Omni-Suppress

[Bengal]

edited for spelling.

 

Looking for ideas for a 50-75 point AP power that serves to Suppress my opponent's "most dangerous" (open to interperetation in and of itself) power, characteristic, or ability. If it's an inborn power, it would be appropriate to only affect inborn powers, and if technological, only affect technological powers, I think.

 

An idea I had driving home from the milk store today was that there should be some sort of descriminatory sense attached that would determine for the character just what that "most dangerous" power or whatever was, and that it shouldn't likely change over the course of one scene or combat.

 

Constructions welcome.

[drrushing]

Omni-suppress

 

Originally posted in Superhero Images on 12-28-03:

 

This is: Zero. He's a middleweight MA with one power, a Omni-suppress, to shut down his opponents strongest ability. (see pg 88 for image)

 

Are you just trying to figure out how it works? It's an inborn ability, it has no effect on technology. And it's EXPENSIVE .

[Bengal]

Thank you for the tip. I am looking for a valid construction for such a power. If you can't make it cheap, at least show me what the construction is. I'm interested to know how to build my own.

 

Here is a shot at it:

 

6d6 Suppress, Any one inborn power or attribute one at a time (+1/2) Only to suppress the power detected by Powersense (-1)

plus

Powersense: Detect Power or Attribute with largest Active Point Cost; Sense, Range, Descriminatory, passive.

 

Total cost: 23 + 15 = 38 points.

 

 

I know it's not going to entirely nullify anyone's power, but knocking roughly 20 active points off the top should be a great advantage in combat.

[drrushing]

Omni-suppress

 

Great start.......my version is with 4th ed., and I'm still fuzzy with some of FRed's rules, so I apoligize if I violate some game mechanic that I'm unaware of............

 

12d6 Suppress, (60)

Any one inborn power or attribute one at a time (+1/2)

Only to suppress the power detected by Powersense (-1)

plus

Powersense: Detect Power or Attribute with largest Active Point Cost; Sense, Range, Descriminatory, passive.

(60)x(1+1/2)=(90)/(1+1)=45

 

Total cost: 45 + 15 = 60 points.

also.........

0 END (+1/2)

The first version I created with the power, my character could just about take out the other opponent, then collapse from exhaustion.

Also, as a character device(and to marginally reduce the cost of the power:

No Range (-1/2)

also.........

Only effects inborn abilities (-1/2)

This value could change, or not be allowed at all, but in a technology heavy game, this would be a true disadvantage.

Totals

(60)x[(1)+(1/2)+(1/2)] = 120 / [(1)+(1)+(1/2)+(1/2)] = 40

SO.......

40+15 = 55

Sorry, told you it was expensive. Obviously, the level of the Suppress can be weaker or stronger, depending on the effect you want. At 12D6, this puts a serious damper on your opponent.(average of 42 active points)

[Bengal]

Thank you!

 

 

Actually, expensive is a state of mind. A power that can take out an opponent's best ability should be very expensive.

 

I think I'd have to cut your version in half though. No sense in making a 120 active point power when all my other characters stop at or near the 60-75 point range, if that. But a great construction nonetheless.

[Rick]

I'm curious as to what the SFX of this is, I'm not really clear on it.

[drrushing]

power construction

 

Bengal,

Your welcome. I don't have too many people around to throw different ideas at. With FReD, I really question some of the things I come up with. If there are other ideas you have, please post them, maybe I can help, or be enlightened by someone with a better knowledge of FReD.

[Bengal]

That's my issue as well. I don't know anyone with a great working knowledge of any RPGs that I have time to sit down with. the Toolkit, for me, is a great excuse to sit down for a few hours and flesh out some really zany power construction. Playing the character who has that construction is kind of secondary to me. I have notebooks full of various kinds of characters with marginal powers, which I create just for the fun of figuring out how to do them.

 

At the moment, I've got nothing more to share along those lines.

 

 

As far as the SFX go, the sense is pretty straightforward. The actual Suppress though is kind of an innate mental thing. Not sure what it would look like. Any ideas about that? Maybe it'll help me think up a costume for this as-yet-unnamed character who is apparently a ripoff of Zero.

[levi]

Remember that Suppress (unlike most adjustment powers) has no cap on how much you can Suppress. As long as the target has points in the Suppressed ability, it can be affected.

 

When I stole Zero, I gave him a Suppress Damage Shield, Offensive and Martial Arts. So every time my version of Zero hits an opponent, he suppresses the target's current, largest active point ability (as effected by previous Suppression).

[Bengal]

Hm. I am not sure what you mean by that. My reason for keeping the suppress at a low value relative to the power it's suppressing it that it costs fewer Active points. One thing I hate is when a player of mine or somebody comes to me iwth a great power that costs 75 real points- and about 300 active points. Sure it's good. It costs too much for me.

 

 

Otherwise, this valid construction could be doubled or tripled to make sure you can always shut down the entirety of your opponent's greatest power.

[levi]

Most adjustment Powers (Drain, Aid, Transfer, etc...) have a cap or Maximum amount of points you can effect with the Power. (example: I have a character with 2D6 STR Drain with a +8 Max. On PHA 3 the character hits his opponent with the Drain for 6 points. On PHA 5 he hits for 7 more (total Drained 13 so far). On PHA 8 he hits for 8 points more (total Drained of 31). The Max this character can Drain is 2D6 (or 12 points) plus 8 Max (for a total effect of 30 points). The opponent cannot lose more than 30 points of STR to this Power at a time so for the rest of this Turn, the Drain will not effect this opponent. Of course the target will Recover 5 points of STR in Post-12 Recovery as normal and then again be able to be affected by the Drain.

 

Suppress doesn't work this way...it has no max or cap to it's effectiveness. This means that a character with a small amount of Suppress could "chip away" at an expensive ability without keeping track of how much has been suppressed thus far.

 

If this is still unclear, let me know and I will try to clarify further...hope this helps.

[Snarf]

About the powersense, you probably need the discriminatory or analyze adder. You can look that up somewhere in the enhanced senses power.

 

I think with a basic detect you couldn't tell much more than the presence of something, so all you would know is that they have a most powerful ability and that's about it. Discriminatory or analyze would tell you what that power was specifically so you could target it.

[Farkling]

The powersense or the power should have a weak version of No Conscious Control on it. If your SFX dictate that it cannot effect certain SFX powers, then the GM has a right to "shift the target power"

 

Actually, if it suppresses the largest power that it can affect, then it doesn't need the linked powersense, that can be dictated in the writeup for the power.

 

"Affects one power of target" "Cannot affect powers that are external to target" "Lack of Control-largest power is affected"

 

I need to think further on this.

[drrushing]

power progression

 

Levi, that's just about how I have the power working. The only exception is that Zero must strike the opponent, not just mearly touch the target. Hence, no Damage Shield, but I like the idea.

 

My rustiness and lack of concrete FReD rules is showing, I was unaware of no maximum cap on the Suppress. If that's the case the power could easily be toned down, and the character could "chip away" at their opponent.

 

I didn't want to play around with anything like "No Conscious Control", it sounds appropriate, but it takes the activation and effectiveness of the power away from the Character and places it in the control of the GM. The Suppress varies per target, but it is a Deliberate, Controlled attack.

 

Snarf, the Detect does have a discriminatory element, even if the character is unaware of it, at least on a conscious level.

 

SO...........

6d6 Suppress, (30)

Any one inborn power or attribute one at a time (+1/2)

Only to suppress the power detected by Powersense (-1)

(30)x(1+1/2)=(45)/(1+1)=22

plus

Powersense: Detect Power or Attribute with largest Active Point Cost; Sense, Discriminatory, passive. (15)

NO Range(-1/2) = (15)/1 1/2 = 10

 

Total cost: 22 + 10 = 32 points.

also.........

0 END (+1/2)

The first version I created with the power, my character could just about take out the other opponent, then collapse from exhaustion.

Also, as a character device(and to marginally reduce the cost of the power:

No Range (-1/2)

also.........

Only effects inborn abilities (-1/2)

This value could change, or not be allowed at all, but in a technology heavy game, this would be a true disadvantage.

Totals

(30)x[(1)+(1/2)+(1/2)] = 60 / [(1)+(1)+(1/2)+(1/2)] = 20

SO.......

20+10 = 30

 

The SFX for the original power was a flash of Green energy upon a successful strike between Zero and the target, followed by a slight nauseating weakness felt by the target.

[Bengal]

Suppress has no cap on it? That seems ripe for abuse... unbelieveable. Too bad I left my FREd in my car. I'll have to check it out at work tomorrow. If this is indeed the case, I'll have to rework the power slightly.

 

 

I do like the idea that it's a ranged power, as well as the idea that it's deliberate. But it definitely needs to be preceded by the Powersense- my reasoning here is, you can't hit what you can't see. If my character (we'll call him One since he comes after Zero), if One can't detect and lock on to the power to suppress, it's pointless for him to try to suppress it. It just "feels" right.

 

Does suppress need visible SFX like most Standard powers? Again, working off-book here.

[drrushing]

further definition

 

Removing the No Range limitation from the Powersense and Suppress pushes up the point cost to 39 at 6D6. Down right affordable................and as far as I know, again being the FReD novice, Suppress has the standard rules just like any other projection power, so it would have some type of SFX. I think that really depends on your own personal Gaming Universe and what the players and GM decide, you know, house rules for lack of a better term.

[drrushing]

Dynamic Duo?

 

Bengal,

Zero and One could be the next amazing team. "The Amazing BINARY Agents",................ sorry, I thought of that at about 4 am.

[Grailknight]

Minor correction, Drain does not have a cap.

[levi]

Thanks Grailknight...my bad