Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

[Dan_Kopes]

After reading through the attempted muchkin powers listed in the "New to the hero system, trying to figure out some things" thread, I thought it would be fun to start a thread on rules-legal powers that any half-intelligent GM would not allow.

 

Rules:

1) 75 ACTIVE point cost maximum

2) Don't break any of the "not allowed rules", such as having healing/regen usuable more than once a TURN, etc.

3) Buy at least 1d6 of any power...no 1/2d6 or 1 pip base powers.

4) Give and in-game description of the background and use of the power. (i.e. how you rationalize it to the GM)

 

 

 

I'll start with a power I thought of when I first started playing Champions in 1991. (God, I feel old.

 

BASE POWER:

10 pts 1d6 Entangle

 

ADVANTAGES:

+1 AoE:radius (1")

+1 x16 radius (16" radius)

+1/2 0 END

+1 Autofire 5 shots (+1 advantage because of 0 END)

+2 x256 shots (1280 shots total)

+1/2 Entangle transparent to attacks

+1/4 Personal Immunity

 

10 x 7.25 = 72.5 Active Points

 

DISADVANTAGES:

-1/2 No Range

-1/2 No DEF

 

72.5 / 2 = 36 Real Points

 

Rationalization:

This power was envisioned for several character concepts:

1) Earthmover - He calls mounds of dirt and sand to fill the area surrounding him.

2) Polymer - Sentient industrial-adhesive accident, spews forth and incredibly stick glue from his body.

3) Muck - Rampaging swamp beast who summons his sticky, clinging bog home to him.

 

How it works:

As any Munchkin Power it begins with adding a ton of advantages on a small power.

 

Normally a huge numbers of autofire shots is pointless because you only hit with an extra one for every +2 you beat the attack roll by. But, teamed with an Area of Effect, all those shots have to go somewhere. With No Range and Personal Immunity you end up filling everything within 16" and you don't affect yourself. And with so 1280 BODY in the Entangle, even Grond will take over 70 of his phases to get out(18 BODY per phase).

 

You could change the some the modifiers for taste:

Affects Desolid - only have to worry about teleporters then

Can't escape by teleport - can't remember if this is a modifier or an adder

Sticky

Continuous

Reduce the AoE radius or Autofire shots to pay for other advantages.

Remove the No Range disad to make a mess over a larger area.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I reserve the right to make mistakes. I did this from memory without th erule book in front of me. I remembered the doubling of Autofire from +1/2 to +1 if you also buy 0 END. If there are any modifier mistakes, reduce the radius or Autofire to compensate.

[Dan_Kopes]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

One quick edit to the rules:

 

5) No MEGASCALE - it makes muchkinism too easy

[Doc Samson]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Per the FAQ, you still have to roll to hit. Hitting an area is DCV 3. So even if you roll a 3 you will still only hit 5 times plus 1 for 2 pts. of OCV. I'll link it when I find it. Also note that you can use change environment to lower the DCV of a target to 0.

 

Linky

 

If an attack has both Area Of Effect and Autofire, what happens with “missed” shots?

 

For multiple shots against a single target, the Attack Roll determines how many shots hit the target. The rest are considered misses and have no effect on the target. You can randomly determine the “scatter” for the missed shots, adapting the rules on 5E 248, if you want, but the target should not suffer any additional damage.

 

If attack misses entirely, make one calculation for where the shots would scatter to based on the normal rules, then apply the damage from that one attack to the affected area. The rest, again, are considered misses and have no effect on the area hit (which may or may not overlap to hit the target anyway).

 

In either case, lots of other things may get destroyed in the area from the other “missed shots,” but they shouldn’t have any effect in game terms — it’s just a special effect — unless the GM wants to take the time and trouble to come up with a more “realistic” result.

 

For single shots against multiple targets, determine whether each hits, and for any misses determine the scatter normally.

 

 

Here are some of my favorite recent exploits:

 

Healing Factor

Sell back all of your REC to 0. Re-buy it all with the Gradual Effect: 1 Turn (-1/4). Starting on your Phase 12 Recovery, you will get END and STUN back every segment. For example, if you have a 36 REC (72 APs), you will Recover 3 END and STUN per Segment.

 

Grappling Supremecy

Max STR plus Clinging Damage Shield (15 APs) plus +1/2 STR Only For Determining casual STR (-1 1/2)

The result of this is that when you Grab an opponent, you also Cling to them. This now requires two rolls to get away from the character. Also, having Casual STR equal to your normal STR allows you to make 2 rolls when escaping from Grabs.

 

Uncanny Dodge

Change Environent, -X OCV, No Range (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2)

In a 75 pt. campaign, anyone trying to hit you would have a -15 OCV and it's half the cost of DCV levels.

 

Autofire (or Sweep) Mastery

Autofire (or Sweep) Attack Linked to 1" Change Environment, -X DCV

In a 75 pt. Campaign this would reduce the target's DCV by 15, most likely bottoming it out to zero, thereby increasing the number of hits (or potential hits for Sweep).

 

Melee Reflection

Martial Block with a No Time Automatic Reset Trigger (whenever attacked in melee) (+1). See the UMA for cost.

This obviosuly represent total Reflection when Combined with an Uncontrolled Missile Deflection and, per 5ER pg. 399, you can apply the bonus from Martial Block to your Missile Deflection roll.

 

Analyze Weakness

Maximum Find Weakness, Persistent or Uncontrolled (+1/2) plus Analyze Skill for complementary bonuses to roll.

After a few phases of combat, anyone without a decent amount of Lack of Weakness is going to be pretty squishy.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

+75 PRE. Guarantees +30 PRE against pretty much everything and PRE attacks don't have to roll to hit.

[薔薇語]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Teleportation 1", Position Shift, x2 Increased Mass, Uncontrolled (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Continuous (+1), Usable As Attack (+1) (48 Active Points); Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4)

 

 

The above power is ment to be use on an opponent to cuase them to "teleport" where they are but face down. It will cuase the target to be prone to any attacks coming at him.

 

Possible rationals for this power would be:

 

The Judo Master: So keen to tossing his oppents town before him, he doesn't even give it a second thought. The appropriate Defenses would be FF(special F/X, ie cant touch your opponent), Massive size difference, and the oponent is also of "black belt" level.

 

Tricky Teleporter: This person is capable of forcing his powers on to others that he simply teleports them where they are but in a face down position. The appropriate defenses would be FF(like above) and the Teleportation power.

 

I would also recomend a limitation such as "must remain in contact with subject" to better rationalize the Conitinus advantage for the Judo Master. Also might not be a bad idea for the Tricky Teleporter.

 

La Rose

[薔薇語]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

+75 PRE. Guarantees +30 PRE against pretty much everything and PRE attacks don't have to roll to hit.

 

 

Also it is a "Free Action." It doesn't have the limitations that a "zero phase" have. Zero phase can only be done on your turn and only once per power/ability. Free actions can be off turn and done as many times as you desire.

 

La Rose

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

After reading through the attempted muchkin powers listed in the "New to the hero system' date=' trying to figure out some things"[/b'] thread, I thought it would be fun to start a thread on rules-legal powers that any half-intelligent GM would not allow.

 

Rules:

1) 75 ACTIVE point cost maximum

2) Don't break any of the "not allowed rules", such as having healing/regen usuable more than once a TURN, etc.

3) Buy at least 1d6 of any power...no 1/2d6 or 1 pip base powers.

4) Give and in-game description of the background and use of the power. (i.e. how you rationalize it to the GM)

 

 

 

I'll start with a power I thought of when I first started playing Champions in 1991. (God, I feel old.

 

BASE POWER:

10 pts 1d6 Entangle

 

ADVANTAGES:

+1 AoE:radius (1")

+1 x16 radius (16" radius)

+1/2 0 END

+1 Autofire 5 shots (+1 advantage because of 0 END)

+2 x256 shots (1280 shots total)

+1/2 Entangle transparent to attacks

+1/4 Personal Immunity

 

10 x 7.25 = 72.5 Active Points

 

DISADVANTAGES:

-1/2 No Range

-1/2 No DEF

 

72.5 / 2 = 36 Real Points

 

Rationalization:

This power was envisioned for several character concepts:

1) Earthmover - He calls mounds of dirt and sand to fill the area surrounding him.

2) Polymer - Sentient industrial-adhesive accident, spews forth and incredibly stick glue from his body.

3) Muck - Rampaging swamp beast who summons his sticky, clinging bog home to him.

 

How it works:

As any Munchkin Power it begins with adding a ton of advantages on a small power.

 

Normally a huge numbers of autofire shots is pointless because you only hit with an extra one for every +2 you beat the attack roll by. But, teamed with an Area of Effect, all those shots have to go somewhere. With No Range and Personal Immunity you end up filling everything within 16" and you don't affect yourself. And with so 1280 BODY in the Entangle, even Grond will take over 70 of his phases to get out(18 BODY per phase).

 

You could change the some the modifiers for taste:

Affects Desolid - only have to worry about teleporters then

Can't escape by teleport - can't remember if this is a modifier or an adder

Sticky

Continuous

Reduce the AoE radius or Autofire shots to pay for other advantages.

Remove the No Range disad to make a mess over a larger area.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I reserve the right to make mistakes. I did this from memory without th erule book in front of me. I remembered the doubling of Autofire from +1/2 to +1 if you also buy 0 END. If there are any modifier mistakes, reduce the radius or Autofire to compensate.

 

Hey, you did pretty good for off the top of your head.

 

Here's the build using current rules via HDv3:

33 Big Pile of Dirt: Entangle 1d6, 0 DEF, Entangle And Character Both Take Damage (+1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1), Area Of Effect (112" Radius; +2), Autofire (1280 shots; +4 1/2), Non-Standard Attack Power (+1) (100 Active Points); No Defense (-1 1/2), No Range (-1/2) - END=0

 

The argument could be made that this build would do nothing to slow Grond down. See Casual Strength.

[Arkham]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

 

Uncanny Dodge

Change Environent, -X OCV, No Range (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2)

In a 75 pt. campaign, anyone trying to hit you would have a -15 OCV and it's half the cost of DCV levels.

 

 

I don't think this one does what you think it does.

 

A 'Self Only' Change Environment means it only affects you. And as you didn't buy personal immunity, you've just given yourself -X OCV with no other effect.

 

Now a -X OCV, change environment, Usable As Attack, Personal Immunity would keep your whole team from a single target. But negative combat skill levels would do the same thing with less effort in the writeup.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

BASE POWER:

10 pts 1d6 Entangle

 

ADVANTAGES:

+1 AoE:radius (1")

+1 x16 radius (16" radius)

+1/2 0 END

+1 Autofire 5 shots (+1 advantage because of 0 END)

+2 x256 shots (1280 shots total)

+1/2 Entangle transparent to attacks

+1/4 Personal Immunity

 

10 x 7.25 = 72.5 Active Points

 

DISADVANTAGES:

-1/2 No Range

-1/2 No DEF

 

72.5 / 2 = 36 Real Points

...

DISCLAIMER: I reserve the right to make mistakes. I did this from memory without th erule book in front of me. I remembered the doubling of Autofire from +1/2 to +1 if you also buy 0 END. If there are any modifier mistakes, reduce the radius or Autofire to compensate.

Yes, you did make a few mistakes:

 

Autofire doubles the cost of 0 END, not the other way around.

The cost of Autofire doubles if the power doesn't use a normal attack roll against a target's DCV (such as if it is Area Effect, as the case here.)

5 Shot Autofire is +1/2, and each doubling is another +1/2.

 

So you've really got:

+1/2 AoE:radius (1") (might as well save the points here)

+1 x16 radius (16" radius)

+1 0 END (doubled due to Autofire)

+3 Autofire 20 shots (doubled because of AoE)

+1/2 Entangle transparent to attacks

+1/4 Personal Immunity

 

72 Active, 36 Real

 

And not all that abusive as it only has a maximum of 20 BODY, not 1280.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

After reading through the attempted muchkin powers listed in the "New to the hero system' date=' trying to figure out some things"[/b'] thread, I thought it would be fun to start a thread on rules-legal powers that any half-intelligent GM would not allow.

 

Rules:

1) 75 ACTIVE point cost maximum

2) Don't break any of the "not allowed rules", such as having healing/regen usuable more than once a TURN, etc.

3) Buy at least 1d6 of any power...no 1/2d6 or 1 pip base powers.

4) Give and in-game description of the background and use of the power. (i.e. how you rationalize it to the GM)

 

Whats wrong with using a 1pip or 1/2D6 KA? (its the same as buying 1D6 or 2D6 EB or HA point wise) One of my best Munchkin powers I designed was based on an Area Effect, Autofire(10) 1/2D6RKA that was AP and PEN.

[Nucleon]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Away!

Dispel Knockback resistance, Does knockback, Double knockback.

There is no such thing as an un-moveable object anymore

 

or

 

Mind Scan + Ego Blast + Tunelling.

 

[Nekkidcarpenter]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Whats wrong with using a 1pip or 1/2D6 KA? (its the same as buying 1D6 or 2D6 EB or HA point wise) One of my best Munchkin powers I designed was based on an Area Effect' date=' Autofire(10) 1/2D6RKA that was AP and PEN.[/quote']

 

If you're reading a post with Munchkin in the header, then at some point you've made an Autofire, AP, Pen attack. And your GM sighed. 'Oh, yeah. Brilliant idea. First time I've ever seen anyone do that.'

 

And you discovered that you could annoy a whole bunch of people and break all the windows and scratch all the paint in a big area.

 

Or maybe that was just my experience............

[Nekkidcarpenter]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Drain SPD 0 1/2d6, Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), No Normal Defense (Temporal manipulation powers, wearing a Chrono Watch, 0 Int. mechanical objects.; +1), Continuous (+1), Invisible Power Effects, Hide effects of Power, SFX Only (Fully Invisible; +1), Mobile (+1), Cumulative (192 points; +2), Area Of Effect (8388608" Radius; +6 1/4) (75 Active Points)

 

 

Everyone else gets their Speed Drained to 1. And if you'll notice the size, that means EVERYONE. Except for his thugs wearing the Chrono Watches he's given them. Fast guys will eventually notice that everyone else seems faster (as they all move at the same speed and the fast guy is used to moving more often) and slow guys will think everyone else has slowed down to their speed. Note that the Drain affects Computers but NOT Vehicles. And of course, Our Hero. I like to call him Time Lad.

[Comic]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

15d6 EB, 0 Endurance for first 12d6 (+1/2) AP=105.

 

For a mere 1 END/Phase (tirelessly for most), your character can reduce hardened bunkers to rubble from a half a kilometer at full CV.

 

Delay one segment, and take a DCV penalty, and this becomes 19d6 with Haymaker! Enough to penetrate the armor of some of the toughest military vehicles in existence, start most ships sinking, and set mountainsides crumbling into avalanches.

 

Spread this monstrous attack, and you can still deliver lethal damage to a room large enough to hold dozens of people at once.

 

Push this attack, and although it requires a monumental effort, you can do even more wildly unrealistic harm.

 

Rationale? Who cares? It's numbers! Numbers on paper! That's all that really matters, right?

[Doc Samson]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

I don't think this one does what you think it does.

 

A 'Self Only' Change Environment means it only affects you. And as you didn't buy personal immunity, you've just given yourself -X OCV with no other effect.

 

Now a -X OCV, change environment, Usable As Attack, Personal Immunity would keep your whole team from a single target. But negative combat skill levels would do the same thing with less effort in the writeup.

 

Please refer to the Self Only Limitation in the Change Environment section of 5ER (pg. 138). There is also an example using this build based on -PER.

[bwdemon]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

I think one of the safest ways to avoid issues like this is to put a hard cap of +1 on power advantages. It also prevents the ghetto workaround builds (e.g. using EB, Based on ECV, Does Body instead of Ego Attack, Does Body).

 

Alternately, why doesn't the system just impose advantages individually? It'd solve the workarounds and balance things out a bit...

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

I think one of the safest ways to avoid issues like this is to put a hard cap of +1 on power advantages. It also prevents the ghetto workaround builds (e.g. using EB' date=' Based on ECV, Does Body[/i'] instead of Ego Attack, Does Body).

 

It also eliminates a lot of concepts, including all AVLD's, any NND that Does BOD, any Area of Effect attack with any other advantages, attacks that are fired once and continue to affect the target with no further effort by the attacker (Continuous Uncontrolled), the current Damage Shield and Regeneration, and, doubtless, dozens of other legitimate concepts that simply aren't covered by core powers.

 

It should also eliminate Ego Attacks, which are really AVLD Energy Blasts with IPE and LOS range.

 

If we just rule away everything that could be abused, it doesn't leave much to build those never-abusive characters with.

[bwdemon]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

AVLDs, NND+Does BODY, Area Effect with other advantages, Uncontrolled Continuous effects, Damage Shields... all of those are the sorts of things where HERO fails as a system to adequately reflect the impact of the power.

 

Legitimate concept? Sure! It'll be disproportionately powerful, but it can still be legitimate. That doesn't mean that all legitimate concepts should be allowed in any game.

[Zed-F]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Healing Factor

Sell back all of your REC to 0. Re-buy it all with the Gradual Effect: 1 Turn (-1/4). Starting on your Phase 12 Recovery, you will get END and STUN back every segment. For example, if you have a 36 REC (72 APs), you will Recover 3 END and STUN per Segment.

Doesn't seem like a big problem, but the GM might not start every fight on phase 12 if you took a power like this.

 

Uncanny Dodge

Change Environent, -X OCV, No Range (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2)

In a 75 pt. campaign, anyone trying to hit you would have a -15 OCV and it's half the cost of DCV levels.

Don't forget personal immunity. Also screws over any allies you have in the area. Moreover, normally there is a cap of -5 OCV unless you get GM permission.

 

Autofire (or Sweep) Mastery

Autofire (or Sweep) Attack Linked to 1" Change Environment, -X DCV

In a 75 pt. Campaign this would reduce the target's DCV by 15, most likely bottoming it out to zero, thereby increasing the number of hits (or potential hits for Sweep).

Better get personal immunity if it's for a melee attack since many melee attackers want to get in your hex. Again there is a cap on max DCV you can apply in a CE. Moreover I would rule that extra applications of the same CE in the same hex do not stack; all your autofire gets you is extra hexes you can place your CE in.

 

Analyze Weakness

Maximum Find Weakness, Persistent or Uncontrolled (+1/2) plus Analyze Skill for complementary bonuses to roll.

After a few phases of combat, anyone without a decent amount of Lack of Weakness is going to be pretty squishy.

Don't think this is rules-legal.

 

+75 PRE. Guarantees +30 PRE against pretty much everything and PRE attacks don't have to roll to hit.

A huge presence is not a problem in a game with the right JLA-level tone, so long as the GM and the players have some ground rules in place regarding what a huge presence will or will not do. In-genre, it will allow you to send any mook-level opponents running and give a significant advantage against henchmen not prepared to deal with PRE-master. But against prepared name opponents, master villains, and so forth? Not so much.

 

Also it is a "Free Action." It doesn't have the limitations that a "zero phase" have. Zero phase can only be done on your turn and only once per power/ability. Free actions can be off turn and done as many times as you desire.

The rules on PRE attacks give guidelines that PRE attacks are meant to be used once per scene, when dramatically appropriate. You can't just toss them around willy-nilly, and a PC that does should be penalized on their effectiveness. "Yeah, you told us that already, blabbermouth. Just shut up and take your licks like a man!"

[Zed-F]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

I don't think this one does what you think it does.

 

A 'Self Only' Change Environment means it only affects you. And as you didn't buy personal immunity, you've just given yourself -X OCV with no other effect.

You're right that he needs personal immunity, but in this context 'self only' is a targetting qualifier. It means he can only target himself. Since it's an AoE, it still affects everyone in the radius.

 

And no, self-only is not the same as 'no range'. If it were 'no range' but not 'self only', he could plop one down in his own hex and leave it there while he wanders off somewhere else to do it again. With both 'no range' and 'self only' the effect automatically and always follows him around.

[Zed-F]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Away!

Dispel Knockback resistance, Does knockback, Double knockback.

There is no such thing as an un-moveable object anymore

Except that the knockback is applied before the effects of the dispel are applied, as is always the case for adjustment powers that affect defenses. So anything with KB resistance still gets full benefit.

 

Personally I prefer Coach Boomer's version: Flash Hearing, Does KB, Double KB. "Siiiidekick!"

[Zed-F]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

If we just rule away everything that could be abused' date=' it doesn't leave much to build those never-abusive characters with.[/quote']

I agree here. Anything can be abused.

 

Even skills. How about Persuasion at 27-. On a 17- I can convince anyone of anything, including blatant untruths.

 

Even ostensibly useless stuff like COM. With a 100 COM I have effectively +50 PRE for any PRE attack or interaction skill where looking good would be helpful. With a -100 COM I have +50 PRE for scaring people.

 

-------

 

As far as abusive builds, advantage stacking is indeed a primary and obvious source for them. Anything that has more than +2 in advantages needs some serious justification in my books.

 

Another fertile ground for abusive builds is the damage stacking rules. If I have a martial artist with 15 STR, a martial strike, a couple martial DCs, and a +3d6 HA, that's 10d6 damage -- a good start. Now if I give him instead a MP of a variety of advantaged 30-AP HAs, he can become a holy terror. How about a 2d6 NND Does Body HA? Suddenly that 10d6 attack becomes a 8d6 NND Does Body attack. Ouch.

 

Adjustment powers can also be easy to abuse. For example Succor, because Succor has no cap. Especially Succor with a 0 END advantage, since END costs are the primary brake on Succor. Even something as simple as '2d6 Succor STR, 0 END' for 15 AP can give you and anyone else in LOS effectively limitless strength, as long as you have actions to burn boosting people's strength. Like, in non-combat time prior to a fight. Tack on a Continuous advantage on that and you only have to do it once for each person you want to pump up.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

AVLDs' date=' NND+Does BODY, Area Effect with other advantages, Uncontrolled Continuous effects, Damage Shields... all of those are the sorts of things where HERO fails as a system to adequately reflect the impact of the power.[/quote']

 

Actually, whether AP, NND and AVLD are appropriately costed depends primarily on average defense levels. Would you rather have a 12d6 normal attack, 8d6 AP attack or 6d6 NND?

 

Well, if my target has 40 defenses, that 6d6 NND is looking pretty good. It will average 21 STUN throught. The AP only gets 8 STUN and the normal attack averages 2.

 

Drop those defenses down to 15, though, and the normal attack averages 27, AP averages 20 and NND is still at 21.

 

At 30 defenses, the normal attack averages 12 through, AP gets 13 through and the NND still sits at 21.

 

If anything, the problem is that AP is overcosted, although a lot depends on how common that NND defense really is.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

After reading through the attempted muchkin powers listed in the "New to the hero system' date=' trying to figure out some things"[/b'] thread, I thought it would be fun to start a thread on rules-legal powers that any half-intelligent GM would not allow.

 

..........................

 

Rationalization:

This power was envisioned for several character concepts:

1) Earthmover - He calls mounds of dirt and sand to fill the area surrounding him.

2) Polymer - Sentient industrial-adhesive accident, spews forth and incredibly stick glue from his body.

3) Muck - Rampaging swamp beast who summons his sticky, clinging bog home to him.

 

How it works:

As any Munchkin Power it begins with adding a ton of advantages on a small power.

 

Normally a huge numbers of autofire shots is pointless because you only hit with an extra one for every +2 you beat the attack roll by. But, teamed with an Area of Effect, all those shots have to go somewhere. With No Range and Personal Immunity you end up filling everything within 16" and you don't affect yourself. And with so 1280 BODY in the Entangle, even Grond will take over 70 of his phases to get out(18 BODY per phase).

 

You could change the some the modifiers for taste:

Affects Desolid - only have to worry about teleporters then

Can't escape by teleport - can't remember if this is a modifier or an adder

Sticky

Continuous

Reduce the AoE radius or Autofire shots to pay for other advantages.

Remove the No Range disad to make a mess over a larger area.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I reserve the right to make mistakes. I did this from memory without th erule book in front of me. I remembered the doubling of Autofire from +1/2 to +1 if you also buy 0 END. If there are any modifier mistakes, reduce the radius or Autofire to compensate.

 

 

I have a couple of minor quibbles with this build, but only a couple:

 

1. How do you justify the personal immunity?

2. How do you justify the amount of BODY you generate? A hex of earth has 16 BODY (from memory) so I'd struggle to allow more than this.

3. How do you justify the attack transparency?

 

I'm not just being pedantic - well obviously I AM being pedantic, not JUST pedantic - I genuinely think this is the best way to deal with munchkinism; require an internally consistent rationalle and don't allow the munchkin to fall back on:

 

a) It just does.

It doesn't matter, with this power I will RULE!

c) Justify? I got the points, it is up to me how I spend them.

 

A vital part of any build is concept, and, no, 'cool' is not a concept. Concept is not something that just happens in a player's head, it is something that fits in with the physical and possibly metaphysical parameters of the gameworld.

 

Build with that in mind, or at least GM with that in mind, and munchkinism tends to go away.

 

Having said that, before a discussion about 'How to survive an atomic bomb' on this boards ancestor, you could autofire and stack tiny force walls. That was a giggle.

 

True munchkinism is not as difficult as a lot of people think though:

 

For a brick: +10 levels with punch for 30 points. Perfectly 'rules legal', if way outside the parameters of the campaign CV limits in most cases, and for a 'mere' 30 points you hit with every punch.

 

For a mentalist: 30 points of supress EGO will reduce most people's EGO by 10 points, making them pretty vulnerable.

 

For anyone worried about mentalists +15 with breakout rolls for 30 points means that mental powers can only ever get you for a moment.

 

Any kind of UAA EDM. Most UAA powers, for that matter. Most EDM for that matter - let me give some examples.

 

EDM to a plane where time passes 86000 times faster than here. Basically you buy all your powers with 'useable once a day' and, when you have used them, EDM to a place where a day passes there in 1 segment here.

 

EDM to a plane where you are instantly healed of all injuries, and restored to perfect physical, mental and spiritual health.

 

EDM to a plane that does both of the above, and grants you 10 experience points for visiting.

 

The point I make is that, whilst there are some indicators of incipient munchkinism: huge active point totals on, huge advantage totals on low active point powers, you need neither a lot of points nor a lot of advantages to munchkin. In fact all you really need is a group of people who like that style of play or a group of people you really don't care about.

[Nekkidcarpenter]

Re: Munchkin powers on legal active point costs

 

Uh, Hugh? Zed? I don't mean to criticize, but did you read the original post? Maybe I misinterpreted it, but it sure didn't seem like it was supposed to be a thread about how to avoid abusing powers.

 

So hows about sending in your own good old fashioned super-advantaged power? Come on, you can do it...............