Josh

Character Sheet

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's The Cast

p style="text-align:center;">   <table align="center" border="3" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:30%;"> Name   </td> <td style="width:30%;">     </td> <td style="width:30%;"> Fate Points Refresh: 3 | Current: 3 </td> </tr> <tr> <td> High Concept Aspect   Trouble Aspect   Aspects Aspect   </td> <td> Approaches Flair: Fair (+2) Focus: Average (+1) Force: Fair (+2) Guile: Mediocre (+0) Haste: Good (+3) Intellect: Average (+1)     </td> <td> Mantle Stunts StuntStunt's description. If from the game book, include page number   Unique Stunts StuntStunt's description inside an OOC tag, include page number if from the book     </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Stress [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]   </td> <td> Default Conditions In Peril (St) [4] Doomed (La) [6] Indebted (St)This condition has five boxes. Mark one or more boxes when you have accrued a debt to a powerful group, person, or entity. The number of boxes you mark depends on the magnitude of the favor done for you; the GM has final say. Recover boxes of Indebted by doing favors for the lender in return, on their terms. Typically, a fairly safe but challenging task recovers one box, a dangerous task recovers two boxes, and a task that puts you in mortal danger or could otherwise permanently impact you recovers all boxes. You may carry debt with more than one lender, but must recover them separately. Thus, if you have one box of debt to a demon and one to a local sorcerer, when you do something for the demon worth two boxes of recovery, it does not remove your debt to the sorcerer. If all boxes are full and you wish to acquire more debt, you may default on one of your current debts—the GM will tell you what happens, but you may clear out those boxes for further use. [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] </td> <td> Mantle Conditions Condition ()When putting Conditions on your sheet, make sure to use the name and how long it lasts (aka Fleeting, Sticky, Lasting) and use that as the shown text of the OOC tag, then include the description of the condition and its recovery method inside the tag. If from the book, include the page number. Then add the correct amount of boxes []   </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

Character Sheet

Josh posted a topic in The Southern Belle's The Cast

Name Fate Points Refresh: 3 | Current: 3 High Concept Aspect Trouble Aspect Aspects Aspect Approaches Flair: Fair (+2) Focus: Average (+1) Force: Fair (+2) Guile: Mediocre (+0) Haste: Good (+3) Intellect: Average (+1) Mantle Stunts StuntStunt's description. If from the game book, include page number Unique Stunts StuntStunt's description inside an OOC tag, include page number if from the book Stress [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] Default Conditions In Peril (St) [4] Doomed (La) [6] Indebted (St)This condition has five boxes. Mark one or more boxes when you have accrued a debt to a powerful group, person, or entity. The number of boxes you mark depends on the magnitude of the favor done for you; the GM has final say. Recover boxes of Indebted by doing favors for the lender in return, on their terms. Typically, a fairly safe but challenging task recovers one box, a dangerous task recovers two boxes, and a task that puts you in mortal danger or could otherwise permanently impact you recovers all boxes. You may carry debt with more than one lender, but must recover them separately. Thus, if you have one box of debt to a demon and one to a local sorcerer, when you do something for the demon worth two boxes of recovery, it does not remove your debt to the sorcerer. If all boxes are full and you wish to acquire more debt, you may default on one of your current debts—the GM will tell you what happens, but you may clear out those boxes for further use. [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] Mantle Conditions Condition ()When putting Conditions on your sheet, make sure to use the name and how long it lasts (aka Fleeting, Sticky, Lasting) and use that as the shown text of the OOC tag, then include the description of the condition and its recovery method inside the tag. If from the book, include the page number. Then add the correct amount of boxes []

Character Creation Guidelines

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's The Cast

The Cost of Things So I want to break down the cost of things in Fate, in general, and this Hack, in particular. The basic building block we will be dealing with is the Fate Point. The whole economy is built around FPs and their effects in play. A character’s Refresh is how many FPs you start with at the beginning of a scene, should your pool be currently lower. A Fate Point can do one of four things. Invoke an aspect for a +2 bonus to the roll. Declare a Story Detail, granting permission to do something. Reject a Compel, canceling out an action or effect. Allow for a reroll. A Stunt is a special ability that changes how an action or circumstance works for you. In a way, it acts as a permanently active Fate Point. That is why a single stunt starts off worth a single Refresh; you are trading the flexibility of a FP to gain a more persistent bonus, more often. Stunt = 1 Refresh = +2 worth of effect or the ability to declare a particular detail or grant permission. Examples: Superpower Scholar. Due to being a nerd who studies everything about powers that she can find, Victoria gains a +2 to Scholarship when drawing on that knowledge Bird’s Eye View. Victoria can use her flight ability to fly up high above the battlefield, she can place the aspect Bird’s Eye View, with two invokes, on the scene. Shock and Awe. In addition to being able to inflict aspects representing fear on targets, Victoria now has permission to inflict feelings of awe on her targets instead. There are several ways to increase, empower, and broaden a stunt’s effect. Stacking. This is the easiest method, you exchange more refresh for more effect. For each refresh, you add an additional +2, additional effects, more uses etc. Adding stipulations. This means it takes more to use the stunt, in exchange for effect, but at the same refresh cost. Splitting the effect. You can split the +2 bonus so that it is tied to two different actions. Example: Herculean Might. When using her forcefield to augment her strength in order to lift heavy loads, Victoria gains a +1 to Physique when using to Create Advantage or Overcome. Restricting its use. There are three levels of use restriction. Once per scene Once per session Once per scenario Once Per Scene is worth +2 additional effort, Per Session worth +4, and Per Scenario +6. Or the equivalent in permission or declared details. Additional Cost. Instead of costing another Refresh, you can instead use another resource. Spend a FP. Mark a Condition Spending a FP usually means the stunt is worth +2 additional effort or more powerful effect When you mark a Condition, Fleeting is usually worth +2 per box marked, +4 for a Stick, and then +6 for a Lasting. Since I will be using Mantles, I will be using Conditions, rather than Consequences. So I will be breaking these down as well. “A condition represents and initiates special rules following certain events during the game. You mark the condition when the event transpires and apply all the rules in the condition’s description. Recovery from the condition is requisite before you can mark it again.” DFA, Pg 116. There are four levels of Conditions. Fleeting. These conditions clear after the end of a scene or other trivial moment. Sticky. These take a concentrated effort to recover from and usually a dice roll. Lasting. The same as Stick, these take an action to recover, but in addition to that it usually takes a measure of time or a secondary objective to fully recover. Special/Unique. These are Conditions that are usually always marked or have very special circumstances attached to them. As stated above, each level of Condition has a typical value to it. They typically use stunts to grant these mechanical benefits. Like stunts, the bonuses granted by Conditions can be increased or the side effects decreased. You can do this in two ways: Another Condition can be attached to the first. This often represents a weakness or a drawback that can cancel the first Condition until it is recovered. Stunts can be used to bring a Condition down a level or expand how many times it can be marked. The Transforming and Transformed A lot of supers transform, in one fashion or the other. Sometimes this is into various new shapes, sometimes it's just ‘powering up’ into their super form. Other supers are permanently stuck in a nonhuman form, granting them a different baseline than the human norm. It's actually easy to handle both cases. The answer is a Condition. For Transforming, you take the Change Condition, which is described under the Metamorph mantle. This covers multiple forms, just describe your limitations and forms in the description. For Transformed Supers, you take a Unique Condition describing your altered body and the benefits (usually described by Scale) and drawbacks. Scale And How It Works So what is Scale? For us, it's a way to rank differences in power. It operates fairly simple. There are a number of ranks, usually defined by the setting or the GM. In this case, we will be using the Class levels of Wearing the Cape. The ranks look like so: Mundane < Supernatural < Otherworldly < Legendary < Godlike Scale grants you several options when it is applied: +1 per scale level to the action before the roll +2 per scale level to the result after the roll, if the roll succeeds 1 free invocation per scale level on a successful advantage after the roll When applying Scale against something or someone with Scale, you compare the two levels and then count up to establish your bonuses. For example, someone at Otherworldly in scale can gain a +2 before rolling or +4 after a roll on success or 2 free invocations on successful advantage roll. But, up against a Supernatural, they would only get a +1, +2, and 1 free invokes because there is only one level of difference between them. It doesn’t look like much, but Scale serves to take the place of several ‘booster’ stunts you would find in other hacks. Dresden Files had the Inhuman, Supernatural, and Mythic level powers and Wearing the Cape had stunts that boosted the Attributes attached to your power. It does this through defining the character’s permissions in their Mantle’s description and often brought to the forefront by their stunts. For example, in the Vampire-Type mantle, it is stated that vampires have superhuman strength, though they don’t have a stunt regarding it. But, because they have a permission, they get to use their Scale when the GM feels it is justified when doing things where strength is concerned. Which means in practice they would still have the benefits of the old Inhuman (whatever) Strength power stunt. The Squash Problem Now what are you going on about, Chee? As I was creating the Mentalist mantle, I came across an issue. There really aren’t that many ‘basic’ Mentalists that all the others branch off of. So when someone goes, I want to play as a Mentalist, it's like when someone asks you to pick up some squash from the store. You start shopping and find out there are a lot of different kinds of squash. So what do you do? Well, if you are me, you take a swing at creating a couple of different example Mantles. The more approachable solution is to remember that the GM has the right to grant (or remove) Conditions and Stunts they feel are necessary to make a Mantle true. If you feel like a Mantle needs a few extra bits to work for a concept, then add them. Keep in mind that this should be reserved for ‘musts’ or ‘core’ mechanics; if a power or ability is something that the character could do and not must be able to do, then that should be considered an Additional or Unique stunt and bought with Refresh. But We Aren’t All The Same! A common complaint I’ve seen about mantles is that, while the different Types come with different stuff, those that share a Mantle start off looking the same. Starting off is the key phrase though. It is intentional that Mantles share the same base abilities, that is what defines each Type and makes them different from each other. But it is important to remember that choosing your Mantle is but the first step of character creation. Picking your mantle sets you apart from other power sets, picking your aspects is what sets you apart from those that share your power. Your High Concept in particular, is what sets up your individual proficiencies and weak points, and from there you buy stunts to further specialize. For example, both Watchman and SaFire are both Atlas Type. Both are pretty vanilla examples of their Type and come with the same set of Conditions and Core Stunts. But, the two are very different characters who use their power differently. Watchman, who has a A True SuperRanger aspect, would be better at using his Supersenses to pick a target out of a crowd than SaFire would be, while SaFire would be a pro at airlifting the injured out of a battlefield. So in play, this would be displayed by invoking and compelling their aspects. You could then take it a step further and take additional stunts, such as Trained Senses for Watchman to show that not only is his bonus from Supersenses higher, he has additional permissions as well.

Character Creation Guidelines

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's The Cast

Mantles What are Mantles? Mantles are the new big gimmick of the DFA system. They are the most defining piece of your character you will pick, more so than your HC and Trouble even. What it does is state what your power is, what it's source is, how it manifests, and what it's demands are. It grants all the stunts and conditions necessary to embody the core of your abilities. What if I want a Mantle that isn't in the book? What if none of the Mantles fit my idea? Assuming the idea fits what I'm looking for in setting and the like, than I will build you a custom Mantle, with your input. However. There are some restrictions on that. For example, if the intent is to mash the elements of several Mantles together for a super Mantle, I'm going to turn you down. Another reason is that not all ideas require a new Mantle. For example, the majority of minor talents and true believers are probably better represented by taking one of the Mortal Mantles and a unique stunt to represent the special ability. Can I have more than one Mantle? Yes, you can acquire additional Mantles. To do this, you have to buy the entire Mantle's core stunts and conditions out of refresh. Purely detrimental Conditions will be granted for free if deemed necessary. Do I have to have buy the whole thing to use a part of it? Nope. You can buy parts off of any Mantle, assuming your aspects can justify it. For example, because you are a Regional Warden Commander, you can buy part of the Followers track to represent the Wardens under your command. Or, you can tie it into your current Mantle by saying it is an extension of your current powers. For an example, a Magical Practitioner buys the Transformation Condition from the Werecreature Mantle can justify it by saying they have mastered a spell to allow them to shapeshift into a buffalo. That said, aspects are important. You can't buy things all willy nilly. Everything must be justified. What happened to Inhuman/Supernatural/Mythic powers? They have gotten replaced by Scale! So, take Valkyrie for example. In DFRPG, Valkyries (or at least Gard, who we are working off of) had Supernatural Recovery as well as Inhuman Strength. For recovery, that's handled by a stunt, while there is no mention of a strength stunt under the Valkyrie mantle. That doesn't mean the Valkyries don't retain Inhuman Strength. Instead, anytime they are acting within the bounds of their Mantle such as being physically strong, they would gain Scale towards those actions which comes out to be the same effect as having the stunt in DFRPG.

Character Creation Guidelines

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's The Cast

The Kinds of Characters I'm Looking For: Fit the Setting and Atmosphere: On the broadest level, characters need to work in the Dresdenverse. Mortals that use magic are subject to the Laws of Magic, spirit things come from the Nevernever, and belief has power. I'm not taking child characters for this game, as in, all characters most be 18+ years old. I'm not looking for gods or immortals for the most part, and anyone that operates beyond Supernatural on Scale will be need to have very good reasons for being involved. In this game, I'm striving to meld elements of mystery and horror of the early Supernatural, Teen Wolf with the early Dresden Files. Where the characters are thrown into dangerous, frightening circumstances where they have to look for the truth if they want to get out with their skins intact. They can put up a fight, but aren't the toughest things on the block and aren't that experienced. They are also going to be tempted by beings of great power and will need good reasons and motivations to both be tempted and, when they can, refuse those offers. The setting is Charleston, SC, a real place which I'm painting up with all the urban fantasy goodness I can. All the characters have to be in the town for the stories to play out, so they must be a resident or stuck there for the foreseeable future. I'm not interested in people just blowing through, vagrants, or random arrivals. The atmosphere will be a bit dark. Monsters and weird things will be happening. Murders, disappearances, thing coming out of the dark, the whole nine yards. I expect the characters to be able to react to these things, and I expect those reactions to be realistic. These characters should also be able to get invested. When something rears out of the dark and eats their friend right in front of their eyes, that should matter to the characters. Interesting Troubles You want a Character's Trouble to be unique, personal, and most of all, important. It is what takes a PC from being a flat, boring archetype to a fluid, breathing part of the story. It makes a PC fallible, human, and interesting. Troubles also complicate the story, earning you Fate points when things go off the rails. A Trouble is a problem, a glaring weakness, a blind spot, or an outside force that constantly hounds. It's not easily resolved. It's also not entirely damaging either. There are upsides to a Trouble, but make sure these don't overtake the downsides. Troubles are also suppose to be somewhat complicated, containing some depth. An aspect named '"Let's Do It!" would be an example of a good Trouble for a character. The first layer is that she is the first one to rush into danger. She goes head first against everything, and that's obviously dangerous. She also tends to dismiss the dangers and doesn't prepare for complications. You could also say it depicts her passion and anger, which causes her to act /right now/ without planning. Yet, there is another part of it too. It's also a expectation. Others expect her to be all the above and even need her to be, so she feels compelled to uphold that standard. Even when she is scared or worried that she can't perform, she tries to act like she can handle stuff even when can't. And when she fails, it eats at her. General Help/Thoughts on Aspects Here are some links about aspects! A good Fate one: Here is one that is largely about DFRPG, but this does carry over to Fate Core (Stuff under character creation): Some stuff I've said in the past: Also, I want to state some of my pet peeves regarding aspects. Number one, I hate one word aspects. Two words, even. Aspects are meant to establish who and what your character is in the game and story. Your aspects are what decides what you can and can't do, so you want them to be expressive. They also earn you FPs, which in turn let you have moments of awesome. Or not die. And the best way for them to earn you FP is to be relevant to the story and come up as often as possible. To do that, an aspect needs to say as much as you can pack into four to five words, and say it well! Which brings me to peeve two. Can't stand generic aspects. Don't be generic, guys. Be unique! Just about everyone grabs a cliché or a common saying for an aspect, that's common practice. But what separates the good from the bad is whether you leave it at that. If you use something common, only do it as a baseline. Adapt it and personalize it to your character.

Character Creation Guidelines

Josh posted a topic in The Southern Belle's The Cast

For this game, we will be using the Dresden Files Accelerated rather than the Dresden Files RPG. You MUST have the pdf or book to play in this game. Starting Level: DFA Standard: Follow the steps on pg 91. Characters will have the following: A Mantle (possibly more than one, read below) High Concept and Trouble A Third (Background) Aspect Character Description One Good (+3) Approach Two Fair (+2) Approaches Two Average (+1) Approaches One Mediocre (+0) Approach 3 Base Refresh One Free Stunt Mantle Note Addition: Changelings, Werecreatures, WCV Virgins, RCV Infectees also get one Mortal Mantle Homerule: Pure Mortals (those who take no supernatural Mantles) may also pick another Mortal Mantle. Or, they may take two additional stunts instead. Should you pick up a Supernatural Mantle later, one of these must be dropped at the following Milestone. Homerule: Changelings can use an alternate to the Called Condition. Instead of Called, you can chose to 'slide' into the True Fae mantle. This means, at start, you get one of the Conditions from the True Fae mantle instead of Called. Then, for every 2 (or three, up to your GM) Fae stunts you take, you take another True Fae Condition. Once you have all three, you must make your Choice. Aspects and Phases: At Start: High Concept Aspect Trouble Aspect Background Aspect After Basic Character Creation: Two Other Aspects

Index Cards

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Notable Mentions: Individuals

Index Cards

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Notable Mentions: Factions. There are more factions in the city and area than listed above. They aren't, currently, the focus of the first arc (or Season) of the story and thus aren't getting fully fleshed out. This might change, depending on the Cast I pick after the ad, but for now they get a brief below. The Swamp Cats: A Task Force put together to deal with the 'unusual' cases cropping up. Their members are drawn from the local PDs, Highway Patrol, Sheriff departments, as well as from the military investigative branches. They currently operate out of a building on the Air Force base. They are currently looking to do something about the Scale Gang and the Specials in particular. League of Steeples: Though they don't actively call themselves this moniker, there is a quiet group of priests, pastors, rabbis, and the like in the City of Churches, actively doing their best to help those threatened by the supernatural. Even if its only to offer sanctuary or to bless holy water, they want to help and their faith is very real. More than one truly evil power finds it difficult to exert too much power in the city due to their protective presence and empowered holy grounds. The Circle: There have been witches in the swamp for a very, very long time now. They mostly keep to themselves when they can. Their stronger members are reluctantly part of the White Council, though they prefer to stay out of its politics when they can. Since the conclusion of the Vampire war, they have been keeping their heads down, trading favors and potions within the city's magical community but not exerting any influence other than what's necessary to keep themselves safe. Host of Spirits: There are a great deal of powerful spirits in the area. Ghosts, nature beings, animal figures, and others are all prevalent throughout Charleston. They vary in power and autonomy, but taken as a whole they are a source of great power. Its said their is a Greater Spirit that watches over them, sometimes calling on chosen mortals to act as its Host to protect them.

Index Cards

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Faction: The Circus A recent emergence onto the scene, the Circus is a gang of thieves and troublemakers. The gang is made up teens, more than likely runaways and orphans, with a spark of magical talent who call themselves Carnies. Each of them have at least one spell they can do, some with more skill and range than others, but none of them are even sorcerer rank worthy. Usually, a group like this would be seen as a healthy snack for predators that hunt the have-nots of the wizarding world, but through team work and a mysterious benefactor, this group has proven itself difficult to devour. They make a nuisance of themselves around major tourist and entertainment venues in Charleston and the neighboring area. Places like the Colosseum, the River Dogs' Stadium, and various places Downtown. They mostly focus on taking advantage of vanilla mortals, stealing money and valuables. The cops are constantly after them, but with their special talents they usually avoid detainment. However, they have grown bolder, moving on to breaking into stores and homes instead of their usually petty crimes. Their prey is also starting to change as they have discovered that Changelings. The fae-born, it turns out, sometimes have gifts from mommy or daddy, things like a whole lot of money or the occasional enchanted item. Goal: To steal enchanted items, favors, and anything else they can to grow their feeble strength into something serious. Secret Goal: Hidden Obstacles: They are mixed up in a various of conflicts, quickly becoming a pain for the more powerful and established factions. They are cutting in on the turf of the cities criminal inclined Changelings, not to mention the Scale Gang, and drawing the ire of the police as they do it. Resources: Each of the members of the gang has a different magical talent. Swelling muscles conjured from nothing, sparking hands and thrown fire, and paralyzing touch make for good combat abilities, letting them act aggressively when its needed. Their true powerful, and the key to the success so far, is their more utility based talents. Someone who can veil themselves or read passwords off a keypad is far more useful than a mere bruiser. Weakness: At the end of the day, regardless of their talents, they are still homeless teenagers. They are just on the edge of playing outside their league, lacking the firepower or resources to be anything other than a distraction for most of the supernatural world. Their growing arrogance is blinding them to the fact that they barely know their own limitations, let alone how the supernatural world works. Aspects: Magically Power Teen Gang, Better Watch Your Pockets!, Youthfully Blind to the Consequences

Index Cards

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Faction: The Scales Gang The Brackenfords are what people politely call a 'bad family' in company, otherwise referring to them as scum. The clan was founded sometime prior to the Civil War and show no signs of leaving. They spread up and down the coast, with cousins all the way down in the Everglades. Its said that if a place has a trailer park and a jail, you can find a Brackenford. They are largely despised by society at large due to a general disregard for the law or anything mildly smacking of decency. They are locked in a perpetual war with law enforcement and government, seeing as they are involved in everything from petty theft to murder. Three things keep keep the family and its active criminal element, the Scales Gang, alive and active in spite of having a generational deficiency in intelligence. First off, they are shapeshifters. While not every family member is talented enough to pull off a full transformation, even those that married in are tougher than your normal person and at least twice as mean. With some training, the more talented members of the family are capable of shifting fully into alligators and have increased strength and toughness even in their human skins. The second thing going for them is that they are an oddly inclusive group. They have adopted in a number of families over the last century or so, as long as they have proved their loyalty to the clan. The Brackenfords have been generous with whatever spell lets them shapeshift, sharing it with these adopted branch families, with the results varying. The gang's auxiliary members can come in all manner of reptilian shifters, mostly Nile monitors but at least one iguana. Lastly, the family heads of the clan are deviously clever. While not notably inclined to intellectual pursuits, they have the cold ferocity of the reptiles they shift into. They maneuver the gang and the family as a whole to seize opportunities as they appear, ruthlessly assaulting the weaknesses of their competitors and opposition, and brutally dealing with threats that grow too close. They have their fingers in most types of crime in the area, mostly in the form of extortion, smuggling, and pretty much anything that would give the ATF a fit. The younger members of the gang itself like to pursue pastimes like B&E, assault, and trafficking. Their big money comes from the supernatural world, where they hire themselves out to those in need of cheap muscle. Goal: To gain enough magical and supernatural significance to be respected as a true power in the city and not just a crew of disposable minions. Secret Goal: Hidden Obstacles: They are roughly the bottom of the supernatural totem pole. The heaviest hitters outclass them, most other factions have better intelligence to work with, and they are constantly being interfered with by the local mortal authorities. The Circus are actively cutting into their petty crime activities and the Dark Water is wrestling control of the water front from them. Resources: They have a lot of physical muscle to throw around. Bruisers with supernatural strength that are tough and can heal fast can make a lot of trouble. Throw in access to a lot of guns, criminal networks willing to feed them info, and knowing the lay of the land, they can set up dangerous ambushes as well. Various shapeshifter forms gives them a lot of utility, including sharp enough senses to get past most forms of glamour. Weakness: A poor reputation in mortal circles and supernatural alike means they lack political strength outside of intimidation. They don't have access to much magic outside of their shapeshifting and a few related abilities. They also lack a significant big hitter to contend with the more powerful beings in the city.. Aspects: Reptilian Shapeshifter Gang, Thugs Around Every Corner, Can't Get No Respect Around Here

Index Cards

Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Faction: The Dark Waters The origins of the Dark Waters is a highly debated subject for those who know of its existence, a debate that takes place only in brightly lit rooms and as far from the waterfront as possible. Some say it started out as a wandering animal spirit that became corrupted, others claim its a forgotten deity of a lost time, while others claim its a demon that has grown mighty on the souls of the damned. What they can all agree on is that it is very, very hungry. Its influence runs through all the major waterways of the area, all draining out into the open ocean where the Waters resides. Few people truly comprehend how pervasive that is. Fishermen, dockworkers, and others whose livelihood comes from the water have been quietly paying the spirit its due over the last few years. Those that don't have a tendency to have their motors choked, their nets and crab traps wrecked, or a quick yank beneath the waves to never been seen again. Yet, those that do pay heed occasionally see more luck than they should. Increased hauls, lost cargo returned, and the sea calming around them during a storm. In their hour of need, its said that the desperate and foolish cry out by the waterside.....and sometimes they are answered. But at what cost? The Dark Waters' servitors are varied, a mishmash of watery creatures that are very rarely friendly or pleasant looking. In the rivers, the servitors have a tend to appear as giant crabs. Out on the open water, they trawl under the waves as dark body sharks. And on the dark, foggy nights there is a rumor of sightings of a massive, tattered ship... Goal: To gain influence over all of those with ties to the water and to take control of Places of Power close to the rivers and bay from the Summer Fae. Secret Goal: Hidden Obstacles: Many of the cities Powers have become concerned with the growing influence and danger the Dark Water represents. It battles the Fae of Summer over control of the waters and places of power, the Scales Gang resent its growing hold of the dockworkers they exploit and the smugglers they do business with, and others with them cutting in on the dealmaking business. Resources: They have a great deal of control over the water itself, being able to manipulate currents, cause rainfall, and even the occasional flooding. Where its presence manifests, hungry aquatic life gathers, usually in the form of sharks and other predators. It has a number of servitors, which are lesser spirits that draw on its power, that manifest differently depending on the location. They have a few human agents, who are usually busy doing oddjobs and missions for it.. Weakness: The sprit is very, very powerful in the area it has influence over, namely the water. Anywhere else, its options are limited. While it can occasionally cheat in the form of a flood, it usually has very little power on dry land itself and its servitors quickly lose steam the further they get from water as well. Aspects: That Which Dwells Beneath the Waves, A Dark and Dangerous Power, Limited Reach

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Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Faction: The Winter Outpost The Winter Court has very little influence in the city as a whole. Quite a lot of the metaphorical landscape belongs to their sister and rivals the Summer Court. Yet, there has to be a balance, so Winter's agents lurk in shadows of the Summer Court. A cadre of harden and dark monsters, they seek to observe, undermine, and frustrate their counterparts mostly in secret. The members of the Winter Outpost mostly act independently. They stalk and subvert mortals favored by Summer, seeking to ruin them or turn their power towards Winter's ends. Some like to harass the Little Folk and weaker Sidhe Lords, but the big game for them is eliminating the most promising changelings. Not only does this deprive Summer of powerful agents in the future, but potentially adds that changeling power to their own. Their leader is the Boo Hag, a lethal local legend in her own right. A powerful Sidhe lady who can suck the breathe out of her enemies at will, she is both deadly and clever, capable of going up against any one of the lesser Summer Lords and winning in a personal fight. She sees this venture as her chance to to gain quite a bit of influence with the greater Winter Court, and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Goal: To undercut the Summer Court by any means necessary. And to have a good time while doing it. Secret Goal: Hidden Obstacles: They have to restrain themselves (something they aren't renowned for) to keep from becoming too big of a problem and having the whole of the Summer Court unite against them. However, the biggest headaches have been coming from the Shuck Club, who often disrupt their plans. They also face competition from the Scale Gang when establishing hideouts and from the Dark Waters tribe when trying to claim places of power. Resources: They are a group of powerful Winter Fae Sidhe, with the magic and favors that come with that. Each is individually dangerous. They have been gathering a number of mortal servants through debts and promises, and have a habit of discovering horrible secrets or creating compromising situations to ruin people's lives. Weakness: They just don't have the numbers for outright war or conflict with any particular faction. While they can create some havoc when they have to, their greatest ally is remaining in the shadows and not drawing too much attention to themselves. Largely, the environment just doesn't favor them as a whole and they find themselves weakened most of the year. Aspects: Here to Ruin Your Summer, Teeth in the Dark, Urgh This Weather

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Josh replied to Josh's topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Faction: Court of Old Man Thunder The Summer Court of Fae that resides in Charleston is administered by Old Man Thunder, a powerful Sidhe Lord who was young when Europeans first established Jamestown. Unfortunately, he has become rather despondent in the last century or so, allowing his Court to mostly run wild, much to the disappointment of his Queen. Very little can get him to bestir himself to action, short of occasionally dancing during the frequent summer thunderstorms or responding to direct threats. In his disinterest, the lesser Sidhe mostly run things. The Low Country as a whole serves as something of a mix of playground and nursery for the Summer Fae, so many of their scions can be found in Charleston. The Sidhe often intermingle with the high society of Charleston, manipulating the rich and ambitious of the city to their own ends. Competing for their parents approval or seeking to escape them (mortal or otherwise), the Changelings often find themselves in the party scene or sucked up into the crime that surrounds the rich (like art theft and fraud of all kinds). They also like to mix with artists, dancers, and other creative types, acting as patrons to the up and coming. The Little Folk of the area are comprised of a mishmash of creatures and spirits. Anything that loves heat and passion can find a niche here. The Yunwi Tsunsdi are one of the most cohesive people among their number. They are local creatures, a miniature people that like to aid the lost. As long as you aren't rude to them, that is. They find great amusement in watching humanity, often playing pranks on them as they move oblivious to their presence. Goal: To maintain control of their playground and nursery, to challenge their changelings, and grow in power through the longer and longer summer months. Secret Goal: Hidden Obstacles: They face competition from most supernatural factions, who seek to cut in on their territory and steal it for themselves. They hold prime metaphorical real estate and its constantly threatened. Resources: As a whole, they have quite a few powerful lords and entities that make up the Court. Out of all the supernatural powers in the city, they have the greatest number of vassals to be called to service and can call on an almost inexhaustible web of favors and obligations to defend themselves. Individually, it differs great. On their own, a particular Lord will have a strong influence over their area of interest and a number of loyal or indebted retainers to call on, but most changelings and lesser Fae are on their own and must make do with their personal power and little else. They are at their peak during the warm, summer months of the year, which is most of them in Charleston. Weakness: Without their leader taking interest, they are largely ununited. The fickle and volatile nature of the Fae means they often act against each other instead of cooperating. They act in their own interests instead of as a Court, letting themselves be divided and conquered piecemeal. The lesser Fae find it hard to find support from above, leaving them ready prey to a number of supernatural predators that stalk the city. The changelings of the Court are often put in tough situations deliberately as tests by fire and so feel very little loyalty to the Court that spawned them. Aspects: The Fickle and Fine, This is Our Playground!, Absent Leadership

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Josh posted a topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Faction: The Shuck Club On the outside, the Shuck Club portrays itself as something like the Elk's Club or Masons, a group of well meaning citizens that care about the community. They hold food drives, various charity events, and even take place in the local parades. The membership is known for being made up of several locally known architects, wealthy philanthropists, and librarians who specialize in local history. They gather together, usually dressed up nicely in suits and dresses, twice a month and that's all most people know about them. All of the above is true, the Club does do those things and its members do tend to be well off intellectuals. Their purpose just happens to be more occultly focused than just preserving old buildings and canned food drives. They are a old, old society with roots tracing back to the founding of the colony that would one day grow into the city it is now. The Shuck Club seeks to collect and preserve as much of the local magical lore as it can. They track and trace the histories of monsters, spirits, and other supernatural critters. When they can, they use their collective knowledge and resources to restrict or hinder the more malicious creatures and factions. They aren't warriors, and have loose ties with the Venatroi Umbrorum who they share information with occasionally. Their leader, Mr. Black, is a mysterious figure to the public as a whole. He rarely shows himself at all, appearing once in a blue moon as a gentlemen in his late prime, always in a well tailored tux. A reclusive billionaire, though no one can quite decide if his money is old money or new. Even in the Club, he usually communicates briefly and often through the Club's junior leadership. Goal: To gather and preserve local legends and lore, tracking and studying the magical and occult events of the city. Occasionally throwing up a roadblock or two to help protect the innocent. Secret Goal: Hidden Obstacles: They largely have to act from a position of weakness. Neither Fae Court approves of the Club and often compete with them in the high society scene, seeking to embarrass and ostracize their members. Resources: They possess one of the most dangerous weapons available, knowledge. They have made it their collective business to learn at least something about every creature of the night that haunts their city. They access to a great many records of their own, as well as access to a number of secret libraries and private museums. They have a number of businesses that supply them with niffy tools to hinder the supernatural, as well as a handful of bases designed by architects and engineers who knew something of magical defenses. Weakness: They lack true firepower. They just do not have the power or the personnel to truly do battle with the evils of the city outside the realm of politics and finance. They are also mostly mortal and finding it difficult to find recruits amongst the younger generation. Aspects: Gentlemen and Ladies Club of the Occult, Centuries of Observation, Our Enemies Outlive Us

Themes/Threats

Josh posted a topic in The Southern Belle's My World

Threat: Holy City Hooligans In the shadows of Charleston and its sister cities, trouble has been brewing. There has always been gangs, but recently they have been expanding, leading to more and more violence between themselves. At the core of this conflict are a number of supernatural elements. The Scales Gang has been an unfortunate fixture of the docks and seedier alleyways for decades, the faefolk's changelings dabble in art theft and various inhaled and injected methods of escapism, and darker things beneath it all making deals and bargains for favors rendered. Most recently, a mishmash troupe of teens has started stalking parking lots and bars, using mortal magic to cut in on any manner of petty crime. Theme: Muddy Water In My Veins Dark things live in the swamp. The echoes of that truth still can be heard in the few stories still told in the modern day. Cover it in concrete if you want to, but Charleston was built on a swamp....and the swamp remembers. There are witches in the subdivisions brewing potions, wil'o'wisps that dance in the dark hours of the morning across the back roads, and dark things beneath the water of the bay. If you ask around, someone is sure to have a ghost tale or know of a haunted house. More than one local business has taken off after a visit from a mysterious stranger or two. Theme: New Suit, Old Me The South is known for is mannerism, and Charleston embraces a lot of that. Politeness can be wielded as a weapon and a dapper appearance can set you ahead. Even as it invites in all these big industries and new money, the city still likes to purport itself as the same genial self. Likewise, the supernatural community is seeing something of the same. Some really old powers dwell in the city and its environs. Deadly spirits take to adopting local legends as fresh guises to gain influence, old hidden gods play at blending in, and demons are always willing to play dress up.

January 28

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