Affliction Power in HERO

[Legendsmiths]

GURPS 4e introduced an interesting power that I think would work very well in HERO. While many of the enhancements for this power, and the core power itself, can be built flat out as powers I think there is value in distilling it and creating a base power for these types of effects. So, here it is.

 

 

AFFLICTION

Range: Standard

Standard Power (Attack Power)

Costs END

 

Base Cost: 20 pts/level.

Base Effect: Target must make a CON roll at +1, -1 per level of Affliction, +1 per 2 rPD or rED (defined at power creation). Failure results in the target being Stunned until he can succeed at a CON roll (unmodified) to recover.

 

Advantages:

NND +1: rDEF does not modify the CON roll.

Heart Attack +3: heart stops and target begins to suffocate, requiring a Paramedics roll to restart it. If saved, the target suffers 1d6K damage NND to represent the damage suffered in the process.

Sleep +2: target falls into a natural sleep.

Retching +1/2: target is retching for 1 minute. Target may roll CON each phase, on a success he may perform a half-phases, non-attack action. On a failure he is stunned.

 

There are many others (I don't have my books with me). This was pulled out of GURPS 4e and converting the enhancements is pretty easy (+100% = +1 advantage). I think I got the base power cost about right, using a 4d6 EB, NND resisted by CON +1, rDEF improves chance of success -1/2, Only to determine if target is Stunned -1/2. There is some hand waving here, but I think as a basic power it works pretty well.

 

Heart Attack may seem extreme, but that is 80 active points per -1 to the CONr and armor does help. Combining the powers necessary to simulate the physical damage (1d6K NND Does Body, END Drain (gradual effect)) and so on, I think this is a very close approximation to the effect.

 

Does this work?

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

Not necessary.

 

Most "afflictions" are handled via Transform (causing someone to sleep would be a Minor transform, or Major if it could be performed during combat/stress)

 

Others that violate the Transform guidelines can be handled other ways (a Heart attack is a killing attack with an all-or-nothing limitation)

[Legendsmiths]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

The problem with using transform is that there is no specific game effect and fundamentally you can transform someone into anything. It is entirely subjective. Is retching a minor or major transform.

 

Additionally, transform is too expensive to be practical. Stunning someone, or putting them in agony is not practical for transform's cost.

[zornwil]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

I've seen many people clamor for a more elegant or simply a short-hand way of resolving poisons and such. I think this discussion has merit.

 

Mudpyr8, have you considered developing the costs in HERO in the more orthodox ways of doing this and then working towards a "summarized" version that can be expressed as a single power but is points-consistent with the orthodox build methods?

 

And is the approach given above really so much more well-defined than using Transform? My concern is the multiplicities/complexities of "Afflictions" leads to just the same trap as with Transforms, and for much the same reason...it's not a simple thing to do.

[Legendsmiths]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

I don't think it leads to the same trap as with transforms. GURPS 4e does an excellent job of defining the game effects of each affliction. I think stating out the effect and then summarizing it is the way to go, and I think having a base power like this could be very useful for simulating a lot of effects.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

I agree with Zornwil that an attack which just Stuns the target would be a nice addition to attack powers. I'd call it "stunning balast" or some such. I like the idea of statting this out. I see two approaches. The first is a Transform which reverses with a CON roll at some penalty. The second is an NND that only STUNs the target, defense being a CON roll at some penalty.

 

Neither is perfect. The first approach (leaving aside power defense) results in a power easier resisted by high BOD individuals. The second means a CON roll to avoid, or rolling less STUN than the victim's CON, makes him immune, so high CON is the ultimate defense against this power. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

 

GURPS 4e introduced an interesting power that I think would work very well in HERO. While many of the enhancements for this power, and the core power itself, can be built flat out as powers I think there is value in distilling it and creating a base power for these types of effects. So, here it is.

 

AFFLICTION

Range: Standard

Standard Power (Attack Power)

Costs END

 

Base Cost: 20 pts/level.

Base Effect: Target must make a CON roll at +1, -1 per level of Affliction, +1 per 2 rPD or rED (defined at power creation). Failure results in the target being Stunned until he can succeed at a CON roll (unmodified) to recover.

 

I find this overpriced and underpowered. A typical Super has a 14- CON roll (23 CON), and at least some resistant defenses. 60 AP in this power won't even impact a VIPER agent more than half the time. A Super with a 23 CON and 10 rDEF needs to roll an 18 to be Stunned. I agree with Zornwil that statting out a conventional mechanic would be a good way of assessing an appropriate price.

 

I'd remove the rPD/rED and consider this, at its base, to be either an uncontroilled continuous NND that can only STUN the target and ends when the target makes a CON roll at some predefined penalty, or a Transform that reverses instantly when the target makes a CON roll, again at some predefined penalty.

 

Advantages:

NND +1: rDEF does not modify the CON roll.

 

As noted above, I'd build this into the base power.

 

Heart Attack +3: heart stops and target begins to suffocate' date=' requiring a Paramedics roll to restart it. If saved, the target suffers 1d6K damage NND to represent the damage suffered in the process.[/quote']

 

Link an NND does BOD to the power to create a heart attack rather than make it an advantage. Gradual Effect could be applied, or a 1/2d6 NND with Uncontrolled Continuous that ends under the same conditions as the base attack could be used. As a Transform, the target could take some amount of BOD at a time increment as part of the transform. I doubt I'd allow this power in most cases, as it's basically a "save or die" power, but I don't see why the mechanic can't be statted out.

 

Sleep +2: target falls into a natural sleep.

 

Let the NND do STUN, with the SFX that the target fals asleep. We could eliminate the "only to STUN" limitation, or reduce it to "target takes no STUN unless reduced to 0 STUN or less", whether in one shot or cumulatively. There's no requirement that infliction of STUN has to hurt - "go to sleep" seems a perfectly acceptable SFX for an NND or Ego Attack, for example.

 

Retching +1/2: target is retching for 1 minute. Target may roll CON each phase' date=' on a success he may perform a half-phases, non-attack action. On a failure he is stunned.[/quote']

 

1 minute = "out of the battle". I'd keep this to the same efect as being Stunned, and forego the half phase non-attack action. This effect may be best suited to a Transform rather than an NND.

[Talon]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

The power shouldn't require a CON roll, or be reduced by rPD: both of those things are easily simulated with Limitations, but hard to remove without custom Advantages. A power that Stunned or otherwise incapacitated the target is not a terrible idea -- you can do it now, but it's not simple.

[Zanthis]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

Wouldn't a Stun Blast just be a limitation on an EB: "Only to Stun target, does no Body or STUN damage (-2)". That means in a 60 AP game I can roll 12d6 against my target, subtract his PD/ED and if I total greater than his CON he's Stunned. Either way, I do zero damage. It would only cost 20 points.

 

I guess the main problem with this is active point caps. Since it is handled via a Limitation the Active Points/die are high. Where as, a power at 3 points per d6 (roll just like the above limited EB) would allow a 60 AP game to have a 20d6 Stun Blast for 60 Active/Real Points. Average of 70 STUN is likely going to Stun in such a campaign. Of course you did just spend 60 points.

 

3 points/die isn't the same as the -2 limitation (3 points/2 dice would be more accurate) but I can't see someone tossing a 40d6 Stun Blast in a 60 AP cap game.

 

Hmm, a Stun Blast also kinda makes me think of Flash.

[Talon]

Re: Affliction Power in HERO

 

Wouldn't a Stun Blast just be a limitation on an EB: "Only to Stun target' date=' does no Body or STUN damage (-2)". That means in a 60 AP game I can roll 12d6 against my target, subtract his PD/ED and if I total greater than his CON he's Stunned. Either way, I do zero damage. It would only cost 20 points.[/quote']

 

Exactly -- but as you point out, it's complex and has Active Point issues. It's a tricky power to cost out -- too cheap and you can easily remove someone from combat (just keep Stunning him while your buddies take him down), too expensive and you might as well just use an EB.