Ask the Devs

[Sith_Happens]

Your Initiative is going to be a negative amount in that calculation.

Is there room to add some text to the Charm pointing that out and possibly giving an example? I suspect a lot of non-math-geeks aren’t going to realize on their own that yes it does still mean their nonpositive Initiative that still works just fine in formulas, not to mention which way is “up” when rounding a negative number.

[ReshyShira]

Nine Specters Ban says that immaterial beings must pay willpower to strike you, can spirits and the like strike you normally from immaterial, or does that require special charms to attack without being materialized? Furthermore, does that apply to other forms of attack against the solar that the spirit can use from immaterial, like their offensive charms?


Do charms that increase your dot rating in a specific ability or attribute also apply to the derived calculations by other charms that key off those enhanced attributes? The book's not very clear whether or not this is the case, nor does it seem structured in a way that easily makes you think that it's a charm bonus dice since it's affecting the attribute/ability directly rather than simply being an additional set of dice. Asking since if you boost your Appearance by 1 dot, some charms have effects that key off your appearance stat (say as a penalty to their actions in some way) based on that number. Does that improve the effects of the charm that keys off of appearance, and if not does that mean that your boosted attribute/ability also consumes space that'd be used for excellencies with said attributes/abilities (And thusly implies that a charm like Harmonious Presence Method effectively is a better version of a theoretical charm that increases your charisma by 3 dots)?

[Jefepato]

So, Tiger-Warrior Training Technique normally (in addition to the Drill benefits) turns its subjects into battle-ready soldiers, and later into elite troops.

Suppose a Solar general with TWTT wants to train a unit of archers quickly. Battle-ready soldiers and elite troops, as written, don't have ranged attacks at all. Would the Solar need to develop one or more additional Charms to expand the range of training regimens he can apply -- or would it be perfectly reasonable for TWTT to produce soldiers with a different stat block than usual, as long as the player and ST agree that the result is more or less reasonably equivalent to the "elite troops" template?

[Nilihum]

Few Persona Questions:

• How long can I stay in a persona for after I perform the 4 hour dramtic action to activate it?
• Can my Persona learn MA charms, spells, or Evoctions that I don't know?
• Considering that my persona can't have more dots in a Dawn ability than I do, can I swap out one MA style for another that I don't know?

[Robert Vance]

If i recall correctly,in 2e,infernal exaltations involved combining the aspiring infernal with a demon,i'm assuming that is gone this edition?

We haven't nailed down the specifics. I do like it being available as an options for players who liked that.

[Robert Vance]

I am very excited about witch-beast ascendancy, and this inspires questions:
Does the sorcery pool get used for all sorcery related rolls, or just shape sorcery? (eg. attacking with Death of Obsidian Butterflies, Binding Demons, etc)

Any kind of sorcery-related roll, mostly stuff that would be handled by Occult.

If a spell refers to an attribute or ability, what does the familiar use? (Difficulty of Thunder Wolf's Howl)

Storyteller decides where it'd fall on a 1-5 scale.

If a spell gives a weapon, can a familiar attack with it, and with what stats? (Blood Lash, Wood Dragon's Claw)

It depends on whether it makes sense for that animal's body type to be able to wield that kind of weapon.

Does the familiar get a sorcerous initiation+shaping ritual? Can they get merits from the ritual?

No, although that''s not to say they couldn't.

For control spells that give evocations, is there any way for a familiar to buy/use those (maybe they act like magical abilities except with different themes)

No, but I'd treat it the same way as teaching them new spells works.

Is there any way for familiars to use the bonuses granted to sorcerers with essence pools? (For spells like storm wind rider or invulnerable skin of bronze)

If they could get an Essence pool from another source.

Are any of the distance communication spells useable by animals that can't talk, possibly with a penalty for nonverbal communication? (Infallible Messenger, Spoke the Wooden Face, Silent Words of Dreams and Nightmares)

They can still communicate to the best of their ability. Now your cat is sending Infallible Messengers to meow at you to let it inside, and then back outside.

Separately, is there anything that affects a familiar's lifespan? (Well, anything specific to familiars. Presumably most of the tools for making humans live longer make animals live longer) It feels weird for a millennia old lunar to repeatedly form deep connections with things much shorter lived then them (which I guess applies to humans as well, but there's a large difference between humans and many animals). In particular, I sort of want a butterfly that knows Death of Obsidian Butterflies, but finding and training a new familiar every few months feels ... excessive.

I don't think there's any printed effect that does that specifically for familiars, but it doesn't mean it couldn't happen. Sorcerous workings could do it.

[Robert Vance]

Nine Specters Ban says that immaterial beings must pay willpower to strike you, can spirits and the like strike you normally from immaterial, or does that require special charms to attack without being materialized?

It requires special magic.

Furthermore, does that apply to other forms of attack against the solar that the spirit can use from immaterial, like their offensive charms?

I think it'd be reasonable for a Storyteller to extend it to any hostile effect.

Asking since if you boost your Appearance by 1 dot, some charms have effects that key off your appearance stat (say as a penalty to their actions in some way) based on that number. Does that improve the effects of the charm that keys off of appearance, and if not does that mean that your boosted attribute/ability also consumes space that'd be used for excellencies with said attributes/abilities (And thusly implies that a charm like Harmonious Presence Method effectively is a better version of a theoretical charm that increases your charisma by 3 dots)?

Bonus Appearance dots count towards that; I'm adding in a sidebar clarifying that.

[Robert Vance]

So, Tiger-Warrior Training Technique normally (in addition to the Drill benefits) turns its subjects into battle-ready soldiers, and later into elite troops.

Suppose a Solar general with TWTT wants to train a unit of archers quickly. Battle-ready soldiers and elite troops, as written, don't have ranged attacks at all. Would the Solar need to develop one or more additional Charms to expand the range of training regimens he can apply -- or would it be perfectly reasonable for TWTT to produce soldiers with a different stat block than usual, as long as the player and ST agree that the result is more or less reasonably equivalent to the "elite troops" template?

I think it'd be reasonable to allow for some variation in weapon selection.

[Robert Vance]

Few Persona Questions:

• How long can I stay in a persona for after I perform the 4 hour dramtic action to activate it?

• As long as you'd like.
  
  

• Can my Persona learn MA charms, spells, or Evoctions that I don't know?