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The Secrets of Cats (FATE Core world)

Started by wander, March 09, 2015, 01:38:16 PM

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Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: Zeth on March 22, 2015, 11:53:41 AM
Could some one give me a finished Cat Character sheet as an example? I tend to work better with examples.
A few of them are down below, including Wander's first post. They are just hidden in spoiler boxes.
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Sain

So I was thinking we could probably tie those troubles everyone was throwing together. For example something like this? Doesn't have to be of course just throwing out an option.

An old forest next to the town (lets call it Oldwoords) is getting mowed down by a bunch of big machines as the burdens are planning to build something on top of it. Thing is though that the spirits of Oldwoods and the local parlament of cats have a long standing mutual benefit agreements and have had ever since the first settlers first brought their kittens to live here. Back then was different. Spirits of the wilds were the big guys and cats were the new immigrants looking for refuge, which they got. Well its reversed now. Cats are in power and the spirits of the Oldwoods are waning. The parlament is conflicted in how to deal the situation and arguments arise as the cats cannot come into agreement whose territyory they should squeeze from to make room for the spirits (no cat would want to lose their home of course). Too bad burdens wait for no cat. The work is under way and everyday animals/spirits from leave the Oldwoords to roam the city and try desperately find homes there even if they're not welcome.

If you're wondering what I mean with spirits by the way, I like to think that something akin to those little critters from Totoro or other Ghibli movies (please nobody admit you haven't seen any) might fit the feel of the book? Some tiny pseudo corporeal creatures who aren't always individually that much more powerful than cats.

Thoughts?
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Cassandra LeMay

It's not a bad idea, but I wonder if it might not open a pretty big can of historical relationships and interplay between spirits and cats. The scenario might work, but it might also require a good bit of work on part of the GM to pull it off.

Also I am not sure how much of a problem spirits would pose when it comes to territory. I figure that spirits don't really exist on the same plane as cats or burdens. Animals displaced from their natural habitat might be more of an immediate problem for cats.

But perhaps there could be a forest animal somehow connected to the nature spirits, perhaps a sort of feral cat shaman or somesuch? That animal would try to muscle its way into town territory, using the spirits as "foot soldiers". Maybe the spirits are not even aware of the full magnitude of what's going on in the 'turf wars' and just need to be convinced that there can be a peacefull solution? That way there might be a connection between what's going on in the spirit world and the animal world.
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Sain

Hmm well so long as GM is good at improvisation (and it's a bit easier on forums) it should be fine even if the GM doesn't have every single detail ironed out. Especially if none of our cats end up with too high lore skill.

Oh man I do want to see a feral cat shaman NPC :D Gruffy old white whiskers. I guess some real motivator behind the trouble makers would be nice. Always fun when there's someone behind the curtains. Perhaps some of the cats in the parlament have banded to scheme together with this 'evil' cat shaman too?
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: Sain on March 22, 2015, 02:55:58 PM
Perhaps some of the cats in the parlament have banded to scheme together with this 'evil' cat shaman too?
I suppose it might depend on how much of a threat to the Burdens the spirits/shaman are. Most cats should still feel some duty to protect their burdens, at least as I see it. Scheeming with forces that might actually bring harm to the burdens might be out of the question for most (all?) cats in town. I guess it depends on how this breaks down into individual scenarios and how desperate the town's cats might become. Some events could lead to a if you can't defeat them, join them scenario, but if it leads to a big battle there should also be opportunities to turn enemies into friends along the way, to balance things out a bit.
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Zeth

Okay, I am out. Sadly something else popped up so I can't give this the time required.

wander

Wow, things developed since I was away! xD

Cass, you are very welcome to join in ^^. You don't have to play a Master of any magic at all, I believe in FATE you should play the character you want to. Your cat can be easily be more skilled in physical or social skills rather than magic, or be an intellectual cat without being a gifted mage. Its up to you what you think would be cool. :)

Zeth, sorry to see you go. Sorry I haven't been more helpful this weekend, it's been a bit of a wild one for me.

I happen to have the FATE Tool Kit, so I can look into rejigging or adding mechanics into the game if people would like that.

Sain, I love your ideas for the Issues of the story, it sounds absolutely great! ^^ Sounds like a kitteh version of Werewolf:the Forsaken, I'll see what we can do about spirit interactions, as in Werewolf, the titular characters could slide over to the spirit realm and deal with them there when the spirits weren't manifest or possessing people. I love the idea of a feral cat shaman though... Absolutely love it! xD

As Cass mentions though, whilst cats call the humans Burdens, the aim of the game is that they're protecting their humans without letting them know what is threatening them supernaturally. Just why your cat is doing this is something for you to question and answer as a part of who they are.

Also, as this idea is developing, please feel free to adapt your character sheets as we go along, I'd like for everyone to play a cat they're happy to play as based on the scenario after all. :)

Cassandra LeMay

#32
Here's my first take on my character. She needs a bit more work, but for that I might need some help / inspiration, so say hello to the Deanna Troi of the cat world.  :D

Misty
A long and graceful Nebelung with intense green eyes and a fine silky fur that is always well-groomed, Misty could easily be taken for a bit of a diva, if not for her warm and helpful nature that's written all over her face. Misty is a caregiver by nature, turning a cat's natural inquisitiveness to seeking things in hearts and souls more than in the visible world, feeling compelled to ease other sentients' trouble. In her Burden, the local vet, she sees much of the same desire to help others and from that has developed a strong bond with Dr. Lucas (and by extension the doctor's nine-year old son, Mark).

Name: Misty
Kitten Name: Bright Eyes
True Name: Heart Finder


Aspects
High Concept: Compassionate Seeker
Trouble:
Burden: Dr. Lukas (the local vet) and her son Mark
Free Aspect:

Refresh: 3
Physical Stress Boxes:  3
Mental Stress Boxes: 4

Skills
Empathy +4
Seeking +3, Will +3
Rapport +2, Investigate +2, Lore +2
Notice +1, Physique +1, Territory +1, Athletics +1

Magic Stunts: Dreamwalking, Astral Projection, Prognostication
Normal Stunts: Psychologist, Lie Whisperer, Reconstruction


As you can see, her Trouble and Free Aspect are still undecided. For her Trouble I was wondering if she would be someone perceived as 'soft' by others and therefore sometimes other cats try to take advantage of her, but with her high Empathy she should be able to look through that so I am not sure if that would be much of a trouble. Another option I am contemplating is to make her mostly a house cat and have her be out of her depth in wilderness settings (as much as that can be the case for a cat). Perhaps someone could provide me with some food for thought?

For her Free Aspect I was thinking that she might know a lot of other animals, what with Misty being the local vet's cat. I just haven't found the best way to describe that yet and sum it up in an aspect. Suggestions are quite welcome.

Something I was also wondering about was Astral Combat. That's done with Provoke vs. Will, and since Misty isn't all that much of a fighter in the physical world I wouldn't mind her being of some use on the astral plane. But for the life of me I can't see this character taking the Provoke skill. Would it be possible to build a stunt that allows her to use another skill for astral attacks under certain circumstances? As I don't see her as being agressive I suppose one limitation could be that she has to take stress before gaining access to that ability, only fighting back instead of starting a fight. Or perhaps she takes stress (or a condition) to gain a bonus in an astral fight because being aggressive goes against her nature and going against her nature damages her somehow?
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

wander

Misty is looking good so far Cass! :)

Remember your True Name is an Aspect also and that the best Aspects are double-edged swords, thats not a comment about your True Name, though something to help you fill out the other Aspects and perhaps also in your wording of your Burden Aspect also. With your Burden, I can see having one as a vet would be useful, question also what could be troublesome for Misty with that too, to get those valuable Fate points and add to the story too. ^^

Your Trouble being a house cat or indoors cat sounds good... Perhaps you can use that Trouble more positively in Misty being more social with Burdens and having knowledge of human homes than the other more feral cats?

For her Free Aspect, how about 'Friend to other Animals'? She could be more comfortable with Burdens and other animals than her own kind, being more of a shut-in. Sure she can read them and is an empathic cat, though thats a little bit different in being socially gifted with her own kind. :)

It's perfectly fine to make a Stunt to swap skills when in a specific circumstance. I wouldn't particularly add the penalty to that for such a Stunt as it'd be something that's suitably narrow unless you happened to continually be in astral form.

Cassandra LeMay

#34
What I think could be troublesome with her Burden (aside from Burdens being Burdens and not always doing the sensible thing) is that people always bring animals in need of comfort to her doorstep and Misty just can't help attending to them. Perhaps we could sum that up as her Trouble, calling it something like "Always needed somewhere"? She might be late to Parliament sessions because she ran into someone in trouble along the way and just couldn't help herself stoping and lending assistance, she just couldn't go outdoors while that dog in the animal clinic needed its broken leg set, and so on? It could have a positive aspect of making some new contacts here and there, but might well have a lot of cats going "great, so Misty had to stop somewhere to talk with someone about some problem or another - again! Where is she when we need her?". But I could rename her Burden to "The local pet clinic", if you think that would be more appropriate?

Also, I think her True Name is already double-edged. You could easily penalize her if she is seeking for an inanimate object or a heartless being.  ;)

That aside... I don't see her as being more comfortable with non-cats than cats, and some knowledge about Burdens is already implied by the Reconstruction stunt. I don't think that needs an aspect to shine. Perhaps we could turn her Free Aspect into something like "Friends in unexpected places"? On the plus side she might know a lot of animals, but maybe a drawback could be that she can only approach them alone? Having a bunch of alley cats in tow might not work so well when Misty goes to talk with a big bad dog that she has met in the clinic?

As for the skill-swapping stunt... If we go with the "spirit invasion" idea, astral projection might actually come into play pretty often. Of course the final decision is up to you, but it might come into play more often than you think.

Edit: Speaking of spirits... One thing I don't get (yet) is how astral conflict is actually resolved, given that spirits seem to lack the requisite skills. Provoke vs. Will seems straightforward enough, but Provoke and Will are skills, and spirits don't have skills, far as I read the rules (p.46 of Secrets of Cats). I suppose one of the 'approaches' of a spirit stands in for Will or Provoke then?
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

wander

Spirits are fairly easy to use as they use the FAE Approaches. This means that when they're doing a specific action, it's how they do it that'll decide their Approach. Otherwise astral combat is resolved exactly like normal combat in regards to how stress is dropped down for either side, just cats have to use Provoke when attacking or Will in defence. And of course cat's suffer mental stress rather than physical stress.

Interestingly, it seems astral forms can be harmed by things in the physical realm (because your cat cannot pass through living things). Of course you can roll Stealth against their Notice to hide from anyone's view if they are psychically gifted to see you (such as cats will be, Burdens on the other hand will not be able to see your astral form, though you will bump into them if you touch).

Cassandra LeMay

#36
Alright, here's my new take on Misty:


A long and graceful Nebelung with intense green eyes and a fine silky fur that is always well-groomed, Misty could easily be taken for a bit of a diva, if not for her warm and helpful nature that's written all over her face. Misty is a caregiver by nature, turning a cat's natural inquisitiveness to seeking things in hearts and souls more than in the visible world, feeling compelled to ease other sentients' trouble. In her Burden, the local vet, she sees much of the same desire to help others and from that has developed a strong bond with Dr. Lucas (and by extension the doctor's nine-year old son, Mark).

Name: Misty
Kitten Name: Bright Eyes
True Name: Heart Finder

Aspects
High Concept: Compassionate Seeker
Trouble: Everyone thinks I am just a house cat
Burden: Dr. Lukas (the local vet) and the pet clinic
Free Aspect: Kindness begets kindness

Refresh: 3
Physical Stress Boxes:  3
Mental Stress Boxes: 4

Skills
Empathy +4
Seeking +3, Will +3
Rapport +2, Investigate +2, Lore +2
Notice +1, Physique +1, Territory +1, Athletics +1

Magic Stunts: Dreamwalking, Astral Projection, Prognostication
Normal Stunts: Psychologist, Even My Claws Are Cute (use Rapport in place of Provoke during astral conflicts), Reconstruction



I slightly changed her Burden to include the pet clinic, but dropped the doctor's son. Having Misty feel responsible not just for the doctor, but the whole vet practice should allow more than enough openings for compells. I also don't see having the local vet as her Burden as all that much of an advantage. Any Burden who can afford to take 'his' cat to the vet would provide pretty much the same advantage, as far as I understand the rules about consequences and recovery.

I figure her free aspect would allow her an invoke now and then to pull a contact out of her hat, someone she may have helped before, or perhaps allow her a bonus on some Empathy or Rapport related situations. On the down side she would also feel honor-bound to return a favor received. In addition I figure it could also be used to drive a wedge between Misty and someone else, if that someone doesn't honor what she thinks is an unspoken promise to return a favor. Even if that other cat has a good reason not to do it, Misty might still be ill-disposed towards them for a while.
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

wander

Okay, so I'll leave things here and do a roll-call to see if we're all up for this still and see if we get any other people wanting to join the group, then we'll go get started. :)

Sain

Yep yep still totally in. I've been following Misty's progression quietly.
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301

Blythe

Misty looks great!

I'm still in--my posting speed isn't too fast (but I do try to light a fire under my butt for groups!), but if that isn't a problem, I'm definitely in. ^^

wander

I think as long everyone can manage two posts a week, I'm happy with that pace.

As it looks like everyone is ready, I'm going to wait until next week to kick things on the off-chance we get some new players come in. Over the weekend though I'll be taking in everyone's Aspects and seeing how best to start everyone off in the game. There'll be an OOC thread and I'd love for discussion to take place, as this is FATE I'll be seeing what gels with everyone, offering Fate Points often though the prices for these will always be interesting! :)

Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: Blythe on March 26, 2015, 12:29:14 PM
Misty looks great!
Thank you.  :-) For a while I wasn't sure if I wasn't overdoing the whole Empathy / Compassion angle, but the more I thought about her, the more this felt just right.

Quote from: wander on March 26, 2015, 01:08:37 PM
I think as long everyone can manage two posts a week, I'm happy with that pace.

As it looks like everyone is ready, I'm going to wait until next week to kick things on the off-chance we get some new players come in. Over the weekend though I'll be taking in everyone's Aspects and seeing how best to start everyone off in the game. There'll be an OOC thread and I'd love for discussion to take place, as this is FATE I'll be seeing what gels with everyone, offering Fate Points often though the prices for these will always be interesting! :)
Any idea at all yet if you'll start us of individually and gradually bring the group together, or if you'll open with a scene where everyone is already in the same place (Parliament session, for example)? If it'll be the latter, it might help if we know a bit sooner than later, to give us time to think about recent events in our character's lives.
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Blythe

I vote for our characters meeting in the same place rather than starting things individually--it will help group momentum and encourage better character ties.

wander

I'll leave this one to vote methinks... We have Blythe's opinion, what does everyone else want? :)

Cassandra LeMay

I am actually a little hesitant to vote, as I think starting the game is something the GM should feel very comfortable with and decide to best suit his needs. But, that said, if it's fine by you either way, Wander, I would second Blythe's opinion. If you want to get to know our characters individually I think you should have that opportunity, but if that makes no difference for you, a group start might be best to get the ball rolling.
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Zeth

I vote you all start together. As a GM I know that starting separate can kill a forum game outright because forum games are much slower paced then live table top ones.

wander

I won't be starting until next week, so trust me when I say I'm fine leaving this to popular opinion... I'll craft something just fine whatever happens. I tend to just roll with the shots. Perhaps thats a detriment of my writing, perhaps it's a strength, I think there are people who would say one or the other tbh. There will be time enough where through me offering Fate Points I'll have a read and get to know everyone's characters, I intend to offer them out for tough (but fun writing-wise!) choices.

Things do matter here to me, though I dislike the ethic of 'I'm the GM, we're doing it this way'. All of you were kind enough to reply to my little ad and I'd like to make this a game we all have a say in. :)

Blythe

Quote from: Cassandra LeMay on March 26, 2015, 01:50:48 PM
I think starting the game is something the GM should feel very comfortable with and decide to best suit his needs.

*cough* Ah, this is true, too. Don't be afraid to speak up with what you prefer to run, too, wander!  ;D

Quote from: wander on March 26, 2015, 01:57:26 PM
I won't be starting until next week, so trust me when I say I'm fine leaving this to popular opinion... I'll craft something just fine whatever happens. I tend to just roll with the shots. Perhaps thats a detriment of my writing, perhaps it's a strength, I think there are people who would say one or the other tbh. There will be time enough where through me offering Fate Points I'll have a read and get to know everyone's characters, I intend to offer them out for tough (but fun writing-wise!) choices.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of tough choices get offered; the fate points are one of the funnest points of this system to me. ^^

Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: wander on March 26, 2015, 01:57:26 PM
Things do matter here to me, though I dislike the ethic of 'I'm the GM, we're doing it this way'. All of you were kind enough to reply to my little ad and I'd like to make this a game we all have a say in. :)
And I am not saying that that is the attitude you should have. Don't get me wrong here. All I am saying that a happy GM makes for a good GM - and that means you should start us off in a way you can enjoy too.  :-)

That said, I do have a question: Will we use the setting from the Secrets Of Cats book or something of your own?
ONs, OFFs, and writing samples | Oath of the Drake

You can not value dreams according to the odds of their becoming true.
(Sonia Sotomayor)

Sain

Maybe all charas in one spot yes. Straight into 'action'!
PM box is open. So is my discord: Sain#5301