[Basic] Advantage of the Week: Blessed, Heroic Feats, Very Blessed

[Otaku]

Last Week: Binding
Next Week: Brachiator; Clinging; Super Climbing

The Blessed suite of Advantages (p. B40-41) reflect being attuned to a god, demon lord, great spirit, cosmic power, etc. for guidance or empowerment; the final sentence of the advantage says the "The GM may choose to allow other blessings as well.", meaning it is ultimately open ended. In fact, it is so open ended that Powers p. 43 mentions you can give up the Reaction bonus built into this Advantage to represent a generic, supernatural form of guidance that doesn't tie you to a specific deity or the like.

Blessed (10 points) allows you to make an IQ roll after giving up 10 FP and at least an hour of time to seek guidance from your source. The hour should be spent doing the appropriate activity but it need not be elaborate: the example given in Basic is staring into flames for an hour to inquire of the God of Fire, and the FP cost is paid at the end, and hearing a voice from the flames. Details should be worked out between player and GM ahead of time. Followers of the source of your Blessing will react to you at +1.

Very Blessed (20 points) works the same as Blessed, except the IQ roll is at +5 and the reaction bonus is +2.

Heroic Feats on the other hand are quite difference. In this case the character's blessing allows, once per session, the character to add a 1d bonus to one (and only one, specified at the time of character creation) of ST, DX or HT. The GM may allow other traits such as Basic Move at his or her discretion. Any costs incurred during the "boosted" period will still apply when the character reverts back to normal; the example given is that if a characters HP has been boosted and that character takes enough damage that when its HP reverts to normal it is at -5 x HP, that character will then die (healing before then averts this). I also take that as confirming anything based on the boosted Attribute also increases; somewhat obvious but good to know.

Powers p. 16 indicates that you may take the Pact Limitation with any of these three Advantages, as Blessed doesn't actually assume that the character in question is being held to a significantly higher standard.

So... anyone use these? Have they proven above, below or well priced? What kind of Advantages have you (or someone you've gamed with) allowed as part of Blessed? Any interesting accounts involving Blessed that you wish to share?

I technically had a character with this in a 3e game about 15-20 years ago. I say technically because this was the effect we used, but we (so everyone in the group plus the GM) kept getting the name wrong. First we had Clerical Investment Lv2 down, then realized we weren't looking for rank in an organized religion and the GM had me change it to Power Investiture, but I wasn't learning Spells and was simply inquiring for guidance from above. Later I was allowed to buy three Advantages, two of which were based on Knacks (but not themselves magical): Gift of Letters, Gift of Tongues, and Immunity to Evil/Necromantic magics (the last was honestly a act of GM mercy because without that, my character would have been perma-killed).

[whswhs]

I've devised at least two new variants: Harmony with the Tao in Chinese Elemental Powers (5 points, lets you learn peaceful cinematic skills) and The King's Two Bodies in Fantasy (IIRC, 10 points; creates a magical attunement between the health of the king's body and the health of the realm).

Bill Stoddard

[sir_pudding]

Blessed variants are in the Holy Abilities in both DF1 and DF7. They also appear as Learned Prayers in Divine Favor.

[Not]

What would immunity to evil look like? Some sort of aspected DR, or a bonus to HT roll vs. evil effect? You'd need to distinguish things evil from merely dangerous... Does mustard gas count?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Not

What would immunity to evil look like? Some sort of aspected DR, or a bonus to HT roll vs. evil effect? You'd need to distinguish things evil from merely dangerous... Does mustard gas count?

Immunity to Evil Supernatural Powers.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Not

What would immunity to evil look like? Some sort of aspected DR, or a bonus to HT roll vs. evil effect? You'd need to distinguish things evil from merely dangerous... Does mustard gas count?

That's just True Faith, which is in the Basic Set. And it's no good against poison gas or fallout. . . .

Bill Stoddard

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by whswhs

That's just True Faith, which is in the Basic Set. And it's no good against poison gas or fallout. . . .

Bill Stoddard

True Faith only works on beings that are vulnerable to it. It won't stop a priest of Set from cursing you with the Rotting Doom.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Not

What would immunity to evil look like? Some sort of aspected DR, or a bonus to HT roll vs. evil effect? You'd need to distinguish things evil from merely dangerous... Does mustard gas count?

That would be Immunity to Evil Supernatural Powers [15] and would only work against abilities of beings defined as supernaturally evil (demons, murderous ghosts, etc.). For example, a demon couldn't possess you, but he could pummel you to death with his fists or possess someone else and get them to hit you.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

That would be Immunity to Evil Supernatural Powers [15] and would only work against abilities of beings defined as supernaturally evil (demons, murderous ghosts, etc.). For example, a demon couldn't possess you, but he could pummel you to death with his fists or possess someone else and get them to hit you.

No, it should work against supernatural abilities of a morally opposed power even if the attacker is wholly mundane.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

No, it should work against supernatural abilities of a morally opposed power even if the attacker is wholly mundane.

Actually, I forgot about the Moral Power Modifier - it's so rarely used in my campaigns. That would count as well.