Talk:The Heylel Box

super rough discussion minutes (thurs):

• power reform along shrike lines
• basic framework for social conflict, not too detailed so things remain organic
• combat reform: higher lethality? (be more willing to splat PCs, they're immortal), 'noncombat actions' explicitly contained in the init loop with time dilation if necessary, actions quicker & easier but more options

to do (May 20th discussion):

• mook pressure gauge/system?
• more options in combat, reason to use different weapons?
• between-scene action system

to do (May 29th test):

• add manoeuvre action, more resilient troops at low power
• more keikaku equipment/prep type stuff
• make not keikakuing valid and common so it doesn't dominate every session
• list of Hollow locations

Helga 2.0 WIP

Stats

1 xp per level

• Strength
• Dexterity
• Stamina
• Perception
• Intelligence
• Manipulation
• Charisma

Proposal on the table: collapse Strength/Stamina and/or Manipulation/Charisma together

• Willpower
• HP (detached from stamina?)
• Fate

Fighting

Basic combat mechanic is the usual: roll dex/str vs. dex to hit, roll str vs. toughness to damage. Damage gets +1 automatic success if armed, and bonus dice from excess accuracy. No choosing defence type this time.

Rolls to resist torment sources are at +1 difficulty.

Grappling

Roll to hit as normal. Then rather than a damage roll you make a grapple roll to achieve your objective. This is a str vs. str roll with bonus dice from excess successes, like damage. Successes can throw the enemy (more sux = more distance) or hold them.

Net successes on hold reduce the enemy's pool to do anything other than attempt to escape the hold on their next turn. Escaping a hold is a grapple attack but net sux can only be applied to remove/reverse the hold. If a hold level reaches the higher of the target's str or dex, the target is pinned.

Mooks

If one or more sides are assisted by a large group of weak hellizens, they factor into the fight as mooks. The mooks associated with each side have a Power rating encompassing their numbers, physical force, morale and so on.

If left to their own devices mooks will do something straightforward but uncontrolled. However, they can be commanded with Charisma or Intellect rolls. Some actions almost always require command. More than one character can command mooks in a round; a group of mooks can take up to Power different actions in a round.

In general, mooks roll Power to accomplish something, with bonus dice based on successes on the command roll.

Mook actions:

• Attack: The mooks swarm a target, rolling Power for hit and damage.
• Support: The mooks back up an ally on attack or defence, adding successes as dice to the roll.
• Pin: The mooks swarm an enemy to keep them busy. On their turn, the enemy must beat the mooks Power rating with attacks to do anything other than struggle with them.
• Dig In: The mooks form up around a position or person. Enemies trying to break through must beat the mooks Power rating with attacks to do so.
• Manoeuvre:

If mooks take more than their Power rating in damage, their Power reduces by 1 from attrition and broken morale.

Socialising

Temptation is appealing to someone's sinful urges. Appealing to a valid sin (not all hellizens have all sins) is a roll of . Appealing to an idol is more effective. Temptation may not apply to PCs without the NPC having a special power

Domination is overriding someone's will with your own. A Domination roll will typically be charisma + modifiers (rank, reputation, social prep, etc). If it exceeds the target's willpower, it achieves a result depending on the margin. Exceeding target willpower by 1 can deliver a single simple command, 3 can issue a more complex command, and 5 will make them your thrall for a scene unless interrupted. Increase the threshold by two for something obviously self-destructive.

Domination is a particular metaphysical act which the target will be aware of and might resent (or enjoy).

You can still deal with NPCs using normal rolls or pure RP.

Both can be used in combat, for example for aggro control, breaking defences, or forcing surrender.

Keikaku

Things done between scenes to prepare for the next one (some degree of temporal fudging is permitted).

Generally a keikaku roll will be of some stat, plus bonuses such as rank or faction affinity. The result of a keikaku roll is less than the raw successes rolled. Instead the number of additional successes needed to improve a result is equal to the current result. You can stack successes from multiple sequential rolls, but the time needed expands rapidly.

• 1 success: result 1
• 3 successes: result 2
• 6 successes: result 3
• 10 successes: result 4
• 15 successes: result 5

Keikaku rolls include:

• Ingratiate can raise favour with a faction. The result must be greater than your current favour with that faction.
• Muster can gather mooks for the next encounter, be it rolling up some street toughs with a promise of a fight, or calling in a favour with the Historical Enactment Club (WW2). The result is the Power of mooks you can bring to the next fight. Muster rolls typically gain bonuses from faction affinity, particular favours, etc. Certain factions will have an upper limit on the amount of support they can give.
• Prepare can store up bonus successes for particular rolls in the future. The objective must be reasonably well-specified. 'Make a pitch to Platephon to have him invest in your casino' is good, 'do magic' is not.
• Research can tell you about weaknesses, fetters, idols, torments, etc. One level of result will give one piece of information.

Infernal Power

Powers

Remaining: social powers, extra combat options, summoning

A power with a cost of 'YX' costs Y XP per level. A power with a cost of 'Z' costs Z xp flat.

Modifiers, unless otherwise stated, can be bought once.

Blast (1X)

The ability to hurl some concentration of your will to wreck shit at range. Aim with dex, perception or [rating] at buyer's preference. Does 2*[rating] dice of damage, plus accuracy.

• Persistent: The blast does 1/2 repeating damage over future turns.

Contract (10)

The essential power of mortal demonologists, but possessed by many demons as well. Binding constrains a target to be obliged to fulfill some requirement, while leaving their will otherwise their own. The terms of the obligation can be pushed one way or the other, most commonly by legal wrangling. This power is expensive but usually reduces cost with the 'ritual' and 'voluntary' modifiers. Metaphysically, this power is related to fetters.

Create (1X)

Choose a keyword. You can create or summon a quantity of stuff matching that keyword. Normally this is like a

• Danger: Create dangerous materials like explosives or lava.
• Shaping: You can create the element in a finely sculpted form.
• Versatile: Create other things, too.
• Pretender: The thing can be animate. It has [rating]*4 points to distribute among stats and special abilities with a maximum of [rating]+2 in any one stat.

Illusion (?)

Create deceptions.

Infernal Weapon (special)

Some special weapon. Could be permanent or activatable. For any given weapon, the first bonus costs 1 xp, the second 2 xp, and so on.

• Lethal Weapon: An extra +1 damage.
• Cursed Weapon: Attacks can gravely wound the enemy, causing persistent damage or crippling limbs or etc., depending on specifics and stunts.
• Alt Weapon: choose a stat other than strength and roll that for damage or hit rolls, e.g. perception or dexterity for a gun.
• Natural Weapon: The weapon is part of you and can't be disarmed without great effort (though you may be unable to bring the relevant body part to bear).
• Ranged Weapon: What it says.

Kinesis (1x)

Remote control of something physical (iron, fire, etc). Can be used to do combat moves, rolling [rating] dice for attacks and damage. Trying to use the substance in combat is rolled at +1 difficulty.

Martial Arts (special)

Extra combat options!

• Squidbane: can defend against grapple attempts with an attack.
• Technique: [better at special actions like disarms]
• Feints: [success on a deception roll -> lowered diff on an attack. failure -> attack wasted.]
• Cross counter: when attacked, can forgo a normal defence to attack simultaneously.

Mobility (2)

An extra movement mode such as flight or earth swimming that moves at normal land speed, or augmenting an existing movement mode to much greater than normal land speed. Can be bought multiple times.

Monstrosities

Strange physiological attributes, or just unusual effects. More a list of things people might have and their formal effects than a list of things PCs are expected to invest in. Powerful natural weapons are counted under Infernal Weapons.

• Armour: More soak!
• Floating: Not flight as such, but your natural resting place is a couple of inches above the ground.
• Fragile: You shatter when injured. Post-soak damage is doubled.
• Hyperarticulated: Super flexible.
• Multiple limbs: Good for grappling.
• Sexy: People desire you physically.

Nova (2X)

Temporarily gain extreme power (+[rating]*4 stat points) for [rating] turns, at the cost of exhaustion on completion.

Port (?)

Impose your will on geometry and move directly from one place to another.

• Blind: You don't need to be able to see the target, just have a clear idea of it. This could be personal experience, a magical address, or something else appropriate.
• Flash Step: You can use your teleport as part of an attack or dodge.
• Portal: Changes the ability. Rather than teleporting once, you create a standing portal which you and others can move through.

Root Sin (?)

Increase a target's susceptibility to a certain sin. They will be at +1 difficulty to resist appeals to that sin.

Sense (special)

An augmentation of a normal sense such as smell or hearing (-1 difficulty and allows appropriate stunts), or a special additional sense like echolocation or truth. Cost variable. Can be bought multiple times.

Transform (2X)

Transform person-sized quantities of things that already exist. For living things, roll the power's rating and heal [sux] damage, move 2*[sux] stat points around (within mental/physical categories) or increase stats by [sux].

• Animate Only: Only works on 'living' things.
• Inanimate Only: Only works on 'dead' matter.
• Persistent: The changes last for longer than a scene.

Word Bind (?)

If a demon or devil says something, you can force them to hold to it. Damned, with their stronger memory of materiality, are harder/impossible to affect.

Zone (?)

Apply a condition to an area.

Modifiers

Besides specific modifiers the following are applicable to many different powers:

• Desperation: Power can only be used at 1/X health.
• Natural: Most powers need something to activate, be it sword moves or magic words. This trivialises that.
• Precharge: Requires X turns to power up before using.
• Recharge: Can only be used every other turn, or 1/encounter, etc.
• Ritual (1/2 cost): Requires a lengthly (i.e. non-combat-time) ritual to complete, for example drafting a contract, painting a picture, drawing a magic circle.
• Scale (3/2 cost): scale up from small or single targets to large or multiple targets.
• Voluntary (-2 cost): Requires assent from a free (i.e. not dominated or otherwise metaphysically coerced) target.
• Willpower: Requires WP expenditure to activate (more than one WP can be spent in a round or on a single action).
• Coincidental