Usagi Spirit studying the Bitter Lies Path

Re: Usagi Spirit studying the Bitter Lies Path
Let the absurdities begin! Spirit powers allow for all sorts fo brok3ness. I fully expect all GMs to banninate them utterly unless some serious rules nerffing occures. Shapeshift: Imitate scares the hell out of me as a rules official who is going to have to justify this book to people after hearing many many threads of "OMG! Check out this combo of awsomesauce." I may make the Mastery level = Shapeshiter School Rank but that nerfs the racial base spirit points and any Rank 1 Alias power for a non-shapeshifter school possibility.

Who said anything about spirit powers. Usagi Spirits gain a number of ranks of luck equal to their Insight Rank x3. The fact that they can use 1 SP per rank instead of the usual 3 CP is just an added perk. I can see it now, the Insight Rank 5 Usagi with 15 ranks of Luck took Alias, and studied at the School of Bitter Lies. +15k15 on all life or death non-combat rolls. Talk about your anti-climaxes. If I were this critter's daimyo, I'd put a death sentence on his head should he ever fail at any task. "You will arrange a treaty with the Crane that will assure that we gain control of all their rice while not compromizing any of our major assets or secrets. Should you fail, I will cut off your head." Usagi bumpkin then requires just 1 rank of skill to be rolling 10k10+30 on his ettiquete (or courtier) rolls. Thankfully Ancestors are off limits, or this would get truely gross.

Ah, the nice brokeness of combining spirits with other schools. :o As I said earlier on the AEG forum, I don't know how the Usagi got past playtesting with the ability to buy more luck. It was awful powerful in 2ED and its just as powerful now. It's kind of sickening personally. The actual spirit powers aren't too bad as a whole in 3ED, but the latter sprit powers at higher insight ranks are pretty nasty (Shapeshift: Imitate, Shapeshift: Spirit, and Invulnerability). My all time favorite spirit power combo has been that the Kitsune PC I have in my game has Invulnerability/Heavenly Armor/Spirit Walk. It has been fun trying to predict where she will go and guiding the story to accomodate for such funkiness. All in all, I am with Tsukaede that I worry most about the abusiveness of Shapeshift: Imitate.

All in all, I am with Tsukaede that I worry most about the abusiveness of Shapeshift: Imitate. Possesion is also realy realy bad. Take both and who needs the Butei Actor school? Ultimate assassin: Possess people and have them kill people in the middle of court.

Possesion is also realy realy bad It depends on whether you have a high enough willpower to make it work. It's powerful, but that one requires some work, has a limited duration (though not bad for asassination assignments), and it is not guranteed to work as your opponent can likey spend VPs on the contested willpower roll. If you're a Usagi its guaranteed to work, but you were broken anyway. ;)

Who said anything about spirit powers. Usagi Spirits gain a number of ranks of luck equal to their Insight Rank x3. The fact that they can use 1 SP per rank instead of the usual 3 CP is just an added perk.Just to be clear you realize that this is the maximum, not how many they gain for free right? I can see it now, the Insight Rank 5 Usagi with 15 ranks of Luck took Alias, and studied at the School of Bitter Lies. +15k15 on all life or death non-combat rolls. Talk about your anti-climaxes. If I were this critter's daimyo, I'd put a death sentence on his head should he ever fail at any task. First of all I think GM interpretation would usually rule this Technique as needing to be directly life threatening. The threat of death from your superior is not directly life threatening unless he is present with the means and the will to meet out immediate justice in my opinion. GM interpretation may vary however. As far as the other part of the Technique, at least it is limited to the difference in your Insight Rank vs your opponent. So that while a Rank 2 Usagi gains a big boost vs a Rank 8 character, it can never grow beyond that, and the Usagi is still likely to be facing a superior foe in a Rank 8 character in that instance, even with his superior luck. Also if the Usagi ever breaks a Taboo he loses all of his luck bought with Spirit Points, and indeed it can be interpretted that he loses all school Techniques as he would lose his Alias power temporarily and would thus be unable to use any Techniques learned due to his alias.

Just to be clear you realize that this is the maximum, not how many they gain for free right? 1 Spirit Point per Luck Rank is pretty cheap.

Just to be clear you realize that this is the maximum, not how many they gain for free right? 1 Spirit Point per Luck Rank is pretty cheap. It's cheap if yu are attending the shapeshifter school, and it's still cheaper than buying luck regularly if you ae not of the shapeshifter school, but it still costs you 4 exp or 2 CP to buy one spirit point. My point wasn't really that it wasn't cheap. Rather I was just making sure Cooper didn't misread the Usagi entry, thinking that you got the luck ranks entirely for free.

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