Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

[MitchellS]

I was watching the JLU last night and they had a great scene where Red Tornado is using his wind blast to block the attacks of 3 Wind Dragon. It's the classic scene where the blasts meet in mid-air and the stronger blast eventually over-powers the weaker blast and hits the character for full-force. This comes up so often within the genre that I'm surprised it's not an optional combat maneuver.

 

I'm looking for suggestions as to how to simulate this in games. As I said above, this is a very common maneuver. Some thoughts I have are:

 

1- All blasters really just have missile deflection and when one misses the roll they finally get hit. [i don't care for this option because the two attacks seem to be mutually exclusive. The defender could just as easily over-power the attack as vice-versa].

 

2- They are really just shooting at each other, with one missing and one hitting. The special effect is one blast over-powers another. [This doesn't really fit the effect. I'm just throwing it out there as an idea].

 

3- This is a new optional maneuver called Power Block. A blaster shoots and a defender calls a Power Block. Basically he blocks the attack in mid-air. The "center" of the attack moves closer to one or the other foe at a rate of 2" per +1 body rolled. The block attempt is at -3 OCV. The two attacks must continue each phase until one or the other loses enough inches that it will hit a foe. If one target attempts to stop the block they are immediately hit. Example:

 

Radium and Thunderbolt get into a disagreement which finally comes to a head when Thunderbolt attacks Radium outside of their secret HQ. Thunderbolt is 10" away and on his second attack Radium calls a Power Block and shoots. He makes his -3 roll and both characters are not trapped in energy blast arm wrestle. The blasts meet 5" away and both Thunderbolt and Radium roll 12 body on their attacks that phase. They attacks keep going each phase until one combatant loses by a cumulative total of 3 body and gets hit. In this case Radium ran out of end before Thunderbolt and had to turn off his blast, and he got hit.

 

Anyone have any other ideas on how to represent this effect?

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

no idea, but the powerblock seems to be an interesting concept

[Kirby]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

How about just Missle Deflection with Reflection?

[transmetahuman]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

One of my pet peeves is when characters with really inappropriate EB sfx (like lasers or heat vision) do this with each other... but there should be some way of gaming it to simulate the genre, you're right. One problem is that usually the EBs are instant effects, and the "power block" really should play out over multiple phases or at least segments - plus, you're likely to have characters with different SPDs which complicates things more.

 

I like your idea of the center moving back and forth based on EB strength (and pushing). Off the top of my head, I'd make the defender make a power skill roll to block. If he does (and his block OCV roll, as a normal melee block, is also successful), the attacker makes a power skill roll to make his attack "continuous", if it's not already. If both are made, then go to a segment-by-segment run down without skill or attack rolls, just basing it on EB strength. Even segment-by-segment, though, it'd probably get interrupted by other characters' interference, which almost never happens in the source material.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

I'd swear I read about the Energy Blast Tug Of War thing once in an official HERO supplement, but I can't for the life of me find it.

 

I *think* it works like this:

1. One of the two characters has to be using a held action to start the Tug Of War. Draw a line between the two characters on the battlemat; the center of the line is where the two beams collide.

 

2. Each time either character's phase comes up, both characters roll their Blast's damage. For every 1 Body that someone wins by, the 'collision point' moves 1" away from him, towards his opponent. (There was some bonus for a Continuous attack, but I've forgotten it.) However, only the person whose phase it is spends the END.

 

3. If the collision point ever enters the hex of one of the two blasters, he takes the damage that was rolled in part 2. If something unrelated intercepts the beams (say, a random combatant knocked back into the line of fire), he suffers both attacks.

 

The thing I read mentioned 'appropriate SFX' for this sort of thing (ice vs fire, light vs dark), but what works in some GM's games won't work in others, of course.

[Ura-Maru]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

I _hate_ the 'shoot it out of the sky with my EB!' justification for Missle Deflection. Hate it.

 

Not exactly germane, but I wanted to get that out there to start.

 

I usually give energy projectors a Supess to do the "Fire My Pressure Cannon into the explosion to protect us!" bit.

 

Perhaps a house rule giving Supress or Dispel a 'first shot' if they can completly stop an attack in this fasion? The same way Block or Throw works.

Though Dispel would seem better to give the 'all or nothing' effect we're looking for here.

 

Alternitivly, you're 'Power Block' could work this way.

1) Convert the DC of the EB/RKA into 1 1/4 DC of Dispel. Maybe with a bonus for Continuous or Autofire.

2) Defender* tries to Dispel attacker's attack.

3) If defender wins, attacker has to wait until after the defender's action on the next phase, assuming they both act on the same phase.

 

-3 OCV is probably a bit too much, as the defender has to first hit, then overpower (which he's at a slight disadvantage at, anyway) At -3, he's never going to hit the attackers OCV anyway. -1 OCV, -2 DCV, maybe?

 

---

*Defender has a 12d6 EB, so that's a 15d6 Dispell for this purpose.

[Susano]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

NINJA HERO has this. Look up "Contest of Power."

[Enforcer84]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

NINJA HERO has this. Look up "Contest of Power."

The author beat me to it!!!

[Susano]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

The author beat me to it!!!

 

[Kyle A.]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

I've always just had the players write down how much extra END they pump into the power on a piece of paper. Then I see who added more END to their blast. they over power their opponet's blast and their attack gets through.

[MitchellS]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

NINJA HERO has this. Look up "Contest of Power."

Wow! I totally missed that. Thanks Mike. I like your version better than mine. Too bad that didn't make it into 5Er. It's perfect for superhero games. The only thing I will alter is the special effects requirement. I will settle for energy blocking energy or physical blocking physical, or opposing forces blocking each other.

[Susano]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

Wow! I totally missed that. Thanks Mike. I like your version better than mine. Too bad that didn't make it into 5Er. It's perfect for superhero games. The only thing I will alter is the special effects requirement. I will settle for energy blocking energy or physical blocking physical' date=' or opposing forces blocking each other.[/quote']

 

Glad you like it.

[zornwil]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

Me, too...by a month!

 

I just wanted to point out to Mike I also found this one of the most memorable bits of Ninja Hero.

[Susano]

Re: Energy Blaster Block/Over-power Blast

 

Me, too...by a month!

 

I just wanted to point out to Mike I also found this one of the most memorable bits of Ninja Hero.

 

Thanks!

 

I credit watching DRAGONBALL Z for the basic idea.

 

(see! it's good for somethings!)