How to build power: Prismatic Spray

[Tech]

Based on the old DnD spell - Prismatic Spray - how would such a power be made for a superheroic game? Below is how the spell was originally phrased:

 

1	Red	20 points fire damage (Reflex half)
2	Orange	40 points acid damage (Reflex half)
3	Yellow	80 points electricity damage (Reflex half)
4	Green	Poison (Kills; Fortitude partial, take 1d6 points of Con damage instead)
5	Blue	Turned to stone (Fortitude negates)
6	Indigo	Insane, as insanity spell (Will negates)
7	Violet	Sent to another plane (Will negates)
8	—	Struck by two rays; roll twice more, ignoring any "8" results.

 

Now, I'm looking for a less deadly form of it but it's still something I'd like to see. Any suggestions?

[LoneWolf]

I am not a big fan of trying to convert things from one system to another because it never seems to work out well.  Some things that are low level in D&D end up being very expensive, while some higher-level things are dirt cheap.  Other game systems do things differently than Hero System does and trying to convert those almost always creates problems. If you are going to try and convert something don’t look at the game mechanics of the other systems, look at the special effects.  

 

Prismatic Spray is basically converting Prismatic Sphere into a ray.  The original spell was designed as a defensive spell that required you to cast multiple different spells in a specific sequence to overcome Each layer caused progressively worse damage if you tried to push through.  That is why the graduated damage and effects.  I would really recommend against doing it like this.

 

If you want an attack that does different types of damage that would be fairly easy, but I would avoid using different types of powers.  Prismatic Spray has what would be 3 blasts, a drain, a transformation, a mind control (or mental transformation) and a movement useable as an attack.  The last one is a stop sign power that is completely abusive and that most GMs would not allow.

 

What I would do would be to have the power just deal damage of different types.  Buy it as a blast and use a partially limited power to change the special effect.  Buy variable special effect on the blast and apply the -1 no conscious control on the variable special effect.  When you hit the target, you always do the same damage, but roll a die to see what the special effect is.  This creates a spell similar to Prismatic Spray that works well in the hero system.  

 

Trying to convert the actual spells is going to be a nightmare because the differing damage.  The way hero works the either the lower damage rays are useless or the higher damage spells are overpowered.  If you stay with the different combat effects, they have to be brought separately or put into a multipower.  For the multipower to work the pool needs to be large enough to hold the active points of the most expensive power.  
 

[Hugh Neilson]

Randomized results aren't a Hero strength. If I look to the effects, we have three damaging effects of various strengths (which works way better in D&D than in Hero where defenses will reduce damage), a CON Drain, an all or nothing Transform to stone, probably an all or nothing transform to Insane and EDM - Usable as an Attack, with one or two affecting any given target.

 

If I wanted to build something similar in Hero, I think I would Link a variety of attacks.  For Supers, probably looking at 12 DC, so let's say:

 

Fire 4d6 NND (8 DC)

 

Acid 8d6 AP (or 2 1/2d6 or 3d6 AP KA) (10 DC)

 

Lightning 12d6 (or 4d6 KA)

 

Poison 4d6 CON Drain with +1/2 increased recovery time (to be lethal, make it a BOD drain)

 

Petrification 4d6 all or nothing Transform is not likely to work - it takes 6d6 to average enough to Transform someone with 10 BOD on average.  I might make this a DEX drain instead, with the SFX of partial petrification

 

Insanity is similar - Transform or an INT or EGO drain, probably.

 

Extra Dimensional Movement UAA, but that is a nasty effect so maybe some different attack (perhaps a Flash or an Entangle).

 

Now buy 2 Multipowers with the seven attacks as Ultra slots. Limitation: slot is randomly selected (reduced no conscious control).  The second has a 7- Activation Roll (16.2% chance where rolling an 8 is a 12.5% chance) and cannot use the same slot.  Link the two so you use both at the same time.

That NCC limitation will have to be worked out with the GM.

 

I agree with LoneWolf, though, that this is not worth the effort to build.

[Tech]

I don't want an exact duplication of it, and am aware of the differences between the systems. I like what LoneWolf suggested:

 

LW - "What I would do would be to have the power just deal damage of different types.  Buy it as a blast and use a partially limited power to change the special effect.  Buy variable special effect on the blast and apply the -1 no conscious control on the variable special effect.  When you hit the target, you always do the same damage, but roll a die to see what the special effect is.  This creates a spell similar to Prismatic Spray that works well in the hero system. "

 

Besides, a player isn't going to use it, I as GM will. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Christopher R Taylor]

You can build a unified power with all these effects, give each one a "saving throw" effect (a limitation that represents they are all or nothing if someone makes the appropriate roll to "resist" the effect, probably not worth more than -1/2), and then link them all together for one really expensive, mega power. 

 

To make them random, make it an area effect cone, selective effect, then add a limitation (small one, maybe -¼) to make it random, and then use the d8 randomization (2d4-1 would work better, but d4 don't roll well) and each person only gets one effect (another small limitation).

 

It is a 9th level spell so its not unreasonable that it is extremely expensive.  As Lonewolf points out, a lot of D&D spells are not properly leveled for their power, and when you build them in a more objective, mathematical system the discrepancies become very clear.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Christopher R Taylor

[Tech]

Technically, it's 7th lvl according to everything I've read. Nonetheless, CrT is correct.

 

Since I have an answer, time to go totally offtopic...

 

CrT... CRT! Ah ha! CRT - you're a Transformer, aren't you? Twas obvious! The only question remaining is: Decepticon or Autobot... hmmm.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Tech

[unclevlad]

The spell's hugely problematic, especially for its level.  20, even 40, with save for half?  Waste of time.  Some other stuff just doesn't necessarily fit, and/or is obscenely expensive.  (A 1-shot Flesh to Stone would have to be a MASSIVE Transform.)  It's not a tactical spell that players want to use, it's a *scare* spell for the DM, mostly. 

 

It's also in the class of Save Or Die that started getting harshly criticized down the line, for having far, far too much impact based on a single roll.  This has 4 of them.  Now, OK, if you like that style, you don't have an issue.    

 

What I would do is Blast.  Set the number of DCs to whatever you think appropriate.  All the variations use the same number of DCs.

Red:  vs. ED (fire)

Yellow:  acid...ugh...if you have a standard interpretation, then use it here

Orange:  vs. ED (electrical)

Green:  AVAD vs. Power Def, Does Body (alternately, a Drain?)

Blue:  AVAD vs. Power Def

Indigo:  AVAD vs. Mental Def (no, I'm not gonna even try to translate the D&D Insanity)

Violet:  going a completely different direction, vs. PD (force)

For the 8th case?  Either ignore it...hitting someone twice just doesn't sit well with me, not in Hero...or I might do "the one that hurts the most."  Based on the target's defenses.  I think I'd just ignore it.  

 

Side point:  if you want this to be AoE Line, it's gonna explode the cost.  I'd prefer to do this as a single-target spell, but this could depend on how many DCs you allot.

 

Now, what I'd do is a little different.  Nope, NOT making the caster pay for the major VSE, because that side is fully Uncontrolled.  As long as the DCs work out, the randomness of the damage SFX isn't really an advantage.  OR, if it is...like ED is consistently lower than PD, Power and Mental Defs are all but nonexistent...then scale down the total DCs on those, particularly if they do BODY.

[Tech]

unclevlad, I already decided to go with LoneWolf's idea earlier.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Quote

CrT... CRT! Ah ha! CRT - you're a Transformer, aren't you?

 

No, I'm an old school television screen