RE: Tempest and Rituals:
These abilities both specify that the stress cost is equal to the magnitude of the effect; the mentions of what magnitude means are given as: helps to determine scale (for effect), and is the number of dice when making a fortunes roll.
Can someone walk me through the process for say.. manifesting lightning to electrocute someone? Not sure what rolls should be made if this were a combat situation (attune to make the lightning? would it instead be hunt to hit precisely from a distance? would the attune roll be for both?), or whether a fortunes roll would usually be more appropriate? (just roll dice equal to stress taken and the lightning happens regardless)
I’m not 100% following you on the # of dice thing. You’re saying that you give them a # of dice based on the stress cost? We’ve always just made a single attune action roll, using the normal number of dice for that roll. If you want to do something simple like freeze a puddle of water that would be 0 stress, if you want to create a hurricane to devastate an district that might closer to 6. Either way it’s just an attune roll using your action rating (and pushing yourself, devils bargain, etc).
I see now that the ability doesn’t specify attune, so now I’m not sure if it did in a previous version or if I’ve always just assumed. Either way, channeling energy seems like a pretty attune-y thing to do (and I think that’s what Oskar does in the 6 Towers game).
As for how much I’d charge to hit somebody with lightning? Ask yourself how many times you think a whisper should be able to do that in a score. If it’s only once, than perhaps it costs 3 or 4, if they can do it twice then maybe it costs 2, if they can shoot lightning bolts all night, make it cost 1. Depends on the kind of game you’re running. Usually producing lethal effects against a single target cost 2 stress in my game.
You could treat the weather effect like a gang/cohort that operates independently with a Quality equal to the magnitude. Maybe for a directed effect you “lead” the “gang” using Attune rather than Command.
Will Scott If the whisper is looking to create some long lasting weather effect that will keep acting, that could be an interesting way to do it, though I don’t think the only way. If the character just wants one instantaneous effect, I don’t think the extra complexity is worth it. In general I think the player doesn’t care about rolling 6 dice, he cares about electrocuting some stupid red sash, and that can be accomplished by a simple attune roll. There aren’t any other mechanics in the game that allow you to trade 1-1 stress for dice more than once, so it seems unlikely to me that’s what’s going on here.
I reread and really thought about what you two have said. I think I have it figured out.. and perhaps I am just overthinking it. I should just use the mechanics as necessary, as usual:
If you need to disclaim the decision making, then a fortunes roll fits and the awesome 1-for-1 deal applies. (take 3 stress, roll 3d)
Otherwise, when you do the thing, an action roll to attune might be needed, and the magnitude for That is increased (which could be beneficial or detrimental, depending on the situation; see Effect Levels and Scale for how higher “magnitude” could be bad)
Mark Griffin @ “That can be accomplished with a simple attune”
I disagree that doing whisper stuff is the fiction needed to electrocute people with lightning. I do see the text for attune says “channel electroplasmic energy”, which I take to mean combat with spirits, rather than supernatural effects upon the living. I would be uncertain, except the very presence of the Tempest ability confirms the intention of attune is not to do what you describe.
Mark Cleveland Massengale Yeah, you absolutely need the tempest ability to hit someone with a lightning bolt, but once you have that ability I run it as an attune action roll that requires you to pay stress to even attempt. The amount of stress that it costs depends on how dramatic of an effect you’re looking for.
It’s fairly common for playbook advancements to give you a new way to use a specific action. Like alchemist, artificer and physicker on the Leech sheet. That’s basically how I see Tempest, it’s giving you a new way to use attune.
ah, it appeared you were saying otherwise before. yea I agree with that.
Good conversation, everyone. You definitely have it figured out (and I like the idea of using a storm as a cohort, Will Scott!)
There will be guidelines and examples for this stuff in the book, of course. 🙂