So, concept: D&D 3e had prepared spell casting, where you could 99% cast a spell in the morning, then perform the final word or gesture later in the day when you wanted to finally unleash the spell.
D&D 5e's spell casting is different: you can prepare a spell once, and fire it off multiple times. I think that's pretty cool, and makes me wonder about the narrative logic of spell preparation in 5e.
But, that also got me thinking: I wonder if it would be worthwhile to have a kind of spell preparation via creating advantages
e.g. if you want to chain a spell, or do something nuts, take an action to prep it with an aspect like Prepared Chain Lightning
i feel like there's potential in this but that this specific application is clunky and unnecessary
Extra: Metamagic preparation. Permission: An aspect indicating your spellcasting ability. Cost: One character aspect is dedicated to your metamagic. Benefit: At the start of each day, choose one of the following options. Its aspect occupies your dedicated aspect slot, and you have the associated benefit until the beginning of the next day.
Aspect: Chain Spell Benefit: When you cast a spell which targets one person, you can also target two other people with the same action. You can do this once for free, and each subsequent use costs a Fate point.
Aspect: Quick Spell Benefit: You can cast a spell on your turn without using any action. You can do this once for free, and each subsequent use costs a Fate point.
Aspect: Shape Spell Benefit: Your zone-wide attacks ignore two people in the zone. You can do this once for free, and each subsequent use costs a Fate point.
Aspect: Shape Spell Benefit: Your zone-wide attacks ignore up to two people in the zone, or affect two extra people in an adjacent zone, or they do one of each. You can do this once for free, and each subsequent use costs a Fate point.
also i'm p. sure at this point that spellcasting would benefit from a MAGIC! mode, like atomic robo's SCIENCE! mode. You do magic. Pick some skills about your magic and create them.
And while I'm on it, here's a non-metamagic stunt:
Reflect Spell: If you succeed with style when opposing a spell which targets only you, you can forgo the normal benefits of style to instead force the caster to defend against his own spell.
Upgraded version... Redirect Spell: If you succeed with style when opposing a spell which targets only you, you can forgo the normal benefits of style to instead redirect the spell to another target of your choice, and force them to defend against the spell.
Wound Transfer: You can transfer a physical consequence from one person to another, provided the new target doesn't have a consequence in that slot already. If either target is unwilling, roll opposed Overcome checks with Will.
.... I think I've seen mind-switch stories like this though.
In a particular recent game, someone's body was going to become possessed by an evil soul, their own mind burned out in the process. Not having much choice in the matter, but knowing that evil soul had to go down, they stabbed themselves just before it was to happen and hid their wound.
In another, there was someone who performed mind-swaps: he takes your body, you take his. He met one of his enemies, decided to take his body, and stabbed himself just before doing so to trap the other guy in a dying body. Not sure whether the mind-swapper in question was an antagonist or protagonist.
(I get the sense he was an antagonist, and the protagonist managed to find a way to force the other guy to mind-swap them back in time.)
On a less lethal mind-swapping note, "Switch Me Baby One More Time" had the mind-jumping antagonist pretend to be obsessed with being just like her protagonist target, so that when she finally switched bodies not only did she know enough to pretend to be the protagonist, but the protagonist's claims that she really was the protagonist seemed like the natural conclusion of the stalker's obsession.
I'd probably model that as the antagonist deliberately setting herself up to take social consequences like Everyone knows I'm a stalker.
Corpse Troll: You can use Create Advantage with Provoke to make a target start laughing uncontrollably; they can oppose with Will, but you get a +2 to the roll for each prior successful use of this stunt in the same scene. While the aspect remains, they cannot do anything except move and attempt to remove the aspect (which you can oppose actively so long as you are visible or audible to them).
@BESW Plan 9 Subsection Remote Control Zombies: Once per session you can have a zombie appear to do your bidding. The GM can compel your zombie remote control to jam, leaving you unable to issue orders.
(I still can't get over the fact that Plan 9 involved going to Earth to make sure humans couldn't something, and telling them what they could do that they shouldn't do in the process.)
Shoddy Costume: If you succeed with style against an attempt to scare you based on the attacker's physical appearance, instead of a boost you can place the aspect Costume malfunction on them with one free invoke. It cannot be removed without at least five minutes uninterrupted to fix their costume.
Cardboard set: You can spend a Fate point to ignore the armor rating of a non-wearable object for the rest of the scene.
These costumes weren't built for this!: If you succeed with style in a contest to outrun someone in a costume, you can create a Heat stroke aspect on them and leave them unable to keep running.
Confusing Prop Design: Once per scene, you can pretend an object is something else it kinda sorta might look like. It does everything that other thing would do, and everyone believes that's what it is.
We Couldn't Afford Replacements: Once per session, you can spend a Fate point to declare someone is suddenly missing a vital piece of equipment. You may do this at any time between actions, even if they had it a few seconds ago.
That Part Of The Script We Forgot To Change: Once per session, you may pick a skill or approach. You have that skill at +3 for the remainder of that scene. You may even pick a skill you didn't have, or one that your aspects don't justify (or directly justify against).
We'll Add It in Post: You have armor:2 against attacks which are ridiculously explosive or obviously supernatural.
Dramatic Hiding: You can use Stealth to hide any time you have something to crouch behind, whether or not it's actually blocking line of sight to the person you're hiding from. While in this position you automatically succeed on Stealth rolls to talk normally without being heard.
This Is Far Enough: When engaging in conversation with someone else, you may bring them to another zone for the conversation, and you can create a new one inside your current zone for this purpose. Whilst in this zone, nobody in other zones can overhear your conversation, even if they're in the same room or standing right there.
Dramatic Noticing: You can use Investigate to overcome or oppose peoples' attempts to hide, even if there was not enough cause for you to have suspected they were there.
EXTRA: Fists Of Peace Permission: An aspect describing a positive attitude on peace and justice. Benefit: Your Fight rolls against someone who does not share your attitude are made at +1. Cost: The first solution to those people is always to beat them up.
(I think that one can be improved, but I have Superman in mind for it. Similar versions also apply in shows like Arrow.)
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