"Does everyone have silver bullets?"

[FenrisUlf]

I hope I can ask this plainly here:

Say you've got a character who has both a Susceptibility to Silver and has lowered defenses against it (yeah, he's pretty werewolf-like). He also has a Public Identity (he can't shapeshift out of Crinos/bipedal-form). That said, just how often should he wind up facing someone packing silver and thus capable of hurting or killing him?

I can't help but to think that if everyone knows you're Imperiled by Substance X, then anyone who can get a handful of Substance X will freely use it on you.

I don't know if this helps or not, but he also has Unluck.

Thanks for any replies.

[gmurie]

At least half the time, but I'd call it a Common for the Vulnerability instead of Uncommon like usual. I mean a werewolf with a public ID, any hunted is going to be packing silver as a matter of common sense.

[Captain Obvious]

If they're expecting to see him, and they're not arrogantly confidant in their own powers, they'll be packing silver. If he catches them unawares, they'll never have it unless silver is part of their schtick somehow.

[Certified]

As often as dramatically appropriate.

On a guess maybe once every couple of sessions if the character doesn't have a high profile. As you've established that there is a Public ID I would say it would feasible for any reoccurring villain after the first encounter. Should the character have a high profile this of course would go up. Does he have a Hunted, with some "Harshly Punish" Action? I don't think there's a hard number but you are talking about a character what anyone who's watched more than 4 bad horror movies may know the weakness of so likely more often than say kryptonite. It's also easier to come by...

[CrosshairCollie]

Anybody who thinks that they are likely to encounter this character should probably be prepared, if it's feasible. I mean, you don't commit crimes in Metropolis without expecting to run into Superman, and you don't commit crimes in Gotham City without expecting Batman.

On the other hand, back to Champions terms, unless he's outfitted by someone else, Ogre isn't likely to pick up a pair of silver knuckles, and someone with Overconfidence is probably going to think that he won't need them.

I know, not very helpful. :)

[Captain Obvious]

Well, also keeping in mind that most criminals will expect that they'll get away without even seeing the hero...I'm sure there's still crime in Metropolis, and Gotham City would be safer than Luxembourg if Batman got to every criminal out there as soon as they commit a crime. There's just too much petty crime, and they survive the same way rabbits do, by being too numerous to wipe out.

Now some of them may get their hands on the "secret weapon" but most of the time, the people carrying it will be at least at the level of organized crime. And even supers won't have it all the time if they think they can get in and out without the hero catching them. The only people you can guarantee will have it will be the people with a grudge.

[Bloodstone]

How bad is the Suceptability and how much does he lose in terms of his defenses? How well do you know the GM? I speak from experience when I say it's really easy to underestimate the killing power a 2d6 RKA has on a character that frequently laughs off 12-14 DCs...

Unluck, Public ID, a substance that is easy to come by and one of the most well known weaknesses in all of film/literature? Yeah, not a good combo for longevity IMO.

Once he gets his name out there I would expect the local criminal element to start packing sterling flatware, just in case. Gold bling will go out of style and silver will be all the rage. More serious enemies will have a clip or three of ammo with his name printed on the side.

Mind you, nothing wrong with playing a classic weakness like that, but the combination really seems to be putting a "Kill me first!" sign on the character's back. It's why people will gladly play a Kryptonian, but Daxamites are a pretty uncommon sight. Allergy to Kryptonite is a convenient plot device. Allergy to lead is a death wish...

[Certified]

Allergy to lead is a death wish...

Um ... <expletive deleted>

[ghost-angel]

Just because he has a Public ID doesn't mean everyone knows his weakness. Public ID just means he's easy to find or otherwise unable to hide himself from society - i.e. won't live a normal life.

It may become knowledge amongst those who know to look that silver hurts more. But the average joe probably not so much.

[Bloodstone]

I wasn't focusing on the Public ID for why everyone knows his weakness. I was focusing on the fact that everyone knows that to kill a werewolf you use silver bullets.

The character looks like a werewolf, so some yahoo's going to try it...

[ghost-angel]

I wasn't focusing on the Public ID for why everyone knows his weakness. I was focusing on the fact that everyone knows that to kill a werewolf you use silver bullets.

The character looks like a werewolf, so some yahoo's going to try it...

This is an excellent point. Probably should/could have a Reputation: Werewolf Weaknesses as well.

(For the record my post was a direct ans. to the OP, not anyone else)

[Lord Fyre]

Yes, but definitely buy the frequency as "Common," since seeing it show up between 25% to 50% would not be unreasonable.

Especially when that unluck roll comes up.

[TheQuestionMan]

No, not everyone, but some of us weirdos have received them as prizes in shooting contests.

LOL

QM

[Shoutybloke]

No, not everyone, but some of us weirdos have received them as prizes in shooting contests.

LOL

QM

Are they working bullets? In would have thought, if theywere intended as trophys, then they wouldn't have powder in them.

[Hugh Neilson]

To my mind, the player and GM defined how often he would encounter silver bullets when they set the level of his Vulnerability, and the points it therefore generated. If he says it's very common, and the GM agreed, silver should commonly be used against the character. If he said it's rare, and, again, the GM agreed, it should come up infrequently. If the player said "rare" and the GM thinks "very common", this should have been resolved by either boosting the point value of the disadvantage or the GM adjusting his decision as to how often silver attacks would be encountered.

This fits with my theory that a character sheet is a contract between the player and the GM that the points assigned will be reflective of the value of abilities and drawbacks over the course of the campaign.

[Tech]

I would say 'no'. Having a known vulnerability doesn't mean every yahoo is going to have it or be able to obtain it.


Humorous problems can come around because of the vulnerability being known (and I think should if the GM wants to have some fun). Some examples can be:
Someone tries using a stake on him... ("Excuse me, that's for vampires, not someone like me.")
Someone tries using silverware to attack him (Unless it actually contains silver, it won't be too useful.)
Someone with alot of confidence/arrogance/pride in their own abilities tries using something other than silver. ("Pathetic villains use silver whereas my weapons are better than silver!"... which usually leads to the villain getting stomped because he's wrong.
As Certified said: As often as dramatically appropriate.

[BlackSword]

Its not like you can buy silver bullets in the gun store, so only villains/criminals that know how to load their own ammo would have it available to begin with. Eventually a few dealers might add silver bullets to their selection in the black market. And of course since the black market isn't known for honesty, who knows when you are getting an actual silver bullet, or one with silver spray paint on it.

I think it comes back 'dramatically appropriate.' Most criminals are going to rely on dumb luck to get by. Some might buy a few silver bullets, but then they might have to fumble around and load them. Some are going to buy duds, and few others might go werewolf hunting to gain some cred and a new throw rug.

[FenrisUlf]

Unluck, Public ID, a substance that is easy to come by and one of the most well known weaknesses in all of film/literature? Yeah, not a good combo for longevity IMO.

Once he gets his name out there I would expect the local criminal element to start packing sterling flatware, just in case. Gold bling will go out of style and silver will be all the rage. More serious enemies will have a clip or three of ammo with his name printed on the side.



Well... part of the charcter's psychology (Psych Limits) is that he didn't even WANT to be involved in the superhero world. The whole transformation bit was mostly an accident. ("Here. Put this wolf's-head amulet on. What? No, it won't do anything, why do you ask?") And he still would like to return to a quiet life -- not necessarily lose his powers (they are useful at times outside of beating on supervillains).

The miserable combination of disadvantages helps explain why he's hanging around with superheroes when this isn't really his thing. It's this or have the supervillains come to his house, packing silver and looking for blood.

[Pattern Ghost]

Silver bullets would be a pain in the butt to hand cast, because the melting point is so high. Home smelting pots may not cut it. The Lone Ranger casting his bullets over a camp fire is definitely not doable.

However, that doesn't mean silver projectiles are hard to come by. Simply hand load shotgun shells with whatever silver you have laying around, grab a smoothbore shotgun, and you're good to go. I'd give such improvised ammo a penalty to its DC and OCV, though, perhaps -1 DC off standard shot, and -2 OCV.

As to how common the character faces silver... that's what the commonality part of the disad is for. It's whatever the GM and player decide it will be. It could be Common because everyone "knows" silver hurts werewolves, and the PC looks like one, or it could be Uncommon because, hey, who the heck would think it's a "real" werewolf? Probably just some mutie, yah.

[transmetahuman]

To my mind, the player and GM defined how often he would encounter silver bullets when they set the level of his Vulnerability, and the points it therefore generated. If he says it's very common, and the GM agreed, silver should commonly be used against the character. If he said it's rare, and, again, the GM agreed, it should come up infrequently. If the player said "rare" and the GM thinks "very common", this should have been resolved by either boosting the point value of the disadvantage or the GM adjusting his decision as to how often silver attacks would be encountered.

This fits with my theory that a character sheet is a contract between the player and the GM that the points assigned will be reflective of the value of abilities and drawbacks over the course of the campaign.Repped! That kind of thinking can solve so many problems. I'd add that the frequency could change over the course of the campaign, as the character becomes more well-known... but the GM and player should have agreed to that, too, and the player should have some idea how his new point cost will manifest, if and when it does.

[pinecone]

To my mind, the player and GM defined how often he would encounter silver bullets when they set the level of his Vulnerability, and the points it therefore generated. If he says it's very common, and the GM agreed, silver should commonly be used against the character. If he said it's rare, and, again, the GM agreed, it should come up infrequently. If the player said "rare" and the GM thinks "very common", this should have been resolved by either boosting the point value of the disadvantage or the GM adjusting his decision as to how often silver attacks would be encountered.

This fits with my theory that a character sheet is a contract between the player and the GM that the points assigned will be reflective of the value of abilities and drawbacks over the course of the campaign.

Yep, thats how I do it....."How common? You decide!"

[FenrisUlf]

Thanks for all the ideas.

And while we're talking Disadvantages and Power Limitations and what-not --

Something's been bugging me about Kelvarite for some time. People who get their powers from it usally have both super-strength and enhanced movement powers (Flight, Teleportation, etc.), right? And they also usually have a Susceptibility to Kelvarite.

However, if they can get away from the stuff swiftly, or if they can throw it away (even if they take extra damage from so doing), shouldn't the value of the Disadvantage be lessened? I usually figure it as their strength and movement powers are either weakened or simply non-functioning when Kelvarite is around (I do this as a Physical Limitation), otherwise it seems to me that the PC can get around the weakness too easily.

[TheQuestionMan]

Are they working bullets? In would have thought, if they were intended as trophys, then they wouldn't have powder in them.
They are working bullets.

I have x6 5.56mm NATO Rounds, all locked away in a safe mind you.

QM

[Comic]

Silver bullets.

Not having worked silver, or made bullets, nor having combined the two activities, I'd have to say it doesn't sound like it'll ever be commonplace.

For one, if I were a werewolf with tracking scent and hunter's instincts, the population of weaponsmiths who _have_ made silver bullets used unsuccessfully against me would certainly plummet really rapidly.

[FenrisUlf]

Silver bullets.

Not having worked silver, or made bullets, nor having combined the two activities, I'd have to say it doesn't sound like it'll ever be commonplace.

For one, if I were a werewolf with tracking scent and hunter's instincts, the population of weaponsmiths who _have_ made silver bullets used unsuccessfully against me would certainly plummet really rapidly.

The werewolf in question is a hero. Going around town mangling people (who aren't criminals) isn't very heroic.

Though I suppose that there's nothing stopping him from making contact with area gunsmiths and setting up a deal where they tell him about any orders they get for 'One Gross of Silver Bullets' or the like. Nothing says that heroes can't make like a Boy Scout and be prepared.

[Bloodstone]

That depends on if your typical criminal is getting his ammo from legit sources. If they are getting it by shadier methods, those arms dealers may not be willing to cooperate with the character.

[Supreme Serpent]

Foxbat should dress up like the Lone Ranger and throw a white horse at him.