Fun new ideas

[Christopher R Taylor]

This one is just a minor variant but has been useful for building some powers and effects

 

Focus: If a focus is needed only to start a constant power but not maintain it, the total limitation value is reduced by half. 

 

Example: a Wizard has to use their trusty staff to begin a spell, but once its going the staff is no longer connected to it and it doesn't matter what happens to the focus.

 

[Christopher R Taylor]

AE Ring: Creates a 2x2-hex ring at the purchased radius.  Use AE Line for cost, the ring is centered at one end, and appears at the far end of the Line.  Tiis ring is "two dimensional" in that it does not create a shell all the way around the central point, only a 2m x 2m ring of effect.

 

[mallet]

I always wanted a "power up" Limitation, I know that is probably the wrong terminology for what I will describe next, but it's what I've always mentally called it so far.

 

Basically this is a limitation on how quickly a power reaches full effect, but the power can still "go off" earlier at a reduced amount if the Character decides to use it earlier. 

 

For example a Paladin has 6D6 Healing, Laying On Hands power. It has the Power Up limitation on it. 

 

So, if he spends one Phase using the power it heals 1d6, if he spends 2 phases it heals 2d6, and so on up to his maximum of spending 6 phases and healing 6d6 on the target. 

 

The value of the limitation would be based on how long each time increment is (segment, phase, turn) and how many die it goes up by each increment (1d6, 2d6, etc...)

 

Another example might be a weapon that takes time to reach full power, but that could be used soon at lesser power. 

 

For example, Dr. Destroyer has a Destruction Ray that can do 20d6 KA when at full power, but it takes a lot of time to charge the weapon to max. It has the "Power Up" limitation, where it goes up 2D6KA every Turn, so in 10 turns it will reach maximum power and if fired will do maximum damage. But if the Heroes get there in 3 turns, the Ray will only do 6d6KA if fired, so now Dr. Destroyer has to decide whether to just fire the ray now and hope that it will do enough damage to destroy the dam and flood the city, or if he has to fend off the heroes for another 7 turns until the ray is at full power when he shoots it, but risk failing and no shot going off at all if he is stopped before then. 

 

Could also be used for energy weapons building in power, or hand-cranked weapons building in tension before being fired. Example, a crossbow that needs the bow cranked up in tension to fire. in it goes up 1d6 a phase, for 2 phases max. If the player only has time to spend one phase cranking up the tension in the crossbow, the bolt will only go half as far and only do 1d6 damage, compared to fully cranked and at max tension when it would go twice as far and do 2d6 damage. 

 

 

[Christougher]

1 hour ago, mallet said:

I always wanted a "power up" Limitation, I know that is probably the wrong terminology for what I will describe next, but it's what I've always mentally called it so far.

 

Basically this is a limitation on how quickly a power reaches full effect, but the power can still "go off" earlier at a reduced amount if the Character decides to use it earlier. 

 

For example a Paladin has 6D6 Healing, Laying On Hands power. It has the Power Up limitation on it. 

 

So, if he spends one Phase using the power it heals 1d6, if he spends 2 phases it heals 2d6, and so on up to his maximum of spending 6 phases and healing 6d6 on the target. 

 

The value of the limitation would be based on how long each time increment is (segment, phase, turn) and how many die it goes up by each increment (1d6, 2d6, etc...)

 

Another example might be a weapon that takes time to reach full power, but that could be used soon at lesser power. 

 

For example, Dr. Destroyer has a Destruction Ray that can do 20d6 KA when at full power, but it takes a lot of time to charge the weapon to max. It has the "Power Up" limitation, where it goes up 2D6KA every Turn, so in 10 turns it will reach maximum power and if fired will do maximum damage. But if the Heroes get there in 3 turns, the Ray will only do 6d6KA if fired, so now Dr. Destroyer has to decide whether to just fire the ray now and hope that it will do enough damage to destroy the dam and flood the city, or if he has to fend off the heroes for another 7 turns until the ray is at full power when he shoots it, but risk failing and no shot going off at all if he is stopped before then. 

 

Could also be used for energy weapons building in power, or hand-cranked weapons building in tension before being fired. Example, a crossbow that needs the bow cranked up in tension to fire. in it goes up 1d6 a phase, for 2 phases max. If the player only has time to spend one phase cranking up the tension in the crossbow, the bolt will only go half as far and only do 1d6 damage, compared to fully cranked and at max tension when it would go twice as far and do 2d6 damage. 

 

 

 

Not a bad idea overall, maybe name it Power Up (Required).  I see a lot of overlap between a Constant and/or Cumulative advantage, along with the Extra Time limitation, and just plain Special Effects of not using it at full power.  

 

When I first saw it, I thought of one of my ideas not posted, a tweak to Reduced by Range called Increased by Range.  Power starts at 0 AP/0d6 for the first 4"(or whatever 6E's first RMod is) and goes UP by 10 AP/2d6 per RMod up to the power's purchased cap.  Used for those "more powerful the farther it goes" effects, though probably added/linked to a minimum range effect (Blast 6d6 + Blast 6d6 Increased by Range).  Priced at an additional -1/4 over Reduced by Range, as the higher damage is less likely to hit.

 

Chris.

 

 

[Christopher R Taylor]

Both of these are ideas I have played with in the past and never found a really good solution to make them work.

DOT unlocked some possibilities for this kind of build, so you don't have to buy 800 giga active points then limit them down in cost, but have a minor thing that the active cost goes up with based on its utility, allowing reasonable builds within active point limits.

[IndianaJoe3]

16 hours ago, mallet said:

I always wanted a "power up" Limitation, I know that is probably the wrong terminology for what I will describe next, but it's what I've always mentally called it so far.

 

Basically this is a limitation on how quickly a power reaches full effect, but the power can still "go off" earlier at a reduced amount if the Character decides to use it earlier. 

 

For example a Paladin has 6D6 Healing, Laying On Hands power. It has the Power Up limitation on it. 

 

So, if he spends one Phase using the power it heals 1d6, if he spends 2 phases it heals 2d6, and so on up to his maximum of spending 6 phases and healing 6d6 on the target. 

 

This can already be achieved through use of the Extra Time Limitation and partially limiting the power.

 

Lay On Hands:  (Total: 40 Active Cost, 27 Real Cost) Healing BODY 1d6 plus Healing BODY 1d6 (10 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2)) plus Healing BODY 1d6 (10 Active Points); Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4) plus Healing BODY 1d6 (10 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4)

[Christopher R Taylor]

Limited Recovery: Wounds cannot heal normally, and require special attention to heal.  Stun damage does not heal with every recovery, but instead only when circumstances or special devices are used, which allows the wound to begin to heal normally:

 

+½ if the healing method is common (bandages)
+¾ if its uncommon (a Healing power, surgery, etc)

+1 if its rare (unicorn touches its horn to your wound, special isotope found only in the marianas trench, full moon once a year at a special location).

-¼ from the advantage total if the wound heals completely when the special circumstances are met

 

This must be purchased separately for stun and body if used on a normal or killing attack.  If used with an adjustment power, the circumstances begin the normal fade rate.

 

=====

 

And yeah, you can kinda build an array (using Aid) or extra time to simulate a power that builds up, but not only is it clunky (the block o' text), but it gives a big chonk of active cost where you really are not getting all the power from that you normally would.

 

Why should 12d6 blast and 4d6 blast that eventually becomes 12d6 if you have time and circumstances have the same active cost?

 

[Christougher]

5 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Why should 12d6 blast and 4d6 blast that eventually becomes 12d6 if you have time and circumstances have the same active cost?

 

 

I know you already know this.  It's because at the end of the day it's still a 60 point blast.  The limitations making it harder to get there only affect the Real Cost, not the Active Cost.   Otherwise I'd do this with a 12d6 blast that powered up to something absurd to shave points as far as possible, and just use it as a vanilla 12d6 blast.  

[Christopher R Taylor]

Yeah but here's the thing: Blast ½d6 DOT 12 intervals once a segment, (cannot stack defenses apply only once) is a 15 active point power.  Blast just plain ol' 6d6 is a 30 active point power.  Because while they end up doing exactly the same, damage the DOT can be stopped at any point before the effect ends and the character can be healed in between.  Its that time in between that makes it worth less active cost.  And even with the fire-and-forget nature of a DOT, its still not as valuable.

 

Not being able to access all your power right away means the same kind of thing happens, I only got him with a 4d6 blast because I could only shoot him once.  Or, I got him with a 4d6 and a 5d6, but in between he recovered.  That's just not the same as a 12d6 blast even if eventually you can get there.  Once you get there it is, but until then, you've got significantly less power.   I think that if this is properly designed it won't have the same active cost as a just "I can do this out of the box" 12d6 blast.

[unclevlad]

Damage over time, defenses only apply once, should be *extremely* rare.  I'm actually in favor of returning to some kind of minimum number of points in the extended base (base + adders) power, because these cases where the power intensity is nerfed but the advantages moot this (megascale teleport with Usable Simultaneously or UAA...especially UAA's mass enhancement... is another example) should ALWAYS be viewed with a jaundiced eye by the GM.  Everyone will be different here;  I *loathe* DoT, defenses only apply once unless there's sound reasoning to say the effect is, in fact, ongoing.  (And even then, the defenses only applying once is a separate point...why?)  

 

That said, the point's of concern because there are other ways to pull this off.  For example:  Blast, 3d6, NND (Mental Def, say), Autofire 5 shots (still only +1 1/2).  45 points so far;  only goes to 52 with 1/2 END (+1/2 due to Autofire).  Sure, the number of hits is variable, so the impact on the target will rarely match the potential 15d6.  But that can be tweaked with 2 point CSLs, or perhaps 3 point CSLs at worst, much of the time.  But hey, if you get this to routinely hit 2-3 times, the net impact is either none or fairly significant...notably more than 45 active would suggest.

[Christopher R Taylor]

This one is a bit unusual but there is comic book and fantasy, and even sci fi precedent for it

 

Seeking: An attack keeps trying to hit the target for x increments over y time period..   Starts immediately, cannot be a limitation.  Must roll to hit normally each increment.  Increments = the number of times the Seeker continues attempting to hit the target.  Once the Seeking attack is started, it continues to attempt to hit the target without the character needing to pay attention, it is "uncontrolled".  Endurance or charges are paid when the first attack is made, and need not be paid over the rest of the duration of the Seeking attack. Ordinarily, the attacker must maintain line of sight with the target for this to continue, but can purchase an exemption to that for double the increment advantage total.  Normal ranges apply (if a character gets outside the range of the attack from the point it was launched, the attack dissipates and cannot hit.  Range modifiers are not applied, the OCV used when the attack is first launched is used each increment it attempts to hit against the target's current DCV.

MOD INCREMENTS +0 1 +¼ 2-4 +½ 5-8 +¾ 9-12 +1 13-16   x2 Need not maintain line of sight half Cannot have more than one attack seeking at once half Attacker must channel attack

 

MOD	TIME BETWEEN ATTACKS
+½	Segment
+¼	Every other segment
+0	Every three segments
-¼	Every Four Segments
-½	Every Six Segments
-1	Every Turn

[dmjalund]

what does “Attacker must channel attack” mean?

[Christopher R Taylor]

Its a simplified way of saying "you cannot make any other attacks while the Seeker is in effect" kind of like a constant attack without uncontrolled on it.  Like DOT, normally Seeker can be put on someone, and then forgotten.

[Christougher]

9 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

This one is a bit unusual but there is comic book and fantasy, and even sci fi precedent for it

 

Seeking: An attack keeps trying to hit the target for x increments over y time period..   Starts immediately, cannot be a limitation.  Must roll to hit normally each increment.  Increments = the number of times the Seeker continues attempting to hit the target.  Once the Seeking attack is started, it continues to attempt to hit the target without the character needing to pay attention, it is "uncontrolled".  Endurance or charges are paid when the first attack is made, and need not be paid over the rest of the duration of the Seeking attack. Ordinarily, the attacker must maintain line of sight with the target for this to continue, but can purchase an exemption to that for double the increment advantage total.  Normal ranges apply (if a character gets outside the range of the attack from the point it was launched, the attack dissipates and cannot hit.  Range modifiers are not applied, the OCV used when the attack is first launched is used each increment it attempts to hit against the target's current DCV.

MOD INCREMENTS +0 1 +¼ 2-4 +½ 5-8 +¾ 9-12 +1 13-16   x2 Need not maintain line of sight half Cannot have more than one attack seeking at once half Attacker must channel attack

 

MOD	TIME BETWEEN ATTACKS
+½	Segment
+¼	Every other segment
+0	Every three segments
-¼	Every Four Segments
-½	Every Six Segments
-1	Every Turn

 

😆  Darn you!  I was gonna post that!  I wrote up my own, rather similar version.  🤣

 

[Christopher R Taylor]

Change Environment: You can buy a “minor environmental effect” ability like light a fire, heat water, melt ice, freeze water, boil water, create light, create smoke puff, etc.  This costs 2 points for each minor environmental effect.

 

Change Environment can also be used to increased knockback taken at 2 points per +1m of kb.

 

[unclevlad]

2 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Change Environment: You can buy a “minor environmental effect” ability like light a fire, heat water, melt ice, freeze water, boil water, create light, create smoke puff, etc.  This costs 2 points for each minor environmental effect.

 

Change Environment can also be used to increased knockback taken at 2 points per +1m of kb.

 

 

Can I set all the water in my backyard pool to boiling?  How about an Olympic-sized swimming pool?  

Of course not, but you get the idea...limits need to be expressed.

Also, how narrow is each effect?  Lighting a fire == raising the temperature of the material to its flash point, basically...so could it also be used to boil water or melt ice?

 

Mind you, I LIKE stuff like this a great deal;  the trick is figuring out how to do it in a reasonable manner.  Monte Cook, in one of his Arcana Unearther/Evolved books, write a sidebar using the voice of his "commenter", Malhavoc, to the effect that a caster who only uses his magic in combat, and never for his personal comfort, Does Not Get It.  I've felt that way for ages.  (Which was why I was ecstatic when it was pointed out that APG II had Create Object and extradimensional space powers.  YES!!!  They've been added into my personal HD, along with the APG alternate desolid.)

 

I wouldn't allow Change Environment to increase the KB.  I could see an adder, Increase KB, 2 points for +1" KB.  Then it's tied to a particular attack.  As a CE, it could be tied to anything in a form of Combined Attack.  And note that it could be applied as an adder to a +0d6 HTH Attack.  This would tend to work better than Double KB on an HTH attack as it doesn't distort the base damage.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Well, the way I see it, the power works the same as other Change Environment stuff.  You can change the temperature level or wind level; just in a very immediate area unless you buy area effect.

 

I was thinking with the KB increaser on change environment it works like an ice sheet or oil slick

[unclevlad]

Ice sheet...if it's creating a Dex roll penalty anyway, then it's hurting the Breakfall.  You would tend to slide further on ice;  the ice itself generally gives you the hard, slick surface conducive to that.  But increasing the KB, implicitly increases the speed at which the person being knocked back travels, because when said person hits an obstacle, "inches" KB == dice of damage.

 

Plus, visually, when someone is knocked back several inches, it's presented that their feet leave the ground.  In order for an ice sheet to matter, the poor sucker would have to be sliding along the ice.  Well, then...imagine the situation when the ice wasn't there.  The poor guy is scraping across 10 meters...oh, let's say, rough concrete???  ROAD RASH FROM HECK!!!  Even if he doesn't hit anything at the end.

 

The ice sheet/oil slick obviously scream for a penalty to Dex checks/skills while on it, and possibly safe movement over it.  The Dex penalty impacts the Breakfall roll, so it's harder to remain upright on that slick surface...that's good, that's natural.  RIght now, I don't see a Change Environment that's limited to increasing the KB in the area.

[Christopher R Taylor]

This is just a house rule I have long used, but I find it much more closely represents real life.  If I walk into an open cupboard door I didn't see, I don't wake up on the floor, I just am stunned more easily.  Of course, I've never been actually knocked out so I can't say what that's like or how it compares, but this seems to fit better my experiences:

 

Instead of dealing x2 STN damage, surprise attacks half CON for purposes of being stunned

[Christopher R Taylor]

Rapid Recovery The damage from this attack heals more quickly than normal.

If the damage from an attack automatically gains a recovery each phase regardless of the character’s actions, it is a -¼ limitation.

The wound heals a “free recovery” on every phase with this limitation.

For -½ the wound heals every segment as  “free recovery”

 

[dmjalund]

3 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Rapid Recovery The damage from this attack heals more quickly than normal.

If the damage from an attack automatically gains a recovery each phase regardless of the character’s actions, it is a -¼ limitation.

The wound heals a “free recovery” on every phase with this limitation.

For -½ the wound heals every segment as  “free recovery”

 

This is going to be a pain when you are hit by multiple sources and only some of them have this limitation

[Christougher]

16 hours ago, dmjalund said:

This is going to be a pain when you are hit by multiple sources and only some of them have this limitation

 

Wound tracking for everyone!

 

Cumulative on Blast/KAs might be used to make a single wound worse, so that it exceeds per-wound Healing.  

[Christopher R Taylor]

This is more a highly suggested rule for 4-color/Bronze age comics to help enforce genre.  Over an over in comics, you get the characters saying "now I can really cut loose!" or indicate that they are ordinarily holding back out of fear of killing someone or hurting them seriously.  There's the "world of cardboard" speech Superman does in Justice League, etc.

 

Quote

You are considered by default to be pulling your punch in Champions (lower kb, half body) without a penalty,  but if you want to go all out and use full damage, it’s a -1 OCV, -1 DCV attack.

 

What this does is make the assumption that you're trying not to really murder someone and its special effort to really go all out, rather than defaulting to all out and taking penalties to be more careful.  So technically you can do full 12d6 damage, but you usually hold back some.

[Christopher R Taylor]

That's it for my new ideas, the rest would just be a bunch of suggested little bits of house rules, so I'll just post some notes on what I think people ought to look at from the Advanced Player Guides and find useful for my games:

 

APG1

Healing Absorption

Damage Negation for other kinds of attacks

Change Environment to impose limitations, impose complications, or remove advantages 

Change Environment for Stunning and Suffocation 

Alter Density: rules for stages going from Desolidification to Density Increase, and what happens to your character in between 

Projection rules for "astral projection" type powers, leaving your body behind

Intermediate levels of growth

Alternate uses of Luck

Regeneration for other characteristics

Accurate Selective advantage for AE

Area Effect Cage

Area Effect Sight Range

Area Effect Trail

Area Effect Two-Dimensional

Area Effect Voice Range

Multiple Special Effects

Proportional Power

Delayed END Cost

Requires a Skill roll variants

 

APG2

Controlled Effect on attacks

Extradimensional Space: lets you access a pocket space to put things in and retrieve them from

Object Creation

DOT on other powers than damage (should be called "effect over time" really)

 

There are a lot of other things (like time stop and replay in APG2) as well, and I guess I'm just doing an ad for these books but I really do recommend both.

[Christougher]

Increases over Time: This (-1/2) Limitation makes a Constant power start slowly and build up to its full effect.  The power starts at 10 AP/2d6 and increases by the same amount per Segment.  For a Constant Area of Effect attack, this Limitation can be applied so that the AOE increases by 2m per segment.  Both versions may apply to the same power.

Decreases over Time: This (-1/4) Limitation makes a Constant power slowly lose its effectiveness.  The power decreases by 10 AP/2d6 per Segment.  For a Constant Area of Effect attack, this Limitation can be applied so that the AOE decreases by 2m per Segment.  Both versions may apply to the same power.

Chris.