Attacking Diviners

[JmOz]

I have a school of Diviniation in my magic system, the problem I am having is that I want a 15 Active point attack spell in each school, can't think of a way to do it for the diviners. A defence spell of about the same power.

 

It is kind of hard when they are about seeing, not attacking...

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Hmmmm ...

 

Destiny Dissonance: 1.5d6 Ego Attack, (whatever standard limitations are appropriate for your magic system). The diviner makes the target foresee, in full sensory input, several nasty and messy ways he may die in the near future, thusly rattling him.

 

Forewarning: +3 DCV, (standard limitations). A pretty basic 'saw that coming' kind of defense.

[Harakani]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Possibly go the true strike route? some otherwise pathetic attack hits home?

(+OCV or damage)

 

Could do something nice in a combat situation with "force to accident"; basically see what needs to be done to make their life miserable.

 

Find weakness?

 

Wow. Wierd idea;

Bill and ted.

Two part spell.

The character's divination goes off way before the battle, and they set up a trap.

bad guy hits the trap when spell is cast.

Diviner then "sends" warning back to earlier self.

 

If you want to go the "direct attack" route, going to have problems doing it as a diviner.

[Lucius]

Attacking Diviners

 

Basically, what everyone else said.

 

If you see it coming, you can avoid it.

 

If you can see exactly where to strike to do the most damage, you can do so.

 

"OOF!" *Staggers backward, and thinks*

- Now how did he know I was going to sidestep THAT way? That feint I use usually throws off trained warriors, but I just walked right into his attack....-

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Just walked into a palindromedary. Double OOF!

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Heck, Deadly Blow made into a spell instead of a Talent could work for this. "So, in 2 seconds, his heart is going to be *HERE*." PSLs vs Hit Locations could work, too ... even a wussy attack hurts if you can hit them in the head every time.

[austenandrews]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Some ideas that may apply.

[Labrat]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

In this mindset I don't think that you should feel obligated to create offensive spells, defensive spells and sensory spells for every school of magic. Why not give them a mystic form of wiil-power-based martial arts and abilities that they secretly train their students for? It could be a loose, basic defensive style just in case they get in trouble in the cold, harsh violence of the fantasy realms.

 

Snip up Judo from H5E or Akido and finesse it to your tastes. Maybe that would be an answer without forcing an offensive spell category. Of course YMMV.

[CourtFool]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

I hate to go the obvious route...

 

8 Sense Attack: Armor (5 PD/5 ED) (15 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4)

 

[Notes: This ability allows the Diviner to look into the future and know exactly when and where he is going to be attacked and therefore dodge the attack.]

 

 

7 Combat Sense: Energy Blast 2d6, Area Of Effect Accurate (One Hex; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OIF (Object of Opportunity; -1/2), Can Be Missile Deflected (-1/4), Range Based On STR (-1/4)

 

[Notes: This ability allows a Diviner to look into the future and see where his opponent will be so that he can effectively strike with any available missile.]

Powers Cost: 15

[KA.]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Well, if you could do a 15 AP 'Magic Missile' . . .

It looks like a little divining rod, and it 'never' misses because it always knows where to seek you out.

 

Something like a little bitty AoE One Hex, perhaps with NND, with the SFX of it follwing you around until it hits you.

It might only do a tiny amount of damage, but it would make an excellent bluff.

"Allow me to demonstrate my Inescapable Missile!"

"Now, would you like me to cast the lethal version?"

 

KA.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Well, if you could do a 15 AP 'Magic Missile' . . .

It looks like a little divining rod, and it 'never' misses because it always knows where to seek you out.

 

Now I'm imagining an oracle hiking around wielding a reinforced dowsing rod like a club.

[Play4Keeps]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Diviner's Disabler

Effect: Drain STUN 1d6

Target/Area Affected: One character

Duration: Instant

Range: 75"

END Cost: 3

 

Description: The diviner spends so much time looking into the future and/or the distance that he figures how to slightly disrupt the time-space of living things causing them harm. A flick of fingers, a yell, and blam they're hurt. One downer is it's wearying to the caster.

 

Game Information: Drain STUN 1d6, Ranged (+1/2), (15 Active Points); Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Increased END cost, x3 (-1). Total cost: 6

 

Options:

1) Diviner's Disrupter: Replace with Drain BODY. This will work on non-living things too.

2) Disruptive Touch: Remove Ranged and add "Variable Effect: Any 2 from STUN, BODY, CON, END At Once (+1/2)"

[Vanguard00]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

I read a book a while back by Mike Resnick, entitled Oracle (actually a series), in which the subject of the story was a girl who could foresee the future. As she grew her ability and accuracy grew, as well, to the point where she could control certain events. How? Simply by causing a minor shift in present reality so that the subsequent chain of events would cause whatever she wanted to happen, to happen. For example: she once simply lifted her hand for five seconds, then put it down. The result was something like avoiding an interplanetary war months away.

 

That doesn't help much, but it gives a good basis for power structure. What if Diviners could not only divine the future, but somehow control future events by seeing what needed to happen prior? Starting a chain reaction would give them the appropriate response later on in life.

 

That doesn't answer the question, of course, but it does lead into my suggestion: Luck powers. Per the USPD, the Luck-based power allows all manner of strange things to occur in the player's favor. By making these powers part of the Diviner arcana and adding the appropriate limitations and such you could easily turn them into usable combat spells.

 

The Luck power "Environmental Mayhem" could be built as follows:

 

23 Enviromental Mayham: Energy Blast 8d6, Side Effects (miscellaneous minor damage to the environment, automatically occurs; +0), Only Does Knockdown (+0), Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) (70 Active Points); OIF (Enviroment Of Opportunity) (-1/2), Gestures (throughout casting) (Requires both hands; -1/2), Requires A Divination Roll (-1/2), Limited Range (25") (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4)

 

Just an idea to run with if you so desire.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

Very Dunesque.

[Robyn]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

There's a theory that the act of observation inherently involves the observer with an event. In other words, you can't perceive without interfering. It's a "scientific" theory, but you can always rule that "fantasy" had it first

 

Pinpoint the gaze on some aspect of the target's future, some aspect of their body's normal operation that is so delicate, it cannot withstand any disruption without failing; and then, very soon, it will.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

I like the following:

 

- Indirect EB (or KA), variable SFX: The Diviner manipulates his opponent into a position where he is accidently struck by an environmental effect (a rock falls on his head; he steps on a badger which claws him; he walks into another combatant's backswing)

 

- Bonus damage (like Deadly Strike) to an existing attack by striking at just the right time/place

 

- +x levels with attack, which the Diviner can now use to either add OCV or add damage classes, again because he knows when to swing

[JmOz]

Re: Attacking Diviners

 

For those who are still interested in this, I posted the ten spells for the first circle of divination

 

The attack spell is a PSL vs targeting called aim (Needs a better name, but you get the idea)

 

The defense spell likewise needs a better name than dodge, it is based on Missile Deflection (10 points, with uncontrolable)