Seeing some big changes to mage traits. Combined with the spell changes we did when we finished the last round of playtests a few weeks ago and I must say I’m excited to see some of this stuff in action.
For those curious as to what was changed, we did away with the boring old +/-1’s and changed some of the Path spells (one of the old spells focused on PvP that I didn’t realize at the time, plus others that just seemed lack luster and useless). Summoning has a new focus on it for those with the creativity to use it. It even got its own corruption move to make it a potent tool for a cost.
Overall, Mage is looking awesome and I’m looking forward to testing the new changes. The changes to Vamp’s traits are also looking interesting.
On a side note. I went over my notes for Demon. While it’s been stated that we were going to do Demon the Fallen, for simplicity’s sake, I largely scrapped the idea (instead using DtF for inspiration as needed) and started looking at Demon the Descent. While the lore is a bit different, I managed to type up a basic description that ties in how a Tainted might become into a full fledged Demon (it’s nothing different, just playing off the idea of how you’re hellspawn).
Let me just say that trying to find a way to work in the varied nature of the demonic form and trying to keep it simple but relevant was difficult work. The end result is something that changes as you gain and lose Corruption (via the “Erase a Corruption Advance” advancement). Playtesting when it’s complete will show whether my choice in constructing the move was a good one.
Until Mage and Slasher are officially called complete and I get a rough draft of Demon done, any new add-ons by me will likely be only in the “I’ll mention the idea” phase, but I will admit that I would be curious in working on Changeling eventually having recently helped a fellow Storyteller make his own Kith. After that’s done… who knows. Second Sight might be a decent book to try and make a Mortality add-on for, but please understand that the possible template are limited as Mortals in WoD are not meant to have the kind of power the other main game lines do.
And yes, I realize that I can be a wordy bastard.
Though Tommy Rayburn , I’ve thought about your idea for Mortality. Here’s the books I know of that have to do with making a character:
Second Sight – Psychics, Cultists, and Thaumaturges
Asylum – Doctors, focusing more on the psych field
Dogs of War – Soldiers and warfare
Tales of the 13th Precinct – Police and law enforcement
Midnight Roads – This one focuses less on character types and more on vehicles and driving
Immortals – focusing on the varying types of immortality
Inferno – dealing with demons and making deals, becoming possessed, etc.
Changing Breeds – Non-Werewolf shapeshifters
Skinchangers – non-werebeast, which includes skin thieves and various freaks of nature
Innocents – which deals with making children
Mirrors – contains an idea of a character types called “Dark Heroes” and “Extraordinary Mortals”
That’s about it. Anything else is either really obscure or in the other game lines. Things like the Wolf-Blooded or Proximi, the Spirit-Ridden and the Fae-Touched, Stigmatics or Dhampyrs… As if it wasn’t already proven that I’ve had too much time on my hands and spent a very long time reading roleplaying books.
John Layton, that brings me to a decision … mortals will be a hard if even doable as an extra book.
Second sight is Oracle, Asylum is Expert, Immortality is Immortals, Inferno can be played by Tainted, Skinchangers and Changing Breeds are close to Wolf and Fae.
What we may do is two things:
1. Make Hunter not just hunters, but all mortality that is either looking for vengeance or justice.
2. Make a small book that just adds moves that we can think about to be taken by all mortals, I think this will be hard as so many covered by getting cross playbook moves.
Also, Anton Dominic and I have already started talking Changeling once we finish the trait updates.
You have a fair point. But I like the idea of hunter being more exclusive. Maybe opening up Vigilantes to Mortality based playbooks, but not all of them. But I DID have a thought for a Mortality based Add-on. Instead of organizations and such, make a basic list of Occupations which have their own moves, so things like Doctor, Soldier, etc.
Tainted already has Demon and the Lucifuge, we don’t really need to add a third option. I agree with Second Sight for Oracle and Immortals for Immortal. We don’t need to worry about Skinchangers and changing Breeds at this point unless you want to add them. They’re normally obscure books as it is anyway from what I can tell.
Dragon is going to be difficult, as there’s no official book that deals with dragons. Though I may have found a fan book that could work. Hallowed has a hunter organization, but we might consider making a special add-on for them too. Other than that, everything else either has an idea hammered out, an idea in my head, or is being worked on.
What is the use of having an occupation when they can make those occupations by taking multiple playbooks? Want a soldier, take moves from Hunter. Want a doctor, take moves from Expert. I think Mortals are just out of luck in this game.
I think trying to run book to book is not needed and won’t really be played. I think we are focused on teh big 4, we will have a great 8 …. I think we are good. Things like Dragon, that won’t get a playbook still can be NPC’s and their moves can still be taken which still adds both flavour and optons for players as they take moves from other books.