Casual Ninja Coolness?

**Heroman** · May 1st, '03, 05:50 AM

Curious, in case someone has made a skill like this or sees a problem with it's design.

Ninja Casual Deflection: +5 with DCV (25 Active Points); OAF (Focus : Primary Ninja Weapon; -1)
Real: 12

This basically would reflect those combat scenes where a Ninja casually deflects away incoming attacks (such as ninja stars, needle projectiles) with his weapon, hardly drawing his attention. The effect is that when a hit roll is above your natural DCV but below your DCV with this skill, you casually knock away the attack. I think it differs enough from normal Missle Deflection to be OK. If anything, I might add on 'vs Ranged Only' (though I think it could have a similar effect in H-H, resulting in alot more 'blade clash action' (even if just cinematic) than a normal DCV.
Thoughts?

**RDU Neil** · May 1st, '03, 07:46 AM

Assuming that the focus limitation carries "non-persistent" as part of it, then fine.

I'd also wonder just how you would incorporate "Attack must be perceived" into this. As it stands... as long as the ninja has their sword in hand, even invisible sniper bullets have to hit a +5 DCV, which doesn't see right. A further -1/4 limitation, "Attack must be perceived" would be fine.

I'm also assuming that you are playing some variation of "multiple attacks in a segment/phase/round" get pluses to hit. i.e. Five agents all attack at once. First one is base OCV... second one is OCV +1, third one is OCV +2, etc. That means that on the sixth attack, the "Sword DCV" is effectively countered... but that makes sense, as the ninja is deflecting multiple incoming attacks.

I've got no problem with this.

**Heroman** · May 1st, '03, 08:53 AM

I was almost thinking of the same type of lims that are on Combat Luck (as in bonus for being surprised) and other conditions (it gives a -1/2 for 'luck based', but it seems more of a limit on being unusable for certain limited situations with a 'luck' sfx). Since surprised gets a bonus as is, though, I did not add that since a ninja's super cool awareness would allow him to 'deflect (aka: retain higher DCV)'. If anything, the big limitation would probably be 'not vs AoE', imho.

I actually am not playing on a variation which has special multiple attacker rules (like block or MD), I am playing on a variation of simple DCV; the sfx is merely knocking the attack away. Since normally missed attacks don't do anything special it is really nothing more than DCV. The only multiple attacker rules which would apply would be the same ones for someone who is attacked normally with a +5 DCV; I definately am not looking for realism since this is a ninja discipline.

**RDU Neil** · May 2nd, '03, 09:33 AM

I wasn't as concerned with "realism" as much as "balance."

In your concept of style and coolness...

The ninja casual incoming attacks because they are just that, casual "unimportant stylistically" attacks.

But the shots or energy blast or punches of the villains or other PCs or whoever... so they are not casual... and therefore, the ninja shouldn't casually bat them aside.

Your thought that the ninja is cool enough to always perceive an attack, will run up against the PC who built the "coolest sniper" in the world, who believes his shots should never miss and "no way the ninja saw it coming."

You get the sytlistic version of the "Bang you're dead. Nuh uh!" argument.

+5 DCV for just a few points easily puts this character into the 15 to 18 DCV slot. That is almost impossible to hit. Balance concerns would make me inclued a "must be perceived" comment to the power.

Oh... and DCV means nothing vs. AoE. They just have to hit the hex of 3 DCV... so even if the PC has a 30DCV, if they are within the AoE, they get hit. You don't get a further limitation on DCV levels vs. AoE. They already don't work.

**NuSoardGraphite** · May 5th, '03, 10:57 AM

Sounds good Heroman.

I've used this exact method myself. It works perfectly for the actions you have described. +5 may be a bit much though...I find +3 to be good.

You might want to have PC's link it to a Danger Sense or Combat Sense roll (to detect the incoming attack), so that its not completely automatic...if the Ninja is taken by surprise, the DCV bonus should not apply.

**Markdoc** · May 6th, '03, 03:16 AM

I can't see a problem with this. In a game where a character can buy "casual ninja coolness" powers, I can't see why a hotshot with a gun can't buy "Heat-seeking ammo, +5 OCV only vs targets with normal body temperature" (-1/4). :-)

In a previous wild martial ars game I had an NPC buy +5 DCV with "requires an acrobatics roll" to simulate continous dodging and leaping and a PC with +5 DCV with "must make at least a half move" to simulate a running dodge (I figured Martial dodge gives you +5 DCV, so that's not out of whack).

I didn't give eiher character martial dodge though - that would have been a bit gross...

And of course it won't help against the old master who knows "Fist of the Universe" (HA, area effect, 1 hex, double KNB) to deal with young punks who have really high DCVs :-)

cheers, Mark

**NuSoardGraphite** · May 6th, '03, 09:51 AM

Ah yes!

The old AE-1 hex HtH attack power trick!

I had a villian in my sengoku game that had a maneuver called The Ultimate Dodge (Wind Carries the Cherry Blossums) that consisted of a Desolidification w/requires skill roll (Acrobatics). The only maneuvers that could hit him weres ones with AE placed on them. Only 1 PC has such a maneuver (he had an AE-radius-selective HKA with Autofire....Shinu-no-Tatsunami or "Whirlwind of Death")