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[Advanced Player's Guide II] An eternity in the kingdom of the mind...a wellspring of perfect (or nearly so) strategies?


Ragitsu

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Hey all.

 

I was going over the various superspeed modifiers to Perception in the APGII. Soon enough, I started thinking about how they might benefit a PC with an Int-based Skill that itself benefits from the luxury of time to calculate a dizzying array of potential outcomes.

 

Basically, is there any reason why having, say, Femtospeed perception wouldn't give a major advantage to a PC participating in a chess tournament? Granted, it won't automatically assure victory (particularly if the PC in question is as knowledgeable about chess as Beavis is with quantum mechanics), but I could see it affording a +2/+3 (at the minimum) to a character with an actual investment into the Games: Chess Skill, no matter how meager.

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There are already rules for taking "Extra Time" in Hero. Don't they cover this?

Even if you have time, do you actually have focus spanning that entire time? The caps on how much you can get from extra time cover that well.

 

You could have a subjective year to solve the problem of a real minute. How many of those months will you spend bored? Or even sleeping, because you just spend the equivalent of 24 personal hours thinking something through?

I might take 10 minutes to make that one minute realtime decision. But anything more indicates either that I have so serious decision making issues or I really got off track there with my thoughts.

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Also, too much time to make a decision can lead to over-analysis. Also, I'm not certain how much additional time helps with Chess. Unless you're a brute force algorithm, I'd have to think you'd hit diminishing returns pretty quickly.

 

(Addendum)

 

The more I think about it, the more I like Christopher's suggestion. You have some time to spend on things? Cool! Take 'dat extra time when applicable, and get that bonus. 

 

Nice and tidy.

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(Addendum)

 

The more I think about it, the more I like Christopher's suggestion. You have some time to spend on things? Cool! Take 'dat extra time when applicable, and get that bonus. 

 

Nice and tidy.

Thanks

 

As a side note if you lack the nessesary rules or secondary powers to take multiple actions per phase, you can always use Skill Level instead:

+2 10 point skill levels, not cumulative with taking extra time.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here are a few ways that I did this for my rookie version of The Flash (all are VPP slots):

 

1) The Fastest Man Alive! v1: +6 SPD (60 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) Real Cost: 40

 

5) Faster than a speeding bullet! v3: +5 Overall Skill Levels (GM permission is required to be included in a Framework) (60 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) Real Cost: 40

Notes: +4 Overall Levels without the Costs END Limitation. The special effect of these Levels is Super Speed and they can be used towards ANYTHING that requires a roll. Examples: All Combat CSL's, Dive For Cover (a DEX roll), Enhanced Perception and to complete tasks faster. From 6e1 page 59, If a character has to perform a task in less time than it normally takes, he suffers a -3 penalty for each level up the Time Chart. Example: a task that would normally take 5 minutes to complete could be done in 1 Turn @ -6 to the roll.

 

10) Superspeed Mind: Precognitive Clairsentience (Sight Group), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Rapid: x10, Costs Endurance Only To Activate (+1/4) (60 Active Points); Precognition/Retrocognition Only (-1), Time Modifiers (-1/2), Blackout (-1/2), No Range (-1/2) Real Cost: 16

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Basically, is there any reason why having, say, Femtospeed perception wouldn't give a major advantage to a PC participating in a chess tournament?

I'm no sure how that would actually help in chess, where the only thing you have to perceive is what piece your opponent moved and to where. What takes time is then running through scenarios in your head "If I go here, and then they go there..." That sounds more like Lightning Calculator to me.

 

Now OTOH, in a more chaotic situation, like say a big ol' combat with multiple opponents, then I can definitely see where "Lightning Perception" could be helpful. After all, being fast enough to dodge bullets is of minimal utility if you can't tell where/when the bullets are coming in.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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