Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

[Comic]

I've got a character bouncing around in my brain with a sort of karmic effect.

 

Where he's attacked, a monstrous entity springs out of his flesh and goes after whoever or whatever inflicted the attack.

 

I'm thinking Absorb > Summon.. sort of.

 

I'm not sure of the mechanical soundness of this approach. Advice? Opinion?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

To me this sounds like Summon with the Resetting Trigger Advantage.

 

Does a new monster appear with every attack, or only the first time the character's attacked? Does the character control what type of monster appears, and how it behaves?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

If the guy just jumps out and smacks the attacker, then it's some form of Attack Power with Damage Shield.

 

If the guy is self acting, and does other things, Summon with a Trigger.

[Comic]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

My concept, this guy stomping around in my brain like Athena hammering to get out, is that for every blow struck, a 'monster' is created -- short-lived but 'real' -- and homes in on the attacker whose attack 'fathered' it. The guy has no control over the power or the monsters. The monsters would be proportionate in power to the power of the original attack. Their superficial attributes would be determined by the nature of the attack, as would the nature of their attacks. ie swords/knives KA's would produce clawed beasts, fists would bring trollish brutes, fire would incite water elementals.

The summoned creature would be essentially whatever was hungriest for that taste of power that had been offered through the husk of their pandemonic host.

 

The character's other powers would be mostly dimensional effects.

 

I was thinking Absorbtion as Defense (Always On) -> Summoning (No Conscious Control). Sort of. The trigger is a nice touch.

[Greywind]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

Sounds like SFX to me...

[ghost-angel]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

My concept, this guy stomping around in my brain like Athena hammering to get out, is that for every blow struck, a 'monster' is created -- short-lived but 'real' -- and homes in on the attacker whose attack 'fathered' it. The guy has no control over the power or the monsters. The monsters would be proportionate in power to the power of the original attack. Their superficial attributes would be determined by the nature of the attack, as would the nature of their attacks. ie swords/knives KA's would produce clawed beasts, fists would bring trollish brutes, fire would incite water elementals.

The summoned creature would be essentially whatever was hungriest for that taste of power that had been offered through the husk of their pandemonic host.

 

The character's other powers would be mostly dimensional effects.

 

I was thinking Absorbtion as Defense (Always On) -> Summoning (No Conscious Control). Sort of. The trigger is a nice touch.

 

Hmm... no, it just sounds like a Damage Shield on an attack with Variable SFX as well. The monsters are, as Greywind said, just SFX.

[Zed-F]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

Damage Shield doesn't work at range. Trigger is your best bet here. Possibly a triggered variable SFX EB, if the monster is basically just damage, goes fast enough and is short-lived enough, and can occasionally miss.

 

You could do it as an uncontrolled continuous 1-hex AoE accurate triggered EB if you want the monster to not miss and stick around for a while, but that gets expensive quickly.

 

Alternatively a triggered summon, though that can get both expensive and complicated. You could just generate a single brand of summoned critter, and give it the variable SFX attack. On the other hand, then it can be dispelled, it can decide that it wants to do something else, it can decide not to go away once its had its snack, it can be controlled, etc.

 

If it's only the target that can see the monster it could even be a triggered mental illusion. Or a cumulative triggered mental illusion.

 

Lots of ways to do it, some simpler than others. It will probably be expensive any way you slice it, though.

[Certified]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

I like both the Damage Shield path, maybe with a Selective Radius AoE and the Triggered EB both with a Variable Special Effect.

 

Could Continuous (I believe that's the advantage name) be added to increase the duration of the entity allowing it to effective attack for several phases before disappointing?

[Greywind]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

To go that route I'd look at summon with a short duration limitation.

[Certified]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

To go that route I'd look at summon with a short duration limitation.

 

With a summon though you would have a set number of builds, or a very slow session if he gets hit in combat. With a simplified triggered attack with a variable special effect they need only describe ho it looks each time.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

Agreed. Reason by effect;

 

"Character gets hit. Enemy gets hit back by an attack of similar strength with a 'karmically' suited FX."

 

EB, Damage Shield (or Trigger: When Hit in Combat), VSFX (limited group: Must be fitting to attack that triggered Damage Shield), possibly limited so that it's capped out at the DC of the attack that triggered it.

[Greywind]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

Could Continuous (I believe that's the advantage name) be added to increase the duration of the entity allowing it to effective attack for several phases before disappointing?

 

With a summon though you would have a set number of builds' date=' or a very slow session if he gets hit in combat. With a simplified triggered attack with a variable special effect they need only describe ho it looks each time.[/quote']

I was referring to your Continuous question.

[Comic]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

Ah. No. It's not a damage shield or a missile reflection.

 

A new thing pops up and acts. It has movement, Body, DEF, and a will of its own. It's unpredictable and independent, but generally will fade. Each time it can have the same general build and just different SFX and power levels.

 

So, Absorbtion as part of this is not appropriate or workable?

[Doc Samson]

Re: Zounds! How do I build "Zeus' Wounds?"

 

Ah. No. It's not a damage shield or a missile reflection.

 

A new thing pops up and acts. It has movement, Body, DEF, and a will of its own. It's unpredictable and independent, but generally will fade. Each time it can have the same general build and just different SFX and power levels.

 

So, Absorbtion as part of this is not appropriate or workable?

 

Absorption won't pay for the whole effect I think, if thats the way you choose to go. For example, you get hit by a 12 dice attack in a 60 AP game, on average you will absorb 12 pts. of effect. That will only create a 60 pt. Summon. You will need to have some base points in Summon for the Summoning to have enough points to be effective I think.

 

My suggestion:

To ease the flow of game play, I would use a Triggerered Summon instead of Absorption (less calculation). I would use a standard Summon and write it up with variable SFX, based on the the type of attack that triggered it. Here is a hasty example of how I might build the power in a 350 pt. game. Note, I didn't use a 0 Phase Action to activate or reset the Trigger because the power would then not function after you acted that Phase. I limited the summoned creatures to four 250 point characters for balance purposes assuming a 350 pt. game.

 

60 pts. "Zeus' Wounds" Summon [Four 250pt. "Zounds"], Trigger [One Condition (when struck in combat and taking at least 1 STUN worth of damage), Trigger Action Takes No Time, Character Does Not Control Trigger, Trigger Resets Automatically] (+3/4), Amicable [No EGO Roll Required to control Creature] (+1/4), Limited Power: Summoned Creatures Will only Attack the Foe that Triggered the Summon for EGO/ 4 Phases (Each Phase of Combat = 1 Task) (-1/2), Limited Power: Each Trigger only Summons one being at a time, to a maximum of four creatures. (-1/2) Limited Power: Summoned Creatures are banished automatically after their tasks are completed (0)

 

Zound

15 STR 25

30 DEX 20

30 CON 25

0 BODY 10

-2 INT 8

0 EGO 10

10 PRE 20

-2 COM 6

10 PD 15

10 ED 15

10 SPD 4

0 REC 10

0 END 50

14 STUN 50

0 RUN 6"

0 SWIM 2"

0 LEAP 5"

 

6 +3 OCV with HA

3 Environmental Movement (If applicable based on SFX)

 

18 Elemental Control (SFX are the same as the attack that Triggered the Summon)

18 - 5d6 HA (-1/2), Variable SFX [sFX are the same as the attack that Triggered the Summon] (+1/2)

18 - 18" Flight

18 Detect (Foe that activated Trigger), Sense, Targetting, +3 PER Rolls (14-)

30 10PD/ 10ED Armor

14 Life Support: Expanded Breathing plus Safe Environments (If applicable to SFX)

 

25 Distinctive Features: SFX are the same as the attack that Triggered the Summon (Not Concealable, Extreme Reaction)

25 Physical Limitation: Banished automatically after tasks are completed (All the Time Fully)

25 Psychological Limitation: Will only Attack the Foe that Triggered the Summon (Very Common Total)

25 Social Limitation: Summoned Creature with no free will (Very Frequently, Severe)

 

Base Points 150

Disadvantages 100

Total Cost 250