How to make a Treesinging abilities

[nerdvana]

I'm trying to figure out how to make a treesinging ability for my game. This is just like the ability from the Wheel of Time books/RPG.

Basically can do these things:

• Heal damaged or diseased trees
• Cause trees to grow to enormous sizes
• Create wooden objects by having a tree grow the item (read about this here)

The first is the Healing power (limited to trees only I figure), would the second be growth?, unsure at all on the third.

I was hoping that either (a) its been written up and my Google-fu has failed me looking for it or (b) someone could give me some suggestions on how to start this.

***** EDITED CONTENTS BELOW *****
This thread is going to contain the results of the work I am putting into this project. Below is a list of contents of the meaty bits of the treesinging power.

1. Treesinging (Basic Description)
2. Treesinging Abilities, Basic (and the crunch, including the power talent, the power skill, and an available perk)
3. Treesinging Abilities, Advanced: Treesinging Woodcraft (and the crunch, including a related disadvantage called Weak Woodcrafting and two available perks)
4. Treesinging Abilities, Advanced: Green Support (includes crunch, including an available perk) [Requires Treesinging Woodcraft]
5. Treesinging Abilities, Advanced: Song of Growth (and the crunch, including a technique and two available perks) [Requires Treesinging Woodcraft]
6. Treesinging Abilities, Advanced: Commune with Plants (description and crunch)
7. Treesinging Abilities, Advanced: Commune with Nature (description and crunch) [Requires Commune with Plants]

[Anaraxes]

(3) could be Create Linked with Control with an Environmental limitation. Snatcher is the other base for creating items.

If (2) only causes trees to grow within their natural limits, it could be construed as an aging attack. (Not that Growth isn't a better answer; just throwing out alternatives.)

[WingedKagouti]

The third would be Snatcher with Permanent, Specialized (Wood), Creation, Large Items, and More Weight (the last three are from Powers). Specialized should probably be -25% since it's more limiting than No Metal -20%, but still quite versatile.

Healing and Growth seem to fit the other two abilities fine.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by nerdvana

I'm trying to figure out how to make a treesinging ability for my game. This is just like the ability from the Wheel of Time books/RPG.

Cool. A good series if a bit dry towards the middle.

Originally Posted by nerdvana

• Heal damaged or diseased trees

As you pointed out this is Healing. Modify that with "Accessibility, Plants Only, -25%" or "Accessibility, Living Plants Only, -25%." I also wrote a blog post on Healing in general here.

Originally Posted by nerdvana

• Cause trees to grow to enormous sizes

This is basically Control Wood with Vital Manipulation to allow it to affect living targets and Extended Duration to make it last after you stop concentrating. Edit: You could go with Affliction (Growth) but you end up needing to add extra levels of ST too and that gets annoying (IME).

Originally Posted by nerdvana

• Create wooden objects by having a tree grow the item (read about this here)

This is Create Wood with Transformation only and a skill roll against a appropriate creation skill.

Originally Posted by nerdvana

I was hoping that either (a) its been written up and my Google-fu has failed me looking for it or (b) someone could give me some suggestions on how to start this.

I actually wrote up "Plant Telepathy" (I jokingly call it "florakinesis") in Pyramid #3/49: World-Hopping. Treesinging was a inspiration for some of the abilities.

[thulben]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I jokingly call it "florakinesis"

Wouldn't that be the ability to move plants? How about "flore(o)pathy"?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by thulben

Wouldn't that be the ability to move plants? How about "flore(o)pathy"?

It actually includes both telepathy and telekinetic abilities - just relating to plants.

[Gef]

Ghostdancer>You could go with Affliction (Growth) but you end up needing to add extra levels of ST too and that gets annoying (IME).

I like it; I have something similar in my mutants campaign, except that it's for animals. The way to make it work is with the enhancement (for Affliction) Cumulative, and I also do a little handwaving: The Affliction adds POINTS to ST, and since ST gets cheaper with size, the result is that each application adds a level of size and enough ST to sustain it.

Afflict (Growth and 30 points of ST, Cumulative) [90].

Target has SM0, ST 10, gets SM1 (3yd tall) and ST 16 (NFM -40%, SM -10%).

Next application, SM 2 (5yd tall) and ST 25 (NFM -40%, SM 2 -20%).

3rd application, SM 3 (7yd tall) and ST 40 (NFM -40%, SM 3 -30%).

4th application, SM 4 (10yd tall) and ST 70 (NFM -40%, SM 4 -40%).

5th application, SM 5 (15yd tall) and ST 85 (max discount 80%).

6th application, SM 6 (20yd tall) and ST 100 (max discount 80%).

7th application, SM 7 (30yd tall) but ST 115 is less than the required 150; work out with the GM what happens then. I'd rule that you could swing it with Extra Effort, and that an 8th application would be impossible.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Gef

Ghostdancer>You could go with Affliction (Growth) but you end up needing to add extra levels of ST too and that gets annoying (IME).

I like it; I have something similar in my mutants campaign, except that it's for animals. The way to make it work is with the enhancement (for Affliction) Cumulative, and I also do a little handwaving: The Affliction adds POINTS to ST, and since ST gets cheaper with size, the result is that each application adds a level of size and enough ST to sustain it.

Afflict (Growth and 30 points of ST, Cumulative) [90].

Target has SM0, ST 10, gets SM1 (3yd tall) and ST 16 (NFM -40%, SM -10%).

Next application, SM 2 (5yd tall) and ST 25 (NFM -40%, SM 2 -20%).

3rd application, SM 3 (7yd tall) and ST 40 (NFM -40%, SM 3 -30%).

4th application, SM 4 (10yd tall) and ST 70 (NFM -40%, SM 4 -40%).

5th application, SM 5 (15yd tall) and ST 85 (max discount 80%).

6th application, SM 6 (20yd tall) and ST 100 (max discount 80%).

7th application, SM 7 (30yd tall) but ST 115 is less than the required 150; work out with the GM what happens then. I'd rule that you could swing it with Extra Effort, and that an 8th application would be impossible.

Interesting. I still prefer Control (it lets you do more), but that too is workable.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Cool. A good series if a bit dry towards the middle.

Not adapting the series, just borrowing a concept from it (and other places) for the elves in my world.

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

This is basically Control Wood with Vital Manipulation to allow it to affect living targets and Extended Duration to make it last after you stop concentrating. Edit: You could go with Affliction (Growth) but you end up needing to add extra levels of ST too and that gets annoying (IME).

Control Wood seems to be the best option... but where is Vital Manipulation as a modifier?

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

This is Create Wood with Transformation only and a skill roll against a appropriate creation skill.

Again, cannot find this modifier (Transformation only).

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I actually wrote up "Plant Telepathy" (I jokingly call it "florakinesis") in Pyramid #3/49: World-Hopping. Treesinging was a inspiration for some of the abilities.

That's pretty cool. Excellent resource for what I intend to do.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

If (2) only causes trees to grow within their natural limits, it could be construed as an aging attack. (Not that Growth isn't a better answer; just throwing out alternatives.)

Definitely need it to include growth beyond natural limits. It is how elves get gigantic trees to live in.