@jennkryst said in Dare I ask...:
@derp BRB, gotta go earn a black belt before I can put in this Martial Arts skill request.
I mean, you joke, but we've all seen the master of Wing Chun who does the aerial shaolin jump-around nonsense that makes you go 'you did not even so much as google wing chun, huh?'.
I don't expect you to be able to do the things the character can, but I expect you to have done some research on the thing. If you want to be world-class at something, I expect you to know what world-class means. If you have -- example, Athletics 5 with a specialty in Figure Skating and you're telling me that you're an olympic figure-skating gold medalist, then yeah, I expect you to have done some research on it. I don't need you to be able to do a triple lutz, but I expect you to be able to tell me what a triple lutz is. If you're going for a 5 with that kind of a background, I might even expect you to know gasp figure skating rules, and to tell the difference between a triple axle and a triple lutz.
You wanna play an elite-level thing, then I expect you to be knowledgeable enough to portray it. If you don't wanna do that work, then you don't get that thing. It's really just that straightforward. If you want the shiny thing, then you do the work to get the shiny thing.
Also, a black belt is the martial arts equivalent of a high school diploma. It shows that you know just enough not to hurt yourself and can probably be trusted in some basic supervision and instruction. You aren't at the peak of the mountain.
Just saying.
@misadventure said in Dare I ask...:
@derp That ... doesn't sound like any xp justification I've ever heard of.
Could you give an example for a mundane skill and some sort of magical power?
OK, so, sticking with WoD examples, I assume for mundane skills the progression of Novice, Practiced, Competent, Expert, Master. So a justification would ideally look something like this:
***Spammy WoD XP Justification***
click to show
Brawl 2 - Jonny has been taking night classes with his MMA coach for a few months now. While he still ends up on his back half the time, he's developed enough confidence, technical mastery, and muscle memory that he can apply most of the techniques he's been learning consistently and (relatively) safely. Employing a mix of striking and ground fighting, he might be able to hold his own in an amateur competition or a one-on-one bar fight, but he's still relying on his muscular build from his football days more than his technical mastery to tilt the odds in his favor.
Jonny is no longer a novice. He's become practiced in his art, confident in the techniques that he knows, but is inconsistent enough that he cannot be considered fully competent in the system, and the advanced lessons are beyond him at this time.
Maybe also including some logs or something of him using some of his fancy new moves.
Magical abilities, especially for Mage, are the real reason why I started insisting on them in the first place. Because I can't force you to read the book before you play. But I can make damn sure you've read it before I approve you to raise anything. You will not 'just learn it IC'. #SorryNotSorry
I expect you to tell me where and how you're learning it, what it can do, and how it feels / looks / manifests from your character. I want you to show me that you know what this arcanum both can and cannot do. I don't expect you to memorize every possible spell permutation, but I want to know that you know what the Compelling practices are fairly limited, so that you don't try to conjure up dancing dragons of fire with your mighty Forces 1 because 'all you are doing is moving the candle flame that is already there omg!'
This is a ridiculously quick one because I'm at work and can't do a proper one, but something might look like:
***Even Moar Spammier WoD XP Justification***
click to show
Fate 1 - Samael's Awakening to the Watchtower of the Golden Key flavors his perceptions of the Fate arcanum. Samael sees the workings of Fate as the work of the angels, understanding the destiny of a subject as their place in the Unknowable End Result of the Great Mechanism of the Aether. His mentor, Ganapati, has been instructing him in the Mysteries of Fate.
Knowing - Ganapati's teachings have allowed Samael to reach out with his Supernal Will and draw back basic information about a subject he is examining or a situation he is participating in. By reading the brands of the angels on a subject's skin, Samael can discern what oaths the subject has broken or fulfilled -- broken oaths appear as scratched and corrupted text, rusted and vile. Fulfilled oaths appear to be pristine, and made of precious metals. By examining the position of the Gears of the Great Mechanism, Samael can determine what adjustments need to be made in order to reconfigure the Mechanism in a way favorable to him, or disfavorable to an enemy.
Unveiling - Ganapati has also showed him how to simply extend his senses with Fate and view the Supernal Symbols as it exists around him, gleaning information from what he sees. The sympathies between individuals appear as ribbons of pure red energy, coiled around and between every individual and, occasionally, even pieces of the environment in some way important to their place in the working of the Great Mechanism, angels dancing between them to create and sever new connections. Occasionally, with concentration, Samael can glean information based on the appearance of the divine beings -- a pair of former lovers in close proximity will have a pair of angels dancing between them suggestively, their marble masks hard and mocking, their movements full of tension and revulsion even as they move through their 'romantic' dance.
Compelling - The trickiest of the Practices, Samael has now gotten comfortable with the basics of compelling -- making minor adjustments to the workings of the Great Mechanism, or quietly entreating the angels to act on his behalf in very minor ways that don't deviate too much from how they otherwise might have gone. He might ask them to stand by his side as he completes his task, warding off obstacles and pointing out the path he needs to take. Alternatively, he can choose to trust in his knowledge of the workings of the Great Mechanism, making an immediate adjustment for a small change down the line. Neither method is without risk -- the angels may ignore him, and his knowledge of the Machine is imperfect at best. Abuse of these methods are likely to backfire spectacularly, as angels are not beings to be treated as servants, and the Great Machine's gears are as likely to chew Samael to shreds as alter their course, and direct control of the Fallen World through the workings of Fate is still far beyond his abilities.
I'll fite u.
for 