Combat Drugs?

[Altair]

Hi! So, my S/O is thinking of running a game in her Dystopian Space Opera setting, which features - among other things - soldiers using seriously crazy combat stims that allow for an incredibly high level of performance, and then leave them out of commission for a couple days.

 

She has expressed some interest (possibly at my prodding) in using Hero for this, which is great.

 

Problem: I'm not even sure where to start with these combat stims.

 

[Hyper-Man]

I'm guessing that something like this is covered in the Equipment Guide.  I'll check this weekend.

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

Combat Drugs. Aid STR, CON, OCV, DCV, and SPEED 15D6. Expanded Effect(5 Characteristics at once; +2), Delayed Return Rate (5 Points Per Minute; +1) (360 APs) Charges (4 Charges (Charges Recover Under Limited Circumstances; Must Make New Drugs); -2), OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Extra Time (1 Turn; Only To Activate; -3/4), Major Side Effects (Reduced Function for 2D6 Days) (Side Effects Occur Automatically, Side Effect Occurs When Last Points Fade; -1) Restrainable (Stopping The Flow Of Chemicals; -1/4) 

 

Real Cost: 58 Points

 

 

 

Here You Go!

 

 

 

As Words Die, The Drugs Come Into Play

[Vanguard]

Hi! So, my S/O is thinking of running a game in her Dystopian Space Opera setting, which features - among other things - soldiers using seriously crazy combat stims that allow for an incredibly high level of performance, and then leave them out of commission for a couple days.

 

She has expressed some interest (possibly at my prodding) in using Hero for this, which is great.

 

Problem: I'm not even sure where to start with these combat stims.

 

 

Hyper-Man gave you a good starting point and Johnny there gave you a decent starting write-up so I'll just toss this out there . . 

 

Are the PCs every going to gain access to these drugs?

 

If so, then you'll not only need the write-ups but you'll also have to decide how to handle the fact that the once the drugs wear off, the users are going to be all but useless till they recover.

 

Do you really want you PCs out of action for several days?

 

If the PCs aren't going to have access then you might not need a full write-up but just a general outline of the drugs effects and, since the PCs probably won't be around to witness the side-effects, just not worry about them . . . 

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

Hyper-Man gave you a good starting point and Johnny there gave you a decent starting write-up so I'll just toss this out there . . 

 

 

If the PCs aren't going to have access then you might not need a full write-up but just a general outline of the drugs effects and, since the PCs probably won't be around to witness the side-effects, just not worry about them . . . 

I love that finally someone gave me props on my write-up skills.

 

I tried to give a generic side effect for the drugs, and maybe he can write up a full description of "Reduced Function" if the PC's are going to encounter these drugs a lot. If not, then just leave it as "Reduced Function". 

 

 

 

 

As Words Die, Finally I Get A Compliment!!!

[NuSoardGraphite]

Wow. 15D6 is an awful lot. A standard effect gives 45 points worth of bonus characteristics. Thats +45 Str, +22 CON, +9 OCV and DCV, and +4 speed. Thats just crazy.

 

I would do it as 4d6...standard effect is +12 STR (5 Times stronger than normal) +6 CON (harder, but not impossible to stun) +2 OCV and DCV and +1 SPD. A much more reasonable bonus for a Heroic style campaign and a lot cheaper as well.

 

I would also add a limitation that creates an addiction (side effect with a mind control effect)

[ghost-angel]

One of the things you also need to decide is if you want the drugs to provide consistent effects, or slightly more random effects. Which is the difference between straight +Stat vs Aid Stat.

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

Wow. 15D6 is an awful lot. A standard effect gives 45 points worth of bonus characteristics. Thats +45 Str, +22 CON, +9 OCV and DCV, and +4 speed. Thats just crazy.

 

I would do it as 4d6...standard effect is +12 STR (5 Times stronger than normal) +6 CON (harder, but not impossible to stun) +2 OCV and DCV and +1 SPD. A much more reasonable bonus for a Heroic style campaign and a lot cheaper as well.

 

I would also add a limitation that creates an addiction (side effect with a mind control effect)

 

I put 15D6 Because The Stimulant Puts Them At "An Incredibly High Level Of Performance". When I hear that, i think Super-heroic type level. Besides, isn't CON a 1:1 Aid and Not a 1:2 Like DEX?

 

 

 

As Words Die, The 15D6 > 4D6 For Super-Heroic, but the 4D6 > 15D6 in Heroic!!!

[ghost-angel]

CON is considered a Defensive Ability as is affected by Adjustment Powers at half effect.

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

I Did Forget About That!

 

 

 

As Words Die, CON Is Now Realized As The Weirdest Stat

[Hyper-Man]

Same thing applies to DCV as well.

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

I thought it would.

 

 

 

As Words Die, Well They Just Die!

[Lucius]

 

Note: I'm assuming that these drugs are built into a power armor system or the like, thus using the -1/4 value for Focus.

 

 

Blaze: (Total: 127 Active Cost, 41 Real Cost)

+2 SPD (25 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Side Effect occurs when character stops using power; See notes; -1 1/2), IIF (-1/4), Requires A Roll (14- roll; Burnout; -1/4), Unified Power (-1/4), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/4) (Real Cost: 8)

<b>plus</b>

+2 with All Combat (25 Active Points); Same Limitations as SPD (-2 1/4), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/4) (Real Cost: 8)

<b>plus</b>

+1 Overall (15 Active Points); Same Limitations as SPD (-2 1/4), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/4) (Real Cost: 5)

<b>plus</b>

+5 DEX (12 Active Points); Same Limitations as on SPD (-2 1/4), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/4) (Real Cost: 4)

<b>plus</b>

Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) (7 Active Points); Same Limitations as SPD (-2 1/4), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each which Recover every 1 Week (+1/4) (Real Cost: 2)

<b>plus</b>

Rapid ( x10) with Sight Group and Hearing Group (12 Active Points); Same Limitations as on SPD (-2 1/4), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/4) (Real Cost: 4)

<b>plus</b>

Discriminatory with Sight Group (12 Active Points); Same as SPD (-2 1/4), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each (+1/4) (Real Cost: 4)

<b>plus</b>

Lightning Calculator (4 Active Points); Same Limitations as SPD (-2 1/4), Limited Power Only to do mathematics the character could otherwise do ((the drug allows faster calculation, but doesn't teach the character anything); -1), 4 clips of 3 Boostable Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour each which Recover every 1 Week (+1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

<b>plus</b>

Deadly Blow: +1d6 ([very limited circumstances - under influence of the drug)), Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX; +1/4) (15 Active Points); 1 Recoverable Charge (-1 1/4), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2) (Real Cost: 5)

 

The soldiers call it Blaze, as in "Blaze of Glory." A single does of Blaze will supercharge a Human nervous system for an hour, with the following benefits:

+2 to SPD and corresponding increase in actions per Turn.

+5 to DEX, increasing Skill rolls and initiative

+2 Skill Levels with all combat and another +1 Skill Level with everything (combat included)

+3 to Defenses (Combat Luck) unless there was no way the soldier could have predicted or mitigated the damage.

Faster Information processing, details follow:

Enhanced Communication. Soldiers can spit out words too fast for un-boosted Humans to understand but understand one another perfectly. Communications from automated systems, whether sound bursts or holographic projections, are also quickly comprehended and acted upon. A quick glance at a Heads Up Display can give a soldier a complete understanding of the tactical situation.

Enhanced Awareness. The senses work ten times faster than normal, so details that would normally be overlooked are noticed. For example, two soldiers coming around a corner and confronting one another suddenly will instantly recognize each other rather than triggering a friendly fire incident. Passing through a room at dead run with head swiveling will get the same chance to spot someone or something concealed as if the soldier had stopped and looked around for a minute.

 

A note on Deadly Blow: To get the bonus damage, the soldier must have spent a couple of phases studying the target or preparing in some way (this can include fighting on the defensive) and make some kind of applicable roll such as Tactics, Analyze, or Deduction to find a weakness, or else spend an entire turn and make an INT or perception roll.

 

"Boosting:" Taking triple the normal dose gains these benefits (instead of, NOT in addition to):

+3 to SPD and corresponding increase in actions per Turn.

+10 to DEX, increasing Skill rolls and initiative

+3 Skill Levels with all combat and another +2 Skill Levels with everything (combat included)

+9! to Defenses

Sight and Hearing are at X100 speed. There is only so fast a Human's lips and throat can move, but a computer can transmit a paragraph of information in a single "beep." Treat the soldier's sight as being Analytic as well as Discriminatory.

 

First Exposure and permanent effects: The benefits described above only accrue to someone who has already experienced this drug at least once - first exposure, normally in basic training, is usually an unpleasant but not truly dangerous experience as the body adjusts. The pharmacological signature is indelible; while it takes 7 days for the body to purge the most dangerous compounds, the right tests can always detect that a person has been exposed to Blaze (or hasn't been; at least two clone imposters of veteran officers have been detected by the lack of biochemical traces of combat drugs.)

 

The Catastrophic Cost: After an hour, make the Burnout roll (14, or 13 or less if using a triple dose.) Failure is immediate "Crash and Burn" otherwise the soldier has about 10 min at normal function to decide to take another dose (or three)or to go ahead and crash and burn anyway. After 12 doses, the crash and burn is automatic regardless of roll.

 

Note that the severity of the crash depends on how many doses have been taken in the LAST SEVEN DAYS, unless the soldier has undergone biochemical purging treatment lasting 24 hrs or more at a military medical facility. Yes, you can take a dose, crash and burn, and take a dose a few days later and crash and burn even harder. The infamous crash is a Killing Attack with +6 to the STUN multiplier, and the burn is a Drain to REC that recovers at 10 pts per Week.

 

1 Doses: 1 PIP

2 Doses: 1/2 d6

3 Doses: 1d6 -1

4 Doses: 1d6

5 Doses: 1d6 +1

6 Doses: 1 1/2d6

7 Doses: 2d6 -1

8 Doses: 2d6

9 Doses: 2d6 +1

10 Doses: 2 1/2d6

11 Doses: 3d6 -1

12 Doses: 3d6

No one has ever survived a 13th dose.

 

Since there is no defense against Side Effects and a soldier could be already injured when it hits, Using more than a single dose is sometimes called "Suicide Running." Such a soldier is called "dead man fighting" sometimes.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says fortunately, there is a remedy.

[Lucius]

 

ReaperCheat: (Total: 62 Active Cost, 14 Real Cost)

Simulate Death (+3 to roll), Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger requires a Half Phase Action to reset, Misfire, Trigger can expire (it has a time limit), Two activation conditions apply simultaneously; +1/4) (7 Active Points); No Conscious Control (Only Effects cannot be controlled; Cannot set waking conditions; -1), Side Effects (Side Effect always occurs whenever the character does some specific act; -3/4), IIF (-1/4), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 Day + which Recovers every 1 Week (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2)

<b>plus</b>

Does Not Bleed, Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger requires a Half Phase Action to reset, Misfire, Trigger can expire (it has a time limit), Two activation conditions apply simultaneously; +1/4) (19 Active Points); No Conscious Control (Only Effects cannot be controlled; Cannot set waking conditions; -1), Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -3/4), Concentration (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -3/4), Side Effects (Side Effect always occurs whenever the character does some specific act; -3/4), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 Day which Recovers every 1 Week (-1/4), IIF (-1/4), Requires A Roll (14- roll; -1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4)

<b>plus</b>

Regeneration (1 BODY per Turn), Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger requires a Half Phase Action to reset, Misfire, Trigger can expire (it has a time limit), Two activation conditions apply simultaneously; +1/4) (20 Active Points); 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 Minute which Recovers every 1 Week (-1 1/2), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -1 1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5)

<b>plus</b>

Aid BOD 0 1/2d6 (standard effect: 1 point), Damage Over Time (5-6 damage increments, damage occurs every Turn, +2), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Week; +2 1/2) (16 Active Points); 1 Charge which Recovers every 1 Week (-2 1/2), One Use At A Time (-1), Only to Aid Self (-1), IIF (-1/4) (Real Cost: 3)

 

The soldiers call this ReaperCheat, as in "To cheat the Grim Reaper."

 

The injection may be triggered voluntarily, or will happen automatically if the soldier is below 0 BOD and unconscious. It also sometimes triggers when taking a disabling blow or when below 0 BOD and stunned. The soldier immediately falls unconscious (if not already so) and makes an EGO roll at +3 (I recommend abstracting that to a 14 or less in all cases.)

 

If the roll is 18,that is a critical failure; the soldier remains unconscious for 1d6 hrs and must make a CON roll or start to lose 1 BOD per turn (if not already bleeding) and will die without prompt attention. This is also what will happen if more than one dose is taken in 7 days.

 

If the roll is 15 to 17, the soldier recovers consciousness in 1d6 Turns with no other benefit. Because the drug was ineffective, if another dose is found and used it won't count as "second dose" - but the roll is only 11 or less not 14, and 15-18 is critical failure. A third try is still 11 or less, but any failure is critical.

 

If the roll is 14 or lower, the drug takes full effect and the soldier slips into a deathlike coma for 24 plus 4d6 hrs (sometimes longer.) During this time bodily functions are slowed, so effects such as asphyxiation or the working of poison happen at 1/10 normal rate at the fastest.

 

Starting in 1 turn the anti-shock and restorative properties take effect, and the soldier regains 1 BOD per Turn for 5 Turns. (I probably should have left off the "Does Not Bleed" Power, as once you're Regenerating bleeding should stop anyway.) For each point Regenerated, also gain 1 pt of "temporary" BODy that lasts for up to a week, or until taken as damage.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary offers words to live by: Sane, Oat, Hood, Rugs

[Altair]

This is awesome, thanks. These are all really good ideas, which is what I really need; scaffolding upon which to build, and an understanding of what some completed buildings look like.

 

It's worth noting that stimming up, then having several days of downtime is a pretty established thing for military deployments in the setting. It's a Science-Fantasy setting - the people who are taking these drugs are borderline immortal - so big boosts and a big crash are expected. She has described it as "a cocktail of stimulants that would absolutely kill anything that wasn't already immortal."

 

It's a highly political setting, so all that time spent not fighting is going to involve a lot of other stuff happening - it's a little like Dune, but the PCs are each like a noble house unto themselves - so that "down time" won't be wasted time, just another conceit of the setting.

[Christopher]

The first rule of building anything in hero is:
Forget the special effects and "logical" limitations. Build the game effect first and foremost.

Season with limitations if you really think they add to the build or keep it's power in check.

 

For improoving stats there are two ruletechnical ways:
Buy stats with a proper set of limitation (for points or as gear)

Buy aid with a proper set of limitations.

(Pretty sure buying stats with Useable on others/useable by nearby was not an option)

 

If this was a superheric game where "you only get what you pay for" you have to use Aid. And have to carefully keep the caps in mind.

 

Since this is heroic level you propably use "equipment is bought with money or looted, not paid with points" rule. Here you got the full choice between straight stats and aid. I would propably prefer plain stats. They are just so much easier to evaluate and keep track of. Adjustment powers are perhaps the most clunky part in the whole Hero System.

 

Considerations:

Should they be adicting (like real world drugs) or not (like The old Republic Stims)? Addition is often added in to keep thier use in check.

How avalible and legal are they?

How powerfull are they?
How do they interact with stat caps? What about other boosts (magic/psyonics, cybernetics, alien species)?

[Lucius]

The first rule of building anything in hero is:

Forget the special effects and "logical" limitations. Build the game effect first and foremost.

Season with limitations if you really think they add to the build or keep it's power in check.

 

For improoving stats there are two ruletechnical ways:

Buy stats with a proper set of limitation (for points or as gear)

Buy aid with a proper set of limitations.

(Pretty sure buying stats with Useable on others/useable by nearby was not an option)

Probably not for "combat drugs." Given they are probably a Focus anyway.

 

 

If this was a superheric game where "you only get what you pay for" you have to use Aid.

Why would you have to use Aid? Other than that it may be more cost effective.

 

And have to carefully keep the caps in mind.

 

Since this is heroic level you propably use "equipment is bought with money or looted, not paid with points" rule. Here you got the full choice between straight stats and aid. I would propably prefer plain stats. They are just so much easier to evaluate and keep track of. Adjustment powers are perhaps the most clunky part in the whole Hero System.

 

You're right, Adjustment Powers get pretty clunky. And if it's not coming out of the points budget, the straight Characteristic as a Power buy is probably easier.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

I'm not sure if the palindromedary got this in the points budget or the equipment pool:

Clue Bat AKA Clue by Four: (Total: 22 Active Cost, 5 Real Cost) +10 INT, Usable As Attack (+1 1/4) (22 Active Points); OAF (-1), Requires A Roll (Skill roll: Persuasion; Jammed; -1), Cannot Use Targeting (-1/2), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Side Effect only affects the recipient of the benefits of the Power; Inflict 1 BOD, 3 STUN, and a knot on the head; -1/2), Can Be Deflected (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5)

[Greywind]

Frank Castle combats drugs with everything in his arsenal.

[Hyper-Man]

Frank Castle combats drugs with everything in his arsenal.

 

One bad PUNisher deserves another.

[Christopher]

Why would you have to use Aid? Other than that it may be more cost effective.

In superheroics two rules apply:

1. You can only use (regulary) what you paid points for.

2. You can't (regulary) lend a power/focus to another character unless you paid points for that lending process.

 

So lending a Focus/charge is out of the question.

Using UBO is out of the question

Dedicated Superheroic Painboy's have to use Aid for thier stat buffing needs.

 

A consideration regarding Addiction popped into my head:

What if there are also weaker/more expnsive but less (or not at all) adictive drugs? That way the players get some meaningfull choices to make.

[Lucius]

Hi! So, my S/O is thinking of running a game in her Dystopian Space Opera setting, which features - among other things - soldiers using seriously crazy combat stims that allow for an incredibly high level of performance, and then leave them out of commission for a couple days.

 

She has expressed some interest (possibly at my prodding) in using Hero for this, which is great.

 

Problem: I'm not even sure where to start with these combat stims.

 

So did she go with Hero?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Going with another palindromedary tagline