Containing Energy Aliens

[CrosshairCollie]

While doing my usual gaming stuff, I'm spending a couple of hours a day setting up a home-brewed Star Hero sector. I've come across something problematic, though. For the Energy Alien archetype, the Damage Shield is Always On and Inherent.

 

Inherent means it can't be Drained, but does that also mean it can't be Suppressed? I was thinking they'd probably need some kind of protective suit, both to protect others from them and to avoid damaging their surroundings if they weren't shielded. If it can't be suppressed, how could I design a containment suit with the extant game mechanics?

[Aroooo]

Wouldn't part of that answer depend on the SFX of the being? I thought there was something in the FAQ about damage shields...

 

Q: If a character uses a sword or other weapon to attack a target with a Damage Shield, does the character take damage from the Damage Shield, since he doesn't contact it directly?

 

A: Generally, yes, he still takes damage. Damage Shield has no requirement that the attacker touch the character with his hands or bare skin or what have you. However, note the text on 5E 163 about characters possibly "insulating" themselves from a Damage Shield's effects by hitting the target with an object. It's up to the GM to decide what sorts of objects might qualify. A sword or dagger probably would not, a lamppost or tree trunk would; the in-between areas the rules leave to the GM.

 

Its not exactly what you are looking for, but you could apply the reverse - insulate the alien in a suit or force field or something. I don't have Fred with me, so I can't be more specific right now.

 

Aroooo

[Derek Hiemforth]

One option would be to figure out how many points the Always On Limitation saves you, then take that point total, apply OIF Containment Suit to it, and pay the resulting cost. Essentially, you would be "buying off" the Always On Limitation through the containment suit Focus. So when they have the Focus, they can "turn off" the Damage Shield. (For SFX purposes, it's really still on under the suit, but for practical purposes, it isn't taking effect.)

[Battlestaff]

As for damaging their environment, if they've always been energy beings they probably would have developed materials for building, etc., that wouldn't be harmed by their damage shields. So they would only need to suits while interacting with solid races.

 

And depending on the SFX of the materials they use to build with, those materials might be harmful to solid races (i.e. if the beings and the materials are similarly charged, etc.)

[Guest zarglif69]

Aroooo, Regarding striking a damage shield with an HtH weapon: It would make sense that the damage shield would damage the weapon, not the character using the weapon. That's the ruling I'd use.

[Aroooo]

My viewpoint would be the FX. If the DS is electrical in nature (for example) then a wooden staff would not cause the attacker to get hit with it. Unless its a big crackling energy field and it arched (sp?) the gap between target and attacker.

 

Aroooo

[AlHazred]

If you're looking for a mechanic to justify containing such an alien, there are two options.

 

If you're looking for a "suit" to contain the alien while letting it interact with the environment, I'd use Derek's idea of buying off the Always On with an OIF.

 

If you're wondering how to make a "containment unit" to imprison the alien, you can use Extra-Dimensional Movement, Usable As Attack, defined as a stasis field. That way, the Damage Shield doesn't destroy the containment unit and you don't have to justify really high DEF materials...

[CrosshairCollie]

I was thinking the 'lets them interact safely with others' mold of containment suit. I'm thinking of making them radioactive (from a world high in nuclear material, of course), so they'd need lead-lined (or some other dense material) suits when they interacted with other races to avoid giving them radiation sickness (not to mention doing things like melting through bulkheads). Their own ships would be radiation-proof in construction, of course, but I was more thinking about the rest of the sector's safety.

[KA.]

Originally posted by CrosshairCollie

I was thinking the 'lets them interact safely with others' mold of containment suit. I'm thinking of making them radioactive (from a world high in nuclear material, of course), so they'd need lead-lined (or some other dense material) suits when they interacted with other races to avoid giving them radiation sickness (not to mention doing things like melting through bulkheads). Their own ships would be radiation-proof in construction, of course, but I was more thinking about the rest of the sector's safety.

 

Then Derek is spot on.

Buying off the "Always On" with a Focus, allows for someone destroying the Focus as a plot element.

"Oh No! There's a hole in the containment suit!"

 

Should work just like Derek said.

 

KA.

[CrosshairCollie]

I'm kind of derailing my own thread, but since it pertains once again to my still-in-development SH game, I figure this'll cut down on the spam a bit.

 

Anyways, I'm working on the Psionics now. The way I'm thinking of it, all races (except the Androids) can use Psionics; however, three races are 'specialists'. They're far better at their Psionics than the other races, but each is limited to a particular 'discipline'. One uses Telepathy, one Telekinesis, and another Extra-Sensory; however, they cannot develop abilities outside of their specialty.

 

Now, I'm trying to figure out a way to make the specialization in 'game mechanics' besides just encouraging them to spend points appropriately. Since I'm thinking about requiring RSR: Power (Psionics) for all powers, I was debating letting them buy up the Power roll for less. Instead of 2pts/+1, maybe 3pts/+2 or even 1pt/+1, as if buying the Power Skill levels with a limitation. Any opinions?

[Aroooo]

Now, I'm trying to figure out a way to make the specialization in 'game mechanics' besides just encouraging them to spend points appropriately. Since I'm thinking about requiring RSR: Power (Psionics) for all powers, I was debating letting them buy up the Power roll for less. Instead of 2pts/+1, maybe 3pts/+2 or even 1pt/+1, as if buying the Power Skill levels with a limitation. Any opinions?

 

That certainly works, if you have the RSR. Depending on how house rules you wanted to make it, do a 1-for-1 up to a 18- roll, then 2-for-1 beyond 19- roll. That way the RSR doesn't get too overballanced quickly.

 

Aroooo