Summoned Armaments

[QuietusEmissary]

I feel like there's a really obvious way to do this, and like I used to have some ideas about it, but both my memory and my search skills are failing me.

 

I am trying to figure out how to build a spell or other ability (like a D&D soulknife's Mind Blade) that conjures a weapon that the character can then use. Summon doesn't fit because you aren't summoning an independent creature. Is it just a Special Effect of a weapon Power with Limited Power (Takes a Half Phase Action or whatever to conjure; -1/4)?

 

How would you lads and lasses go about writing up such an ability?

[Markdoc]

It's purely a special effect for a power. It's not even a focus. You can't take a Soulknife's Mind Blade away from him - he'll just manifest a new one. Same for similar powers - you can't take a martial adept's maneuvers away from him by disarming him - in most cases he can just use the maneuver with another weapon or even a fist. And so on.

 

When a power is inherent like that, it's just a power. Doesn't matter if they "summon a blade" - the actual power is just damage.

 

Cheers, Mark

[SteelCold]

Major Transform to conjure weapons out of thin air.

[Ndreare]

As the Doc says this is a common special effect and game mechanically is no different than Wolverine's claws. I would simply build it as a 1D6 HKA.

[QuietusEmissary]

It's purely a special effect for a power. It's not even a focus. You can't take a Soulknife's Mind Blade away from him - he'll just manifest a new one. Same for similar powers - you can't take a martial adept's maneuvers away from him by disarming him - in most cases he can just use the maneuver with another weapon or even a fist. And so on.

 

When a power is inherent like that, it's just a power. Doesn't matter if they "summon a blade" - the actual power is just damage.

 

Cheers, Mark

 

Okay, that's what I was leaning toward. Thank you!

 

And now a followup: The reason this came up is that I'm trying to convert the Eberron races for Fantasy HERO, and two of the Shifter varieties have the ability to grow natural weapons for a limited amount of time each day. In this case, it's easy; each type has an Aid for a particular stat that's active when they shift, so the weapons can have Limited Power (Only while Shifted) or Linked to make it so that the attack is only usable then. But what if I wanted to make a character who can conjure a weapon for an hour every day without tying it to a Constant or Persistent ability. As far as I'm aware, Time Limit with just make it a janky version of Damage Over Time. Would you use Limited Power (Only available for one Hour every Day) or something more specific (would Continuing Charges be the way to go)?

[Beast]

the limitation your looking for is
 

Restrainable -1/2

 

while the effect you are doing cannot be taken from you

it can be stopped by restraining you

[IndianaJoe3]

I am trying to figure out how to build a spell or other ability (like a D&D soulknife's Mind Blade) that conjures a weapon that the character can then use. Summon doesn't fit because you aren't summoning an independent creature. Is it just a Special Effect of a weapon Power with Limited Power (Takes a Half Phase Action or whatever to conjure; -1/4)?

 

Pretty much. The basic power would look something like this, adjusted for the character's STR.

 

22 Mind Blade:  Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6 (1 1/2d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (22 Active Points)

[megaplayboy]

the limitation your looking for is

 

Restrainable -1/2

 

while the effect you are doing cannot be taken from you

it can be stopped by restraining you

That would tend to be what I would go with as well. Particularly if manifesting the weapon initially takes longer than a 0 phase action. The character could be temporarily disarmed.

[Steve]

You could also throw Delayed Phase in if it takes a moment or two for the weapon to materialize.

[Markdoc]

Okay, that's what I was leaning toward. Thank you!

 

And now a followup: The reason this came up is that I'm trying to convert the Eberron races for Fantasy HERO, and two of the Shifter varieties have the ability to grow natural weapons for a limited amount of time each day. In this case, it's easy; each type has an Aid for a particular stat that's active when they shift, so the weapons can have Limited Power (Only while Shifted) or Linked to make it so that the attack is only usable then. But what if I wanted to make a character who can conjure a weapon for an hour every day without tying it to a Constant or Persistent ability. As far as I'm aware, Time Limit with just make it a janky version of Damage Over Time. Would you use Limited Power (Only available for one Hour every Day) or something more specific (would Continuing Charges be the way to go)?

Use charges, with the "continuing" option. So that would be “1 use/day, each use lasts 1 hour" for -1/4. As a general rule of thumb, with Hero system the easiest, most straightforward build is usually the best way to do it

 

Cheers, Mark

[Outsider]

While it wouldn't be the case with 'natural' weapons grown from the body, if one summons a weapon (or weapons) that can be handed to a friend to use, then you'd need Usable by Others also.

[Christopher R Taylor]

There are a lot of ways to build this as people have noted.  I wrote up some pretty extensive rules in my Codex regarding summoning inanimate objects such as keeps and wagons, and that could even be used for weapons.  They have a cost, they can be summoned, if the GM allows.  Just building the weapon with OAF lets you hand it to someone else, you just don't get to use it any longer.

[Beast]

this is from my character Silk Detective ,she stores her guns in a pocket dimension

the guns go back into the pocket if taken
if you can restrain her hands she cannot use them

 

 

Custom M1911a1 .45 Pistols w/ child safe interlocks:  Multipower, 60-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (90 Active Points); all slots Restrainable (-1/2), Unified Power (-1/4)

 Mercy rounds single target Neural suppessor:  Mental Blast 6d6, Alternate Combat Value (uses OCV against DCV; +0) (60 Active Points)

 Mercy Rounds Cone Neural suppessor:  Mental Blast 3d6+1, Area Of Effect Nonselective (64m Cone; +3/4) (58 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2)

Force field jacketed shape charge rounds:  Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2), Penetrating (x2; +1), Area Of Effect (64m Radius; +1 1/4), Selective (+1/4) (60 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2)

 Depleted Uranium ammo:  RKA 4d6 (60 Active Points)

Blasting holes in walls:  Tunneling 12m through 24 PD material (60 Active Points)

[Outsider]

  Just building the weapon with OAF lets you hand it to someone else, you just don't get to use it any longer.

 

This gets a little blurry if the OAF weapon one is handing off is somehow called up from nothingness.   Some of the big disadvantages of an OAF are circumvented in such a case.  

 

A couple of examples :

 

OAF (giant sword) is generally noticed even when not in use, and people carrying it are not allowed past security checkpoints.  Called up "OAF" giant sword is perfectly concealed until it is called up.   Even changing the giant sword to IAF to account for this doesn't work, as the called up version would still evade even a thorough strip search.   Basically, I would argue that any 'called up' power, even if it shares some of the disadvantages of an actual focus once called up, isn't an actual focus.

 

OAF (giant sword) can be broken or lost, necessitating some trouble in replacing or repairing it.  Many special effects of called up "OAF" giant sword would allow it to simply be dismissed and re-called up, whole and present.  That's not so focus like either.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Yeah it has a lot to do with how the focus is defined.  If its defined as "anyone can take it away and stop the power" then you can't hand it off.  Its its defined as "the gun I hold" then they can.

[The Weapon]

It's purely a special effect for a power. It's not even a focus. You can't take a Soulknife's Mind Blade away from him - he'll just manifest a new one. Same for similar powers - you can't take a martial adept's maneuvers away from him by disarming him - in most cases he can just use the maneuver with another weapon or even a fist. And so on.

 

When a power is inherent like that, it's just a power. Doesn't matter if they "summon a blade" - the actual power is just damage.

 

Cheers, Mark

Possibly "extra time- start only" or "extra time to change slots in the framework".  But only if the character actually has to take extra time.  Many anime changes appear to take no time in the anime world, even though they take time in the anime.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Shardblades from The Stormlight Archive!

 

 

Yeah, I agree that if the weapon can be summoned, dismissed and recalled at will, with no difficulty, then it does not constitute a focus. At the very least, it is not obvious, nor is it accessible. If it can be handed to someone else, it needs Useable by others.

 

Major Transform, using the Creation option is good for creating permanent weapons of a mundane sort to hand out to comrades or replace your own losst weapons, or to sell. (STOP sign power!) But it is probably not an appropriate power for campaigns where characters pay points for weapons and equipment.