New Mechanic: Transformation

[schir1964]

Transformation

Transformation allows one to change or transform the reality around them. There are several levels of transformation based on the amount of change that can be achieved.

 

• Cosmetic Transformation: A tiny change that will usually only affect a single attribute or be perceived by a single sense.
  Examples: Turning someone's eyes green, hair curly, change a pattern on a shirt, make money cleaner, or making the air smell nicer.
  
• Minor Transformation: A simple change that does not alter substance.
  Examples: Turn someone's skin brown, their hair bald, change the design of a shirt, make change from money, make the air free of poisons.
  
• Major Transformation: A significant change that does not greatly alter basic substance.
  Examples: Turn someone's skin transparent, their hair into celery, change a shirt into a leather trench coat, turn money into equal value of gold, make air into a noxious gas.
  
• Total Transformation: A complete change of any kind.
  Examples: Turn someone into an ashtray, change a shirt into a dragon, make money into ten filled coffee cups, make air into an equal volume of liquid acid. This would allow the character to change someone's soul, mind, and body all at once.
  

 

Costs

Cosmetic Transformation: 3 Points Per 1d6

Minor Transformation: 5 Points Per 1d6

Major Transformation: 10 Points Per 1d6

Total Transformation: 15 Points Per 1d6

 

Concept by CTaylor

[Sean Waters]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

Hero is utterly psychotic about not allowing transformations of things into valuable items. That never did make sense, except from a game balance POV, and not really from that if you think about it.

 

Frankly, in any game where powers are allowed, players can make money from them if that is what they want to do. Someone with superstrength would be worth millions in the construction industry, for example.

 

My solution to that particular dialemma would be to have the GM disallow any 'item to gold' or equivalent in game if they want to, rather than prevent it as a sort of meta rule.

 

Sorry - this is only peripherally on-topic, but I thought it needed saying.

[CTaylor]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

Yeah seems like the economy of a certain game should be up to the GM, not a rule. If you want your characters to create money, let em, in most games it doesn't mean much anyway.

[schir1964]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

CTaylor, anything I need to add/remove/change in the original post?

 

- Christopher Mullins

[CTaylor]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

No, looks pretty good to me at present, I would like to add that I'm very uncomfortable with the mind/soul/body setup in the present Transformation rules. It basically requires you to buy a 300 point power just to turn someone into a block of stone when for that many points in a KA you could blow up the whole planet at once.

[Sean Waters]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

There is a certain cachet in finesse though.

 

That's not to mention the problems: it is all well and good blowing up the planet to defeat your enemy, but where are you going to go for a drink afterwards?

[Sean Waters]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

No' date=' looks pretty good to me at present, I would like to add that I'm very uncomfortable with the mind/soul/body setup in the present Transformation rules. It basically requires you to buy a 300 point power just to turn someone into a block of stone when for that many points in a KA you could blow up the whole planet at once.[/quote']

 

 

Actually you can change (almost) anyone into a block of stone for a lot less than that, although it may take a couple of goes. You don't really need anything but a physical transform - in most cases being a mind with a soul that is in a block of stone will be indistinguishable from being a block of stone.

 

Realistically to kill a Brick with a killing attack (assuming 25 resistant def, and 20 Body) in one go will require a 65 point roll, which is a 19d6 average killing attack, for 285 points....rather more than the transform would cost (given the all-or-nothing limtiation you'd apply) even if the brick also had 25 power defence (and let us face it - who does?)

 

There is something to be said for leaving the body as normal but changing the mind, or the soul to a block of stone. Roleplay THAT, sukka!

[CTaylor]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

While technically true that a block of stone effectively has its mind and soul transformed, it does actually take about 75 points of a power to transform someone - all three effects - into a block of stone even with cumulative effect and time to use the power completely. To do it in one shot, on average? 315 points.

 

And that's just a normal 10 body person.

 

That's just absurd.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

While technically true that a block of stone effectively has its mind and soul transformed, it does actually take about 75 points of a power to transform someone - all three effects - into a block of stone even with cumulative effect and time to use the power completely. To do it in one shot, on average? 315 points.

 

And that's just a normal 10 body person.

 

That's just absurd.

 

What would be absurd, in my opinion, would be a power that costs 60 or 75 points taking out most Super opponents in a single shot. That would make Transform far too powerful for its cost.

 

Unlike a killing attack or an energy blast, most Supers are not vastly better defended against a Transform than Joe Normal is.

[CTaylor]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

I agree, 75 points would be too cheap, if it did it in a single shot.

 

I wasn't arguing that ought to be the price, only that that it costs that much to build a cumulative effect that did what I was describing.

 

And Most supers have at least a few more Body and some power defense, making them significantly more powerful against transform. It doesn't take much.

[Sean Waters]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

Surely it costs 15 points as the power is already cumulative: 1 pip of each of body, mind and soul...and a lot of time.

 

Hell for 45 points, you can make that double penetrating and continuous.

 

Now it IS going to take 20 phases, but for the average super that is, what, 48 seconds, but once you've hit, they are doomed - if you can stay conscious long enough

 

In most games turning someone into a block of stone in 48 seconds would be positively droolworthy. Here it is pretty lame. Got to love Hero.

[CTaylor]

Re: New Mechanic: Transformation

 

I don't know, I doubt there's any game that would think taking almost a minute to complete a task that required 20+ attack rolls be successful and not be interrupted or stopped at any time, with the target staying in range. I'd call that a pretty lousy power.