NND & defense

[Stone]

I have question about how to handle NND's and the appropiate defense(s). My question is how much of a defeense to require to nullify the NND attack. For example, if a character had a NND attack based on a light attack and the defense is flash defense (sight), how much defense should be required? I have played in campaigns were the required amount ranged from 5 points up to 20 points. I was hoping someone could help me out on this?

[DaBadGuy]

I believe that, by the book, just having the defense is enough. There is no "minimum requirement". If the NND is defended by Flash (Sight) Defense, than any amount will stop the attack. Note that several NND attacks will be stopped by "defenses" that have no number value, such as Life Support or Immunity.

[Guest Confusinator]

FRED 171 - "When a character purchases an NND attack, he must define a reasonbale common Power or Circumstand, or a set of uncommon Powers or circumstances, as the defense. If the target has this defense, he totally ignores the attack; it does no damage to him at all."

 

If you were looking for a set number of points, than AVLD might be closer.

[Fedifensor]

However, there is precedent for having a set amount of a power to be part of the NND defense. In "What Rough Beast" (Adventurer's Club #2), there's a monster with a radiation NND. The defense against the NND is Life Support (25 pts worth in old Champions, which would be LS: Radiation in 5th edition) or a Force Field with at least a 15 ED.

 

Considering that Force Field is a sufficiently common defense all by itself, I have no problem with having either a LS or a FF of sufficient strength. It certainly stops the munchkins that buy 5 points of every defense power in the game...

[Monolith]

If you want an attack that is stopped by someone who has any amount of Flash Defenses, to use your example, then you choose NND as the Advantage. If you want an attack which allows the person with Flash Defense to subtract their DEF value from the attack, then you choose AVLD as the Advantage for the powers. So with AVLD, someone who has 20 points of Flash DEF would be immune to a 3d6 AVLD attack (there is no way to roll more than 18 on 3d6), and would have a good chance of being immune to 4d6 AVLD attacks as well (it is hard to roll more than 20 on 4d6).

 

As Fedifensor say, there was a precedent for allowing a fixed number to the the Defense, but the example he gave was from 1st or 2nd edition and the game has changed quite a bit since then. I believe the AVLD Advantage better fits what you are trying to emute here.

[steriaca]

Another use for NND is to defind a defence which can not be bought with points. For example, a DEMON Morbain's Soul Blast can only harm thoes who have a mortal soul. That is a NND attack. It can harm about 75% of the player charaters, but will do nothing when used agenst Mechknon (a robot with no soul), Doctor Silverback (an animal, and in the biblical sence, animals have no soul), or Tombstone Kid (zombie gun-slinger, selled his soul to come back from the dead).

[Fedifensor]

Originally posted by Monolith

As Fedifensor say, there was a precedent for allowing a fixed number to the the Defense, but the example he gave was from 1st or 2nd edition and the game has changed quite a bit since then. I believe the AVLD Advantage better fits what you are trying to emute here.

When you're talking about a single defense, I would agree. The example I gave though had multiple defenses involved, and an all-or-nothing defense was a better solution in that case (since LS: Radiation is an absolute defense, but not common enough to justify an NND all by itself).

 

Now, it is possible to have multiple defenses to an AVLD or special attack, with an appropriate limitation. For example, Flashback agents in my world have a Mind Control based on a gun that emits sequenced pulses of light that cause the brain to temporarily shut down (one command: stand still and don't remember what happens). It has the -1/4 limitation "versus the greater of Mental Defense or Flash Defense (sight)"

 

Anyway, I think we've gone well beyond the scope of the original question. To answer it...NND's are all-or-nothing. If the target has even 1 point worth of the power that's designated as the defense, nothing happens.

[TheEmerged]

Speaking personally, my rule of thumb has always been 10.