Power Defense

[David Blue]

Re: Power Defense

 

I'd definitely qualify the Hulk for Power Defense' date=' personally. [/quote']So would I, for another reason.

 

A Transformation Attack can be defined thus: transform target X into a person damaged by special effect Y.

 

Therefore, anyone who aspires to be tough needs universal Transformation Defense.

 

The Ultimate Brick book illustrates the general concept with the Muscle Tearing Grip "brick trick" on page 59. The 4d6 Strength drain, with the special effect of ripping the target up with sheer brawn, takes months to heal.

 

Either a comparatively puny individual can tear up the Hulk by the power of his brawn alone, or the Hulk has Transformation Defense.

 

It would be just as easy to define a Transformation turning the target into a gun-shot individual. And so on.

 

So the Hulk's Transformation Defense must be universal.

 

An attack so useful and so flexible that it can stand for any special effect, bypassing the normal defense, calls for a defense that can counter the bypassing of every defense the character has. Physical Defense may be ineffective in defending against a punch in the face, Energy Defense may be ineffective against heat, and Mental Defense may be ineffective against mental attacks unless they are accompanied by a strong bar on the back door game mechanic that any sort of attack can use.

 

Alternately: if you want, you can bar Transformation Attacks. Or as a player, you can ignore them unless or until your gamemaster proves to you that you can't ignore them. I think that's a reasonable approach.

 

Or as I was taught to do, use them only for specialty henchman villains who are sufficiently puny that player characters can answer these tricky and nasty attacks by beating the attacker silly. It's a crude approach, but it does patch the system. I've seen it work, so I believe in it. (I'm not trying to say that what others have seen work is bad, just that we all like what works for us.)

[tesuji]

Re: Power Defense

 

The Ultimate Brick book illustrates the general concept with the Muscle Tearing Grip "brick trick" on page 59. The 4d6 Strength drain, with the special effect of ripping the target up with sheer brawn, takes months to heal.

 

Either a comparatively puny individual can tear up the Hulk by the power of his brawn alone, or the Hulk has Transformation Defense.

 

It would be just as easy to define a Transformation turning the target into a gun-shot individual. And so on.

 

So the Hulk's Transformation Defense must be universal.

 

uhh... well...

 

first, its normally not kosher to buy a transform that duplicates another power, so using transform to do "what killing attack would do" is probably a non-starter.

 

Second...

 

nothing in the hulk's makeup says he should be resistant to a "permanent fear spell" (transform) or a "permanent" "true form spell" (transform) or a time warping slow spell (drain vs speed) by dint of him being really strong.

 

What you have defined here is an SFX for the adjustment powers of "effects reflecting physical damage and destruction" and such a LIMITED SFX power defense for characters who are "tough and strong" as their schtick is just fine IMO. i wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

However, the issue one might raise is... is that attack power "built right" if its built in such a way that it works vs power defense and not the obvious "PHYSICAL DEFENSE"?

 

I mean, we already have the build-police criticizing as wrong building mental adjustement powers off power defense instead of mental defense and even complaining if a "reduce running" muddy ground spell were built using drain/suppress running instead of change environment... so it might well be fine to question whether its a bad attack power build to make "ripping tearing hard to heal wounds" is properly defined as resisted by the same power as "undead life drain" and not affected at all by the armour, steel hide, force fields etc of the target.

 

But again, to your specific point, if you recognize "physical harm" as an SFX, a quite common one in fact, then you make a good argument for allowing as a power defense SFX category: physical harm.

 

Consider this question: If I wanted to build a marksman who could do "trick shots" and some of them were things like "shooting the legs out from under him" bought likely as a "ranged drain to running/leaping" possibly as a stand alone power to be appliued as an MPA to my bow shot... wouldn't you want target's "physical toughness to apply somehow? (BTW this seems another good candidate for an attack lumped into the phyaiscal harm SFX for limited power defense.)

 

For example, you might buy your arrow MP with the usual variety of attacks and buy outside the MP

 

Shoot the legs maneuver

2d6 drain vs running

+1/2 vs leaping too

ranged + 1/2

slow recovery +1

0 end +1/2

70 ap

 

-1 OAF bow and arrows

-1/2 full phase action to take shot (careful aim)

-1/2 half DCV when shooting (careful aim)

-1/x linked to MP attacks (must shoot with other attack as MPA, not alone)

-1/x primary attack must do body

Final cost assuming 1/4 for both 1/x = 20 cp.

 

a good candidate for "tough SOB to hurt" limited pow def or a good candidate for "works vs PD not PowD"?

[prestidigitator]

Re: Power Defense

 

I see a Defense Power as pretty pointless if it can't be used for decent coverage of the range of SFX. Choosing to limit it that way is fine, but I'd probably forgo buying it at all for my characters (out of principle for one thing) if I was forced to limit it to a narrow range of SFX.

[nexus]

Re: Power Defense

 

uhh... well...

 

first, its normally not kosher to buy a transform that duplicates another power, so using transform to do "what killing attack would do" is probably a non-starter.

 

Second...

 

nothing in the hulk's makeup says he should be resistant to a "permanent fear spell" (transform) or a "permanent" "true form spell" (transform) or a time warping slow spell (drain vs speed) by dint of him being really strong.

 

What you have defined here is an SFX for the adjustment powers of "effects reflecting physical damage and destruction" and such a LIMITED SFX power defense for characters who are "tough and strong" as their schtick is just fine IMO. i wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

However, the issue one might raise is... is that attack power "built right" if its built in such a way that it works vs power defense and not the obvious "PHYSICAL DEFENSE"?

 

I mean, we already have the build-police criticizing as wrong building mental adjustement powers off power defense instead of mental defense and even complaining if a "reduce running" muddy ground spell were built using drain/suppress running instead of change environment... so it might well be fine to question whether its a bad attack power build to make "ripping tearing hard to heal wounds" is properly defined as resisted by the same power as "undead life drain" and not affected at all by the armour, steel hide, force fields etc of the target.

 

But again, to your specific point, if you recognize "physical harm" as an SFX, a quite common one in fact, then you make a good argument for allowing as a power defense SFX category: physical harm.

 

Consider this question: If I wanted to build a marksman who could do "trick shots" and some of them were things like "shooting the legs out from under him" bought likely as a "ranged drain to running/leaping" possibly as a stand alone power to be appliued as an MPA to my bow shot... wouldn't you want target's "physical toughness to apply somehow? (BTW this seems another good candidate for an attack lumped into the phyaiscal harm SFX for limited power defense.)

 

For example, you might buy your arrow MP with the usual variety of attacks and buy outside the MP

 

Shoot the legs maneuver

2d6 drain vs running

+1/2 vs leaping too

ranged + 1/2

slow recovery +1

0 end +1/2

70 ap

 

-1 OAF bow and arrows

-1/2 full phase action to take shot (careful aim)

-1/2 half DCV when shooting (careful aim)

-1/x linked to MP attacks (must shoot with other attack as MPA, not alone)

-1/x primary attack must do body

Final cost assuming 1/4 for both 1/x = 20 cp.

 

a good candidate for "tough SOB to hurt" limited pow def or a good candidate for "works vs PD not PowD"?

 

Maybe even AVLD:Resistant Defense or NND inhuman anatomy, regeneration, No Hit Locations, etc.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Power Defense

 

If you build an attack using an Adjustment Power and the SFX of the attack appear to call for a Defense other than Power Defense I would suggest you build the attack differently (using AVLD for example) ... because if the wrong Defense is being applied to your attack then you haven't built it correctly to follow the SFX you are going after.

[nexus]

Re: Power Defense

 

Am I being too sensitive or is there a hostile vibe in this thread?

[gojira]

Re: Power Defense

 

nothing in the hulk's makeup says he should be resistant to a "permanent fear spell" (transform) or a "permanent" "true form spell" (transform) or a time warping slow spell (drain vs speed) by dint of him being really strong.

 

While I agree whole-heartedly with your first point, I find the part I quoted above a bit hard to follow. Can you point me to a physics book where magical transforms are explained in detail? No? I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but the point is magic works the way the GM and players think it should.

 

In another RPG--which shall not be named--players who are "high level" get a bonus to their magical resistance called a saving throw. Now, I don't really like the idea of a saving throw, but there it is, and with it the idea that somehow some people are just better at shaking off magical effects. More over, the "higher level" you are, the better you are at not being effected, and there's no real discernable SFX associated with that defense (the saving throw).

 

I dunno about you, but I feel a 350 point hero ought to be darn good at shaking off many magical effects. A 350 point hero will kick a lot of a** and is pertty "high level." Not to mention a hero with the Hulk's points, whatever they may be. So for the Hulk to have Power Defense vs. magical transforms, as well as PwrD vs. everything else, makes perfect sense to me.

 

You could choose to say "Magic doesn't work like that in my campaign," but personally I feel it does in mine. 350 point superheros should have a certain amount of immunity to Transform, Drain, etc. over and above normal people, because they are 350 superheros, not normal people, 1st level characters, or what not. It's just sensible given the genre of what we are doing here.

[gojira]

Re: Power Defense

 

Am I being too sensitive or is there a hostile vibe in this thread?

 

Hopefully not. Just people being passionate about their hobby is all.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: Power Defense

 

uhh... well...

 

first, its normally not kosher to buy a transform that duplicates another power, so using transform to do "what killing attack would do" is probably a non-starter.

 

Second...

 

nothing in the hulk's makeup says he should be resistant to a "permanent fear spell" (transform) or a "permanent" "true form spell" (transform) or a time warping slow spell (drain vs speed) by dint of him being really strong.

 

Really Strong? No.

 

Hyper-regeneration, the savage fury of a tortured psyche unleashed, an element force rather than a man... those are why Hulk is less affected by such things than an ordinary man.

 

Can you really see Hulk being as scared as an ordinary mortal by a fear aura? Should your common or garden wizard be able to stop his transformation? Should a normal slow spell affect someone with boundless strength (and thus, theoretically, speed and/or energy)?

 

What you have defined here is an SFX for the adjustment powers of "effects reflecting physical damage and destruction" and such a LIMITED SFX power defense for characters who are "tough and strong" as their schtick is just fine IMO. i wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

However, the issue one might raise is... is that attack power "built right" if its built in such a way that it works vs power defense and not the obvious "PHYSICAL DEFENSE"?

 

I mean, we already have the build-police criticizing as wrong building mental adjustement powers off power defense instead of mental defense and even complaining if a "reduce running" muddy ground spell were built using drain/suppress running instead of change environment... so it might well be fine to question whether its a bad attack power build to make "ripping tearing hard to heal wounds" is properly defined as resisted by the same power as "undead life drain" and not affected at all by the armour, steel hide, force fields etc of the target.

 

But again, to your specific point, if you recognize "physical harm" as an SFX, a quite common one in fact, then you make a good argument for allowing as a power defense SFX category: physical harm.

 

Consider this question: If I wanted to build a marksman who could do "trick shots" and some of them were things like "shooting the legs out from under him" bought likely as a "ranged drain to running/leaping" possibly as a stand alone power to be appliued as an MPA to my bow shot... wouldn't you want target's "physical toughness to apply somehow? (BTW this seems another good candidate for an attack lumped into the phyaiscal harm SFX for limited power defense.)

 

For example, you might buy your arrow MP with the usual variety of attacks and buy outside the MP

 

Shoot the legs maneuver

2d6 drain vs running

+1/2 vs leaping too

ranged + 1/2

slow recovery +1

0 end +1/2

70 ap

 

-1 OAF bow and arrows

-1/2 full phase action to take shot (careful aim)

-1/2 half DCV when shooting (careful aim)

-1/x linked to MP attacks (must shoot with other attack as MPA, not alone)

-1/x primary attack must do body

Final cost assuming 1/4 for both 1/x = 20 cp.

 

a good candidate for "tough SOB to hurt" limited pow def or a good candidate for "works vs PD not PowD"?

 

Crippling shots should only work if you can do damage normally. However, Power Defense as a generic 'I am really resistant to odd forms of harm' could and should save you from the crippling effects.

 

Even if you can put a harpoon through Hulk, should you really be able to cripple his leg?

[David Johnston]

Re: Power Defense

 

uhh... well...

 

 

 

nothing in the hulk's makeup says he should be resistant to a "permanent fear spell" (transform) or a "permanent" "true form spell" (transform) or a time warping slow spell (drain vs speed) by dint of him being really strong.

 

I don't think I agree in the Hulk's case. He has a number of justifications for being resistant to those kinds of things from being an entity of elemental rage to being a kind of shapeshifter in his own right. And in fact he's demonstrated a significant degree of resistance to many such things (although that could just be having Regeneration and a stratospheric Body score). A better example is Superman who has many powers that the Hulk doesn't have, but has no particular protection from being drained or transformed

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: Power Defense

 

I don't think I agree in the Hulk's case. He has a number of justifications for being resistant to those kinds of things from being an entity of elemental rage to being a kind of shapeshifter in his own right. And in fact he's demonstrated a significant degree of resistance to many such things (although that could just be having Regeneration and a stratospheric Body score). A better example is Superman who has many powers that the Hulk doesn't have' date=' but has no particular protection from being drained or transformed[/quote']

 

Sure... but that's kind of the point. Superman is suprisingly vulnerable to such things (from a 'But he's so powerful...!?!' perspective).

 

Slightly tangentally, 'The Incredible Fighting Candy' comes to mind. Powerful (/hard to hurt) beings might not be immune to an adjustment power... but if they're powerful enough a 'take down' power might just leave them stronger than before.

 

Sure, that could be called a high BODY score... but that's because the difference between defenses and being really tough is kinda hard to find.

 

(Plus, nothing can beat a small candy beating up on the latest biggest bad. That was priceless.)

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Power Defense

 

Can you really see Hulk being as scared as an ordinary mortal by a fear aura? Should your common or garden wizard be able to stop his transformation? Should a normal slow spell affect someone with boundless strength (and thus' date=' theoretically, speed and/or energy)?[/quote']

 

If that garden variety wizard CAN stop the transformation, why did Dr. Strange have to resort to banishment? On one occasion, he was able to assist the transofrmation back to Banner, but only when the Hulk went along with it more or less willingly.

[Lucius]

Re: Power Defense

 

Sure... but that's kind of the point. Superman is suprisingly vulnerable to such things (from a 'But he's so powerful...!?!' perspective).

 

Slightly tangentally, 'The Incredible Fighting Candy' comes to mind. Powerful (/hard to hurt) beings might not be immune to an adjustment power... but if they're powerful enough a 'take down' power might just leave them stronger than before.

 

Sure, that could be called a high BODY score... but that's because the difference between defenses and being really tough is kinda hard to find.

 

(Plus, nothing can beat a small candy beating up on the latest biggest bad. That was priceless.)

 

 

Huh?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Huh? ?huH

 

The palindromedary

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: Power Defense

 

Huh?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Huh? ?huH

 

The palindromedary

 

The Incredible Fighting Candy:

 

Dragonball Z or GT.

 

Vegeta and Goku merge to form a single uberbeing to face down Majhan Buu. They paste him for a bit and mock him. Then he uses one of his nastier powers, and turns him/it/them into a coffee flavoured candy.

 

With all their power, and the ability to talk, but much smaller and harder to hit. Oh dear.

 

After about 10 minutes (our time) of The Incredible Fighting Candy kicking his ***, he turns him/it/them back.

 

 

I wasn't really watching the show any more by that point, but that was cool.

[CBikle]

Re: Power Defense

 

I've never seen a player not want to buy Power Defense (and go so far as to beg for it) after a bad experience with an Adjustment Power or Transform or similar. I've seen the same responce with Flash attacks as well' date=' and to a lesser extent, Mental Attacks (but for some reason, many players seem to be okay betting Ego Attacked or Mind Controlled but not having their STR drop by 10 points).[/quote']

 

Right, but IMO, Flash and Mental Defense are a little easier to rationalize than Power Defense ("my character starts taking radioactive vitamins")

[CBikle]

Re: Power Defense

 

I see a Defense Power as pretty pointless if it can't be used for decent coverage of the range of SFX. Choosing to limit it that way is fine' date=' but I'd probably forgo buying it at all for my characters.[/quote']

 

I think that's kind of the idea.

 

When I hear that a GM has special rules on Power Defense that says one of two things to me:

 

1 The GM has plans to use a lot of adjustment-based attacks and/or transforms

down the pike.

 

2 The GM is micro-managing the system.

 

Just seems silly to have special rules for something as obscure and eclectic as Power defense.

[David Blue]

Re: Power Defense

 

Right' date=' but IMO, Flash and Mental Defense are a little easier to rationalize than Power Defense ("my character starts taking radioactive vitamins")[/quote']Sure.

 

And it's not only that you want it but can't nationalise it. It's that when you build your game mechanics around simulating your character, there's generally no reason to want Power Defense.

 

This is not true of all other defenses.

 

It's easy to imagine a character wading through a hail of gunfire, and to want that. (Though Hero system works against the satisfaction of that highly appropriate desire, due to the Stun lottery.) Or again, it's easy, appropriate and exciting to imagine walking through a blazing building or a river of lava. (Though again, what you may need to defend against may not be the lava but the Stun lottery.) It's perhaps less easy but still very possible to see and get charged up over a successful mental struggle over mental coercion or the very bright lights that your character sees through.

 

But general Power Defense? There seems to be no equally exciting classic comic "bit" associated with that.

 

It's a necessary (or arguably necessary) product of the game system rather than of the source material. It's something you need because of the consequences of not having it.

 

It's natural that when players and characters experience the negative consequences of not having it, they begin to desire it.

[nexus]

Re: Power Defense

 

I think that's kind of the idea.

 

When I hear that a GM has special rules on Power Defense that says one of two things to me:

 

1 The GM has plans to use a lot of adjustment-based attacks and/or transforms

down the pike.

 

2 The GM is micro-managing the system.

 

Just seems silly to have special rules for something as obscure and eclectic as Power defense.

 

I rarely use Adjustment powers or Transforms actually.

 

I don't "micromanage" the system beyond I feel is nessecary to make it consistent. I don't see what exactly is a "special" rule for Power Defense at least in what I proposed. Power Defense is generally purchased with a Limitation as I, gm and arbiter of my game world, sees that there are very sfx/rationalization that would allow so called "universal" Power Defense. Its a gm's call. If a player does have a reason that I think works in my game world, then its not a problem for them to purchase it.

 

Frankly, I resent the implication that I'm trying to screw my players. The idea isn't to eliminate or make Power Defense unacceptable. If I wanted that, I would just ban it and be done with it. I don't play head games with my players. If I don't want something in the game I tell them up front, not screw around trying to make it unappealing.

 

 

 

The idea is to clear up a problem I have with the baseline way it functions. I'm getting really tired of the snide remarks. You like it as is that's all well and good but someone who doesn't isn't commiting blaphemy by changing things so there more to their liking or trying to snow job their players.

[David Blue]

Re: Power Defense

 

Has anyone run into the mental hurdle? I avoid it when I gm by trying to avoid ajustment powers as much as possible and ususally asking those who get Power Defense to purchase a limitation on it' date=' even its -0.[/quote']I guess what I just said dovetails with what nexus said in the original post: yes, I find there's a mental hurdle.

[shaunclinton]

Re: Power Defense

 

Sure there is a comic 'bit' for Power Defence.

 

What about every group of heroes who are weakened by an enemies mysterious power sapping rays - all save one who has someone resisted the effect or been too powerful for it to overcome?

 

What about every time the Scarlet Witch/Dr. Fate/insert hero here has muttered the immortal lines "My Hex/Power of Nabu/Widget must have protected me from that effect which took out the rest of the heroes!"?

 

What about Plastic Man and his ilk who just refuse to be affected by transforms, drains, etc? Turn me into a pig will you? Oink Oink - "I love a woman who can control my shape!" before changing back to his usual form?

 

Even heroes like Iron Man/Steel/etc. tend to have power defence. It just covers a wide variety of special effects... "My neural inhibitors circuits protected me from that inebriation beam (DEX Drain)"; "Good job my suits power relays can re-route around the disruption that energy drain (suppress powersuit abilities) caused!"; "A trusty nano-air scrubbers saved me from that nasty Ebola Plus (Body Drain)!"

 

Wide ranging Power Defence is fairly commonplace... Gods, Shapeshifters, Aliens, Power Armour and Magical heroes tend to be the ones I think of most often for it but most 'tough guy' heroes have it as well.

 

Heroes I haven't mentioned who undoubtedly have some Power Defence... Captain America, Superman, Mr. Fantastic, The Hulk, The Thing, Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel... the list is endless!!! All of these guys have been hit by Drains, Suppresses, Transfers, Transforms, etc. and whilst most have suffered effects they rarely if ever suffer the way a mere mortal would.

 

It is a good catch all category and if you want your heroes to have a limited version of it then fine; but that's an invitation to transform/drain/etc. abuse and not in keeping with the genre.

 

In the source material being 'tough' or 'super' in some way tends to let you resist a whole range of things that normal people couldn't. That is exemplified in the use of power defence.

[tesuji]

Re: Power Defense

 

In the source material being 'tough' or 'super' in some way tends to let you resist a whole range of things that normal people couldn't. That is exemplified in the use of power defence.

 

Now at the same time, doesn't this same argument of "there are polenty of hereoes who aren't effected as much as a normal by some of these" justification then also apply to any super wanting mental defense, flash defense etc?

 

I mean if the "well, My character is super after all" is acceptable as justification for these, haven't you basically just said "you don't need any justification for these"?

 

its kind of like the "saving throw" argument before... why not to reflect this just give every super a resistance trait which covers the "all supers are more resistant than normals" and then have them pay for the things specific to them.

[tesuji]

Re: Power Defense

 

Ok soi am back... and have a little time to complete some thoughts... this will be scattershot covering several different topics...

 

Hulk - See as a general rule i try and stay out of "this epecific super" topics cuz the last comic i read was 20 years ago with the same characters and things get weirder as things go on. i did not know hulk had shifted from big green powerhouse with anger management issues to some sort of mystical embodiment of primal rage. Then again the lasy hulk i recall reading introduced this yellow spandex canadian guy and last thing I knew man-thing was a science gone awry thing not a mystic elemental.

 

Super-strong guy and slow spell... given bricks are the most common "slowest hero on the block" I do not see them as having "speed as their niche" enough to think they naturally resist slow spells, unless of course the SFX is slow-by-means-of-resistance like a solid fog or web spell (which might be according to some a change environment.) So giving bricks power defense that protects vs a slow spell seems inaccurate, If you wanted a slow spell that strength matters, buy that attack to work vs strength in some way. if strength matters to the mechanics of the attack you build, then brick will be better at resisting than a normal guy "because he has strength" not because he has universal defense against things.

 

Saving throw... covered in previous post.

 

Cosmic or godlike "hard to be changed" raises one interesting question for me. If a player approached me with such an SFX for universal power defense, I would ask him "so, this would apply to positive attempts to change you too, right? Its not easier to alter Cosmo's form to give him two extra arms than it is to remove his two arms or to make him more dextrous than less dextrous, right?" Wouldn't the universal power defense examples also need to apply this cannot change me easily principle to powers like AID, SUCCOR, and HEALING to be consistent, more often than not? How many do that who prefer these universal justifications.

 

Finally, let me observe that one official writeup, even questioned and confirmed as the "official way to do it" is to use AID to Dex to represent fighting arrays, the whole "fight better with my teammates" thing. I assume it could likewise be bought using succor and the reverse powers, the "interfere with coordination and teamworks" (maybe a babel spell? a special effect of the goddess of strife and discord's minions?) would work as a drain or suppress along similar lines.

 

Would hulk or other bricks or the "hard to effect my godlike nature" be immune to these, affected by these, or what?

 

Again, summary, adjustment powers are used, even officially, for such a wide span of effects... and transform powers are used for such a wide variety of effects including long lasting versions of normal effects... that i have a real hard time swallowing power defense vs everything, as written in its baseline, as justified in common character writeups or nearly any character writeup i see.

 

i find the limited SFX power defense as much more easily justifiable. So much so that i prefer for it to be the default. Then again, I would also prefer for the default for all adjustment powers to be "vs one sfx" and they not tend to start with "one power but any SFX".

[Dust Raven]

Re: Power Defense

 

Right' date=' but IMO, Flash and Mental Defense are a little easier to rationalize than Power Defense ("my character starts taking radioactive vitamins")[/quote']

 

On the subject of rationalizing it, especially when you want to buy it after character creation, I have a few stock answers to give my GM (for those times I'm playing).

 

"I'm possessed of a stronger willpower and can shrug off, ignore or otherwise resist such effects through force is will alone!"

 

"My soul and has become galvanized by recent events and I am so focused on my goals that nothing, nothing can stop me."

 

and my personal favorite...

 

"Dude, I'm supposed to be tough! Everybody forgets to buy Power Defense during character creation."

[tesuji]

Re: Power Defense

 

 

What about every group of heroes who are weakened by an enemies mysterious power sapping rays - all save one who has someone resisted the effect or been too powerful for it to overcome?

is that better handled by giving one character "resist everything" or in the Gm picking the "uber weapon" sop that an established and specific trait of the character provides him resistance? The latter is how i handle that in my game.

 

"the nullifier beam doesn't effect Cyber-guy since his powers are not mutant in origin!" or "the nullifier spell doesn't affect magus because he has magical powers!" etc. Its possibly a limitation in the villain's attack.

 

this way, instead of having the same "one guy resistant" all the time (the one guy who bought a lot of pow d) i have different themed enemies effect different guys and everyone gets to be the "not affected guy" once in a while.

 

What about every time the Scarlet Witch/Dr. Fate/insert hero here has muttered the immortal lines "My Hex/Power of Nabu/Widget must have protected me from that effect which took out the rest of the heroes!"?

good GM villain/challenge design, not "well the scarlet witch is immune to EVERYTHING AGAIN!!! sigh!"

What about Plastic Man and his ilk who just refuse to be affected by transforms, drains, etc? Turn me into a pig will you? Oink Oink - "I love a woman who can control my shape!" before changing back to his usual form?

but should they be resistant to long lasting mind control done as transform? Should they be less able to learn to fight well with teammates? (AID to DEX)? Should they be less affected by a discord spell which makes them less able to fight well with teammates? (similarly, a dex drain?) I can really see a spell from the goddess of discord which make "enemies get in each others way" which essentially provides a dex drain reversed image of the fighting array... and don't see how having plaz with arms and head and limbs going every which way being less prove to be in that mixup.

 

Even heroes like Iron Man/Steel/etc. tend to have power defence. It just covers a wide variety of special effects... "My neural inhibitors circuits protected me from that inebriation beam (DEX Drain)"; "Good job my suits power relays can re-route around the disruption that energy drain (suppress powersuit abilities) caused!"; "A trusty nano-air scrubbers saved me from that nasty Ebola Plus (Body Drain)!"

ebola plus would in my game be resisted by life support and immunity to disease or maybe a sealed environment... depending on how the attack power was built.

 

resisting the energy drain would be power defense vs SFX "tampering with power suit" and I wouldn't have a problem with that.

 

inebrietion beam... likely resisted by life support or immunity to alcohol type stuff. if his suit has neural inhibitors, they need to be defined as to what they do... not just left as a catch all "it covers everything". "it covers everything" sounds a lot like letting "its the way the power is written in HERO" determine what your character traits are... and thats the reverse of how i suggest and evaluate chargen for my games.

 

Wide ranging Power Defence is fairly commonplace... Gods, Shapeshifters, Aliens, Power Armour and Magical heroes tend to be the ones I think of most often for it but most 'tough guy' heroes have it as well.

all of these characters would be resistant to having their friends bump into them, get in their way and throw off their attacks in combat? (drain vs dex representing reverse of the fighting array - a discord spell)

[CBikle]

Re: Power Defense

 

On the subject of rationalizing it, especially when you want to buy it after character creation, I have a few stock answers to give my GM (for those times I'm playing).

 

"I'm possessed of a stronger willpower and can shrug off, ignore or otherwise resist such effects through force is will alone!"

 

"My soul and has become galvanized by recent events and I am so focused on my goals that nothing, nothing can stop me."

 

 

Those aren't bad, but wouldn't work on many of the GMs I know.

 

Really, the best route towards rationalizing buying Power Def (after character creation) is to lump it in with other purchases (camoflauging it) like saying you're buying new armor with a special invisible force-layer that provides Knockback Resistance, Lack Of Weakness, Life Support vs high and low-pressure and Power Defense.