Help build power?

[Bengal]

I'm looking to give a character immunity to natural or induced dizziness or nausea. I think it's probably a riff on Life Support, but there may be another, more elegant way to build it than to buy "LS: Immunity to dizziness and nausea" and put an arbitrary number on char points on it (4 I think).

 

1. If this is correct, how many points is it worth?

 

2. Can you build it better? More comprehensively?

 

 

ty in advance

[Sean Waters]

Re: Help build power?

 

Very difficult as there are so many ways to build a power that induced dizziness, for example, DEX drain or change environment or mental illusions (and htere are losts more), so there is no straightforward way of doing it. You'd need PSLs (to counter dizziness penalties) and limited power defence and mental defence (only to counter dizziness/nausea) as a minimum. Might as well chuck in your LS too to counter NND type attacks...

[zornwil]

Re: Help build power?

 

TRL has the fundamental issue down. This is where you'll want to break it down to what you really want in terms of mechanical effect. If you want to be defended against attacks which create STUN damage based on these attributes, I would say you buy Armor, FF, Damage Reduction, or just Defenses for PD, ED, and MD just against this. It's very unusual, so I'd say typically you'd easily get a -2 Limitation (maybe more, depending, but -2 is normally the limit). If you want to be defended against losing Characteristics (DEX, etc.), then buy Power Defense, again only usable against this SFX, though given the rarity already of Power Adjustments and the popularity in this area for nausea/vertigo, it MIGHT be -1, but then again might be as high as -2 (campaign- and GM-dependent) I disagree with TRL in needing to buy LS separately just for NNDs in this case, as you're already purchasing a very specific defense, that should count as NNDs are largely SFX-based. However, the LS is more useful for generally being able to ignore any environmental nausea or such, i.e., it staves off that which is neither directly STUN nor Char damage but might make you miss a skill roll or such.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Help build power?

 

Thinking about this again, I quite like your LS idea.

 

I wouldn't advocate this as a general rule change, but, with the agreement of the GM I can't see how it is likely to be unbalancing to spend points for immunity to dizziness and nausea using life support or at least the principles of life support.

 

To take an example, you can buy immunity to suffocation with LS, and assuming that someone has a suffocation power however the power is built (EB, drain, NND, change environment), if the target didn't need to breathe I'd rule it just didn't work. If the creator of the attack has not thought it through and claimed a limitation for 'doesn't work against targets that don't need to breathe', that is their look out, in my opinion, or just part of the sfx.

 

I can't see the real difference here UNLESS, for example, dizziness and nausea attacks are particularly common. If it is the main attack of the main villain organisation in your campaign and all of your hunteds, I'd be saying 'No'....

[zornwil]

Re: Help build power?

 

It's tricky in that LS: Heat doesn't provide protection against a Heat Attack, and so there's a preestablished rule about LSes not counting against attacks. Not really anything sage to add, but it's a bit of an issue where SFX runs up against rules and balance.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Help build power?

 

I would go with a modified version of Environmental Movement. While nausea isn't exactly an enviroment, but there are environments that can cause it, and you can use EM to simulate the ability to not because dizzy or nauseated.

 

Just start with defining what penalties those effects would give the character, and buy the PSLs verses those penalties. Technically, whatever would cause those penalties wouldn't matter.

 

If those effects are typically modled in your campaigns using Adjustment Powers (Drain DEX/CON, or whatever), you can just buy Power Defense with the Limitation Only Versus Dizzy/Nausea Effects.

 

Personally, I don't think an ability like this should cost a lot of points. No more than 5 really.

[Bengal]

Re: Help build power?

 

I would go with a modified version of Environmental Movement. While nausea isn't exactly an enviroment, but there are environments that can cause it, and you can use EM to simulate the ability to not because dizzy or nauseated.

 

Just start with defining what penalties those effects would give the character, and buy the PSLs verses those penalties. Technically, whatever would cause those penalties wouldn't matter.

 

If those effects are typically modled in your campaigns using Adjustment Powers (Drain DEX/CON, or whatever), you can just buy Power Defense with the Limitation Only Versus Dizzy/Nausea Effects.

 

Personally, I don't think an ability like this should cost a lot of points. No more than 5 really.

 

While everyone made a good effort to build this power, I think Dust Raven's idea is the one I'll go with. Thank you to all, very helpful.