Grymmie

Sounds like you've got a good handle on it all! Always makes things clearer hearing all sides of any situation. That said, it does sound like its a wise thing to watch how far bonuses and modifiers are pushed, if there are not strong safeguards in place. As I said in another thread, I am very new to this game (not RPGs in general, been gaming and GMing for nearly 40 years), but I do not yet know the ins and outs of this system. So, hearing this is actually helpful as it gives me insight to some of the wackiness that could occur if I don't pay close attention.

Aha! Okay...I was picturing a lantern-bearer or something...which could still be cool...

I may be viewing this incorrectly, but there seem to be a number of things your FM takes issue with that the player characters are attempting. Maybe there's more of a core issue at work here, like different views on what kind of game the FM wants to run vs. the kind of game the players want to play in. Did you guys do a Session Zero theme/plot planning session at all? And if I am seeing this wrong, then I apologize. Certainly not trying to assume, only help...

Scientist-types would be cool too...a luck-driven archaeologist is an OBVIOUS example, although I suppose Academic and Engineer might cover those, at least in concept. I definitely like the idea of an investigator, journalist, and smuggler. What would a "beaconer" be?

I'm new to the game. I own the first edition, but hadn't really started getting into this until the second edition. Therefore, I am a raw recruit at all of this. But I am confused. When I read what the Oxfordian Mage does, it allows you to split AP costs for spells. Okay, so you take extra time on your spells. Gotcha. That's pretty potent, especially when casting outside of Dramatic Time. Okay, I am good there. Next, I read the Enhancement spell (mental or physical, it doesn't really matter), and it says it raises your stat by +1 to your Aspects (so that's +1 to all of them, nice!) to a max of 5. Okay, so 4s go to 5, 3s to 4, and so on. Cool. This lasts for 1 minute. Right. Range of 1 yard. Gotcha. Now, you want to increase it to a day...so that's 4 extra time steps, which is +8 TN. So now we're at a base TN of 18 to add +1 to all Aspects of one category or the other for 1 day. To get that TN remotely under control...say back to its TN of 10 or less, you're going to add +3 AP, lowering the TN to 9. The spell gets cast at the end of the second round and gives the target a nice boost for a full day. Groovy. If you wanted to buff their same Aspect category a second time, you have to cast the spell a second time, which automatically ups the TN by another +3. So, you take a little longer to cast it, and boom. Cast. So, walking through this, I get it. I see where things go wrong. Its the Oxfordian boost. Its allowing you to use additional AP on a spell in a way that probably wasn't intended. As a ref of many many years, I would immediately argue against removing the ability. That's penalizing creative thinking and that's never okay. Instead, what about a sliding reduction in adding additional AP? First one lowers the TN by -3, second one by -2, third by -1, and fourth and beyond have no impact on the TN of the spell? This limits the added AP TN reduction to a maximum of -6, thereby eliminating the mega-stacking of a year's duration to a buff spell, or whatever. Now, I am sure that veterans of the system will immediately see problems with this suggestion, but on a simple reading, that's where my alarms go off...the Oxfordian boost. Everything else actually works out due to escalating TN or the inability to stretch the AP beyond what can be done in a single round.

I appreciate all of the perspectives on this. Not because I have someone using it, but because its awesome, creative dialogue. thank you.

Yeah, but being Invested comes with its own complications (or benefits, if you are touring near Ampersand...) I guess my main callout for it is the fact that there is also Blissful Ignorance which offers a more limited Horror duel resistance (granted, its one of those "cover your flaws" Talents...which I LOVE), and Frozen Heart is a LOT more effective as a Talent (on a Talent-per-Talent comparison of efficiency versus economy). So, unless your FM is paying strict heed to Frozen Heart's fluff text (and they *should* be doing exactly that), there's no real downside to suddenly being immune to Horror...which in certain situations is HUGE. I realize you guys are pointing out that it won't come up all that often, but if you are running a horror-oriented, Wild West-type game (think Deadlands, only cooler), then being immune to horror and paralysis for the meager cost of a single Talent (and with no prereqs, to boot), that's a huge boon. But you did answer my question...its an invisible string cost, which is absolutely fine by me. And judging by some of the other threads here, this game does not seem geared and worked towards mechanical balance as much as it is towards awesome storytelling and urging the tabletop to balance their own. And I am totally okay with that, too (in fact, it is usually how I prefer things and then kicking stuff when it comes up as being too silly/too easy to achieve awesome plus, when awesome will suffice).

Just asking for opinions (and rationalizations, perhaps), but does anyone find the Frozen Heart talent to a be a bit overpowered for a talent with no mechanical requirements? I get the potential RP limitations, but its seems very potent for a single talent. Maybe its just me, or maybe I am not seeing the invisible strings... Thoughts?

Hey! That's awesome. I appreciate the direct reply. You guys have created a great product and the setting is amazing. Well worth the wait.

I get that its an alien world and all that. Its one of the things I like. While I still think the reasoning behind simple animal stats is sound and lacking in the RPG as it stands, it is certainly not the end of the world and something relatively easily rectified. For primals and shapechangers, I think, it would be an important element.

In reading Through the Breach, and its various supplements, I have found a decided lack of common animals (such as wolves, bears, etc). There are a few similar beasts (guard dog, horse, maybe the mauler or hoarcat...kind of), but a lack of more "common" animals. Since we have the Primal and Shapeshifter pursuits, that seems a little unjust. Am I missing something? Is there a more exhaustive resource for these things? Or is it something I will have to craft on my own?