My Mage

[Snaps]

So I am playing in a new game next week and wanted to try a mage using Modular Abilities for his magic. So far what I have is:

Tam (150 points)
Human

ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 10 [0].
Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will 16 [20]; Per 12 [0]; FP 10 [0].
Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Block 0; Dodge 8; Parry 11 (Staff).

Advantages:

Modular Abilities 25 (Cosmic Power) (Physical and Mental, +100%; Costs Fatigue, 30, -150%; Limited by Skills, -20%; PM: Magic, -10%) [50]

Staff:
Detect (Supernatural) (Very Common) (Gadget/Breakable: DR 15, -10%;
Gadget/Breakable: Size -2, -20%; Gadget/Can Be Stolen: Thief must win
a Quick Contest of DX or ST (Does not work for the Thief), -15%;
Gadget/Unique, -25%; Reflexive, +40%; Vague, -50%) [6];
Regeneration (Extreme: 10 HP/Sec) (Energy Reserve Only, +0%; Gadget/Breakable: DR 15, -10%; Gadget/Breakable: Size -2, -20%; Gadget/Can Be Stolen: Thief must win a Quick Contest of DX or ST (Does not work for the Thief), -15%; Gadget/Unique, -25%; PM: Magic, -10%) [30].

Energy Reserve (Magic) 25 (Abilities Only, -10%; Special Recharge, -70%) [15]
Fit [5]



Disadvantages
Code of Honor (Sorcerer's) [-10]; Duty (Dragonslayer) (15 or less
(almost always)) (Extremely Hazardous) [-20]; Enemy (Empire) (utterly
formidable group) (6 or less) [-20]; Sense of Duty (Other Sorcerers )
(Large Group) [-10]; Social Stigma (Sorcerer) [-10].

Skills
Chemistry/TL3-12 (IQ+0) [4]; Fast-Talk-11 (IQ-1) [1]; First Aid/TL3
(Human)-12 (IQ+0) [1]; Hidden Lore (Magical Lore)-12 (IQ+0) [2];
Innate Attack (Spells)-14 (DX+3) [8]; Literature-10 (IQ-2) [1];
Meditation-14 (Will-2) [1]; Occultism-12 (IQ+0) [2]; Physician/TL3
(Human)-10 (IQ-2) [1]; Physics/TL3-12 (IQ+0) [8]; Research/TL3-11
(IQ-1) [1]; Riding (Equines)-10 (DX-1) [1]; Savoir-Faire
(Sorcerer's)-12 (IQ+0) [1]; Staff-12 (DX+1) [4]; Stealth-12 (DX+1)
[4]; Streetwise-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Survival (Woodlands)-11 (Per-1) [1];
Thaumatology-10 (IQ-2) [2].

I see his magic being very similar to the Will and the Word from David Edding's Belgariad. Tam spends a round preparing his spell (changing his modular points) than lets loose with his power the next round. I've been working on a list of spells for him. So far I've got things like:

Innate Attacks: With 25 energy to play with her can enhance his attacks quite a bit. 25 energy equals +125% in enhancements when using Costs Fatigue. So he could do things like 5d burning attacks with rof 15, or area 4 yrds. A rof 7, attack with area 2 yrds is probably one of the best combos for now.

Of course, I can also just do a 25d burning attack with (Costs Fatigue, 16, -80%) or a 40d small piercing attack. (I don't think the GM is capping damage output for this game).

Force Dome: 25 DR (Absorption, Points recharge energy reserve, +80%; Costs Fatigue, 25, -125%; Requires Active Defense Roll, -40%) [25]

Create Gate: Warp (Tunnel, forms beforehand, +100%; Costs Fatigue, 25, -125%; Blind Only, -50%) [25]

Great Shapeshift: Morph (No Memorization Required, +50%; Costs Fatigue, 25, -125%) [25]

Great Haste: Altered Time Rate 1 (Costs Fatigue, 16, -80%) [25]

Rune of Power: Energy Reserve 5 (Gadget/Breakable: Glowing Rune, DR 15, -10%; Special Recharge, -70%) [3]
(Good for helping with that extra 5 energy for switching abilities I need)

I'm curious as to who would or wouldn't allow this type of character into their games?

[roguebfl]

Firstly Physical and Skills only are incomparable... all skills are Mental, so you save a few points their.
Also Spells a subgroup of skills is canonical also -20% is this what you meant? if not Skills only will be less.

now another way to read that might mean all abilites loaded into the MA must be limted by a Skill use... that would be worth eve less are Requires Roll is only -10% itself.

Now I'm not sure of the Gadget Can be Stolen limitation are enough to qualifty as a outside source for ER special recharge. Now I do now Mana Based + Requires Concentration is enough on Regeneration to Qualifty, so it is something you will need to clear with your GM.

As to the actual Concept, I'm a big fan of simualr builds for my Clerics (Which I limit with Requires Reaction Roll (powers varent of Fickle) and Pact, rather than an incapacitating Fatigue cost for rearranging points.

Your force dome is missing Force Field +20% (unless it can be ignored with Eye attacks) and is very personal use only as you missing Area Effect as well.

[Lamech]

Combining special recharge and regeneration is frowned upon for ER. You are using MA: cosmic, I recommend MA: cosmic slotted. The slot costs 7 each point after that costs 5. So you could increase the modular ability all the way to 48 points. I'm not sure what that "limited by skills" limitation is, you could require movements equivalent to spell casting though for use instead, for example only while playing trumpet is -20%.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Lamech

Combining special recharge and regeneration is frowned upon for ER.

More to the point:

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

We have a discussion going (here) about the rules legality of allowing Regeneration (ER) to work on Energy Reserve (Special Recharge) that I'd appreciate your opinion on.

Its' being argued that limiting ER with Special Recharge prohibits Regeneration (ER) from working.

Originally Posted by Kromm

To qualify for Special Recharge, the Energy Reserve must require external charging, which means "external from the user." The usual methods of gathering energy from outside are DR (Absorption) and Leech, and spells such as Steal Energy. With an Accessibility limitation such as "Only during mass" or "Only in a nuclear reactor," suitably modified Regeneration also counts. Regeneration without such a limitation does not count, as there's nothing "special" about the recharge – it effectively comes from within.

As I said early Accessibly: Mana plus Requires Concentration to simulate gathering of ambient mana (though in this case Regeneration was defined at power talent/second rate) passed the external charging test... I was questioning if the fact that the magical stick that can be taken away passes the bar.

[Lamech]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

More to the point:





As I said early Accessibly: Mana plus Requires Concentration to simulate gathering of ambient mana (though in this case Regeneration was defined at power talent/second rate) passed the external charging test... I was questioning if the fact that the magical stick that can be taken away passes the bar.

It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth... basically I find it slightly off when you add a limitation to something and then buy advantages that allow you to completely bypass the limitation. If all the gadget limitations were placed directly in the staff (its not like he can use the MA without an ER anyway)

I would probably do something more like
MA: 18 slotted X points (gadget: Size -2: -20% DR 15 -10% Must be taken by trickery, not usable by thief, -10%, skills a possible choice -10%, PM: Magic -10%, must make mage motions and say arcane phrases -20%, costs fatigue 4 -20% physical and mental +100%. [97]

Not quite as powerful, but you don't have all the strangeness, of adding a limitation, but then bought an advantage that completely bypasses said limitation. Oh and if you add unique you should be able to get 24 points of MA.

One cool trick with MA, is if you have something you plan on doing a lot, say beneficial afflictions or innate attacks you can outright buy a affliction or innate attack and then enhance it with the MA. For example you could buy
Affliction, enhanced duration*1000, blood agent, melee range C for 15 points and then be able to cast buffs that add 24 points worth of abilities on people.
Oh and I never really like unique type limitations. They become basically, "at some point I will steal a bunch of your points" or if never used "free points!"

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Lamech

It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth... basically I find it slightly off when you add a limitation to something and then buy advantages that allow you to completely bypass the limitation. If all the gadget limitations were placed directly in the staff (its not like he can use the MA without an ER anyway)

Oh the ER isn't on the stick so he will get one use with out the stick... an even if he was empty with out the stick he can still use the MA, he will just be at -11 HP...

he just can't detect the supernatural or recharge his ER with out his stick.

Now as a GM even if I decided in the end it passed the bar, I would veto it based on the Breakable + Unique aspect simply I could never bring my self to gimp him in play by breaking something he can't replace. However that a personal play style issue. I mean I have no problem stealing the stick from him... because with effort he can get it back.

[Fnordianslip]

That's currently a very odd build you've got there. Frankly, the entire staff gives ER regeneration combined with items that provide ER thing seems pretty munchkinny. Not to mention your disads are all pretty vague. I mean, Duty to Dragonslayer? Sorcerer's Code combined with SoD to Sorcerers, wouldn't there already be some crossover here? And what, are Sorcerers such second class citizens that they deserve a -10 point Social Stigma? Basically what I'm seeing is a two dimensional character who's entirely dependent on his gadgets. This whole setup basically demands that any GM who lets you play it immediately has someone walk up, take the staff from your ST9 weakling, and beat him with it.

[gilbertocarlos]

you have 10FP, and need to spend 30FP for using modular abilities, this means that each time you use it, you lose 30FP and consequently, 20HP, and then, do a HT check to stay alive, and in some seconds, fall dead or unconscious to the ground.

Also, Duty(other sorcerers) is probably only -5 points unless magic is real common(like a bunch of them in a village)

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by gilbertocarlos

you have 10FP, and need to spend 30FP for using modular abilities, this means that each time you use it, you lose 30FP and consequently, 20HP, and then, do a HT check to stay alive, and in some seconds, fall dead or unconscious to the ground.

You Missed his Energy Reserve 25, which he can ad to to his 10 FP for paying that 30 fatigue cost.... it just that with out his stick he can't recharge his ER.

[Snaps]

Originally Posted by Fnordianslip

That's currently a very odd build you've got there. Frankly, the entire staff gives ER regeneration combined with items that provide ER thing seems pretty munchkinny. Not to mention your disads are all pretty vague. I mean, Duty to Dragonslayer? Sorcerer's Code combined with SoD to Sorcerers, wouldn't there already be some crossover here? And what, are Sorcerers such second class citizens that they deserve a -10 point Social Stigma? Basically what I'm seeing is a two dimensional character who's entirely dependent on his gadgets. This whole setup basically demands that any GM who lets you play it immediately has someone walk up, take the staff from your ST9 weakling, and beat him with it.

I don't see anything munkiney about the build. The energy regen is pretty much what every mage in a video game gets. (Skyrim, Ultima Online, WoW, etc.). Will and the Word or Channeling was what I was going for.

As for the other stuff here is a little setting info:

A hundred years or so ago mages nearly destroyed the world, leaving the world in chaos and with a permanent banestorm in place of the old capital. Now mages are hunted by the remains of the human empire, and killed or enslaved.

My character was trained by one of the last surviving archmages and feels that it is his duty to protect and train other mages he encounters before the empire wipes them all out. He is also the last member of a mages cabal who were sworn to protect the common man from dragons. Without the mages the dragons have grown vastly in number.

Not sure why everyone hates the staff? I actually made a mage where his staff is important to him! (But I would live if it was taken or destroyed)