What power would I use to represent this?

[GoldenAge]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

No. None of my players would ever phrase it or intend an action set like that. Even if they said "I'm going to hold until everyone has acted" I would want to know what they mean. Phases are an artificial metagame concept that have no correlation inside the setting of the game. Phases and the entire time chart are concepts that exist outside of the characters. The characters know nothing about them (any more than they would understand a 12d6 EB, Effects Desol).

 

A character knows that people act. Some people act faster than others. Some people get more discrete actions inside a minute. Much like you or me right now, have never or would never try to break down actual events into "how many discrete actions did LavaLad take in the last minute" and try to plot that over time to determine when the best time to attack LavaLad might be.

I always thought that characters had different SPEEDSs and DEX scores for a reason. I agree that the SPEED Chart is an abstract, but a player utilizing it cleverly reflects the PC's combat experience. If a dumb brute (with a player who enjoyed playing a dumb brute) ever said something like "I hold my 12 until the end of 3, then do a Hurry on 4 to make sure I go first" I'd give him a quizzical look and ask him to repeat that in character... meaning he goes on 12, on his DEX like always. However, if a Martial Artist said the same thing I wouldn't bat an eyelash... Ya see, neither my players nor I have 30 DEXs or years of mystical Martial Arts training... But their characters do. Thus I would certainly allow such a skilled character to massage the SPEED Chart as much as he was able. It has never hurt the color of the game and sure makes combat more interesting. If you don't describe combat in the abstract, how do you utilize Combat Maneuvers?

 

At my table we have a combat proceedure called COLOR/CAVIATE... That means that the players must give me a detailed description of their action... Then, almost under their breath, they give me the complex game terms of what just happened.

 

Example:

 

Player (Martial Artist): "I (Clouded Leopard) take a quick look around then sprint towards and summersault through the wall of flame, landing in a dive and forward rolling several times across the scorched floor to make sure I put out any flames. I transition the roll into a baseball slide under the half-burnt table. Once I'm under the table I kick up from below just enough to turn it over on its side for cover. Still covered with a trail of smoke I'll (Clouded Leopard will) pop my head up from behind the table and capture the gaze of Napalm (bad guy). If he meets my eyes with his own then I've got him!!!

 

Caveat: Player - : "That’s a casual PER (if you'll give me one), Half Move (do I need an Acrobatics roll?), Casual STR (knock table over) and Attack with Mental Entangle."

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Ooops, never mind. Sorry for hijacking this thread.

 

 

Ummmm, just use Xtra DCs, like you said.

[Robyn]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

A character knows that people act. Some people act faster than others. Some people get more discrete actions inside a minute. Much like you or me right now' date=' have never or would never try to break down actual events into "how many discrete actions did LavaLad take in the last minute" and try to plot that over time to determine when the best time to attack LavaLad might be.[/quote']

 

Most attacks can be broken down into a simple set of three movements:

 

1. Strike.
   
2. Withdraw.
   
3. Prepare.

In other words, it takes time to "reset" so that you're ready for a new move (whether that be block, dodge, or another attack). Developing a good sense of timing lets you retreat slightly when they strike, then follow their withdrawal back in before they can prepare for you.

 

In a melee, it's slightly more complicated. You not only have to keep alert for attacks coming in from the person you're fighting, but watch out to the sides for their comrades, who will probably not be above shots of opportunity at you when you go in. You need to have quick reflexes, to act instantly on an opening, and you need to watch for when everyone who could take a shot at you is off-balance at the same time.

[levi]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

Sounds like a clear case of Tunnelling' date=' 25 Def ( or more ), extra time, etc...[/quote']

 

I agreed with Arkham, back in Post #4. You guys are way over-doing it with all of these suppresses and drains. I like the Occam's Razor approach to character building...choose the simplest path (in this case TUNNELING) and use whatever SFX you want to.

 

 

And Yes, I know that is an over-simplification of the O.R. Principle

[prodigyduck]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

The ability sounds like basic Tunneling to me.

 

As for an ability to not take damage from Move-Throughs...

 

I had a speedster character who had a disgusting ability. He gained his speed from a repulsor field he generated around himself. This was bought as Flight with a Linked Force Field. But that is not the disgusting part. What was horrifying was his power of Personal Immunity to both his own Strength and Flight. Thus, he took no damage from his own move-throughs and move-bys.

 

Enjoy, and be horrified...

[Bloodstone]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

I had a speedster character who had a disgusting ability. He gained his speed from a repulsor field he generated around himself. This was bought as Flight with a Linked Force Field. But that is not the disgusting part. What was horrifying was his power of Personal Immunity to both his own Strength and Flight. Thus, he took no damage from his own move-throughs and move-bys.

 

First of all, Movement powers are not allowed to take Personal Immunity, since they are by defualt self only powers.

 

You could put it on STR, but it still doesn't let you work per the FAQ:

 

Q: Can a character put Personal Immunity on his STR and/or a Movement Power so that he can perform Move Bys/Throughs and take no damage from them?

 

A: No.

[Rapier]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

I agree that tunnelling may be similar. It all depends on the main purpose of this power.

 

Is the main purpose of this power to:

A) make holes into objects?

destroy objects?

C) enhance a MoveThru?

 

If A, then tunneling.

If B, then some Naked AP for the MoveThru, Only vs Inanimate Objects.

If C, then same as B or just some extra dice.

[prodigyduck]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

Yes, that may be the official ruling, but some games may have house rules as to how to go about certain powers and abilities.

 

And, yes, while this was a disgusting misuse of an Advantage, it was allowed, factoring in the character's particular powers. The GM also felt that I had never mis-used the ability. In truth, it was something my character rarely used, except against the really powerful super-villains.

 

Rules are ulways up for use or miss-use by the individual gaming group.

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: What power would I use to represent this?

 

I agree that tunnelling may be similar. It all depends on the main purpose of this power.

 

Is the main purpose of this power to:

A) make holes into objects?

destroy objects?

C) enhance a MoveThru?

 

If A, then tunneling.

If B, then some Naked AP for the MoveThru, Only vs Inanimate Objects.

If C, then same as B or just some extra dice.

 

 

The primary purpose of this power is to punch through things like the steel-

reinforced concrete walls of places such as banks or secure facilities that

house the sort of things that supervillains would want to steal. From what

I've read thus far, it sounds like the attack would go like this: first, the weak-

ening field (a ranged DEF Drain) would be projected at the target wall at a

point when the villain using it is about 15-20 hexes from the wall. Then, the

physical part of the attack (the Tunneling power) would take place. The

idea is that enough DEF will be drained by the first part of the attack so that

by the time the villain is in actual contact with the wall, he will be able to

tunnel through the remaining DEF in one shot.

 

I like the idea of including a PD Force Field as part of the character's powers,

so I'm going to include it in the writeup when I get around to that stage of

character creation.

 

Thanks to everyone that's posted to this thread so far, and if anyone else has

any thoughts on the subject that they'd like to share, go right ahead.

 

 

Major Tom