I could use clarification on a couple unrelated questions that came up in our last session:
Desperate roll advancements (p. 48). The book states that as soon as one fills an XP track, one takes an advancement. In the case of XP garnered through desperate rolls, this would suggest that advancements could occur mid-play. I don’t personally like the idea of mid-play advancements, but perhaps that’s just the force of habit. I am curious whether anyone can a) clarify the intent of the rules, and b) share their experience with mid-play advancements. Are you allowing them? How have they “felt”, both in a game context and a story context?
Vials of electroplasm. Under “Standard Items” (p. 88), beneath “Arcane Implements”, the last item mentioned is “A vial of electroplasm, designed to break and splatter on impact.” My players are asking me what one uses them for. They read a little bit like grenades, but it’s vague – perhaps purposefully. If someone knows what use the vials serve, and/or what use they have served in your campaign, it would be much appreciated!
I should add that we are having a blast. We just had our tenth session last night, and will likely close out season one in the next session or two, with many stories left to explore.
It’s your tables game so deal with advances how you feel appropriate, but in my game I’d allow the extra dot to be taken mid combat because in a desperate situation the character reaches down into reserves they didn’t have, or finally masters that tricky move thats been eluding them etc.
Remember desperate advance xp is added to the xp track that the skill they used is in so they won’t be getting playbook advances out of this.
I’ve had them used a bit like grenades which are mostly effective against ghosts, they can be used on humans, of course, but they mostly inflict minor electrical burns. Outside of that it’s refined demon blood, which is essentially condensed ghost matter, they could be used to short an electrical device, give oomph to an Attune roll, or maybe spread over a weapon to give it potency against the supernatural, to give a few ideas.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I came up with another use for electroplasmic vials that I think would be fun to try out in my campaign: painting a target item or person so that it be tracked using Attune, since the electroplasm would glow brightly (and maybe a specific color?) in the ghost field.