[UA] help with a school

[graver]

I would definitely agree with everybody else on the point that your player is asking for everything... you definitely don't want to give her exactly what she asked for, it's a bit much, but you already know that.  If your worried about creating a new school that will break your game from the start, don't make it.  In fact, I have yet to encounter a character request that couldn't be fulfilled by one of the cannon schools or avatars... granted, the player kind of has to meet you half way, but in the end, they usually are happy, get some things they didn't even consider (and end up liking the school/avatar a lot better then their initial idea or request), and you don't have to worry about introducing something potentially game breaking or even going through the trouble of making said thing.

>From all the responses so far, you can see that there are a LOT of schools that might fulfill her need.  Strangely enough, the one that lept into my mind first hadn't been mentioned yet... Cliomancy.  Want to know someones deepest darkest secret, no problem... of course everyone else in the world would end u[p knowing that secret as well, but hey, so do you.  Of course, a little Past Sight can go a long way to learning a secret... and can be a lot more rewarding and fun then... just knowing it.  And there's just nothing like controlling people by controlling what they remember.  Granted, you don't really get any control over their reaction to those memories, but hey, if you did your homework on yur subject, you should have a decent idea as to how they'll react to what and if your wrong, wash, lather, rinse and repeat until you get it right or their poor mind frays apart from so many washes.

There's also Amoromancy.  Let's face it, there's no greater controlling force in us then our own obsessions.  Amoromancy is all about love, hate, obsession, and by extension, all human emotion.  Control someones emotions and obsession, well, hell, you control them.  Now, if the player wants even more direct control of people and a little bullying power, she could cast the spell Look the Look and bam, she's an FBI agent or a police officer, a judge, etc (This one is somewhat similar to your That's For Tonight spell... just look like management).  Need to know a secret? Make someone love you more then life and they'll tell you anything.  Need it faster then that?  Casting Tell Me Your Troubles and a little creative roleplaying and she might be able to ferret it out in one night of drinks.  You mentioned that you felt she was just porting Dominate from VtM over.  If that's the case, then this school might be up her ally feel-wise.

If you still end up going with a home made school, I would definitly go with the sugestions of reworking the taboo and charging structure of the school to make her have to submit to the will of anouther in order to controll will (it's wonderfully circular and ironic).  If you want to controll people, then you have to be controlled.  Want to dictate someones will?  Then you'll have to sacrifice your own.  That would be an appropreate price for such a school and if her character can't go that far for that power, then she didn't really want it enough in the first place.  The charge structure written up by Haroudo is a damned good start down that road.

As the spells go, your first, No!, might be a touch over powered for it's cost.  3 rounds in a fight is a LOOOOOOONG time, especially if someone's pulled a gun.  Maybe make it 2 minor plus 1 round per minor after that.  No more then 5 minor charges total can be spent on this spell at one time.

A variation of No!, you could go with Stay!... a variant of the narco spell Serpent on the Pole.  It roots the starget in the spot they are.  They can still move their arms, twist and turn, etc, but can't leave that one spot for a number of rounds equal to the tens place on the magic role.  Cost: 1 minor.

       
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