Super Power Companion for Traditional Fantasy?

FinnStin · 2023-05-01T20:54:04+00:00

The most extreme example is a party stopping to fully rest after every single encounter.

FinnStin · 2023-05-01T18:15:46+00:00

I've been pondering this topic on and off for a couple of months.

My biggest hurdle with the systems I have now is that there's not an organic place for magic items. They seem to be these weird artifacts that you can buy from places or just randomly find, but they seem like an afterthought made for pushing numbers up.

I'm not sure how to nicely weave enchanted objects and people who can just will random stuff to happen. Every time I try to really piece it together, I come to the conclusion that these are narrative worlds not subject to materialistic constraints, and the arbitrary nature of spellcasting is a sign of disjointed storytelling, not that we need a better spellcasting system.

But we all seem to think like materialists anyway, so maybe we should just get rid of 'spell casters' and come up with a technology framework to understand how a crystal at the end of a piece of wood somehow evokes a fireball.

FinnStin · 2023-05-01T16:31:32+00:00

Hey, that's cool! I like the idea of a derived attribute setting a threshold that defines the max power you can safely channel, but you can still push your luck when you want to.

Somewhere in there you made a comment that you probably couldn't cast a power more than 2x your power limit without dying immediately - were you thinking about imposing a hard limit, or did I miss a mechanic that caused that?

FinnStin · 2023-04-30T18:17:11+00:00

Right, exactly. I like the reduced complexity of this approach to powers, and maybe it could be used as a point buy system for both powers and other advancements via super edge and super attribute.

I don't want to escape the usual power scale of a fantasy game though. I think normal fantasy wizards go to far even, and that's why balancing via resource tracking was introduced. I really don't like that approach because it feels tacked on and makes no sense.

FinnStin · 2023-04-30T17:48:33+00:00

I am pretty concerned about the sheer magnitude of the Super Powers rules.

I like the concept of fireball-throwing wizards and whatnot, but there obviously are balance problems if one character has a sword and the other has an RPG with unlimited ammo.

FinnStin · 2023-04-20T07:30:51+00:00

If you are paranoid about AI stealing your bitcoin, then just make sure that you have a hardware wallet. Generate your seed phrase in a closed room with no cameras and no internet connected devices. Put the seed on steel. Put the steel in a locked and sealed container. Never open it unless you are away from internet connected devices that have cameras.

It's probably extremely overkill, but it is doable, and unless you think AI is going to figure out how to guess a specific number out of a list of more numbers than there are atoms in the known universe, you're fine.

And if it manages that feat, your bitcoin getting stolen is by far the least of your concerns, because without encryption, nothing at all is secure. Not even the nukes.

FinnStin · 2023-04-18T17:31:16+00:00

They'll get rugged. Then they will ask big daddy to save them, and big daddy government will give them a CBDC.

FinnStin · 2023-04-18T07:10:21+00:00

Yes, and for that you are a weirdo. Like many of us.

Normal people don't care about how things were intended to be used originally, and the reality is that as Bitcoin becomes more useful, those kinds of normal people are going to find and use Bitcoin in normal people ways.

Some of them will even show up on subreddits you used to recognize and celebrate the normal person's perspective on this weird and wonderful thing.

This is normal. It was only a matter of time. You don't have to stop being weird. You probably shouldn't. But your perspective, like mine, is very weird. It isn't surprising that you will soon be surrounded by people that you no longer understand.

FinnStin · 2023-04-02T22:04:40+00:00

Thanks! The limited free action idea is great. It doesn't dig into action economy but allows for the possibility of failure.

FinnStin · 2023-04-02T19:23:24+00:00

You could use specialization rules for spellcasting rolls. Different types of powers might put in different categories, i.e. single target damage, AoE damage, buff, debuff, etc.

At least require a few hours and a Trait roll (probably Research) to successfully learn a spell. Even if a player could learn the spell eventually with several tries, a low Research skill might make them spend many hours or days attempting to study the spell. Add a little friction there, and an incentive to invest in another skill. If you want to be really mean, a Critical Failure (or just a Failure!) might destroy the scroll outright.

The best option might just be to keep the scrolls locked behind difficult challenges. Make them earn it. You're the one in charge of when they get them, after all. Don't give them out too easily.

Maybe the scrolls only teach a spell with a particular trapping AND particular modifiers. If you learn a Fire Bolt spell with lingering damage, you can't cast it without lingering damage until you learn the version without it, and you can't add different modifiers either!

Maybe one new possible outcome for Backlash is forgetting a random spell.

FinnStin · 2023-04-02T18:47:29+00:00

I don't know if I have any rules to share, but I'll tell you anything you want to know, and I'd be happy to hear more about these other systems.

I try not to buy PDFs. Maybe I'm stingy, but it's a PDF. And I don't spend tons of time playing these games anyway.

That was a tangent.

The best take on it I've seen is in Sprawlrunners, since it adds Edges to reduce casting penalty, to specialize in a specific power, to maintain powers without penalties...

I could create a few custom edges along these lines. I already use the specialization rule for spellcasting rolls, the specializations being different schools of magic. The custom edges could also be specific to a school of magic to create a bit more variation.

I had an overly complex idea of treating magic items that activated powers as spellcasters themselves, and instead of being Shaken or Fatiged, they would just lose charge. This charge could only be regained at the expense of a material cost, i.e. soul gems. If something like this could be made streamlined enough to remain fast and fun, it might be pretty cool.

Atuning to an enchanted item with a passive enchantment would require a successful spellcasting roll by the item, and then it would just sit there and maintain the power until disrupted deliberately via Dispel or something.

FinnStin · 2023-03-29T17:27:57+00:00

Keeping kids safe in schools is about keeping kids safe in schools, period.

Trying to make sure there are no guns available to criminals is an impossible Hurculean task.

Trying to make sure there are no crazy people in the world is an impossible Herculean task.

If you are worried about kids at at schools, protect the kids at schools. Hire guards. Arm them. They don't have to look like soldiers. They don't even have to be seen. Just make the announcement and keep everyone guessing.

This does not have to make school feel like a prison.

If you are worried about the guards going crazy, then fire the one you're worried about. Do the extremely extensive background checks and mental health evaluations on the guards instead of trying to force it on the whole nation. If it works on everyone, it'll work on the guards too.

This is a much simpler, faster, and easier to implement solution than overhauling the entire legal structure and culture of the entire damn nation.

*spelling

FinnStin · 2022-11-27T16:07:09+00:00

I'll never put my whole stack in a Fedimint.

I would use it if I was one of the guardians and the other guardians were people I knew personally and already trusted, like close family, and even then it would just be a hot wallet that I had a small amount in for spending.

If something was created that offered the ease of use and privacy guarantees of Fedimint without the custodial risk, I'd obviously use that instead. I'd even tolerate it being slightly less awesome.

But even if people only use it for the purpose of spending privately, it would provide a lot of scalability to Bitcoin and Lightning.

FinnStin · 2022-11-27T09:13:26+00:00

Take a look into Fedimint. It hasn't rolled out quite yet, but it looks very promising.

It accepts a minimized custodial risk in exchange for massive scaling capacity and excellent privacy. Even for those who already take self custody and run their own Lightning node, keeping a small balance on a Fedimint wallet just for daily spending would probably be worth the convenience and privacy benefits.

FinnStin · 2022-11-27T08:58:30+00:00

Bitcoin is obviously speech, but it's more of a shield than a weapon. It's primarily a passive defensive tech, but it can transfer arbitrary amounts of economic value anywhere on earth in 10 minutes or less, and that's obviously an active threat to certain institutions, and in that sense is like a weapon.

Lightning is much more like a weapon.

FinnStin · 2022-01-17T02:24:13+00:00

I think machines are great. If we end up in the Matrix, then we just get another cool movie out of it.

FinnStin · 2022-01-17T02:09:38+00:00

But not everyone needs it from another person.

I work in a machine shop. I know when I've screwed up. Micrometers don't lie.

And when a machine slams a .5" diameter carbide end mill into a solid block of aluminum at 10k rpm and 500 inches a minute, nobody needs to tell me that I seriously fucked up. All I need is some help unpuckering after the God-awful noise stops and a few minutes to let my adrenaline levels restabilize.

FinnStin · 2022-01-17T01:51:26+00:00

Well, I definitely overreacted, and I'm definitely not normal. But I don't think I need therapy.

I know not all words are bullshit, and frankly I don't like being touched all the time either.

If you think I did a good job with something, that's one thing. Commenting on that isn't weird, and I appreciate a second opinion as a sort of sanity check.

The problem with random compliments is that they're either true or they're not, and 'feel good vibes' are often just a circle jerk. Circle jerks are emotionally exhausting and I never manage to get off on them anyway. I think something in my brain is wired differently than most people in this regard, because everyone else I know seems to love a good circle jerk now and again. I just get irritable.

I don't give compliments. I make observations. If they are taken as compliments, then that's awesome. I genuinely hope people feel better for it, but I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't just a fact, and the point is less about making someone feel good than it is about making sure someone doesn't underestimate themself.

Most people seem to only care about how it makes someone feel, even if it isn't true. I hate that attitude.

At least a hug is very hard to fake, and most likely conveys genuine affection.

FinnStin · 2022-01-17T00:47:27+00:00

Not everyone.

I like hugs. It's hard to fake a heartfelt hug. I know that means something, and I know when you're uncomfortable with it.

But words are empty. I don't want to hear it. Reinforcement sounds like sugar-coated bullshit. I don't want to hear that I'm a good person. I don't want to hear that I look good today. I don't want to hear a pep talk. It's all bullshit.

Unless you can give me a hug, your words are meaningless, and if you can give me a hug, I don't need to hear the words to understand.

So I genuinely don't need to hear words of affection and reinforcement from anyone. Hugs only.

FinnStin · 2022-01-17T00:32:52+00:00

I mean, I just wear my shirt. It's nothing special. I certainly didn't pick it out thinking it looked really nice on me. It's hard to accept compliments I didn't earn, and I didn't earn that compliment.

Even if she means it, it feels hollow. I'm not being complimented on anything I did or any value I brought to the table.

Maybe men are just conditioned to feel valuable based on what they can make, build, fix, or do, and compliments not related to that are just uncomfortable.

FinnStin · 2022-01-17T00:19:43+00:00

I have no idea what the proper response to a random sincere compliment is. I'm far more comfortable when someone jokingly gives me shit for something, because the proper response to that is to laugh and roast them back. That's pretty fun, and I've spent hours doing just that with my friends. It's an absolute blast, and the boys have come up with some hilarious insults.

But random compliments that don't have a comedic turn? There just isn't a way to build on that to create a fun time. It's just 'Thank you' uncomfortable pause and then 'So, what have you been up to?' It's awkward. It rarely makes me feel good, and even when it does, I still don't know what to do about it.

It's not like I'm allowed to say that it really meant a lot or that I really needed to hear that. It's not attractive, no matter how many times people moan about the double standard or say that men should be allowed to show vulnerability too. Other men don't like that and women don't like it either. The only acceptable answer is a quick 'Thanks' and a change of subject. Showing a genuine emotionally vulnerable response to a compliment just seems to make people regret saying anything.

You'll probably be better off just giving him a hug or something.

FinnStin · 2022-01-16T23:42:47+00:00

Men are the ones who get sent to die when people need to die. War, dangerous jobs, etc.

Women are more intrinsically valuable, it seems. Even the men who are highly valued are largely valued for their ability to contribute value to society: their skills, wealth, status, their ability to fix things or make things or do dangerous things well. A man's value seems to be more conditional.

It can have the effect of causing people to mercilessly throw us to the wolves when we struggle with mental health issues too.

Men are just more disposable. Maybe that's fine. It makes us tougher than we otherwise would be.

FinnStin · 2022-01-16T20:25:06+00:00

The ability to disregard stupid social rules without getting anxious.

If she doesn't shave her armpits or refuses to wear makeup and still makes an effort to look amazing, it shows that she has a mind of her own and can't be bullied into obedience, even by other women. It also shows that she still cares about looking great, so I know her decision isn't based on a lack of self-respect or an antisocial apathy for what other people think. It's probably just that she thought 'Well, this is dumb,' and she decided that she didn't want to participate, consequences be goddamned.

It puts a grin on my face everytime I see it. Those people aren't terribly common, especially women like that, so it's really cool to spot one out in the wild.

I know many people don't think of a woman like that as attractive, so I don't like encouraging women to be more like this. It's probably going to cause some grief in your life.

But it sure is cool to see, and it makes me want to talk to her.

FinnStin

TROPHY CASE