Hsrd to Deflect

[Michael Hopcroft]

What is the best mechanic to both price a ranged attack that is harder to use Missle Deflection?Reflection against than a normal attack and to use that attack in play?

 

I was thinking of something along the lines of grenades that fly in unpredictable ways, missiles that fly evansively towards their target, etc.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

As for SFX, you're on your own. I might think of some sometime if it fits a character, but probably no good ones off the top of my head.

 

Mechanically, I'd say that since bonuses to Missile Deflection are 2pt CSLs, that penalties to deflecting a given attack should also be 2pt CSLs.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

You might also look at Indirect.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Hard to Deflect

 

You could buy +OCV levels only for opposed OCV rolls. However, due to the inability to limit CSL's that cost less than 5pts it's more cost effective to just buy extra OCV levels outright.

 

If you are the GM consider allowing a +1/4 Advantage "Difficult to Deflect" that limits a Deflector to 1/2 OCV when Deflecting it.

 

Its between +1/2 for a 1 hex AoE attack and 0 for a standard deflectable attack, and is roughly analogous to a minor form of Indirect.

[TheEmerged]

Re: Hard to Deflect

 

Generally I use one of three mechanics.

 

• "Difficult to Deflect" and +1/4, as mentioned above. As GM I require the "Darn Good Reason" degree of rationale for this
  
• 5-pt CSL's for range, limited "Only to increase OCV against certain actions". For Block or Deflect alone I price it at -2; for Block & Deflect I price it at -1.
  
• Lately I've been experimenting with "reverse PSL's" -- priced per the PSL mechanics but operating in the reverse (adding a bonus only under certain circumstances). The cost is closer to appropriate than limited 5-pt CSLs, but this is still in the experiment stage, though...
  

 

My rewrite of Ironclad for example has 4 of these vs Block, for example.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

Yep. 5pt CSL's with the limitation Only to increase OCV vs Missile Deflection (-1) is what I would use. At 5pts per +2OCV, a measly 15pts makes it very difficult for others to deflect your attacks...

[Frenchman]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

Yep. 5pt CSL's with the limitation Only to increase OCV vs Missile Deflection (-1) is what I would use. At 5pts per +2OCV' date=' a measly 15pts makes it [i']very[/i] difficult for others to deflect your attacks...

Yeah, but then why not just buy 5 3-point CSLs, +5 OCV with Deflectable Attacks? Same cost, much higher benefit. Not only are they harder to deflect IF someone chooses to use missile deflection, they are harder to avoid in any situation.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

Yeah' date=' but then why not just buy 5 3-point CSLs, +5 OCV with Deflectable Attacks? Same cost, much higher benefit. Not only are they harder to deflect IF someone chooses to use missile deflection, they are harder to avoid in any situation.[/quote']

 

Well, of course you can do that. However, thats not part of the concept. The concept here is to make your attack more difficult to deflect, not more accurate.

[caris]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

Yep. 5pt CSL's with the limitation Only to increase OCV vs Missile Deflection (-1) is what I would use. At 5pts per +2OCV' date=' a measly 15pts makes it [i']very[/i] difficult for others to deflect your attacks...

 

While the commonality of Missile Deflection/Reflection would be a factor, as the number of attacks that the character could apply it to, but I would probably raise the amount of the limitation. This really does feel like a 5 point CSL would loose more than half its effectiveness if all it could be used for is to make a single attack more difficult to MD/R.

[caris]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

Yeah' date=' but then why not just buy 5 3-point CSLs, +5 OCV with Deflectable Attacks? Same cost, much higher benefit. Not only are they harder to deflect IF someone chooses to use missile deflection, they are harder to avoid in any situation.[/quote']

There is also a situation where the campaign has OCV caps, and the GM might allow this kind of increase, but not a general increase in OCV.

[proditor]

Re: Hsrd to Deflect

 

While I like the idea of indirect as mentioned by Derek, I've used the CSLs to up OCV only vs Missile Deflect/Reflect to simulate things that are difficult but not impossible to deflect. The main example is from a much older game where one of the players was the new Thunder God and was lobbing around Mjolnir. Since in the sagas it blasts mountains to pieces, I figured that even "It's all in the reflexes" Jack Burton should have trouble just snagging it out of the air.