Mistergone

So I started this thread asking one question, but now it's kind of morphed into another one: Do conditions transferred by Innocence retain their expiration (i.e. Leaving base contact w/ Grave Spirit, or until end of game with Chi +1), or do they all simply last until end of turn. If it's the latter, then Chiaki's ability really isn't good for moving Chi in a Yan Lo Crew. You're going to activate Chiaki late to get the most out of Manipulative- probably after all of your other Ancestors. If The Chi is going to disappear at the end of the turn, why wouldn't you just leave it on Chiaki, where it lasts the whole game? Which makes me think Solkan has the right idea- the conditions she moves with Innocence last just as long as they would have if they were still on Chiaki herself.

I can understand inheriting the condition's expiration (in this case, being outside base contact of Grave Spirit). Otherwise, the Chi condition she passes wouldn't last until the end of the game. But I always assumed that the condition only consisted of the text between the quotation marks

I apologize if this has been answered somewhere else in the Forums- I couldn't find it. Here's the scenario: Chiaki is in base contact with the Grave Spirit. She Gains Armor +2 thanks to Strength From Below. At the start of her activation, she uses Innocence to move the Armor Condition to another model. What happens? A. The targeted model gains Armor +2 and Chiaki loses Armor +2. B. The targeted model gains Armor +2 and Chiaki loses Armor +2, but then immediately re-gains Armor +2 from being in base contact with the Grave Spirit. C. Nothing. Armor +2 is treated as "printed" on Chiaki, making it an Ability rater than a Condition (i.e. not a legal target for Innocence ) D. None of the Above? Thanks!

I would say no. They would get a Positive Twist on Evade Skill checks (i.e. to get out of the way falling debris) but a Resist Duel uses the derived aspect- not the skill itself. I would say also that any suit attached to the skill (through specialized skill, for instance) becomes part of the derived aspect. The suit is part of the "value" of the skill along with the rating.

Make it a spell effect bound to the item (Focus) itself. It would behave like a Manifest Power only usable when equipped with the Focus. I don't know what combination Magia/Immuto you're using, but a player might even craft such an item themselves by using a Soulstone to make a permanent spell effect applied to the Focus. I'd probably have them make an extended challenge of Artefacting + Spell Skill + Harnes Soulstone to do so. Chaining a Genus is a quick way to shave some TN off of your spell. It deliberately weakens the spell to make it easier to cast.

Oh, believe me- I don't consider it an attack. I just like to argue! And I guess my argument boils down to, Yes there's a rule (there'd be no such thing as manifest powers if there wasn't). I just question whether the rule as worded fits the definition of a "mechanic" How many angels can dance on the head of a pin, right? Anyhow, I think this forum is a fun place to share some of the creative things we've done as FMs with rules like Manifest Powers. If it works for one group of players, it can work again.

I completely agree, which was one of the reasons I was so excited about Manifest Powers- it struck me as a rule designed to be broken

The Crossroads Tarot is a mechanic. Talents and Pursuits are mechanics. Duels, Twists, and cheating fate are mechanics. Players don't need a Fatemaster's sanction or supervision to understand or apply any of these rules. Manifest Powers seem to me to be a suggestion. You're insisting it's a rule, but then in the very same breath you talk about all the ways you deviate from it to make the game more fun for your players. If it's a rule, why not let your players create their own Manifest Powers? Just like they would select a new Talent at a Pursuit step? Zeedlee, you made some very pointed criticisms of my suggested drawback for Hedge Magic (forcing the player to roleplay advancing their Magic rather than just advancing Magic skills via the Pursuit Talent). I think you were concerned that a rule like that would be too subjective to the whims of the Fatemaster. That rule is ironclad compared to what's in the book for Manifest Powers. Finite list of Magia and Immuto aside, there really isn't anything more subjective in terms of what you can do. But I concede. It's a rule- albeit a rule that encourages you to make your own rules, "Create these abilities using the game mechanics we already put in place- or not. Your call."

That was my comment, so I'll take the time to defend it. The rules for creating a Manifest Power are, as you say, on pg. 228. Here's some of what that rule says: "Manifested Powers are created in much the same way as casting spells (by combining spell elements)... Manifested Powers can never be changed, but are effectively abilities that a character has available at all times." Ok, so this supports your argument- the Manifest Power is like a spell, but isn't. It's sort of like having Mastered Magia and Mastered Immuto that you can only use in some static combination. Let's read on. "Unlike Casting a spell, a Manifest Power has no restrictions on what spell elements may be selected..." Okayyy. So, wait, what restrictions are we talking about? The restriction on only taking one Genus or Elemental Immuto (or two for Balanced 5)? Let's assume that's what they mean. "The character is free to create the spell from any spell elements, not just those that might be in a Grimoire." And that's where the wheels fall off. What kind of a spell element "might not be in a grimoire"? Couldn't ANY Magia or Immuto from the book potentially be in a Grimoire? This is how I read that rule: "Feel free to make up your own Magia and Immuto". And this is why I say it isn't a "mechanic". A mechanic is a designed feature of the game that creates a set of rules. It's meant to preserve balance. Creating Spells follows a specific "mechanic" in that it uses a skill and an aspect to create a spell duel that has a set effect based on a set TN. The possible combinations are limited by the player's grimoire and the Magia and Immuto they've mastered. The player is more or less in control. Manifest Powers have no such restrictions. The FM is in control. You could create any combination of Magia and Immuto, regardless of how broken. If that weren't enough, if you tire of the Magia and Immuto in the book you can make your own out of thin air. That means the FM is effectively setting the TN of the ability- including the suit requirement and Aspect/Skill used to create the AV. Page 228 provides a "blueprint"- a suggestion of how one might cobble together a Manifest power. They even give an example. But for something that's mentioned throughout the book, the three paragraphs that describe Manifest Powers are light on "mechanics" and big on ambiguity. And I think this was intended, and actually brilliant. Manifest Powers make for an awesome Character Advancement reward because it throws "mechanics" out the window and allows you as FM to reward your characters as you see fit. It can be used as a tool to re-balance the combat potential of your players or give them an edge in completing challenges you know they'll be facing. Or just for making them feel special and cool. "Mechanics" don't do that- it's all the FM.

We might just have very different gaming groups on this one… Sadly, I have a two power gamers in my group. They’re nice enough guys- and I’ve been gaming with them for more than a decade- but they live to “win”. They’ll break combat for everyone if I let them. Which is why I want to identify any imbalance issues now- so I don’t have to metagame later. This may again just be a difference in style. I'm not advocating just handing over all of the tools. I'm just advocating letting the desire to pursue a Magical Theory be enough to get one (whenever the FM deems it is time). This may be because a mundane character came across a grimoire and now wants to study it, or because they have seen magic and are now wanting to find a grimoire to try and unlock their own potential. Similar to how the magic skills in the hands of the nonmagical are effectively just knowledge skills, I think mundane characters shifting into magical Pursuits can do so from an "academic" origin point. We’re in agreement. I’m just suggesting that, just as a non-magical player would have to spend XP to raise his Magical Skills, so too should that player have to invest a General Talent in gaining the theory. I wouldn’t want a player to just gain a Magical Theory out of the blue- which I see now is where my wording of this House Rule falls short. There’s absolutely a roleplaying path to even having the opportunity to take one. But from a purely character advancement mechanics/balance standpoint, I think I want my guys to make that Talent investment before they get invited to Hogwarts. Elemental Projectile TN3 , Damage 1/2/3 Reduce Damage x2: -2 to TN for a TN1 , and Damage 0/0/1 It would actually be 1/1/1, after two applications of Reduce Damage if I’m not mistaken. The spell has to do damage to apply the Condition. Fire Immuto x5: +10 to TN for a TN11 , and Damage 0/0/1, and apply Burning+5 condition. (My bad for calling the condition Fire) The mage needs to pull a 5 or higher with your proposed stats (ignoring suit due to specialization). A rather easy flip, but by no means guranteed. If my math is right- with a fresh deck and 3 Twist cards, the player has about a 92% chance of succeeding. He’d pretty much need to flip the Black Joker to fail. Once it’s out of the deck, it goes off something like 98% of the time, This is not even close tot he Henchman killer proposed (I'm guessing there was a mistake in the TN+2 cost of Fire translating to Burning+2, when it's actually Burning+1). Burning +10 comes from casting the (1) AP spell twice and having it stack. However, even if it were a Burning+10 that player still needs to actually hit the Henchman who has a TN of defense+9. Just going with a zeroed out statline that means the player needs to beat an 11. But you’re right about the Henchman TN. I was thinking it was DF+7 (Enforcer is +7), and I was assuming a DF of 4. I'll go with the Guild Sergeant as an initial template for an explanation as to why this powerful spell is dangerous, but not game-breaking (though again, when I replicated the spell it wasn't nearly as dangerous): Defense 4 (11 with Enforcer) Armor +1 Wounds 10 This Sergeant would actually be ok. The Armor+1 would negate the damage of the spell and Burning would never get applied. The player would have to drop one or both of the Reduce Damage Immuto (increasing the TN) and then deal at least Moderate damage, twice. I’m not going to do the math, but I’m guessing that the odds are worse than a coin toss. Ultimately though, I was trying to give an example of Xtreme -Cheez ® that a starting player could pull off right out of the gate. There are no doubt cheesier things that can be done, and especially once a player has mastered a few of the more useful Immuto. I just wanted to identify and reign in some of that exploitation. I have a friend (maybe thankfully not a player in my game) who is notorious for breaking systems… maybe I’ll consult him to find out where the REAL exploits are. Because, you’re right, limiting a Mage to 3, sometimes 2, Immuto on a spell could be underpowering Magic and making the game less fun for those players. In something closer to seriousness, maybe suits really could just be adjusted to add to AV rather than just triggers? It's still not the greatest fix, but at least makes them equally useful for casters and critical strikers. You may be right. I just feel like it might still not be worth taking considering the rarity of Soulstones, the cost of raising the skill, and how transient a benefit that ends up being (why don’t I just raise my Spell Skill instead, for +1AV on every spell?). I want Soulstones to be like – Limit Break from FF7 (lol), but right now they’re less useful than your Twist deck. The Oxford Method I missed the Calm and Collected problem as well. I think one of th easiest ways to promost AP2+ spells would be to throw a at AP1 and 0 spells, and a flip at AP2+ spells. Perhaps even make Extra AP reduce the TN of the spell even more than it already does. Maybe TN-5 instead of the -3 that it is by default? Yeah- back to the drawing board on this one. The Whisper In that case I actually like this one quite a bit. Though I still think you need to rule as to whether or not Undead can be applied to Raise Undead, or if Raise Undead already counts as benefiting from The Whisper bonus (I would rule that yes it does since that spell is rather core to the theme). Raise Undead is Necromancy, so it would get the bonus either way. At first glance, (and this is me as FM, I’m not saying this is the rule in the book) I would say that you could use the Raise Undead + Undead Immuto combo to take control of an Undead Minion for some duration. You would have to beat some TN- maybe 14- to do so. Raise Undead itself is time limited, so this would be like hitting the refresh on your (or someone else’s) Undead minion. I say Minion, because I wouldn’t want players taking control of, say, Bête Noire… Now, Subsume Corpse + Undead, or Subsume Corpse + Living! What do we do there!? J The Darlin Theories Alternatively, if you wanted to maintain the Pneumatic Focus but make it less of a pain, you could go with something like, "Must always apply Focus Immuto to magia, but the resulting -TN is reduced/halved/ignored/whatever. Darlin Theorists effectively have Mastered Immuto: Focus." I was thinking of a wording similar to that, but at the end of the day I felt the “Focus Object as spell requirement” belonged with Tradition Magic. Again, these were just suggestions. I know some of them ended up being dig departures from the book mechanics. I did, however, try to preserve the theme of the individual Theories. The Court Procedure Hmmm... given that, what if the drawback was instead to any spell which causes damage instead of to damage flips? That or boosted TN for damaging spells and whatnot. To me that seems to match up better with focusing on slinging nondamaging spells instead of just being bad at causing damage (that and the Fire Immuto is a good way to avoid the to damage if you really wanted to game that system). This adjustment would mean that all of the Elemental [Keyword] spells would end up getting a as well as any spell to which a player applies an immuto which adds damage. I may change it to “Any spell resisted by DF gets a Negative Twist to Damage”, but then the work-around is the Immuto that switches the resist stat. I just like how succinct the wording for this ended up being. Both the advantage and drawback are simple, 1 sentence rules. But the drawback may be too much of a handicap after all. The Thalarian Doctrine Fair enough. Now the Guild feels like some awful magic illness. "I used to be a sorceror, but then I caught Thalarian." Witchling Stalkers wake up every morning and say this very thing. Though I would propose changing the language from "Skill duels" to "Spell skill duels" so that you don't accidentally give Death Marshall advanced pursuit characters an extra requirement to use Pine Box (which is thankfully labled a Manifest Power). Good idea. The Balanced Five I want my Bury to inflict Spirit Fire so that anyone I bury in the bowels of hell takes irreducible Burning damage. Or maybe I want to my Beckon to inflict the target with Horrifying Poison. Perhaps I want to Wrench an opponents innards with Lightning which comes forth from roots which Naturally entangle them in place. All very cool combos. But understand that you’re departing from the rulebook here. None of these spells can technically inflict these conditions because none of them do any damage. The combos are legal, but you have to damage the defender and then the condition is applied. But personally, I allow stuff like this. The first time we played, I had a player who took Hedge Magic. He had to apply Fire to Physical Enhancement. But we ran with it- he looked like a Super Saiyn from Dragon Ball Z when the spell went off, and I didn’t inflict him with Burning but he definitely got penalties to sneak checks. But then I come right back to another problem: in the Evade/Centering version your Counterspelling is really only useful for Defense duels since your Willpower will be equal to or better than your Counterspelling. It’ll be useless to both. Evade is to DF what Centering is to WP. You can still use it to protect others… but why would you waste the XP? Maybe I can come up with a better drawback. Hedge Magic However, I disagree that the original is useless. In fact, given the exact wording in the book it is really really REALLY broken. "...the Immuto never raises the TN of his Spells" and you're allowed to choose Elemental Immutos? Assuming our favorite for this discussion: Fire, you now get Burning+INFINITE. Now, no sane person would ever let this fly, but by the written rule, that is exactly what a Fire Hedge Magician can do (it should really read, "The first application of the chosen immuto never adds to the TN of the spell.") Yeah, it’s worded badly. We ruled that it’s the first Immuto, and subsequent applications are full price. …as I showed earlier, you can very easily apply Elemental immutos to tons of magia, but when Hedge is used with Genus it becomes rather cool (free Spirit Genus!), but extremely limiting (I can only hit spirits!) You can- if you use House Rules. And I agree, being forced to use a Genus Immuto every time removes too much of the versatility of Magic. The rest of it is just fluff preferences, so we can just do whatever. I'm not sure your disadvantage really hurts as much as others do unless the mage absolutely never casts or the FM just never feels like putting magic skills in the player's list, but it is definitely rather cool given your version of the fluff. It’s as big a disadvantage as the FM wants to make it, I suppose. I would personally make it tough, but then find ways to reward a player who went through all those hurdles to become a competent Mage. Tradition Magic Hmmm... with your interpretation of Tradition you could effectively make it look like the book's version of Hedge magic, except open it up to any Immuto (but the Immuto will always have full TN effect). Or as I proposed with Darlin above, require a Focus, but either give reduced or no TN benefit. Oddly enough due to the nature of this one being a "pass it down" method, maybe you could also just take a disadvantage from another theory? I think it's actually fine in the -3 form, though as discussed above I think there are more interesting ways to get a mechanic to reflect the feel you want. I agree. I think I’d like to make the Focus Object the principle part of this, like we discussed for Darlin.

While I understand the purpose of this is to open up magic to characters who don't start as one of the three magical pursuits, I feel as if it robs players who want to start with these pursuits of a significant choice opportunity. I disagree- I think getting Magic and another General talent on top of that is a little unbalancing. Besides, that General Talent is almost always going to be Specialized Skill: (insert Magic skill here) so that the player starts with the suit they need for their go-to spell. Making a mechanic for gaining magic is cool and all, but I really feel FMs should just let their players get magical talents if they want them during the story. Though I do like how this idea lets a starting character in another pursuit have the ability to cast spells, but that also feels a bit wonky since they can't really start with a grimoire (since if we use other pursuit starting equipment as equivalents, a grimoire with two magia and three immuto is worth between 20 and 25 script.) This suggestion is merely meant to balance newly created characters. It’s actually meant to take the emphasis off of the Magical Theory and place it on finding the Grimoire. You wouldn’t hand a player a 30 scrip pistol just because they switched Pursuit to Gunslinger. Likewise, I wouldn’t just hand a player a useable Grimoire for switching their pursuit. Otherwise, why bother starting in a magic pursuit at all? It’s not worth giving up all that starting equipment just to get a Grimoire and a Magic Theory that the FM is just going to hand to you anyways when you change Pursuit. So, if that’s the direction the player wants to take, they have some work to do. Building up Magical Skills (which they’ll need to role-play for if they want them available at Epilogue) and spending a General Talent to gain a Magical Theory seems a suitable character advancement cost for gaining Magic. Now, when they make that jump to a magic Pursuit, they’re ready to find that Grimoire- they’ve paid their dues. I played around with this idea for awhile as well, but then I realized that it really just rewarded players for writing out every permutation of magia and immuto ahead of time, and didn't really solve the "problem" of creating spells on the fly. Is your goal here to sort of force a DnD Wizard playstyle upon casting in Malifaux? Or is it to try and prevent cases of the Focus immuto or chained Genus immuto not really meaning anything? (that last question is the problem I'm still struggling with) This rule is strictly a house rule- I’m not suggesting anyone make it official. I find that players dinking around with new Magia/Immuto combinations in combat slows things down too much. Unless they’re Johnny-on-the-spot with calculating TNs, I don’t want them discovering their Grimoire for the first time in the heat of battle. Also, I allow some Magia/Immuto combinations that don’t “make sense” in the rules- so I like to be able to work with the player on defining what all the effects are. Combat just isn’t the time. On the surface I like this idea, but in the end I think it will be far too limiting. With a standard skill max of 5 you will never be allowed more than five immuto per magia, and for the Elemental Projectile/Strike magia with their low starting TN, that ends up being a huge limiter on what a character with 5 ranks, a high (let's say 4) aspect, and a high card in their Twist Hand can do. For example, 5 ranks + 4 aspect + 13 card = 22. With a starting TN of 3 and only five immuto allocations would only allow this theoretical spell to reach Burning +5 with a TN of 13. That's 9 potential TN wasted for a caster that truly wants to throw everything they have. I honestly think the best way to limit things getting out of control (as I imagine the idea behind this was to prevent players from stacking -TN immuto to make more space for +TN immuto) is to really just limit what immuto each grimoire has access to. Forget the 4 Aspect/5 Skill mage for a moment. Take a Starting Mage with a 3 Intellect and a 3 Sorcery Skill. He took Tradition Magic and Specialized Skill: Sorcery to get a Tome- because why wouldn’t he? He has Elemental Projectile, Fire, and Reduce Damage in his Grimoire. He casts Elemental Projectile with Firex5 and Reduce Damage x2 twice in a turn to inflict the “Burning +10” condition on an enemy FMC. All he has to do is flip two 5’s- and he has positive Twists to do this and a hand full of cards to cheat with. So now, I have a starting character with the potential to one-shot a Henchman-level FMC EVERY TURN. My choices seem to be: micromanage his Grimoire (which is no fun for either of us) or limit the combinations of Immuto he can use. I chose the latter. Your hypothetical uber-Mage is still going to get plenty of positive twists on his damage flips for all those degrees of success even if we limit his Immuto. But now he’s inclined to take the Mastered Immuto Talent to expand his choices beyond what’s currently in his Grimoire, and now there’s an added benefit to raising his Skill that goes beyond a +1 bump to AV. While this does help with the whole "soulstones aren't that useful to mages" problem, I actually don't think that problemm exists (as long as Additional Suit is an available immuto, which I would almost be tempted to say it should be considered a Mastered Immuto for every caster because of how much suit manipulation matters to them). This idea also only works with the immuto application roadblock from the previously quoted part, which then prevents a character from going all-out unless they have a soulstone. This can be good, but the question is: Do you want soulstones to be used to augment powers, or to unlock powers? To unlock powers. Using a Soulstone is Magic on steroids. It unlocks possibilities that weren't there before. Also, as the Book Rule is written, the suit from Harness Soulstone can only be used for declaring Triggers- not for meeting the requirement of the Additional Suit Immuto- as you suggest. The Oxford Method Maybe if just the isn't enough motivation you could go with "Spells with 2AP or greater are treated as benefiting from the Focus +1 condition."? That way they also get the to damage. I’ve just realized that the problem with my proposed Oxford Method is that it breaks the game if the character also takes the “Calm and Collected” General Talent. I’ll need to revisit this one. Ultimately, I want this Theory to reward “bigger” or “more complex” spells as I feel this fits the theme. Also, I’m ditching the proposed game mechanic in the Twist. None of the others mention a game mechanic, and the Twists are only supposed to be FM suggestions for incorporating the Theory into the story in a meaningful way. The Whisper As far as thematically, are you wanting Whispers to play out as a master of the undead, with spells primarily focusing on the undead, or were you wanting them to also have deadly killing abilities? In the current form of your theory Whispers practitioners will operate best as undead controllers, but not have much benefit in throwing necromantic energies at opponents. Was that your vision of the theory? As masters of the Undead. The whole thrust behind The Whisper (in TtB and in Malifaux) is that it compels you to perfect the art of raising the dead. If a player wants “zap-kaboom” Necromancy, they’d be better served taking Tradition Magic. The Darlin Theories You have definitely retained the artificer idea of the theory, but also completely got rid of the idea of a Darlist focus item. Was that the intent? Going way back to the casting ranks = number of immuto allowed, the way this theory is written, any Darlist who targets a construct will have a ton of potential TN which they may want to abuse (standard "maxes" being 5 spell + 5 artefacting + 4ish aspect + 13 twist = 27). I agree- adding straight Artefacting Rating may be going overboard- a potential +5AV is a lot. Maybe I’ll water it down to ½ Artefacting… Throwing some more math at this one, with max ranks for construct creation, as the book is currently written a character will get at most 15 construct points (HT3 * 5 Artefacting), and in yours they will get 25 (HT3 * 5 Artefacting + 5 Artefacting + 5 Engineering). However, I DID remember to halve it in the case of getting additional construct points. Re-read my post- I specifically say “half the sum of the Engineering and Artefacting ratings”. So the most “bonus” points this Artificer would get is +5, which isn't unreasonable for a character that’s spent that much XP on raising those two skills. Also, with your drawback were you aiming to make it more difficult to affect constructs with magia that normally cannot? It just seemed odd given the other aspects of it (and in truth doesn't hurt too much as a 4 in Artefacting effectively neutralizes the penalty entirely). The drawback is, as you suggest, to make it harder to target constructs with spells that couldn’t normally target them. This is to balance out the advantage somewhat, with the net result being positive. I dropped the “Pneumatic Focus Item” entirely. I couldn't describe it game-mechanic terms that made sense in less than a paragraph. It’s overly complex- and worse, it’s silly. The Court Procedure Gaining a to all social duels is a nice perk, but only really useful for Powerful Impression (Performer pursuit) and Scoundrel at the moment. …or for any number of Manifest Powers that my player and I crafted for their sneaky social character J I'm not sure of the fluff outside of the TTB books, so my knowledge of this theory is limited. Is <Court Procedure> about not causing damage (your version) or about more easily targeting the mind rather than the body (book verion)? You have the gist of the existing lore on Court Procedure. To my knowledge it’s not mentioned anywhere but TtB. I just like the simplicity of the rule with this wording. My vision of Court Procedure is a magic of subtle manipulation and control, more so than direct physical damage. Besides, gaining a suit on ½ of all Magia is a BIG bonus- I needed to offset it with something more than just a small TN penalty for DF resisted magic. The Thalarian Doctrine I actually really like the advantage you came up with. Even in M2E most of the Witch Hunter anti-magic abilities are defense-focused rather than making aggressive action more powerful. I'm undecided about my feelings towards adding an extra suit though. This ends up once again hitting the "mechanical disadvantage" vs "roleplay disadvantage" that a lot of the Malifaux system plays with. It was my intent to impose a mechanical disadvantage. I feel like this disadvantage is in keeping with the theme and description of the theory (you need a Ram! The Guild is all up in your Grimoire!) And the advantage makes Counter-Spelling really good without hurting Enchanting. The Balanced Five Is there a reason why you only want to allow double-elemental application for magia which require an element? Name a Magia without an Elemental requirement that you would want to add an Elemental Immuto to. I let players do it, but I have to come up with the effects myself most of the time. I'm unsure if access to double element in itself is a good enough advantage, or if the addition of a free element is what makes it equal to the rest of the theories. Yeah. I like this one the least. I was considering scrapping the whole theory and doing something new, but then I thought, “It would be kind of cool to hit someone with Blind and Burning at the same time”. But I agree- it’s not that great. So I stole the free Immuto perk from Hedge Magic to sweeten the pot. Though you may want to specify "Highest cost element," "Lowest cost element," or "Player's choice" for which one ends up being free. I didn’t specify- I just said “the first”. There’s no reason not to apply the highest cost Immuto first. What made you decide on switching from a Tenacity max to an Evade/Centering max for Counterspelling? One, because some players start with a negative Tenacity. Two, it seemed like a good cuddle to Counter-Spell to offset the bonus of the Theory. It makes it so, basically, Counterspelling is useless on YOU (just use your natural WP and DF), but it can still be used on others if you feel like raising it. Hedge Magic I am really curious about your thought process with this one as it's effectively a complete rewrite of the book's version. The extra suit is nice (as nice as the others?), but I don't really get where your drawback is coming from. I felt the original version of this Theory was next to useless. Discarding a low card to gain a suit is actually a huge perk as it potentially makes every card in your twist deck useful. I really like the idea of a self-taught Magic user and the drawback ties into this theme. You don’t have access to Oxford University or a family of Mages. The Guild won’t train you and there’s no cabal or whisper in your ear telling you what to do. So these Mages are going to advance their skills at a slower rate because of trial and error. They’re going to have to roleplay to get those skills opened up at Epilogue- rather than just saying “my Pursuit lets me raise any Magic skill whether I used it or not”. Tradition Magic Again I am curious about where your drawback idea came from. If the idea is that family tradition holds them back, then why is the immuto addition so malleable? It would seem as if a more defined limiter like the book's version of Darlin Theories would fit better (as in a defined limiter that is consistent through every spell). That’s what I was going for, but I couldn’t think of an elegant way of explaining it in less than a paragraph- it was a confusing rule. Besides, if a Mage is using my “Immuto limitation” rule, they’re probably coming up with a favorite way to apply that -3TN and then reusing it on every spell. Same result. And is this universal detriment worth a to a single magic skill? I would say yes if you plan on focusing on that magic skill to the exclusion of the others. Consider that Focusing costs 1AP to get a Positive twist, and that the “Added AP” Immuto gets you -3TN. However, I might consider scaling it down to -2TN to make the net effect more “positive”. You may have also noticed that I didn't comment on any of your Twists for theories. I think they're cool ideas, but most of them are grounded in fluff bonuses while Thalarian was given an actual mechanical function. That was a mistake- they should ALL be fluff. I like fluff. Stories are made out of fluff. The Hedge twist is also a bit odd given the book's description of how it is distinctly impossible to share your knowledge with others. Are you thinking of getting rid of that bit of fluff? I’m not going to start listening to the book now! Not after making all these house rules! Besides, how cool is the idea of needing to get your magical training directly from a FMC in some seedy, basement, magic dojo? Or having magic groupies who follow your character around? And again, a lot of these are cool fluff bits that actually have really powerful in-game uses, but with no mechanics to define them (like gaining "more knowledge" or "reading into the protocols of a construct"). Good. That’s a feature- not an oversight. For my "keep it simple" mentality I would err towards not including the Twists to avoid complicating the system further, No added complication. There wasn’t a mechanic before, and there isn’t one now. Use it or don't at the FMs discretion. …but they are an interesting way to clarify more of what it means to belong to a certain category of caster. I agree- and this is important to me. Magical Theories are cool. They make characters more interesting- or at least they should. And, similar to Station, it’s like an auto-background you get to work with.

Thanks for the feedback, Zeedlee. I truly appreciate the time you took to dissect this. I really do. Even if I don't agree with every one of your conclusions, I respect that you have a vision of the game in mind and that you’re willing to take some of your free time to offer constructive criticism. I’m of the opinion that RPGs fall apart when they try and create a mechanic for everything a character tries to do. Because Malifaux is a reasonably balanced game- but in TtB that slips away when character creation goes from being static ( I add this fig to my crew) to being dynamic and infinitely more complex. To put it simply, my favorite mechanic in TtB- after the Crossroads Tarot- is creating Manifest Powers. Because there ISN’T a mechanic. There shouldn’t be. Wyrd doesn’t know what kind of characters my players want to ultimately play- It’s an evolution. The fact that there isn’t a huge complicated system for Manifest Powers shows me that Wyrd trusts its Fatemasters enough to leave it up to them. If we end up breaking the game- oh well. It’s our game to break. But at the end of a day, it IS a game. Games have rules. The rules are important because they let the players know what is and isn’t possible- especially in situations where the stakes are high, like combat. But if those rules are easily exploited, or grossly unbalanced, or don’t serve a purpose- that’s worse for me as a Fatemaster than if there wasn’t a rule to begin with. Because my players have the Fated Almanac, they know those rules already, and they’re expecting us to follow them unless I say otherwise. And this goes back to Kadeton’s original post. I agree with 99% of his points. With the exception of “fluff” there’s no reason for a player to take any Magical Theory other than Tradition Magic. It’s mechanically superior to all the others. There’s no reason to raise Harness Soulstone above 1- and even then, Soulstones don’t provide much of a benefit to the Magic user (which is ironic, because that’s the entire premise of the World). So this was informing my thought process in suggesting these House rules: provide unique Traditions- all of which a player might reasonably choose at character creation. Limit exploitation, create balance, and make the choice of the Tradition mean something beyond a game mechanic. The Tradition is the prism through which the spell-casting Fated sees the world. A MAGIC world. It has an important place in the context of the story, and I tried to capture a bit of this in the form of the “Twists”. I’ll reply to your suggestions/criticisms individually (as soon as I have a chance), but I wanted you to understand first where I’m coming from.

If the Ortega feels that they should know more about a certain creature/situation, what's the best way to append to their knowledge-based flips? There's Ortegas- and then there's Ortegas. The Fated with the Ortega station need not have ever visited Latigo, fought a Neverborn, or even gone Breachside until the start of your game. It's entirely possible that Perdita's 2nd Cousin twice removed has never faced down a Nephilim- or held a gun for that matter. But you could create some Ortega FCs that the player might use as contacts to learn more about Neverborn- if that's where their interests lie. Maybe even have them run some minor jobs for the Family if they make a good impression. In terms of game mechanics- your Fated know what you want them to know, and what they don't know they have to work to learn. How do I balance the game to even the combat ground for the Ortega and other Fated if the Ortega will typically have an advantage? I guess I don't understand the problem. If the Player created a purely combat-centric Fated, while the others are more Skill-centric, then that's an imbalance you might expect. Being an Ortega isn't auto-win, though- this isn't M1E. I feel like it's going to require some custom enemy creation on my part in order to keep things fresh. Any other enemy recommendations? There's no end of stuff to kill in Malifaux. Even if you just used what's in the FMA and M2E, that's a ton of encounters. Finally, just some general advice on how to run a game that is still exciting even though most information is already known by a single player. I try to not have the Fated face existing Masters or even Henchmen. They might hear about one of them in passing, or meet one in a Narrative time "cameo" -so that players who know the game still get that thrill of recognition. But I don't ever pit them against players in dynamic time. So make your own Masters. Make your own Factions, for that matter. I run a Cabal of insane Mages against my players who use Cult of December statlines/attacks with a few custom spells I added to them. No affiliation to Rasputina or even the Arcanisits. Not even an Ortega would know what these guys are after.

Much and more has been said about potential changes to Magic and the Magical Theories- most notably by Zeeblee, KJR, and Kadeton. I wanted to throw my hat into the ring and socialize the House Rules I plan on using in my TtB game. Criticism/Comments always welcome. Magic and Magical Theory House Rules The following rules clarify or replace the rules in the Fated Almanac: · Magical Theory is considered a General Talent. It may be gained at any time a character could gain a General Talent, including Pursuit steps and Character Creation. A fated may only have one Magical Theory. · The Dabbler, Graverobber, and Tinkerer Pursuits gain a Magical Theory at Character Creation, but do not gain another General Talent in addition to this. · Immuto is applied to Magia to create spells. Unusual Magia/Immuto combinations require FM approval. · Creation of spells is not allowed during combat. · A character may add a number of Immuto to a given Magia equal to their rating in the Magia’s Skill. (For example, a character with Sorcery: 3 could add the “Fire” Immuto twice and the “Blast” Immuto once to the Sorcery Magia “Elemental Projectile”. No further Immuto could be applied without removing one of the others.) · The Harness Soulstone skill is the exception to the previous rule. In addition to the existing rules for using Soulstones (FA, pg. 226) character may use a Soulstone Charge to add an additional number of Immuto to a Magia equal to their Harness Soulstone Rating. (Continuing the previous example, a character with Sorcery: 3 and Harness Soulstone: 2 could add the “Fire” Immuto twice and the “Blast” Immuto once to the Sorcery Magia “Elemental Projectile”- and then use a Soulstone charge to add the “Increased Damage” and “Additional Suit” Immuto as well.) The following rules replace the rules for Magic Theory on pages 221-224 of the Fated Almanac: The Oxford Method Associated Symbol: Tomes Description: A regimented craft that focuses on the disciplined study of Magic. Adherents are keepers of the ritualistic practices and arcane formulae commonly associated with Old Magic. Advantage: The first time in a turn the character takes the (1) Focus action, they gain the “Focused +1” condition a second time. Drawback: If this character does not benefit from the “Focused” condition, their Skill Duels to cast spells suffer a Negative Twist. Twist: This character is adept at understanding the workings of Magic and is able to recognize Arcane devices such as Grimoire, magical implements, arcane runes and magical foci. In game terms, this could provide a Positive Twist on any Duel to recognize such an object or discern its purpose. The Whisper Associated Symbol: Crows Description: More a condition than a Theory, this spellcaster benefits from the “tutelage” of the disembodied voice of an otherworldly patron. Resurrectionists are known to refer to this entity as “The Grave Spirit” Advantage: This Character adds an additional Crows Suit to the AV of any Necromancy Duel or to any Spell that uses the Immuto “Decay” or “Undead”. Drawback: This character receives a Negative Twist on all Social Skill Duels, except Intimidate. Twist: This character is plagued by disturbing nightmares and visions, which grow more frequent and intense as the spellcaster continues down this path. These omens sometimes provide useful insights- but, more often than not, only serve to chip away at the sanity of the afflicted. The Darlin Theories Associated Symbol: Clocks Description: A collection of magical and scientific treatises, The Darlin Theories seek to quantify magic in academic and scientific terms. Adherents to this theory are most concerned with experimentation, discovery, and the practical application of Magic. Advantage: Add the character’s Artefacting Skill to the AV of any Spell that targets a construct. In addition, when crafting an inanimate construct (FA, pg. 233) the character gains additional Construct Points equal to half the sum of their Engineering and Artefacting Ratings, rounded up. Drawback: Unleashing a spell with the “Construct” Immuto adds 4 to the TN of the Spell Duel (rather than 2). Chaining a spell with this Immuto works as normal. Twist: This Character has an intuitive sense for the workings of constructs and may mentally “probe” a construct to understand its function or any protocols it is obeying. The Court Procedure Associated Symbol: Masks Description: A collection of nearly 8,000 laws governing the access and use of magical power, the Court Procedure has its origins in the Aristocracy. It centers on the belief that power comes from forcing others to obey rules that the powerful do not abide by. Advantage: The character adds an additional Masks Suit to the AV of any Social Duel or to any Spell resisted by WP. Drawback: All damage flips from this character’s Spell Actions receive a Negative Twist. Twist: Adherents of the Court Procedure are expected to wear a mask when practicing their art. In addition, these characters benefit from having contacts among “The Gathered” – a highly regimented society of Court Procedure adherents. Senior members within the society may offer assistance to the character- or demand favors as proof of loyalty. Thalarian Doctrine Associated Symbol: Rams Description: The Guild’s officially sanctioned magic style. It focuses on protection against the magical arts and on making its power available to all through Artifice. Advantage: When using the Magical Shielding ability (FA, pg. 245) this character gains a Positive Twist on any DF or WP Duel to defend against spells. Any character currently protected by this character’s Magical Shielding ability gains this benefit as well. Drawback: This character’s Sorcery, Necromancy, and Prestidigitation Skill Duels add an additional Rams Suit to their final TN. Twist: The magical sensing ability of this character has been honed. The range of this ability is doubled, and if the character can pinpoint the Magic’s source they gain additional insight into the type of magic being used and its strength. The Balanced Five Associated Symbol: Dragons Description: A magical theory from the Three Kingdoms. Practitioners believe that Magic is the very stuff of life and nature, and that harnessing its effects comes from upsetting the natural balance. Advantage: If cast by this character, any Magia with an Elemental Immuto requirement may apply up to two different Elemenal Immuto (rather than just one). In addition, the first Elemental Immuto applied to this Magia does not raise its TN. Additional applications of the same Immuto increase the TN as normal. Drawback: This character’s Counter-Spell Skill Rating may not be higher than their Evade or Centering Skill Ratings. Twist: The character has contacts within Little Kingdom who may provide assistance, access to black market goods- or even access to Three Kingdoms safehouses. Hedge Magic Associated Symbol: Roses Description: A catch-all term for those who have developed their own magical style without formal training or guidance. This unorthodox approach to magic can result in powerful spellcraft. However, practitioners of Hedge Magic are left to their own devices when seeking to advance their training. Advantage: This character may discard a single card before a Spell Duel to add the card’s Suit to the AV. Drawback: This character loses the benefit of any Pursuit Talent that would allow them to advance in any Magical skill in addition to those presented by the Fatemaster. Twist: The character has contact with other Hedge Mages who can offer training for a price- or who would pay dearly for the Arcane secrets the character has unlocked. Tradition Magic Associated Symbol: Keys Description: This practitioner of magic comes from a long line of Mages who have perfected their own casting styles for a particular school of Magic. Few can match a Traditionalist in their practiced art- but the trappings of tradition can prove burdensome in some situations. Advantage: Choose Sorcery, Necromancy, Prestidigitation or Enchanting. This character gains a Positive Twist in Duels of the chosen Skill. Drawback: Increase the TN of this character’s Spell Duels by 3. Spells cast by this character must apply Immuto such that the final TN of the spell is reduced by at least 3. Twist: The character has contacts within their Family who may provide all manner of assistance to the character. However, it’s expected that the character will place the concerns of the Family above all others.

I typically use FM Almanac for "social" FMCs (characters that have names) and M2E for combat fodder. YMMV, but I find that my FMCs aren't making non-magic skill checks in combat- and they already have an AV for that in the form of Ca