Mystic Defenses

[Kal'daka]

I run a Galactic Champions style game but I have run normal champions games in the past.... but in my adventures magic and mysticism play a large roll in the world. I always was in the mindset that mystical and magical energies were differnt than other attacks or energies.. so in my games i have created two unique powers to show this.

The first is just Damage Reduction vs magic... uses standars pts for Damage Reduction and protects against spells, spell like abilities wands scrolls and inate spell abilities.

The other is Mystic Defense it is bought just like Mental Defense 1pt/1 and ego/5 ... it protects you against all things mystical and magical , dimensional, enchanted wpns, artifacts, drains, transfers, etc.

I think it adds a bit more flair to the game I mean I looked at some old Superman comics and we all know how powerful he is and he was affected by magic fully... his normal energy defenses did not apply....

Ramblings and comments ?

[JmOz]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

I did the same awhile ago but I did not give it the Ego/s and I priced it the same as armor (3 active points per 2 points of defence)

[OddHat]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

Mystic Damage Reduction is already semi-official in Hero, as is the Mystic Sense Group. Both are cool and make sense from a mechanical POV. I'd like to see Power Defense just redefined as Mystic Defense, with non-magic/psionic Alteration Powers appled against the appropriate defenses (usually rPD or rED) or purchased as NNDs.

[Rapier]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

I would also have to rule, in this case, that all spells must also take a limitation -1/2 Magical Effect. This would balance the fact that there is now an additional defense for the power.

 

How would you handle damage from a magical fire blast (fire EB)? Is it vs ED or MyD? Both? In what order? Since MyD is such a sweeping defence, is it resistant?

[Kal'daka]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

Mystic Defense is not resistant that has to be bought just like regular damage resistance. If the fire attack is mystical or magical only mystic def applies.....

[zornwil]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

Not suggesting others should adopt it, but I split out Supernatural Defense and it's INT/5 as the base. Introduced Supernatural Attack at 10/1d6 with an advantage for other powers, Supernaturally Based.

 

Supernatural powers can be CV or ECV based, or range or line of sight, must be declared at purchase time, cannot be changed. They ignore intervening barriers unless those barriers have SD, but Supernatural damage is by default STUN only and has no material affect on the person, just STUn.

 

See http://realschluss.org/x-champions/house_rules/index.html, the "Characteristics" section, http://realschluss.org/x-champions/house_rules/ch_powers_supernatural_attack.htm, and http://realschluss.org/x-champions/house_rules/ch_powermods_advs_supernatural_based.htm. The last page is a bit screwed up, the reference to 'additional +1/2 for no range modifier..." I need to revisit, it doesn't quite mean that (the +1 should allow the flexibility), but I can't recall what loophole it closed!

[RDU Neil]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

I'm glad to see others doing what I've been thinking about doing. I don't have that many "magical" characters in my campaigns at the moment, but I was always "eh" on the idea of magic just being another SFX like fire or electricity. That mode made magic "just another super power" and really drained it of flavor and impact... IMO.

 

I based my concepts on Mental Powers. Now, Mind Control, Mental Illusions, Ego Blast etc., those are all very unique powers in the "feel" they bring to the game. Folks are concerned about mental powers, because you have to have certain defenses and stats OTHER THAN normal PD, ED, etc. to resist them.

 

I wanted that same feel for magic. When all it is turns out to be an SFX, magic is just "yeah, whatever." Unlike mental powers, where you need a mental specialist to really fight another mentalist, you don't need Master Mystic Man for any reason, 'cause Super Tights Guy is just as good at fighting the strange threat as they are any other supercriminal.

 

I'd like to see a set of powers (like the set of Mental/Ego powers) based around mysticism or whatever (supernatural is a good work as Zornwil indicated.) To resist such powers, you'd need a specific defense like Magic Reisistance or whatever. Similar to Power Defense, but more specific. This set of powers would have "normal" and "killing" style damage/effect... so you could have Magic Defense and Resistant Magic Defense. I figure the powers would cost around 15 pts. per die, or 25 pts. per KA die.

 

This would make magic powers extermely scary... no defense, you are likely dead in a couple shots, no matter how super you are... and really give magical characters a different "feel" than other characters.

 

Also, none of this would preclude a mystic from also having a regular old attack, with the SFX magic as well. Example. Lord of Flames could have a "Soul Fire of Aruna" attack that is 3d6 Mystic Normal for 45 points... and also a "Fire Blast" that is 9d6 Normal EB. The first is direct energy from the weird cosmic fire of Aruna... the second is just heated molecules as normal... the energy creating the heat being mystic... but the attack itself is normal.

 

(This could also be done with a "Mystic Attack" advantage... I figure around +1 1/2 or +2... but I don't know for sure.

 

Mystic defense would be 1 for 1, with the possibility of buying resistant for it, as normal.

 

(Oh, and Damage Reduction would have to be it's own category of Physical, Energy, Mental (I don't allow this as it totally screws mental powers) and Mystic.)

[zornwil]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

Thx for the good word, RDU Neil.

 

I felt much as you, hence ending up where I did.

 

Did you read Fantasy HERO? There's some good magical stuff in there, some of it adaptable to supers.

 

FYI, btw, I selected INT as the basis as I felt that many of the iconic brainy guys were the ones who could get by supernatural attacks - Batman and Reed Richards come to mind, at least their older incarnations (I haven't read comics in a while). And Dr. Occult (or was that Dr. 13? thinking of the early 70s guy who investigated paranormal phenomena and always found nothing there, while the comic showed us there was more going on) used to not be affected by supernatural stuff simply because he refused to believe and seemed pretty brainy.

[OddHat]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

Thx for the good word, RDU Neil.

 

I felt much as you, hence ending up where I did.

 

Did you read Fantasy HERO? There's some good magical stuff in there, some of it adaptable to supers.

 

FYI, btw, I selected INT as the basis as I felt that many of the iconic brainy guys were the ones who could get by supernatural attacks - Batman and Reed Richards come to mind, at least their older incarnations (I haven't read comics in a while). And Dr. Occult (or was that Dr. 13? thinking of the early 70s guy who investigated paranormal phenomena and always found nothing there, while the comic showed us there was more going on) used to not be affected by supernatural stuff simply because he refused to believe and seemed pretty brainy.

 

It wasn't DC's Doctor Occult . He/She was a magic using combination of a man and woman sharing the same body; the body (and clothing) would change between male and female depending on which personality was in control. Holdover from the 1930s, an older character than Superman.

[RDU Neil]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

Dr. Occult was always fully aware of magic, as s/he was, to some extent, a magical creature.

 

It was Dr. 13, who was the "debunker" of mystical dealings. Last appearance by him was, I believe, the original Books of Magic mini-series by Gaiman, back in the early '90s. Tim Hunter catches a ride from him briefly, on a page or two.

[zornwil]

Re: Mystic Defenses

 

Thanks, guys!