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I looked upon the scene before me - upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain - upon the bleak walls upon the vacant eye-like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees - with an utter depression of the soul, which I can compare to no earthly sensation… - Edgar Allan Poe * There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy - William Shakespeare * No Man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks. - Mary Wollstonecraft * Tell me the news, again, whatever it is... sorrow and I are hardly strangers. I can bear the worst. ― Sophocles






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How to use your powers; On Disciplines and conflict resolution in general
Topic Started: Jul 12 2015, 06:12 PM (621 Views)
Featherstone
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The purpose of this board is to write fascinating stories and live imaginary adventures in the world we create together. This means it's a board for role-players, not for roll-players. Whatever power our characters have is meant to be a narrative device, not to stomp on other characters, for no apparent reason than score more 'win' cookies.

However, having said this (and coming back from the World of Nerdy Ideas to what could happen in daily gaming), how should you deal with IC conflict? Two characters are contesting each other, either physically or mentally - who wins? This is especially important when Discipline use is involved, since our beloved supernatural powers can have a huge impact, not only on a single scene but also on the future of the characters involved.

There are several solutions. The first two are based on interpretation, the last one introduces a mechanical alternative. All are acceptable, so see what works better for you and for your scene.

1) The preferred option, in most cases, is to discuss what to do with the other player(s) and decide how you want your story to evolve. In some cases, you'll find that allowing the other character to "win" can lead to more engaging developments than simply staying safe.

For instance, our characters might interact only because a successful application of Auspex let us know we are both vampires; you may approach me only because you read my mind, while otherwise you'd have ignored me. And it goes both ways: I may decide my Auspex isn't working well tonight, if we want to have a lengthy, awkward interaction where I can't be sure whether you are a vampire; or, a whole plot may be possible only because I trust you when I really should not.

This can work in cases of more heathen conflict as well: we might figure out a solution that is satisfactory for both (this will often involve some form of compromise: you may agree to be Entranced for a while, or to have some temporary derangement; you may not want to be brainwashed into a zombie or to have schizophrenia, catatonia and a severe phobia of streets for years because that would make your character unplayable); or go once more for the outcome that could lead to a more dramatic development; one may actually -want- that streetphobia as a new challenge for his character, or might even decide that a meaningful death is an appropriate conclusion to their story. Of course, communication is especially important in case of extreme outcomes.

What about the cases, however, when such a solution can't be found? This leads to options #2 and #3...

2) You may have noticed that characters profiles come with their sheets and statistics. The primary use of such stats is to have a more defined idea of your character's strengths and weaknesses. Even when you are not rolling dice, taking a look to them will give you a hint on what outcome is more likely.

Say, if I have Strength 1 and no kind of fighting skill and you have Strength 4, Brawl 5 and Potence 3, guess who's got better hopes to win a purely physical fight? Or, my Dominate has more chances to be successful if I have Manipulation 5 + Leadership 4 and your Willpower is 2, than if I have low Social traits, no Leadership whatsoever and your Willpower is up to 10.

...Yes, I am getting technical here, but the bottom line is: see how good you are at what you're trying to do; this will give you a hint on what could happen. Be realistic: realism is what makes fantasy possible.

3) Sometimes, however, the solution is still not obvious; or you want to give the underdog a chance; or you want to add some actual element of randomness to your scene; or... whatever reason you might have, really. If that is the case, you can refer to the system established for each power and use this diceroller - or another one of your liking.

Make your roll and state the result in a spoiler at the bottom of the page; post a screenshot if you can't trust each other on your gentlemanly honour ^^.

Aura Perception Roll


See? Now I can tell whether your aura is pale or not, but I have no idea how you feel or anything else.

Please note, even if you like using dice to decide the outcome of your actions, don't reduce your scene to a series of links. Be descriptive and inspired as I know you can be ^^; mechanics are a tool, not the final goal.
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My characters: Lavinia Alberti - Dina Marangon - Jessica Marra
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