall appear as solid rock). The door would simply be impassible unless your willpower gives you the ability to distinguish the real wall from the illusion so you can pass through (without bumping into the wall like an idiot).

I think for an obstacle that can actually hurt... my rule on charged magic is to combine two types of spells. So ATTACK + CREATE OBSTACLE becomes your area-of-effect attack.

Maybe create advantage/obstacle can combine with other types of spells for the mass healing/defensive/support spells, such as water CREATE + HEAL = a healing spring (which you need to place strategically so enemies don't dive in!).

I think if you consider all magic to have 5 types of spells players can pull out of their ass imaginations, and 10 possible ways to combine two types (when charging the spell), I think you end up with quite an arsenal of spells.

For the level 3 charge, I'll add another benefit depending on the combination you were charging.

 

[Ruby]

Still use rolz.org, but now you roll 4u1+___. The number that goes in the blank depends on the number associated with that skill. For example, I think Fenella has fight at +3, so to fight, you'd roll 4u1+3.

We've been including the skill names, too. "4u1+3 #Fight"

Hi,

I'm sorry if Fenella started the fighting too soon!

I just read Legendary Sidekick's post (see above quote) and thought it was an instruction. So, then I went into the Dice Room. I wasn't sure where I had to type the code but I guessed and it seemed to work.

So I copied and pasted it to see if it came out all right, and it did!

You need to tell me how to do the other things, too!

Anyway, I must have given that Orc a nasty shock!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

No problem, Ruby! Actually, had you made a stealth roll with the same roll, you'd have ended up with -1 and the orc would have noticed you. When you think of it that way, you saved the party some complications by just not bothering with stealth.

 

[Ruby]

Oh, thank you, Legendary Sidekick, for being so nice about it.

I thought I might have, accidentally, started the Flat Earth equivalent of WW3.

Btw Fenella says she awaits further instructions before attacking any more Orcs.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Okay, Lily will give instruction… though it's worth noting that, unless Fenella remembered the plan (which she may or may not have been briefly briefed on—I honestly don't remember!), she has no reason to think she goofed. Her muse won't tell her! (I got a kick out of Mariya's thoughts.)

I sent a PM to Devor to clarify which he prefers, an illusion everyone sees, or a mental attack vs. one target.



I apologize for going back and forth on multi-hit. It IS mentioned in the Fate PDF, but I haven't read all 200+ pages, so while I think I understand how multi-hit works… yeah, I'd rather not! Devor suggested charged spells being the way to make magic multi-hit, and I like it. So (at least for now) I'd like that to be the only way for magic.

Perhaps for fighters, multi-hit can be tied to a stunt and limited in some way—success with style = 2 targets; and the same stunt can allow for 3-4 targets using a Fate point. (Success + Fate for 3; success with style + Fate for 4.) We have a precedent for fighting nuns and samurai to hit multiple targets (for less damage), so I'd hate to get rid of that. Even shooters should have a robin hood or double shot option, though I'm under the opinion that should be more rare for a shooter. Maybe success with style + Fate is required for 2 targets, but the damage isn't nerfed like it is for a fighter?



As I said, let's go with single targets only for this battle unless someone charges a spell. barging magic allows you to cast the element in any two ways. If you want a spell that hurts and enemy and heals an ally, you can do that. "Create advantage/obstacle" + any spell type = multiple targets, but be aware that the area of effect spells don't know friend from foe!

I'll make a post on multi-targeting once I feel like my thoughts on it are well organized, and I'm comfortable with making the official call and sticking to it. (Play-testing does help, as I imagine possible player responses to a situation and consider what would be fair.)

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

It's Labor Day weekend, so I'll understand if I don't get posts within the 48-hour limit. Furtano and Fenella need Athletics rolls to run from the orcs. Just to keep things moving, if I don't see posts by Tuesday, I'll assume everyone heads out and keeps pace with Lily.

 

[Devor]

It's Labor Day weekend, so I'll understand if I don't get posts within the 48-hour limit. Furtano and Fenella need Athletics rolls to run from the orcs. Just to keep things moving, if I don't see posts by Tuesday, I'll assume everyone heads out and keeps pace with Lily.

There's a 48 hour rule?

 

[Ruby]

It's Labor Day weekend, so I'll understand if I don't get posts within the 48-hour limit. Furtano and Fenella need Athletics rolls to run from the orcs. Just to keep things moving, if I don't see posts by Tuesday, I'll assume everyone heads out and keeps pace with Lily.

Hi Legndary Sidekick,

I don't know what Labor Day Weekend is - is it like Bank Holiday Monday in the uk, where you get a day off work but you can't do much because of the terrible weather and traffic jams?

I've noticed that Fenella doesn't have a stealth code - so THAT'S why she had to attack the Orc!

Okay, I'll try and get her to do some Athletics, now.

Does that simply mean she runs away?


Ps Btw is Fenella supposed to have a Stealth Code? (Just asking...)

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

@Ruby, if you lack a skill (such as STEALTH), you roll "4u1" or "4u1+0." FLIGHT and MAGIC are exceptions, as those are skills you don't have at all unless they're on your skill list.

@Devor, it's not really a 48-hour rule. I try to keep a rhythm of making GM posts Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I don't expect players to post on weekends though. I believe what I ended up doing in episodes 1 & 2 was after 3 players posted, I'd say when my next update is. That tended to be the weekday day after that third player post, or two days after my post—depending which gave other players more time. Weekend updates only happened if every player posted on the weekend.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

You can RP character reactions if you want. Furtano and Mariya can choose positions, but no one else needs to roll anything.

For Notice, Dila can opt to roll again. Ariel's 6 still applies to the current situation, so Ireth, you're better off keeping the 6.