How Annoying?

[Sundansyr]

Just how annoying would this power be... A continuous grenade?

 

3d6 EB

+ 3/4 : Explosion (3 levels falloff)

+ 1 : Continuous

+ 1/2 : Persistent

+ 1/2 : 0 END

+ 1/2 : Armor Piercing

 

- 3 1/2 : OAF (Independant), Bulky, Indestructable

- 3/4 : Does no STUN

- 1/2 : No Range (Item must be placed or thrown)

 

Active Points: 64

Real Cost: 11

 

A handful of these thrown into (or planted in) a crowded mall during the busy shopping season by your friendly neighborhood 'thug' level villain(s)! The thugs have to remain within a certain range with the activator to keep the things running... but how the activator works, or where it is (or where the thugs are!) is not at all easy to pinpoint.

[CorPse]

Re: How Annoying?

 

"Deck the halls with holiday shoppers... "

[Chris Goodwin]

Just how annoying would this power be... A continuous grenade?

 

3d6 EB

+ 3/4 : Explosion (3 levels falloff)

+ 1 : Continuous

+ 1/2 : Persistent

+ 1/2 : 0 END

+ 1/2 : Penetrating

 

- 3 1/2 : OAF (Independant), Bulky, Indestructable

- 3/4 : Does no STUN

- 1/2 : No Range (Item must be placed or thrown)

 

Active Points: 64

Real Cost: 11

 

A handful of these thrown into (or planted in) a crowded mall during the busy shopping season by your friendly neighborhood 'thug' level villain(s)! The thugs have to remain within a certain range with the activator to keep the things running... but how the activator works, or where it is (or where the thugs are!) is not at all easy to pinpoint.

 

Technically, the thugs don't need to remain nearby once it's been placed (Continuous and Independent). However, because you didn't build in any kind of delay or trigger condition, and because it's No Range, whoever places it gets caught in it. Plus, given it's Bulky, it will be hard to smuggle in. Given it's Continuous, 0 END and Persistent, you'll need to define a condition that will turn it off. Side issue: given it's Independent, most GMs won't allow it to also be Indestructible; side issue number two, whoever is making these things is putting out 11 character points a pop that they're not getting back.

[JmOz]

Re: How Annoying?

 

Just how annoying would this power be... A continuous grenade?

 

3d6 EB

+ 3/4 : Explosion (3 levels falloff)

+ 1 : Continuous

+ 1/2 : Persistent

+ 1/2 : 0 END

+ 1/2 : Armor Piercing

 

- 3 1/2 : OAF (Independant), Bulky, Indestructable

- 3/4 : Does no STUN

- 1/2 : No Range (Item must be placed or thrown)

 

Active Points: 64

Real Cost: 11

 

A handful of these thrown into (or planted in) a crowded mall during the busy shopping season by your friendly neighborhood 'thug' level villain(s)! The thugs have to remain within a certain range with the activator to keep the things running... but how the activator works, or where it is (or where the thugs are!) is not at all easy to pinpoint.

 

Looks remarkably like how I do gas grenades, no range should be range based on Str

 

Explosive

Sticky

 

OIF

Charges (CC)

[Sundansyr]

Re: How Annoying?

 

Adjusted - Penetrating cannot be applied to the Body of a Normal Damage attack (P 266), switched to Armor Piercing.

 

As for 'being caught in it'... Thug A puts it in place, Thug B (with the activator) triggers it from beyond the blast range. I was under the impression that 'Zero Range' meant that it had no range from the point of initiation (the foci, which being 'independant' can be placed away from the owner... or am I wrong?). Indestructable is a must otherwise it would destroy itself quickly, or perhaps be forced to by 'personal immunity' for the foci.

 

Yes, it's bulky so difficult to smuggle in... normally. No one pays much attention to UPS guys wheeling in deliveries, especially during the busy holidays.

 

The conditions to turn it off? Find the Thug that bought it (paid the points, so posseses the 'activator' since it is not purchased 'universal'), jam the activator frequency, drain/suppress the foci itself (or the thug w/ the activator), TK it out of the area, or just pick it up if the person can resist the KB by sheer use of STR (successful grapple roll to retain it each time it 'explodes', which given it's bought by a low/mid level thug is on a SPD of 3 or 4, at most).

 

Since it is 'armor piercing' it would end up going through the floor pretty quickly, and through the subfloors, and the bedrock... how long before the density of natural media can resist its damage output?

[casualplayer]

Re: How Annoying?

 

I really hope your hypothetical scenario isn't going to get the boards shut down by Homeland Security. Men in Black, it's just a game!

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: How Annoying?

 

This one's more annoying:

 

4d6 EB

Area of Effect: 1 Hex (+1/2)

MegaScale: 1 hex=20 meters (+1/4)

256 Continuing Charges Lasting 5 Minutes (+1)

Armor Piercing (+1/2)

 

OAF: Grenades (-1)

Expendable (-1/4)

Independent (-2)

Range Based On STR (-1/4)

 

65 Active Points

14 Real Points

 

SPD 2 thugs can throw 'em around, keeping them safely out of the area. One guy can blanket an entire mall in a few Turns. Plus they do STUN. These run for five minutes, more than long enough to shred a mall full of shoppers. Yours are 11 points each; these are 14 for 256.

[Sundansyr]

Re: How Annoying?

 

And juuuuust to make it really, really scary:

 

Buy it 'sticky'...

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: How Annoying?

 

Adjusted - Penetrating cannot be applied to the Body of a Normal Damage attack (P 266), switched to Armor Piercing.

 

As for 'being caught in it'... Thug A puts it in place, Thug B (with the activator) triggers it from beyond the blast range.

 

You didn't buy any Advantages that would allow this.

 

I was under the impression that 'Zero Range' meant that it had no range from the point of initiation (the foci, which being 'independant' can be placed away from the owner... or am I wrong?).

 

You didn't buy any Advantages to give the ability to place it and run. It's No Range, so it's going to follow whoever has the Focus.

 

Indestructable is a must otherwise it would destroy itself quickly, or perhaps be forced to by 'personal immunity' for the foci.

 

You don't have to worry about it destroying itself; that's SFX.

 

Yes, it's bulky so difficult to smuggle in... normally. No one pays much attention to UPS guys wheeling in deliveries, especially during the busy holidays.

 

I'll give you that.

 

The conditions to turn it off? Find the Thug that bought it (paid the points, so posseses the 'activator' since it is not purchased 'universal'), jam the activator frequency, drain/suppress the foci itself (or the thug w/ the activator), TK it out of the area, or just pick it up if the person can resist the KB by sheer use of STR (successful grapple roll to retain it each time it 'explodes', which given it's bought by a low/mid level thug is on a SPD of 3 or 4, at most).

 

Not sure I'd allow any of these conditions. It has to be something reasonably common and available (example: a fire extinguisher); I wouldn't allow "Use Power X" on it. It's only 3d6, so knockback isn't going to be much, if any. You might get three 6's on your 3d6, for 6 BODY, and you might roll 2d6 on your Knockback roll, for 4" Knockback; on average you'll get 3 BODY and a 7 for knockback for no knockback.

 

Since it is 'armor piercing' it would end up going through the floor pretty quickly, and through the subfloors, and the bedrock... how long before the density of natural media can resist its damage output?

 

Again, SFX. It won't be doing all of that stuff, unless the GM says it will.

[Sundansyr]

Re: How Annoying?

 

Hmmm, all salient points to ponder.

 

'Range' seems to be a sticky issue, not that the thugs would worry about the damage since they'd have enough armor to resist it. My concern is that the thug is the only one left standing the AoE; easy target.

How would 'range based on STR' work with a bulky foci?

 

As for a condition to turn it off, I guess that would have to be applied to whatever the SFX is, right? Extiguisher for a fire explosion, EMP being 'grounded', sonic with a blanket... ect?

 

It looks like I could drop some of the advantages to balance out removing the 'bulky' foci limitation, and change the range to 'based on STR'... Guess that gas grenade, with an adjusted SFX, works much better (and it's NND to boot!). Then just make the effect sticky, and pretty much pulp the entire population of softies if the Hero's are not acting zippy to counter the grenades.

 

With the power being persistent & continuous, the grenade would keep going off if the thug were knocked out, but with the 'range based on STR' would it turn off if the thug runs out of that range or if the stickied victim ran away? I did not purchase it 'uncontrolled' specifically so that the thug can deactivate (and potentially recover) the device.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: How Annoying?

 

With the power being persistent & continuous' date=' the grenade would keep going off if the thug were knocked out, but with the 'range based on STR' would it turn off if the thug runs out of that range or if the stickied victim ran away?[/quote']

 

Nope, unless "going out of range" is the condition for turning it off.

[FireTiger]

Re: How Annoying?

 

Just how annoying would this power be... A continuous grenade?

 

3d6 EB

+ 3/4 : Explosion (3 levels falloff)

+ 1 : Continuous

+ 1/2 : Persistent

+ 1/2 : 0 END

+ 1/2 : Armor Piercing

 

- 3 1/2 : OAF (Independant), Bulky, Indestructable

- 3/4 : Does no STUN

- 1/2 : No Range (Item must be placed or thrown)

 

Active Points: 64

Real Cost: 11

 

A handful of these thrown into (or planted in) a crowded mall during the busy shopping season by your friendly neighborhood 'thug' level villain(s)! The thugs have to remain within a certain range with the activator to keep the things running... but how the activator works, or where it is (or where the thugs are!) is not at all easy to pinpoint.

 

Hmmm... what would the SFX be? Especially for an Explosion doing no STUN.

 

Being a Bulky Focus, it certainly isn't a grenade and being No Range, it requires some kind of 'delivery system;' simply being thrown by an agent can probably be ruled out (the book mentions that a Bulky Focus is difficult to carry, even using both hands). As was mentioned above, having them wheel it in on a handtruck would work best with a Trigger.

 

And why do I have returning memories of the Hellburner bomb from Space Opera?

[Vondy]

Re: How Annoying?

 

As a construct, Chris has covered my basic concerns. However, from the theoretical perspective: what's the justification? How does it work? Is there a reason its indestructible other than "I want the thing to be annoying?" Are you reasoning from effect, or trying to create an annoying meta-gaming scenario?

 

Personally, as a player, I resent those kinds of scenarios - esp. if I'm supposed to be playing "in character." I'm not saying your scenario would run this way, but in my experience, players often encounter a situation with little or no information, do all the rational things, have the GM smugly say "nope" to all of them, and then the GM clucks and tells them they have to use their brains (which implies they haven't been so far).

 

Even if they extend the rational, normative things to tracing the activation switch and turning it off from there, when they ask the GM: so, why was it indestructible the answer is generally: "Um... well..." In fact, it was a GM who specialized in that kind of schtick that led the players of my long time group to leave the even older group we played with before that; and to my becoming an almost full-time game-master.

 

Like I said, I'm not saying you run those kinds of scenarios, but the combination of the thread title (why should a gaming session be annoying?) and the construct leads me to ask: can you explain how and why the weapon works the way it does? And, why on earth mere thugs have access to technology beyond what most first world armed forces have, let alone why they are wasting it on a soft target?

[Sundansyr]

Re: How Annoying?

 

Nope' date=' unless "going out of range" is the condition for turning it off.[/quote']

 

 

Ugh! Ouch! Stickied victims running everywhere with a constant, persistant, 0-end explosion... In the right situation could truly be a Weapon of Mass Destruction.

Sticky: The victim must touch the other person, or will the second person simply nead to be in the AoE?

 

Von-D:

 

Yes, this device was contemplated just for the sheer annoyance factor, though at some time I might just use it to engender absolute panic in the Heroes.

 

Considering that they're Licenced & bonded by a city/state/fed govt they're followed darned hear everywhere by paparazzi, hangers on, rubberneckers, ect ect. Not saving the innocents is bad news, even in situations where they *cannot* save them no matter what they do.