Variant Quintessence, requesting feedback

[RedMattis]

Originally Posted by Varyon

How do you determine when QN applies to a contest of strength? Is it something that's just always on, or something that at least one participant has to purposefully activate - and if the latter, what downsides are there to activating it?

Mostly anything that doesn't have the limitation that restrict it would use it. But for an Esper they could deliberately avoid using QN when dealing with something mundane to avoid triggering their "Forbidden Quintessence". If a vampire hits them in the face or something that directly challenges their QN it will come into effect whether they want it to or not.

Regular humans can't use QN, at best it works (poorly) defensively for them when someone uses QN against them.

I don't see any template that doesn't have a Quintessence-related Disadvantage. What sorts of characters would lack such - or do such characters simply not exist, and at best one's Quintessence is Forbidden?

A lot of serious supernaturals (or are outsiders) has the unrestricted version. A vampire running around with 20 ST & 20 QN is basically "lawfully" punching holes through people. Meanwhile an Esper is practically tearing holes through reality when they shoot psychokinetic spears or whatever.

Is the Illegal Quintessence Limitation one to cover the "obvious supernatural effects" of using it?

It is more of a package deal. Basically it is the following:

• Fairly easily detected by supernatural means, and causes (varying) visual distortions visible by mundane means. Basically: less subtle than the advantage would otherwise imply.

• If relevant the target might get +0/+5/+10 to QN depending on the stability of the area, for defensive purposes only.

• Reduces the stability of the area if used repeatedly. Which would probably be a feature, it does reduce the above penalty if used repeatedly, but it could cause troublesome or outright dangerous spirits to slip in from the astral world, or worse; enrage dangerous entities that don't like the destabilization.

Neutral-stability areas, btw, are generally either in fairly empty areas or in perceived conflicting boundaries; like the alley between a creepy morgue and a nice-looking hotel. So it is a bit unlikely that your target is hanging out there most of the time. Most areas in the world are stable. Highly stable areas are uncommon an tend to have notable significance.

Outright "unstable" areas also exist, but rarely naturally. Mostly random areas on (or even more commonly at the bottom of) the ocean or unpopulated deserts/mountains. Espers but more so Outsiders can reduce stability though. Those with 'legal' quintessence generally don't do quite so great in these areas. They have a "Conceptual" limitation on their powers which weakens stuff like their "Increased Strength" and makes the elaborate powers become unreliable or outright stop working if the area they are in is too destabilized. F.ex. a vampire no longer being able to turn to mist.

Oh, and the whole world destabilizes during the Witching Hour and becomes outright unstable for a short time near the end of it. It is basically the world's restart computer phase. Vampires and the like often tend to feel compelled to have gone to bed before then.

Destroying stability would probably be something like Create (Specific Item: "Planar Stability", Destruction, +0%) [5 points/level], treating it as a "gas" so the level is the radius. You'd probably need an area equal to the room for it to have any practical effect, and it would work best on not-so stable areas. Unnaturally destabilized areas restabilize after the Witching Hour unless something is interfering.

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Perhaps I should mention that the general logic of the setting is that vampires, werewolves, angels, whatever, they are basically "cheating" the laws of reality. Outsiders are breaking the rules due to operating according to much simpler primeval rules (which technically reality is built upon).