Post originally by the_capuchin at 2004-01-06 06:03:25
Converted from Phorums BB System


And it seems obvious that there's something to do with the Hue's existence - it's a plot device that will be developed in the fourth book, Shadow Games.

Aside from that, I'd like to use this topic to point out some other small corrections to a otherwise fair review (though it seems a little biased, as some suspect):

a. About the difference between Skimmers and Sleepers, there's much more in terms of game balance than simply availability to "normal" life. Someone pointed out that Skimmers suffer damage to their physical bodies equal to what they suffer while projecting, and sleepers don't. Besides it, Skimmers can convert lethal to bashing damage, while sleepers suffer full lethal (what sometimes mean TWO Vitality points lost for each level of lethal damage). Skimmers can recover Vitality points at a faster rate, while Sleepers, as potentially dead waiting to be "revived" as needed, can channel Spite into their bodies, which is nothing to scoff at. All these factors not only make the two Shades very balanced, but do add to the complexity of the game. It seems that very often you'll be confronted with the ups and downs of your projector shade, no matter which you choose.

b. Not all living characters "transfer" their damage while projecting to their living bodies. Only Skimmers have that disadvantage.

c. no, you can't beat the hell out of a ghost with a baseball bat unless he's manifesting or is stupid (or a drone or a blip): all ghosts and projecting entities can spend a Vitality point to become incorporeal for the duration of a scene. The only difference (in mechanics terms) to Wraith on this is that in Orpheus, the ghost/projecting entity does not become automatically incorporeal when something passes through its form. (p. 82: Incorporeal and Invisible)

d. About Hues: everyone who read the book would agree that choosing this lament is effectively choosing a 'weaker' ghost, or at least a complicated one to maintain. Nevertheless, there is a major advantage about using Stains at will that this review completely ignored. Hues can use Stains *without gaining Spite* - and even if one does not like the concept of Stains, in game terms it's still a bit impressive. Most characters (not Hues) have to give up a lot of space for Spite to use Stains; they *must* have a Spite rate of at least 4 and "tap" Spite points to a rate of one per turn of Stains' use. So you'll have to be "spiteful" just to begin with; risk gaining more spite points; and will have the benefits of Stains for only a few turns. Hues spend two Vitality, which is a little costly since the same spend can fuel many good effects for Horrors, but they don't fall prey to a quicker path to Spectrehood (very fair, since they have a Vitality cap to begin with) and, as far as I'm concerned, their Stains are active for a full scene (I've found nothing saying otherwise, so that's what I could imply for Hue's description). Some stains grant protection, additional lethal damage, conceal and much more. Seems that Hues have a considerable advantage in combat compared to Spirits, and no Spectre to hunt them sometimes. Seems fair. Besides, even the Lament's description contains advice to players about raising its Vitality starting rating from the very beginning with freebie points, just to avoid initial frustration. That's fair too, I think.

(a spoiler to anyone who haven't read Orpheus Corebook yet: when you want to use your Stains, you must "tap" Spite points in a rate of one per turn of use. So, you tap 3 points to use ONE Stain, not all, for three turns. Additionally you must roll 3 dice with a difficult of 7 to avoid gaining more Spite Points. Ah, you think that a single success helps? No; every dice that's NOT a success gives you a Spite point. A 1, if the whole roll incurs in a botch, gives you TWO Spite points. Get the picture?


e. about Spite ascendant: though it's true that there's no mechanic to reduce starting Vitality and that's easy to build a new character with a rating of 10, I think one should not scoff at the system of "tapping" Spite points. Since most Horrors need a high expenditure of Vitality to be most impressive, a character trapped in a corner against a mere handful of lower Spectres will be probably tapping Spite a lot to recover Vitality (therefore fueling Horrors) and to activate Stains (for a few turns at a time). Any bad day with dice in a fight like this can easily give your character a permanent Spite rating in a single scene. In a few sessions your character can gain 3 to 5 Spite rating, and never had the chance to sever the strands of a given drone, since it will have to do a lot of detective work just to know what and where these tethers are - and when a crucible helps a ghost to depart, only *one* character has the chance to reduce its Spite rating. Even a 10 Vitality one could not scoff at this scenario, even if it has not any chance of developing Stains; Spite rating of 10 brings him to Spectrehood as any other character.

I think there's more to add, but I wrote too much for now More on later, maybe.

cheers!