How to: Ego Roll Wall

[Sociotard]

Okay, I'm trying to make a spell to block doorways, sections of hall, and so on. The special effect is that a person who wants to walk accross the barrier has to apply a great deal of willpower, since the wall robs you of your desire to cross. I was hoping to represent that with an EGO roll, possibly with modifiers. Crossing the wall does not dissipate the wall, so everyone who crosses has to make their own roll. Each time you cross the wall, you get a positive modifier next time.

 

Mundane Physical and Energy attacks are not affected by the wall, just sentient beings walking through, so you can shoot at things on the other side if you want. As such, you can only attack the wall with magic or mental attacks.

 

Oh, one more thing. The wall is maintained by a spell written on a notecard pinned to something inside the wall (the wall is 4-6 inches thick). If characters figure out that the card is responsible for the effect, they can dispel the wall by either making one EGO roll to reach in and pick up the card, or using regular attacks to destroy it.

 

I'm guessing I use Force Wall to do this, but I'm not sure how. Suggestions?

[ghost-angel]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

BOECV Force Wall should do the trick.

 

So would a Mind Control: Do Not Cross This Area.

[keithcurtis]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

I would make it a Persistant, Area Effect Presence Attack and call it good.

 

Keith "Simple solutions" Curtis

[mattingly]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

Mental paralysis is generally bought as an advantaged Entangle with the Cannot Form Barriers limitation. Why not make it an Only To Form Barriers limitation instead?

[Sociotard]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

The PRE attack idea has merit. Hero Designer hates it though, since it won't let me attach those modifiers to Pre, Only to attack. I don't even see an option to override the modifier constraints. I'd have to do it all as custom modifiers.

[McCoy]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

Force Wall is Out, you want it to stay up after crossed. Entangle, transparent to attacks, does not affect those who make EGO roll, can only be used to form barriers, with either IAF or charges (or both) to represent the card with the glyph written on it.

[Zeropoint]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

What about Physical Manifestation?

 

Also, wouldn't an Entangle be broken by the first being to sucessfully pass through it?

[Utech]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

Could you work something with Change Environment?

 

I've often seen Change Environment used to indicate a place is slippery (DEX roll required) and that sort of thing. Couldn't you do the same with a required EGO roll?

[McCoy]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

What about Physical Manifestation?

 

Also, wouldn't an Entangle be broken by the first being to sucessfully pass through it?

I don't think so. I believe being transparent to attacks the entangle has to be specifically attacked. Since it does not affect those who make their EGO roll, they should not disrupt it any more than a desolid character walking through a nromal entangle barrier,

 

Now that I think of it, probably same arguement could be made about the Force Wall.

[Lucius]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

The PRE attack idea has merit. Hero Designer hates it though' date=' since it won't let me attach those modifiers to Pre, Only to attack. I don't even see an option to override the modifier constraints. I'd have to do it all as custom modifiers.[/quote']

 

Remind me never to get Hero Designer. I don't need a piece of software telling me what I can and can't do.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary is bad enough.

[Vanguard00]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

First of all, I think y'all are trying to come up with a mental-based physical wall, which isn't what Sociotard described.

 

Give the wall an Ego score, make it an EGO-vs-EGO contest.

[rjcurrie]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

The PRE attack idea has merit. Hero Designer hates it though' date=' since it won't let me attach those modifiers to Pre, Only to attack. I don't even see an option to override the modifier constraints. I'd have to do it all as custom modifiers.[/quote']

 

If you're using Hero Designer v1, you're right. There is no override.

 

If you're using Hero Designer v2:

1. Select Preferences from the File menu. The Preference dialog appears.
   
2. Select the Modifier Intelligence tab.
   
3. Remove the check from the "Use Modifier Intelligencce" checkbox.

And voila, Modifier Intelligence is turned off.

 

Of course, you'd already know how to do this if you read the Hero Designer documentation.

[rjcurrie]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

Remind me never to get Hero Designer. I don't need a piece of software telling me what I can and can't do.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary is bad enough.

 

One would hope that before you made a decision on not purchasing a piece of software based on a random poster's comment about its functionality, you would check to see if what the poster stated was correct.

[Utech]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

Try this:

20 Points: Change Environment 1" radius, -1 to EGO Roll (failure indicates lack of will to cross through environment -- target retreats and looks for another way to cross), Long Lasting (Permanent), Physical Manifestation (-1/4) 25 Active Points. 2 END.

Your requirements:

• block doorways, sections of hall, and so on

Done

• The special effect is that a person who wants to walk accross the barrier has to apply a great deal of willpower, since the wall robs you of your desire to cross

Done

• I was hoping to represent that with an EGO roll

Done

• possibly with modifiers

Season to taste with 3 points per -1 to EGO Roll

• Crossing the wall does not dissipate the wall, so everyone who crosses has to make their own roll

Done

• Each time you cross the wall, you get a positive modifier next time

Not done.

This would, however, be a perfectly reasonable thing for the GM to rule. Given the nature of EGO and EGO Rolls it makes sense for success to raise confidence and improve successive EGO Rolls

• Mundane Physical and Energy attacks are not affected by the wall, just sentient beings walking through, so you can shoot at things on the other side if you want.

Done

• As such, you can only attack the wall with magic or mental attacks.

Simulated with the Physical Manifestation Limitation.

Some GMs might rule that the Physical Manifestation in this case (the note card) is so difficult to notice and attack that the Limitation drops to -0

• The wall is maintained by a spell written on a notecard pinned to something inside the wall (the wall is 4-6 inches thick). If characters figure out that the card is responsible for the effect, they can dispel the wall by either making one EGO roll to reach in and pick up the card, or using regular attacks to destroy it.

Again, simulated with the Physical Manifestation Limitation.

[Dust Raven]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

Remind me never to get Hero Designer. I don't need a piece of software telling me what I can and can't do.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary is bad enough.

 

Lucius, never get Hero Designer v2.

 

Get Hero Designer v3... when it's done that is.

[Dust Raven]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

For the Ego Wall, I was thinking an AoE Continuous (not Cumulative) Mind Control with the single command: Do Not Cross This Area. Everything else is just SFX and situational modifiers.

 

The moment a character attempts to cross, he is affected by the "wall" and the Mind Control effect roll is made. This is compared to the character's EGO+Mental Defense and the level needed would depend entirely on the reason the character is crossing the area (A hero with a Total "Protective of Innocents" rushing to save someone would find it easier to cross than some guy just taking a stroll). After that, and assuming the Mind Control reached the necessary level of effect, the target immediately makes his Breakout Roll (it's that character's Phase after all). If the Breakout Roll (the EGO Roll you wanted) is made (including penalties from going over the level of effect needed on the Mind Control effect roll), the character may cross freely at this time. If the roll if failed, the character cannot cross the area and may not attempt to do so again until his Breakout Roll succeeds (as normal), but is then affected by the Ego Wall again when he attempts to cross. The bonus from making a successful crossing is just flavor the GM can sprinkle on the characters.

[Lucius]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

One would hope that before you made a decision on not purchasing a piece of software based on a random poster's comment about its functionality' date=' you would check to see if what the poster stated was correct.[/quote']

 

My decision was based on a lot more than that.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Taking advice from a palindromedary

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

I am not clear whether this barrier is only to keep people from coming through or if it could block a chair someone threw at it (chairs being unlikely to make an EGO roll). Let me reread the thread when I have had another cup of coffee.

 

If it is a physical wall, just buy as Force Wall, Transparent (+½) to anyone making an EGO roll (per normal transparency rules). You could probably also say transparent to everything except people who fail an EGO roll if it isn't a physical wall.

 

Here is another way to do it (a bit munchkiny, but I have used a similar construct for a trap in the villain's lair)

 

1" Teleport, AoE Hex(+½), 0 END (+½), Useable as Attack (+1), Continuous (+1), Persistent(+½), Trigger (+¼; when person tries to go through), fixed location (to the spot the person started), Only vs. sentient (-½), Requires EGO vs EGO roll (-½; trespasser vs. the caster). Active Cost: 14, Real Cost: 7. The shut off for the Continuous would be removing the card.

 

____________________________________________________

More impenatrable than a calcified bureaucracy...

[Dust Raven]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

1" Teleport, AoE Hex(+½), 0 END (+½), Useable as Attack (+1), Continuous (+1), Persistent(+½), Trigger (+¼; when person tries to go through), fixed location (to the spot the person started), Only vs. sentient (-½), Requires EGO vs EGO roll (-½; trespasser vs. the caster). Active Cost: 14, Real Cost: 7. The shut off for the Continuous would be removing the card.

 

I've made tesseract traps that work like that. Very cool. It wouldn't have Trigger though. As a Continuous attack, it simply happens when a target enters the area.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

It's very similar to one of Dr. Anomaly's most favorite and often-used gadgets, the Klein-Minkowski Field Effect Generator. The main differences are the gadget has Ranged added, and the field teleports the subject one hex up...where they promptly fall into the field again, to be teleported 1 hex up...

[Dust Raven]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

It's very similar to one of Dr. Anomaly's most favorite and often-used gadgets' date=' the Klein-Minkowski Field Effect Generator. The main differences are the gadget has Ranged added, and the field teleports the subject one hex up...where they promptly fall into the field again, to be teleported 1 hex up...[/quote']

 

I love that effect, but it's very hard to do with a simple Teleport. You can't be affected more often than once per Phase (the attacker's phases). So if teleported up 1", you fall in the next Segment and hit the ground. If still in the area on the attacker's next Phase, you'd teleport 1" up and repeat the process. But at any time you have a Phase, you can simply walk out after landing and surviving your 1d6 damage from the fall.

[gojira]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

I was going to suggest a Persistent, AOE Mind Control also, much like Dust Raven's idea.

 

 

Just for interesting conversation, consider what a Force Wall based on EGO might be: just as Force Wall can stop PD and ED attacks, a Force Wall based on EGO might stop... Ego Attacks! And be transparent to everything else.

 

To take down an EGO based Force Wall, you'd use Ego Blast just like using Energy Blast vs. a normal Force Wall. I'd also allow an EGO based Force Wall to stop other mental powers, based on SFX. Mind Control, Mental Illusions, etc. could be stopped by an EGO based FW.

 

I might also allow other mental powers besides Ego Blast to also damage or take down an EGO based Force Wall, maybe giving the FW some damage reduction against those powers. For example, maybe Mind Scan only works at half power vs. trying to damage an EGO based FW (the FW gets 50% damage reduction vs. Mind Scan).

 

This idea allows a mentalist to set up a defensive barrier to protect his teammates from mental attacks (Ego Blast, Mind Control, etc.), while they are still allowed to fire their regular attacks throught the barrier.

 

It's just an idea to allow mentalists one more trick in their repertoire.

[Karmakaze]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

I've played in a game where our resident mentalist/mage used EDO force wall, about that way.

[Dino]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

I'm with Utech, Change Enviroment is the simple, safe, and sane answer.

[transmetahuman]

Re: How to: Ego Roll Wall

 

Be warned if you use this idea... It's shown up in enough stories that a lot of players will know the trick to getting through it: Have your teammate pick you up and throw you through. It's a classic.