Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

[TheEmerged]

UP FRONT: Let's not get into the "COM is worthless or should be handled differently" topic, okay? This is an interesting question that came up, interesting enough I don't really care it's a shade warmer than useless

 

BACKSTORY. One of the player's favorite "guest star NPC's" is a Class One (150/100) nova (person with superpowers/lacking normal characteristic maxima) named Carl Benson, AKA "Carl the Creep". Carl has two power "trees" so to speak -- the first being that he's a Savant style nova (high-INT) with a gift for languages & alphabets, and makes a good scholarly research contact for the PC's.

 

The other is that he's got a 30 PRE, +30 PRE that costs END for a total of 60 when he wants it -- and has an AE Suppress vs PRE (with Personal Immunity of course) that is not under his control and has Reduced Penetration -- meaning anyone with more than 7 points of Power Defense probably isn't going to be affected at all but a baseline (normal, person with normal characteristic maxima, cannot buy powers except as Talents) will almost certainly be in negative territory if it goes off.

 

Of course, since he has a 0 (zero) COM score, when it goes off he freaks most normal people (and any nova below 20 PRE or lacking Power Defense) out. Hence "the Creep" despite actually being a nice enough guy.

 

THE ISSUE. Since he's shown up so much, I feel it's time to give him some experience. One of the players made an interesting suggestion -- but one I'm not 100% sure how to build.

 

Carl is going to spend 10 pts worth of COM -- but I want it to be able to be used as -20 COM or +20 COM, and not under his control. Basically the first time someone meets him you flip a coin and either they think he's Brad Pitt or Quasimodo, and they continue to think of him that way. It's a variant on one of my takes on Pheromones (+COM bought IPE).

 

If he could control it, the obvious method would be a 10 pt multipower with two ultra slots -- one for -20 COM, one for +20 COM. But it's important to the character's schtick that he not be able to control it.

 

This being the HERO system, a couple of different possibilities occured to me.

 

1. 10pts of COM, Variable Special Effect (Terrifying or Handsome) at +1/4, "Long Lasting" at +1/4 (to reflect that the individual will see him at that score from now on), No Conscious Control (-1 since one or the other will be used)
   
2. Go ahead with the multipower, adding "Long Lasting" and increase the MP cost as appropriate -- and then applying the NCC (-1) to the entire pool to reflect that which slot is in use is random.
   
3. Buy both at full price, give both NCC at -2 and simply doing the rest of the mechanic as GM fiat
   

 

So, which way makes more sense?

[Col. Orange]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

Whichever's cheaper.

 

COM worthless? Have people no souls? I can't remember the last character I played with 10 COM.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

Basically the first time someone meets him you flip a coin and either they think he's Brad Pitt or Quasimodo, and they continue to think of him that way.

 

Very curious.

 

Lets say the Creep meets player A, and they find him uttelry hideous. By your description, Player A will ALWYAS see the Creep as having a -20 COM. On a seperate occasion, the Creep meets Player B and Player B thinks he is a "Brad Pitt". Player B will alawys think the Creep is +20 Com.

 

Now what happens when Player A AND Player B both meet the Creep on an adventure? Does the Creep have different stats to these two seperate characters at the same time? Or do they cancel each other out?

 

And what's the SFX exactly anyhow? Is he actually shapeshifting to be alternatly ugly as sin or pleasing to the eye? Or is it a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type mental illusion?

[TheEmerged]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

Very curious.

 

Lets say the Creep meets player A, and they find him uttelry hideous. By your description, Player A will ALWYAS see the Creep as having a -20 COM. On a seperate occasion, the Creep meets Player B and Player B thinks he is a "Brad Pitt". Player B will alawys think the Creep is +20 Com.

 

Now what happens when Player A AND Player B both meet the Creep on an adventure? Does the Creep have different stats to these two seperate characters at the same time? Or do they cancel each other out?

 

And what's the SFX exactly anyhow? Is he actually shapeshifting to be alternatly ugly as sin or pleasing to the eye? Or is it a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type mental illusion?

 

Player A will see him as -20 COM while Player B sees him at +20 COM. Note however that in terms of *degree* of effect it's the same (10 pts of COM), which is what suggested the Variable Special Effect mechanic.

 

The SFX is actually biokinetic. Carl's actual 0 (zero) COM appearance isn't changing, the way people *react* to his appearance differs wildly from person to person. Since it's their reaction he has no control over it. But it isn't exactly proper to say it's a mental illusion either; the reactions to it aren't really potent enough to warrant that mechanic.

[Blue Jogger]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

{deleted, how I would rewrite Comeliness if I ruled Hero}

 

In the case of +20 COM (negative or positive)...

 

I would do it this way:

5 Multipower (10 points, -1 NCC on which slot is used)

1u +20 COM (positive)

1u +20 COM (negative)

 

and hand wave the fact that two people see him in two different ways at the same time.

[DrFurious]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

how I would do it:

 

+20 COM (positive), only affects half the people in the world (-1, loses half effectiveness)

+20 COM (negative), only affects the other half of the people in the world (-1, loses half effectiveness)

 

This winds up costing the same if you buy the +20 COM outright and handwave the effect (or just use a -0 limitation/advantage, unpredictable positive or negative effect on targets).

[Dust Raven]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

how I would do it:

 

+20 COM (positive), only affects half the people in the world (-1, loses half effectiveness)

+20 COM (negative), only affects the other half of the people in the world (-1, loses half effectiveness)

 

This winds up costing the same if you buy the +20 COM outright and handwave the effect (or just use a -0 limitation/advantage, unpredictable positive or negative effect on targets).

I think this is the best way, but I think it should cost a bit more than what just buying it all one way would cost. If you change those modifiers to -3/4, this cost of + or - 20 COM would be 12 points, which sound like a fair cost for this unique of an effect.

[zornwil]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

Just to throw the idea in for fun - if the person's perceptions "never change" after seeing him the first time, that implies even his changes in COM remain unaffecting to the other person. So perhaps a Transform. Cosmetic, "Your perception of me".

 

There's your "everything can be done with Transform" camp toss-out.

[caris]

Re: Theory: Odd COM Mechanic

 

Personally, I'd go with just putting variable SFX on the COM, and than hit that with the version of No Conscious Control where you can't control the results.