A look at Damage Reduction

[TaxiMan]

The "6v1" thread talks about Damage Reduction for big baddies, and it got me thinking about a new way to view DR:

 

Just multiply the character's STUN, CON and REC upon giving them DR, and use those numbers for battle.

 

For example, character has 50% DR, STUN 35, CON 21, REC 10. On its sheet write "STUN 70, CON 42, REC 20 (DR)". When hit by a 48 STUN attack, subtract defenses like normal then subtract damage from the new STUN (i.e. 70). Compare the damage taken to the new CON (i.e. 42) to see if you stun it. On a recovery, give it back the new REC in STUN.

 

No math needed in battle, no giving away that the evil bad thingie has DR.

 

The multipliers are 1.333 for 25% DR, 2.0 for 50% DR, and 4.0 for 75% DR. If it gets hit with something the DR doesn't cover, multiply the post-defenses damage by the multiplier. That seems a lot easier to me.

 

And now we can REALLY compare the cost benefits of buying Characteristics to DR! What say you - is this an easier way to handle DR in-game?

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

I think what seems easier will vary by the person. To me, multiplying three stats, then again multiplying certain kinds of effects (but not all) before affecting those stats, does not seem easier than just using Damage Reduction normally.

 

If you really want to make things easier, don't buy Damage Reduction at all. Increase the STUN, REC, and CON instead, and just call the SFX "Damage Reduction".

[BNakagawa]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

That works fine unless you have damage reduction that doesn't work against all attacks.

 

Damage reduction works great as a mechanic for adding flavor like added defenses only versus martial arts or added defenses only vs fire or somesuch.

 

It's a little less good as a lazy way of making a person harder to KO.

 

The only good thing about it is that it makes it relatively easy to create a villain who is really tough, but just about anybody can affect, even if only a little bit. Then again, with the flexibility of the Hero System, a similar effect can be achieved without using damage reduction if you put your mind to it.

[Dust Raven]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

I tried this, and compared to a character that used DR.

 

What I have is DR Man with CON 20, BODY 15, REC 10 & STUN 40, that also had 50% Resistant Physical, Energy and Mental Damage Reduction.

 

And his counterpart, Characteristic Man, with CON 40, BODY 30, REC 20 & STUN 80, but no DR.

 

The Characteristic Man costs 7 points more than DR Man.

 

Compare:

 

Well, the Characteristic Man is vulnerable to most Mental Powers. Sure he has the STUN to withstand an Ego Attack (or a BOECV damage attack), but not the others. However, he does have twice as much starting ED and END.

 

Of course, I'm not sure how DR reacts to Adjustment Powers. I'm not aware that it does. In that case, Characteristic Man, though slightly more expensive, clearly has the advantage.

 

Naturally all this goes right out the window if you don't want a guy resistant to anything. Even dropping the Mental DR makes the DR Man better (you'd have to keep everyting on Characteristic Man the same, plus add Vulernable to Ego Attacks (and other damaging mental powers) x2 STUN & BODY).

[Grailknight]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

Damage Reduction under 5th covers Adjustment powers if it is bought as resistant.

[DrFurious]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

Just thinking off the wall here but...

 

is there any really compelling reason to have Damage Reduction as a power or game mechanic rather than a form of Armor with appropriate limitations?

[Old Man]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

Because Armor doesn't fit certain special effects.

[zebediah]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

Here's an odder question--Her generally follows the rule of One Attack, One Defense. Now, if you consider Damage Reduction to be a special kind of armor, it sticks to that...but it is a different way of doing armor.

 

What would happen if you could buy EB and KAs this way? "This attack does enough damage to take away half your current stun and body, unless reduced by DR"

 

In Diablo II, the Sorceress has a skill called Static Field, which is Area Effect, Doesn't Effect Heroes, does a % of the enemy's current life in damage for each enemy, reduced only by Lightning Resistance, which is effectively DR: lightning attacks (though it comes at many more levels of gradation). Now, they don't have PD or ED like Hero does, so how this would interact with armor is anyone's guess...

 

Yes, I realize it's a crazy idea. But it does point out part of the reason that Damage Reduction is wierd. It almost looks like it should have a cost somehow based on the active point cap in your campaign....

[megaplayboy]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

well, an alternative might be buying a defense with the limitation "permeable", which means that the defense treats all attacks as though they were penetrating. You could take this on only part of the character's defenses, so that attacks below a certain threshold would still not do damage, but those above it would do just a few points of stun, until they were big enough.

 

So you could have a bad guy with 15-20 DEF, then an extra 20-40 def with the permeable limitation(-1/2?).

[Old Man]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

So how would Permeable interact with Penetrating? Sounds neat btw.

[DrFurious]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

Because Armor doesn't fit certain special effects.

Care to provide an example?

[BNakagawa]

Re: A look at Damage Reduction

 

Armor, force field or PD/ED with resistant defenses on it with the appropriate limitations can copy most of the large scale effects of damage reduction.

 

All you need to do is buy additional defense, resistant or not, and apply a limitation that says that you only get to apply the first 5 points if the attack exceeds N points, the next 5 points if the attack exceeds N + M points and so on. N and M you pick based on what sort of defense you have outside of the 'damage reduction' and how much of it you are trying to emulate.

 

Damage reduction grows in effectiveness in direct proportion to the size of the incoming damage, so all you need to do to copy its effect is scale the additional defense the same way.