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Post by Alexander Kincaid on Sept 11, 2020 8:33:51 GMT -5
For the purposes of this game, does Totem cost 2XP as per W20 (pp. 140, 244) or the staggered cost as per the XP chart here on the Forums?
I just read the cost in the book again and it made me wonder.
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Post by Da Boss on Sept 11, 2020 11:26:25 GMT -5
This was a conscious decision on the part of the staff to help balance out totems a little more. Because of the mechanics on how totems work listed in the book, and how we've house ruled them, something needed to be done to balance the fact that it is possible to go from no totem to full totem points for 5 weeks of active play. At which point the only restricting feature is the staff claiming that justification wasn't good enough, which can lead to claims of us playing favorites.
Instead, we have made it so that it takes a minimum of two months of XP to make that jump. Which opens up the fact that things are more likely to happen to the Totem in the intervening time period.
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Post by Alexander Kincaid on Sept 11, 2020 12:00:52 GMT -5
Is it more about the cost or about the time? Because if it's the latter, it strikes me as rather simpler to rule that at least a month must pass between purchasing new dots of the background, except when buying up the initial points required to have a totem when the Rite is performed.
It doesn't bother me hugely either way, but speaking from my perspective as a player the fact that it's going to cost me 14XP (nearly 2 months of RP) to get the first three levels of the Totem background is something that's making me see getting into a pack as a long-term goal rather than something that can be done early. That may be an unintended side-effect of the ruling, so I just want to point it out in case.
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Post by Da Boss on Sept 11, 2020 20:30:47 GMT -5
It is still cheaper than any other background to pick up, and now takes a better amount of time. I think we're where it needs to be.
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Post by Alexander Kincaid on Sept 11, 2020 20:35:37 GMT -5
It is? I don't see anywhere in the Experience chart or the Totem House rule about it being cheaper than other Backgrounds.
I might be overlooking something, but I went back to double-check just now and didn't see it. Which probably just means that I'm going to feel super-dumb when you point it out.
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Post by Da Boss on Sept 11, 2020 23:16:51 GMT -5
Ah, you are correct. We pulled the XP cost difference. I am remembering a pre-launch version of those rules.
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Post by jesara on Sept 15, 2020 13:35:16 GMT -5
okay, so totem costs the same amount as all other backgrounds here, much higher than book costs, right? Just wanting official confirmation, because looking at totem hurts >.> so normal system...
2/4/6/8/10 xp (total costs) for 1-5 totem
if same as other dots of backgrounds here system
5/8/14/23/35 xp (total costs) for 1-5 totem
never under double cost, and quickly ends up over triple cost.
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Post by jesara on Sept 20, 2020 14:20:51 GMT -5
Haven't seen a response to this yet, but it is/will be important as players try to make packs...
as it stands, nobody can even afford to make a pack yet, and when they do, features that are normally 'standard' like a pack link (4 points, or 8xp), could on their own cost an additional 20-40 xp among the pack (4 people taking a 3rd dot at 6xp each is 24, if the dot is higher than that it gets even more obscene).
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Post by kemian on Sept 20, 2020 23:23:50 GMT -5
I believe the solution to the rather exhorbitant seeming costs is to simply come in with points in totem.
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Post by ladyphoenix on Sept 24, 2020 10:41:27 GMT -5
I am doing that (my character I am apping with 3 totem to start) but with only 5 background points and 15 freebies to cover all adjustments you might want to make, totem can be hard to fit in.
Considering a pack to be at least three, most totems are 4-8 points for totem and that is before any specials like always knows where pack is, pack link, moon bridge or many others. I haven't figured xp earning yet (I can only read so much board at once) but yeah, totem at least to get totem itself can be a sink.
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Post by Da Boss on Sept 26, 2020 7:25:36 GMT -5
After talking it over with my minions... I mean the staff. I have decided to adjust the totem XP costs. They are now "New Rating x 2". In other words, the costs are:
First Dot = 2 XP
Second Dot = 4 XP
Third Dot = 6 XP
Fourth Dot = 8 XP
etc., etc., etc.
Totem will not have a cap on the number of points allowed, outside of character creation, but the XP costs increasing will develop a natural cost/benefit ratio to help make that fall in line with other areas of the sheet.
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