Albino Gnome Shaman w/ Excp+Bonus WP, Why go through all the trouble? Options

[Sphynx]

I've always heard alot of talk about the 'munchkin' version of a magic-user was the Albino Gnome Shaman w/ Exceptional Attribute Willpower and Bonus Attribute Willpower. I've also always considered people who thought that to be wasting alot of points on a few WP points that didn't make a huge difference (Just get a Trauma Dampener).

Yesterday I got my friends' character sheet, the one with the Albino Gnome, etc, etc. Admittedly, at 225 karma, you'd expect any character to be pretty powerful. Especially since last game he spent his karma to bond a Force-6 Power Focus that he's been hoarding for a couple of months now. But I had no idea the incredible potential a Willpower 10 gave someone. With only 2 grades of Initiation, he's got an effective Magic rating of 19(!?!?!?) in addition to a Sorcery and Conjuring skill of 10 each (THAT's the advantage to a 10 Willpower). 10 dice for anything without the need for a Pool. Damn.......

To top it off, his Force 5 Ally spirit (also a Willpower 10 and Sorcery skill of 6) tops off the Power Focus for that huge 19 (8+6+5) effective Magic Rating.

I just wanted to say.... I stand corrected. It is definitely an incredible munchkin setup. :P I now have a new goal for my own PC, hats off to Spirit (the character in a previous thread about the Infirm flaw), our Astral Guardian. :P

Done with the Rambling, character posted with his permission,
Sphynx

[Kagetenshi]

I still say it's a more effective twink for an Otaku, though I'm eyeing Dryads or Wakyambi as possible better options.

~J

[Guest_Artemis_*]

‘Once you go Gnome— That's what you moan!’

Gah! The one phrase that drives my character entirely insane... and she hears it all of the time from her short little companion on the team. Eh...

[TinkerGnome]

But has he dikoted the ally spirit yet? That'd be the true sign that he has made it into the twink hall of fame ;)

[Req]

[Kagetenshi]

Some horribly twinked Otaku coming when I get the chance.

~J

[Shockwave_IIc]

been there and stopped short. wanted something playable

[TinkerGnome]

Otaku are easy to twink... twinking them and making them useful for something besides decking is the real challenge :)

[Shockwave_IIc]

I went the "face" of a sort. She just doesn't do it in person.

[Kagetenshi]

Not really. You just make an Otaku Troll.

~J

[TinkerGnome]

[RedmondLarry]

[Sphynx]

Hence, the Effective comment. :P

However, since he gets to add that whole +11 to any magic skill roll, he has 21 dice before Spell Pool. That's crazy. :P

Sphynx

[BitBasher]

er how? a power focus adds its rating to their spell pool, not directly to their skill. I could be wrong, but I was pretty sure about this. Also they cannot roll more dice than their base skill, so that is somewhat limiting.

[Sphynx]

Although it acts similarly to a pool, it does not add to a pool. It does limit itself to 1 dice per combat round per force point though. But it can be used in conjunction with the Spell Pool and doesn't have the skill-cap.

Sphynx

[Guest_Artemis_*]

No, you're right BitBasher.

Core skill of 10 according to the first post.

Then they get +5 dice to their Spell Pool from their Force 5 Ally Spirit. So they can have a first spell every Initiative that has a lot of kick to it, or they can save up for spell defense.

It has advantages, but expendable spell foci and a high spellcasting specialization can be jsut as effective if not even more so. The only ugly thing is when you try to target a spell on a monster with Willpower 10. In such a case I'd resort to my physical manipualtion spells and burn the tiny little fragger. If I had to.

[Guest_Artemis_*]

1 dice per combat round? According to page 108 of MitS it acts as a bonified power focus. Which means that you get a number of dice equal to its force after every initiative roll. The full amount will refresh after the next roll, but up till then it's a unique pool in itself with the same uses and limitations as the Spell Pool.

[BitBasher]

[Guest_Artemis_*]

-smile- I'll leave that to the sams of the team to display their expertese in. But that is certainly a good point. Someone mentioned a body 6 Gnome... isn't there a certain point where their diet changes their metahuman classification?

[RedmondLarry]

[Lilt]

I still don't think it beats the charisma 12+invoking+channeling+traumadampener shaman... Willpower 10 may be one thing, but immunity to natural weapons providing 10-12 points of hardened armour is another. Especially when you consider using the spirit's storm+storm strike powers...

Do 6S (no armor) to everything within a radus of up-to 600m from a point within your LOS? Once per combat turn? With no chance of drain? It would appear that you have just destroyed a small army... Oops.

[edit]Oh yes: And you can shrug-off light railgun and high-explosive heavy mortar hits[/edit]

[msoya]

[TinkerGnome]

[Guest_Artemis_*]

Hmm.. this is new information to me. 1 die per Combat Round per Force Point. I don't recall ever having read that outside of this forum, but I'll take your word for it.

Is that true for Power Foci as well as for Ally Spirits using the Aid Power?

[Sphynx]

That's true for Power Foci and Ally Spirits. The Aid Power is something different, that let's you cast the spell and the Spirit soak the drain. You don't need that power for your Ally to act as a Power Focus.

To others, there's no mention anywhere that a Power Focus (or Ally Spirit) adds to Spell Pool. They each just add dice that refresh once a round with no cap. So, 10 skill + 5 Ally + 6 PowerFocus + 10 Spell Pool is legitamately possible.

Sphynx