Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

[Dust Raven]

P.S. (that would be Pre-Script): If you are playing in my game, do not read this thread upon pain of a really sucky game!

 

Okay, here's the problem:

 

One of the player characters has Mantle of the Night: Invisibility to Sight and Mental Groups, Danger Sense, Combat Sense and Spatial Awareness, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4); Limited Power Power only works in Shadows or Darkness (-1/2), and another that has Globe of Brilliance: Darkness to Sight Group 3" radius. I have a villain that due to concept and SFX, should be able to sense the character with Mantle of the Night, but no be able to sense through the Globe of Brilliance. The sense that is used to do this is essentially Spatial Awareness (not in any sense group), but I don't want to cheat the character about of buying that part of her Invisibility. How do I build this sense?

[prestidigitator]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

It sounds like you are having a problem with this, "Mantle of Night," Power. How does the player imagine the SFX as protecting him/her against all of those senses? It seems pretty difficult to justify protecting against Danger Sense, Spatial Awareness, the Mental Group (!), and such. Imagining it as just a darkness field or whatever seems to leave a lot of holes open. Not just to whatever sense you are contemplating for the villain, but for things like Danger Sense and Spatial Awareness in general.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

It sounds like you are having a problem with this' date=' "Mantle of Night," Power. How does the player imagine the SFX as protecting him/her against all of those senses? It seems pretty difficult to justify protecting against Danger Sense, Spatial Awareness, the Mental Group (!), and such. Imagining it as just a darkness field or whatever seems to leave a lot of holes open. Not just to whatever sense you are contemplating for the villain, but for things like Danger Sense and Spatial Awareness in general.[/quote']

 

The SFX is that she either steps partially into a "darkness dimension" which seperates her (at least as far as detecting goes) from physical reality. As it happens, the villain I'm working on is part of that "darkness dimension" and should be able to sense her normally.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

Ah! Does he have a similar power? If so, Personal Immunity might cover this. Or...some kind of Adjustment Power vs. shadow-realm powers that only hinders their affect for the villain in question? Or an additional, "Detect: Shadow-Realm Entities?"

 

Or you could build it as, "Detect: Any Object With a Shadow." The Globe of Brilliance may banish all shodows within its area of effect.

[David Johnston]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

P.S. (that would be Pre-Script): If you are playing in my game' date=' do not read this thread upon pain of a really sucky game![/b']

 

Okay, here's the problem:

 

One of the player characters has Mantle of the Night: Invisibility to Sight and Mental Groups, Danger Sense, Combat Sense and Spatial Awareness, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4); Limited Power Power only works in Shadows or Darkness (-1/2), and another that has Globe of Brilliance: Darkness to Sight Group 3" radius. I have a villain that due to concept and SFX, should be able to sense the character with Mantle of the Night, but no be able to sense through the Globe of Brilliance. The sense that is used to do this is essentially Spatial Awareness (not in any sense group), but I don't want to cheat the character about of buying that part of her Invisibility. How do I build this sense?

 

Detect Darkness Powers In Use. Targeting, Discriminatory.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

That might work. I'm seriously trying to avoid slapping on a Power that does nothing but negate a specific player's Power though. I half way want to just buy Spatial Awareness, Only Objects In Shadows for the villain's sense and just rule that the hero's Invisibility doesn't count against it... just cause. But I really want to avoid that too. In any case, the villain is definately going to have the SA build above, I'm just wondering what I can do to make the Invisibility ineffective against it.

 

Maybe I can make the Only In Shadows Limitation count against the character, saying that, for this particular villain, there aren't any shadows (because of the SFX of how the Spatial Awareness works). It that too much of a kludge?

[Dust Raven]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

Detect Darkness Powers In Use. Targeting' date=' Discriminatory.[/quote']

 

That might work!

 

It certainly fits the concept. And the villain will have an additional method of tracking this particular hero (as well as making it easier to locate other instances of the shadow reality I'm already including in the advanture). Excellent!

 

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to David Johnston again."

[prestidigitator]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

That might work. I'm seriously trying to avoid slapping on a Power that does nothing but negate a specific player's Power though. I half way want to just buy Spatial Awareness' date=' Only Objects In Shadows for the villain's sense and just rule that the hero's Invisibility doesn't count against it... just cause. But I really want to avoid that too. In any case, the villain is definately going to have the SA build above, I'm just wondering what I can do to make the Invisibility ineffective against it.[/quote']

The last one I mentioned would be a replacement for Spatial Awareness. "Detect: Any Object With a Shadow." Add applicable Adders like Sense, Targetting, and 360-Degree Arc. It's another Sense that does not belong in an established Sense Group and provides the same benefits as SA. Since the character's Invisibility does not include this unusual Sense, you're done.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

Maybe I can make the Only In Shadows Limitation count against the character' date=' saying that, for this particular villain, there aren't any shadows (because of the SFX of how the Spatial Awareness works). It that too much of a kludge?[/quote']

 

I would say, not at all. This to me is a case of matching SFX, like two characters who use the same mechanism to become Desolid affecting each other normally. Since it's really just going to occur between these two characters, IMO it's not necessary to account for it with a specific build.

 

If you think it would be fairer, you could require the villain to make a normal Perception Roll to sense the Mantled character, after which he (she?) can follow her without effort.

[Doug Limmer]

Re: Don't Look Into the Light... Darkness is Better

 

Another thought: it sounds like someone with the right Transdimensional advantage on a sense would be able to sense this character. At least, it seems to fit the special effects.