My Damage Shield, too much?

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Here is a damage shield I came up with. I've never built one before and am still feeling my way through the Hero System. Its for a supers campaign that I'm running. The actual premise is tied to a suit of power armor that was intended for industrial uses in construction and repair. It started with the tunneling SFX being an anti-matter bubble that the suit generated. I then extrapolated that an anti matter bubble would destroy anything it came in contact with so I'd have to model it for something more than tunneling as well.

 

RKA 4d6 Continuous (+1) Damage Shield (+3/4) (165 active points) Activation Roll 11- (-1) X3 END (-1) OIF (-1/2) for a real point cost of 47

 

Is it unnecessarily powerful for what I want it to represent?

[Arkham]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

Considering it costs 48 END every phase, and even then only works about 60% of the time, I don't see the issue.

 

Now if you had an END reserve that fed this, then there would be a problem, as you aren't supposed to take Increased END Cost on powers that draw from an END reserve.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

Oops. It does go to an END reserve but its a 80 END 15 REC reserve. Its designed to be a failed experiment that was stolen.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

The question you need to ask yourself is whether the DS is considered active even when it isn't violently contacted. I mean, you're touching the ground, right? Or air's touching it, or whatever. Essentially, is the character going to have to roll an 11- every phase? I also presume that everything else suit-related draws END from the reserve.

 

The smart opposing character is going to watch something hit that 'destroys everything' barrier, shake his head, and go get a whole bunch of marbles to throw at you. And then, in a relatively short period of time, is going to have SuitMan laying on the ground, unable to move because the suit is out of END. This is typically why Damage Shields are bought with reduced END, not increased END.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

Thank you for your input. The design for the crazy shield is not complete and was never intended to be able to sustain itself (from a GM perspective). Its a failed experiment. My main question is on the actual build itself. Does it present itself as something that can pretty much do enough damage to chew through anything? Have I over built the power in regards to the magnitude?

 

(remeber its not supposed to really be a viable PC power, it is something the villains stole not knowing exactly what they got their hands on)

[GoldenAge]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

[Arkham]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

Actually, no. 4d6 RKA is standard superheroic damage classes, the same as a 60 STR brick would be throwing around. So while it is effective, it isn't overwelming, and might not chew through anything, let alone everything. 4d6 can always roll 4 Body...

[GoldenAge]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

Actually' date=' no. 4d6 RKA is standard superheroic damage classes, the same as a 60 STR brick would be throwing around. So while it is effective, it isn't overwelming, and might not chew through anything, let alone everything. 4d6 can always roll 4 Body...[/quote']

165 Active Points = a Brick doing 33d6... No?

[Arkham]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

165 Active Points = a Brick doing 33d6... No?

 

Not the active points, the Damage Classes.

You've still just got a 12 damage class attack.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

The question you need to ask yourself is whether the DS is considered active even when it isn't violently contacted. I mean, you're touching the ground, right? Or air's touching it, or whatever. Essentially, is the character going to have to roll an 11- every phase? I also presume that everything else suit-related draws END from the reserve.

 

The smart opposing character is going to watch something hit that 'destroys everything' barrier, shake his head, and go get a whole bunch of marbles to throw at you. And then, in a relatively short period of time, is going to have SuitMan laying on the ground, unable to move because the suit is out of END. This is typically why Damage Shields are bought with reduced END, not increased END.

 

Damage Shield costs END for each phase iyt's operational, whether anything contacts it or not. He turns it on, burns 48 END and can't run it at full power the next phase. It can only be used for short bursts, so I doubt it would be unbalancing despite its hefty AP (and DS is overpriced for its AP anyway).

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: My Damage Shield, too much?

 

I wouldn't have a real problem with this power, simply because PC's aren't dumb enough to crowd around a single target that obviously has a Damage Shield. Thus, this is really just an "auto-hit the single target that is in melee with me" power.

 

In general, I would see this power as a threat, rather than an action: it's so obvious that the PC's aren't going to bother engaging in HtH more than once while it's up. Thus, it's kind of hard to get full point-use out of it. In many ways this power is really just a a variation of "Mind Control: Don't engage me in HtH".