More Power "How Tos"

[Yamo]

Need some more tricky Power-building help.

 

1. Voodoo doll. Classic sympathetic magic where damaging or destroying some of the target's personal effects automatically deals damage to the target in turn.

 

2. A neat little spell from the Unknown Armies RPG. Caster specifies a target known to him that he wishes to communicate a short message to. The next time the target looks at a television screen, he (and only he) sees and hears the caster reciting the message.

 

3. Melee deflection/reflection. Knocking aside HTH attacks so that they affect other targets in range, or even the attackers themselves.

 

As usual, Active and Real Point costs not wildly in excess of the Power's general usefulness and non-clumsy (or "kludgy") solutions are best. I like my Power constructs fairly-costed and elegant. Thanks.

[Doug Limmer]

For the Voodoo Doll, the first thing that comes to mind is Mind Scan with an 'only to target specific person' limitation, and an Ego Attack. Add Does BODY, Invisible Power Effects, OAF Fragile, Must Have Something From Target and so on, as needed. Whether or not you can get away with a 'voodoo doll' Elemental Control, I'll leave up to your GM.

 

No numbers given, because the value of the limitation, and the number of dice needed, vary from campaign to campaign. It shouldn't be more expensive than is reasonable, considering that the victim has no idea who or where you are, or why or how he's being attacked.

[Tom McCarthy]

I would build the message sending as Mind Link (any willing target, no LOS needed), broadcast only, allows no mental attacks, blocked by sight and hearing sense group affecting powers, with the side effect that the contact is delayed until the target sees a television (sort of an OIF television of opportunity).

 

Barring GM approval for a whole new power, melee deflection would be bought using the Block maneuver.

 

Melee reflection to the attacker is probably built as a damage shield. Buy something like 12 DCs of damage shield with variable SFX and variable advantage. Discount the advantages by something like 1/4 because the character can't control the advantages available, and limit the whole power to only do DCs up to the level of the attack reflected. Make the whole thing depend on a skill roll (Power: Melee reflection or, with GM's approval, the typical block/reflect OCV vs. OCV roll).

 

Melee reflection to another target probably is a no range EB or RKA, or HKA/HtoH attack with similar advantages and limitations as above (variable SFX, variable advantage, RSR) or a way to force targets to interpose themselves (either Mind Control or Teleport targets so they dive for cover in front of you and take the hit).

[DrSavant]

My 2 cents

 

# 1= Voodoo Doll? I had an NPC named VOODOO MASTER . I did it as MENTAL ILLUSIONS, whatever you did to the doll happened to the victim.

# 2= Message on t.v.? How about a TRIGGER on a MIND LINK, or even TELEPATHY (send messages only) also TRIGGERED.

# 3= Knocking aside HTH attacks? From what you described it sounds like knocking a weapon out of an opponents hand and sending it flying towards someone else in range. Try; TELEKINESIS [hth weapons only] grab the item and toss it where you want.

[SaintHax]

I had an idea for #1, but I liked DrSavants better. It represents the fact that part of Vodoo's power (through most fantasy) is partly in the mind of the target. Good stuff.

 

My idea for #2 was stated by Tom, OIF and all. So, I'll just concur w/ those two.

 

#3? You could just apply a -0 limitation to Deflect/Reflect any range power and for "works on Melee instead". If it's a Heroic game where most of the attacks are Melee (e.g. Fantasy), it may be a +1/2 advantage or so. Otherwise, it seems to be balanced w/ the Deflect/Reflect any range power. NOTE: I use the "any" versin b/c SFX for melee don't vary as much; however, I guess a GM could make a similar version for unarmed, blunt/piercing weapons, and slashing. That get's trickier.

[Old Man]

For the melee reflection, I would go with an adjusted Missile Reflection also. The mechanics are already there and it's much more reasonable than Damage Shield.