It seemed to me that the empathic paths added in the empaths book had a lot of cool stuff that went with them. Unfortunately, I never felt that the empathic trainning path linked up very well with any of the empathic paths from the main book.
I'd like to see the empathic underground path revised to allow a player to access either the general empathic abilities from the main book, or one of the more defined sets (psionics, mystics etc.). And, I would also like to see the psychic test subject path open access to the psionic, or neuropath skill sets.
In each case the player could be given a choice upon their first pass thorugh the path as to which set of empathic skills they would like to study, and then lock in from there.
Another thing I'd like to see is an intermediate step between Empathic Study and what ever path the character takes before it. As I recall (I still don't have access to my books) the requirements were pretty steep. Maybe some sort of Empathic Initiate could be created. The path would give you little if anything else than what would be needed to take Empathic Study.
Just some thoughts I had.
-E
Empathic Careers
Empathic Careers
Stare not too long in to the abyss...
Can one agree with both? Well, I do.
The basic information on empathy is rather slim, or at least not fully explained, and the information on each discipline could use filling out. I have attempted unsuccessfully to do this on my own; to the frustration of some of my players.
The basic information on empathy is rather slim, or at least not fully explained, and the information on each discipline could use filling out. I have attempted unsuccessfully to do this on my own; to the frustration of some of my players.
I agree here too; it is how the GM handles Empathy. Empathy is new to my timeline and is both slowly developing and slowly becoming more common; this to avoid a heavy “magic like” environment – which I am trying to avoid (I am personally burnt on magic). I use Mystics as NPC, since I see VERY little that would entice a Mystic to venture out. And am allowing only Neuropaths for PCs; they are simply an empath that is aware of their abilities. Anyone with an EMP rating and EMP skills is latent, they can use there skills but in an “indirect way” by RPing the skill use (sine they do not know they how they do this) instead of declaring an action (Latent- “I talk soothingly with the rampaging horse to calm it, offers food, pets…” instead of Aware- “I am using [Animal Empathy] abilities to calm the horse’).Zvezda wrote:...I agree with what you said. A few clarificatios on empathy won't hurt. On the other hand I think the game should not become to magic heavy and leave most of that to the individual GM.
Kevin GM/DM
Roll'em Again Gaming Group
Oregon Chapter
"In a world of games ... WE are the Gamers"
Roll'em Again Gaming Group
Oregon Chapter
"In a world of games ... WE are the Gamers"
I could not agree more with you. That's the way I like EMP in the game. I guess it was somehow ment to be used that way. But what's cool on DC if you want your PCs to shoot bolts of lightning out of their...whatevers...you can have them too. I did not even try to explain how magic works since it would only lead to laughter which is not the best thing in a Horrorgame. Well...some time it is.
I think you missunderstood me. I wasn't asking for anymore setting information in reguard to EMP skills. I just wanted the paths structured in a more openended way (think the A, B, and C selections for the Martial Artist).
I thought the setting info on the schools of though was fine. I just wanted it to be a little easier for my players to get those skills via their paths.
-E
I thought the setting info on the schools of though was fine. I just wanted it to be a little easier for my players to get those skills via their paths.
-E
Stare not too long in to the abyss...
Well the draft rules are advanced along enough to chime in here (a little late, I am sorry).
The core rules will have a set of skills that are available to all characters to some degree or another. All humans in DC have EMP>0. But not all have the skills. The players and referee negotiate the empathic setting: little, lots, supressed, etc. This determines if the Empathic Specialists are included in those available during chargen. The same negotiation goes for Psychic Test Subject, Cyborgs, and Renegade Aliens (or other "careers") which are not in the "core" rules.
As I think Marcus may have said elsewhere, the Mystic career is no longer in the Core, but is a negotiated extension -- an Empathic Specialist. Neuropath is no longer the default empathic character -- it is a specialist that is trained as a career or awakened during play.
There is very little overlap between the specialist skills (a skill by another name that does the same thing). The one exception is Astral Travel ~= Dimension Walk. And the schools are mutually exclusive. Once training has been taken, the character cannot take training in another specialty. Awakened neuropaths *can* because they are not trained, but not the neuropaths coming from a career.
Specialists are generally like this:
Neuropaths -- raw power, blasting, pyro/cryokinesis -- firestarter kindof stuff
Psionics -- rational mind powers,telepathy, scans, etc. -- removed pyro/cryo
Mystics -- relationship with universe kind of stuff.
Sorcery -- structured manipulation of dimensional constructs
These were the base 1st Ed divisions, but will be more so in 3rd Ed.
While in empathic specialist careers, the core empathy skills are available to chose from allowing Willpower Drain, Project Thought/Emotion, Dimension Walk, etc. to be available to all specialists. Foreboding no longer has EMP as its base attribute, but rather the Perceptive Aptitude (combination of EMP and INT), otherwise all the skills have EMP as the base.
One thing that will change from 1st Ed is the confusing usage of "this is a cascade of that". The cascades will be a lot clearer as to which is which.
Of note will be suggestions that allow the Psychic Test Subject to enter the Neorupath career directly without the need for an empathic contact. Same for the Renegade Alien (except that the career is Psionic instead of any). Of course this is all subject to player-referee negotiation on the story to be told and will appear in a Campaign Options section of the rules.
Teaser enough for you? Questions?
Norm
The core rules will have a set of skills that are available to all characters to some degree or another. All humans in DC have EMP>0. But not all have the skills. The players and referee negotiate the empathic setting: little, lots, supressed, etc. This determines if the Empathic Specialists are included in those available during chargen. The same negotiation goes for Psychic Test Subject, Cyborgs, and Renegade Aliens (or other "careers") which are not in the "core" rules.
As I think Marcus may have said elsewhere, the Mystic career is no longer in the Core, but is a negotiated extension -- an Empathic Specialist. Neuropath is no longer the default empathic character -- it is a specialist that is trained as a career or awakened during play.
There is very little overlap between the specialist skills (a skill by another name that does the same thing). The one exception is Astral Travel ~= Dimension Walk. And the schools are mutually exclusive. Once training has been taken, the character cannot take training in another specialty. Awakened neuropaths *can* because they are not trained, but not the neuropaths coming from a career.
Specialists are generally like this:
Neuropaths -- raw power, blasting, pyro/cryokinesis -- firestarter kindof stuff
Psionics -- rational mind powers,telepathy, scans, etc. -- removed pyro/cryo
Mystics -- relationship with universe kind of stuff.
Sorcery -- structured manipulation of dimensional constructs
These were the base 1st Ed divisions, but will be more so in 3rd Ed.
While in empathic specialist careers, the core empathy skills are available to chose from allowing Willpower Drain, Project Thought/Emotion, Dimension Walk, etc. to be available to all specialists. Foreboding no longer has EMP as its base attribute, but rather the Perceptive Aptitude (combination of EMP and INT), otherwise all the skills have EMP as the base.
One thing that will change from 1st Ed is the confusing usage of "this is a cascade of that". The cascades will be a lot clearer as to which is which.
Of note will be suggestions that allow the Psychic Test Subject to enter the Neorupath career directly without the need for an empathic contact. Same for the Renegade Alien (except that the career is Psionic instead of any). Of course this is all subject to player-referee negotiation on the story to be told and will appear in a Campaign Options section of the rules.
Teaser enough for you? Questions?
Norm
Wow, I like the way is sounds like you are going. I especially like the way you are having careers feed directly in to some of the more specialized paths. Keep up the good work, I can't wait to see the final project.
PS: I'm okay with moving Pyro and cryo out of psionics, but did you at least leave them TK?
PS: I'm okay with moving Pyro and cryo out of psionics, but did you at least leave them TK?
Stare not too long in to the abyss...
er...no, TK is in neuropathics. That moved because it is an external power. The 1stEd image of the psionic being the center of a whirlwind of empathic power (reference the 2-page illustration in the supplement) is in my mind better suited to the neuropath, who deals with raw personal power (sorcerer notwithstanding). This includes TK -- picking up cars and such. The psionic deals with mental assault/defense and suffers little personal harm from backlash and such. The neuropath can suffer mental damage which is new to 3rdEd. Ironically, the power to make heads explode is in psionics and not neuropathy. Had to trade something.Mister E wrote:PS: I'm okay with moving Pyro and cryo out of psionics, but did you at least leave them TK?
The short answer for the basic rules is no multi-classes. Having said that, the empathic specialists are in an optional section and their introduction into a campaign is flexible. This means that based on the story-negotiations I referred to before, the referee can allow such powerful player-characters into the campaign. Believe me, they are powerful. But if the story calls for an empathic cell battling the Dark across the dimensions, such multi-classes will most likely be needed. The partitioning of powers did have mult-classes in mind originally since we did not want successive careers in different schools to boost the same skill. Didn't make sense. Using empathy is not like shooting a weapon, it is personal and how you get there is very different for the schools.anthraxus wrote:In 1st Edition you could have either a Psionic/Sorcerer or a Mystic/Sorcerer. In 3rd you won't be able to do that?
The multi-class limit is due to the vast difference in mindset between the schools -- in human terms. It is the relative inflexibility of the training methods to account for the mind set of the other and is not a limit on the human. Darkling "schools" would provide any combination. For example, Darth Vader can control electricity and do Jedi mind tricks too. So charons can be any multi-class including psionic/mystic which is prohibited in 1stEd. This is, in fact a lure to empaths to take the Dark path, since charons primarily want to increase their powers. This is also a good plot source when a powerful empath is in the party -- the lure.
Cheers!
Norm
