New Game: The Dragon Files

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New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Scarik » Wed May 23, 2018 9:54 pm

Lightning strikes twice!

Premise

The dragons of old never died out and never left earth despite what priests and historians say. Sure, some were slain by knights or felled by arrows and spears, but hardly most. They are in fact still among us to this day: watching, hoarding, coveting and destroying what we value.

They just do it while small and furry.

Setting

Boston Massachusetts, sometime BH* in the recent past. Let's say the 80s.

Rules**

Dresden Files Fate Accelerated. Dragon will be a customizable mantle like True Fae.

Notable Differences

This game does occur in the universe of the Dresden Files Books with all that entails about wizards anf vampires and fae, etc. The main difference is that all information about D(d)ragons in the books should be considered biased or apocryphal.

Players

I have three newbies to the forums lined up and some stated interest from people I have already gamed with but I'm open to as many as want to get involved provided they can post regularly.

Characters

The big thing is that you stick to the premise by being (or being adjecent too and heavily invested in) dragons. My definition of a dragon is a magical beast of human of human-like intelligence that can shapechange into a kitty to blend in with humans. Other forms are acceptable but they all can be cats for free while additional forms will cost you.

In their native form a dragon is an armored, fanged/clawed/spiked etc monster with morphological traits similar to felines, serpents and raptors. Each dragon is a unique creature from the ancient past as well. Whatever force, being or process that created the dragons has not done so in many centuries or millennia. So you are old but personality is a wide open expanse.

Dragons are individually powerful beings, each stronger than most wizards or vampires even when cloaked and hidden within the mortal realm. In order to remain undetected they have reduced their own power to that level willingly but each has a way to reclaim its former glory if needed though it is difficult to do so and even more difficult to seal it away once more.

*Before Harry: denotes the idyllic times before Harry Dresden became a Wizard PI and started making trouble.
**After posting it I think the standard approaches will make my life easier.
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Last edited by Scarik on Wed May 23, 2018 11:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Ladki96 » Wed May 23, 2018 10:02 pm

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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby roobeastie » Thu May 24, 2018 2:16 am

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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby panda1594 » Thu May 24, 2018 2:25 am

I'm in
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby chrisjander » Thu May 24, 2018 2:27 am

Curiouser and curiouser.... I'm in.

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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Kivutar » Thu May 24, 2018 3:18 am

I can't commit to playing all the time, but I will drop in occasionally to cause trouble.
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby jbobsully11 » Thu May 24, 2018 4:41 am

How familiar should one be with the source material? If it's not necessary, I'm in; this sounds like it could be fun.
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby CarrieVS » Thu May 24, 2018 1:17 pm

I'm in. Working on a dragon.
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Scarik » Thu May 24, 2018 9:29 pm

jbobsully11 wrote:How familiar should one be with the source material? If it's not necessary, I'm in; this sounds like it could be fun.


Dresden files is a modern setting with magical creatures that are largely hiding from general view. Its got all the good ones: wizards, werecreatures, faeries, vampires and so on. Anything you need to know specifically you can find easily online but I'll have a basic primer from when we start for the factions that matter in our Boston.
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Scarik » Fri May 25, 2018 2:17 am

Chargen

*Choose a mantle.
*Create two aspects—high concept and trouble.
*Create a third aspect.
*Give your character a name and describe them.
*Choose your character’s approaches.
*Set your character’s refresh to 10.
*Choose a stunt.
*Record your character’s stress and conditions.
*If desired, write up to two more aspects and add up to two more stunts if you want. The stunts cost one refresh each.
*Complete any additional information required about your character.

Your mantle is of course: Dragon.

Conditions:

Draconic Power (fleeting) [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]:Check one of this condition’s five boxes to use the well of power granted to you by your mantle, as described in your stunts.

All dragons can call on their nature to gain a bonus. By checking 3 boxes of Draconic Power you gain +1 to all rolls for the remainder of a scene.

Recover fully at the end of any scene in which Draconic Power is unused. This condition may also be utilized to create an approach with a bonus equal to the number of unchecked boxes usable toward any action. The GM, however, will exacerbate your self-described actions according to the character of the mantle: dragons are prone to vice, greed, gluttony, jealousy, wrath, etc.

If the impact of allowing the mantle to control your action is sufficiently
complicating, the GM may also treat it as a compel and award you a fate point.

Hurt (sticky) [4]: Mark this condition to absorb four shifts of physical harm.
Recovery requires at least one scene of downtime at full rest, obtaining medical attention, binding wounds, et cetera.

Core Stunts:

Dragon Magic: You may cast Evocations that fit the nature of your draconic mantle. Work that out with the GM. You may take stress as a Magical Practitioner though you do not automatically gain the Exhausted or Burned Out Conditions.

All dragons may take the form of a specific cat as well as their true form. They can change between these shapes at will and almost no magic can pierce the veil to know them as the truly are when they are cat form. They also use their highest Approach to defend against any attempt to do so and may use Draconic Power to assist.

Armed and Armored:All dragons have some form of natural armor and weaponry. All unarmed attacks they make gain +1 shift if successful and all incoming, physical attacks are reduced by 1 shift.

Approaches

We use the typical ones:
*Flair: An action that draws attention to you, replete with style and panache. Examples: Delivering an inspiring speech to your army, embarrassing your opponent in a duel, producing a magical fireworks display.

*Focus: Time-consuming action in which close attention is paid to detail so the task is properly executed on the first attempt. Examples: Lining up a long-range sniper rifle shot, attentively standing watch, disarming a bank’s alarm system.

*Force: A display of brute strength rather than subtlety. Examples: Wrestling a troll, staring down a werewolf, casting a powerful magic spell.

*Guile: An effort focusing on misdirection, stealth, or deceit. Examples: Talking your way out of getting arrested, picking a pocket, feinting in a sword fight.

*Haste: A dexterous movement with alacrity. Examples: Dodging a shot, landing the first punch, disarming a bomb as it ticks 3...2...1.

*Intellect: Quick thinking, the solving of complex problems, or accounting for numerous variables at once. Examples: Code breaking, outwitting a fae courtier, counting cards in a poker game.

Rate these +5, +4, +3, +2, +1, +0.
If you want you may reduce a higher Approach to increase a lower one such as having:
+4, +4, +3, +2, +2, +0.
+4, +4, +4, +2, +1, +0.
+4, +3, +2, +2, +2, +2.

You could flatten things out more but you will regret not having at least one Approach at +4 or greater. These ratings make you more powerful than most of your individual competition which is pretty much the entire point. As we play you will generally not get much chance to increase your Approaches though you will be able to alter them by raising one at the cost of lowering another and you will be able to gain more refresh (and thus more stunts and conditions).
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby bydawine » Sat May 26, 2018 3:05 am

Hi, I'm Josh a friend of Erik's and I will be joining as well
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Scarik » Sat May 26, 2018 7:28 pm

Its true. Everyone make sure you have joined the Roll20 I've invited you to or ask me for a new invite. Once you are there I will make a character sheet that only you and I can see until it is done then it will be visible to everyone.
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Scarik » Wed May 30, 2018 7:10 pm

As of now this is my list of players whom I have heard back from and made progress on chargen:

roobeastie
ladki96
Kivutar
chrisjander
CarrieVS
bydawine
panda1594

ANyone else who wants in best be quick about it! :D
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby lualuadingdong » Thu May 31, 2018 5:50 pm

Opps! Forgot to post. I'm in!
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Re: New Game: The Dragon Files

Postby Scarik » Thu May 31, 2018 7:10 pm

Ok and Lua has arrived. I'm talking with jbob as well so once chargen is done we'll migrate to a game thread.

In light of that I should make some of my metaphysical assumptions clear.

Dragons congregate near ley line nexuses. In fact most like to make their homes directly on said crossings. Boston is an international port for both sea and air. Metaphysically it is this way because of the leylines. Humans unconsciously make their trade routes near or on top of these. Boston is colloquially called 'The Hub' because all the major roads either radiate outward from it or form arcs around it.

So there are dozens of intersecting ley lines in the area including some that wrap around and entangle with may local lines and some that reach out across the ocean and the continent. For a dragon these lines provide access to easy travel (though by nature they dislike going far) and a rich source of magical energy which they require to live as they do in the mortal world.

Dragons are ancient creatures. I said this in the OP but it bears repeating. Likewise they are currently all reduced in power from their mythical origins and each has some way to regain that power if they wish though doing so is difficult and will mean they are unable to remain for long in the mortal realm.

How their power is stored is different for each dragon but there are some common methods.

1) Brood: The dragon has invested their power into other creatures and caused them to gain draconic traits and powers. This could be a relatively small number of potent creatures or a vast number pf seemingly mundane ones. Or it could be a mixture of such as each generation is reduced in power from the progenitor.

2) Avatars: Similar to brood but each such creature is actually the same personification of the original. In this case the PC is the primal form that can initiate further reductions or reform. Avatars must remain away from each other and as such they inhabit different cities and countries. They are all alike and pursue the same goals save in different places. This is how people in far flung locations can all meet with a single entity at the same time.

3) Artifice: The dragon locks away its power in an item or items. These constructs become magical tokens of varying power depending on how the essence is divided. Some choose a single object that contains their essence. Possession of such a device grants incredible power to the holder but also is a danger to the dragon for if the device is destroyed the sudden flood of energy could be too much to reabsorb. Naturally the dragon cannot use the item themselves of they will immediately regain their power.
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