Magic and Armor

[PhilFleischmann]

Originally posted by Arthur

Changing the base values of DEF works, but it makes most character-creation software difficult to use. Also, doubling costs seems a little too far in the other direction.

 

My solution is to define a custom Advantage for certain Powers. For instance, in a Fantasy world,. Force Field and Armor are required to take a +1/2 "Utility" Advantage.

I'm not actually doubling the cost of all resistant powers, only the added cost of the resistance. Damage Resistance is doubled; but Armor, Force Field, and Resistant Damage Reduction are only increased by a third. This is less of an increase than you propose with the +1/2 advantage.

 

Why not a spell? They can't be extra-accurate?

I just felt that spells already have enough advantages. IIRC, the biggest weapon is only 2d6 HKA (3d6+1 with 20 STR). Spells may do even more DCs, be AP, NND, etc. It really wasn't necessarily about accuracy as it was about being able to get through the armor. A sword might glance off your vambrace, but fireball is going to hurt regardless. Although, I might go ahead and allow spells to be affected the same way.

 

Lots of good ideas here. I apreciate all the feedback. I don't get to play as often as I'd like, so many of my ideas don't get the full playtesting they deserve. I calculate everything as carefully as possible, but you can only go so far on theory. To really know if an idea works, you have to actually try it out.

[Outsider]

"That is why Kurt can be a frightening GM. Then there is the farming Village...

 

Heavy arbalests on wheels like an old Heavy Machine Gun?

Light crossbows with poisoned ap points?

 

Picks?

Hammers?

THeir pet rust monster?"

 

 

Well, you ARE talking about a farming village on the frontier. They're used to taking care of themselves, mostly. If you want fat, (personally) helpless peasants, head deep into the center of an empire or kingdom. Of course, -those- areas have settled, well established noblemen who arent trying to run things on a shoestring, and who really dont take kindly to "adventurers" upsetting the applecart.

 

Basically, fronteir communities cant count on their local nobles to come deal with every little disturbance, so they end up developing their own means of doing so. Interior communites have troubles much less often, and -can- count on the local lord & his retinue to deal with disturbances, so they dont.

 

 

 

The basic concept is that no defenceless community survives. Either it defends itself, they have a defender, they gets conquered (and thus gain a defender) or they get wiped out. Defence by isolation is a possibility too, but those places are hard to find (rimshot)

[GrimJesta]

Thats why I dont worry overly much about stacked defenses -- the HERO System is full of alternative means of dealing with tanks. A character that relies on unimaginative brute force tactics is going to have a difficult time dealing with a guy in DEF 8 or 9 Plate and a couple levels of Combat Luck to be sure, but a character that has other means of skinning that cat can surmount it.

Or let em have their day in the sun, which gives them a false sense of security... then send in the Psionic creature pack with the Ego Blasts and Mental Illusions.

 

"How much MD do you have there, Mr. Tank-boy? What? None? Mwhahahha!"

 

-=Grim=-

[gewing]

Actually I phrased things poorly. I was thinking the Kobolds might use the arbalests on wheels, etc.

 

The farming village has few problems with people "treeing the town." Remember the situation? Maybe it was steve.

 

Originally posted by Outsider

"That is why Kurt can be a frightening GM. Then there is the farming Village...

 

Heavy arbalests on wheels like an old Heavy Machine Gun?

Light crossbows with poisoned ap points?

 

Picks?

Hammers?

THeir pet rust monster?"

 

 

Well, you ARE talking about a farming village on the frontier. They're used to taking care of themselves, mostly. If you want fat, (personally) helpless peasants, head deep into the center of an empire or kingdom. Of course, -those- areas have settled, well established noblemen who arent trying to run things on a shoestring, and who really dont take kindly to "adventurers" upsetting the applecart.

 

Basically, fronteir communities cant count on their local nobles to come deal with every little disturbance, so they end up developing their own means of doing so. Interior communites have troubles much less often, and -can- count on the local lord & his retinue to deal with disturbances, so they dont.

 

 

 

The basic concept is that no defenceless community survives. Either it defends itself, they have a defender, they gets conquered (and thus gain a defender) or they get wiped out. Defence by isolation is a possibility too, but those places are hard to find (rimshot)