Masterful Ambush

[mayapuppies]

Hello all,

 

Trying to write-up a talent here that allows someone to plan an ambush so well that it gives the character and his party mates a bonus to combat during the time of the ambush combat. This is what I have so far:

Masterful Ambusher: +2 with All Combat, Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger requires a Turn or more to reset; When Ambush is Triggered; +1/4), Usable Simultaneously (up to 8 people at once; +1) (36 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Hour, Only to Activate, -1 1/2), Requires A Tactics Skill Roll (-1/2)

I'm not sure about the trigger being necessary or if it is, if it has been written correctly, but feedback is encouraged.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

I can see what you're trying to do here but I wonder if this kind of ability really requires a special talent.

 

A succesful ambush throws the enemy into disarray and allows your group to strike at important vulnerable targets etc. I'd probably just do this with skills such as Tactics and Teamwork. There are some other abilities that could simulate a well planned ambush however such as.

Commander/Squad Leader 'Teamwork. Usable by up to 8 people',

Lightning Assault. 'Drain Ego, Presence and Intelligence. Area of Effect. Requires a stealth roll.'

Master Ambusher. 'Detect Weakness. Only for groups of opponents'.

 

On the other hand if you want to keep it simple and stick with this ability then perhaps the trigger is unnecessary. Perhaps it could be replaced with something like requires a Stealth or Concealment roll to activate/use.

[Maur]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

And your targets will be at half DCV and half hit-locations for called shots if caught unaware.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

Great feedback! Thank you

[boomer]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

You can also link it with KS's as well. Our GM wrote up an Ambush skill for our Fantasy Hero game (but it was only for that character with the skill). If that character had that skill plus a high KS in KS: Small Unit Tactics say and KS: Surprise Attacks then they could teach ambush to their group.

[Markdoc]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

Hello all,

 

Trying to write-up a talent here that allows someone to plan an ambush so well that it gives the character and his party mates a bonus to combat during the time of the ambush combat.

 

I'd tend to agree with people that this is probably better done with skills, but given that ambushed (surprised) people are at half or zero DCV and hit location penalties, you could do it using change environment, giving people within the area of effect minuses to their PER rolls - thus their ability to spot hidden foes before a surprise attack.

 

cheers, Mark

[sbarron]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

The environment dictates a good ambush site. I'd just do this with skills, and let the properly chosen terrain provide the advantages (concealment, higher ground, cover, open fields of fire, difficult kill zone to get out of, etc.).

 

Also, I wouldn't back away from giving a PC with the skill Ambush 13- all the advantages he needed to set-up and pull-off an effective ambush. But, everyone does thing different, so YMMV.

[JohnTaber]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

I like your method actually. The only change is minor...maybe put a limitation that the effect is driven by the amount the tactics roll is made by. For example if you make the roll everyone gets 1 level, if you make it by 2 they get 2 levels. You get the idea...nice...

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

Many ways to do this, starting with the non-effect of just having good stealth / detection evasion and using the built in Surprise rules to ones own advantage as often as possible.

 

However, a character could certainly be especially good at it and have one or more super skills to reflect this.

 

An easy way to do it is by taking advantage of the Change Environment rules ability to penalize opponents. It can get a tad expensive, but its definitely effective. Both of these characters have CE based super skills representing their special skills at combat that could serve as an example:

 

Fyrclian (Cause Confusion whip based ability)

 

Ergal (Fancy Footwork ability)

 

This character has a "Set Trap" super skill bought as an Entangle; along the same general lines you could conceivably build an uber-ambush as a kind of mental Entangle with the SFX of startling people so much they lock up and can't react allowing you to take advantage of them at lowered DCV and hampering their ability to respond to your attack.

 

Ul-Nar

[boomer]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

It's great to build custom skills for your campaign. In the same FH world where we had the ambush skill we also had a skill called bodyguarding. It basically gave you a DCV bonus for taking one for someone else. Of course you had to justify why your character had any of these custom skills. We had one that was limited to a certain Archetype. The Throwmaster. Essentially your master knife/axe thrower. The skill was called multi-throw and was usable only by a Throwmaster. It's actually great to delve into the rules and say "hey if we combine this, with that and a pinch of that we get XYZ Skill...".

[mayapuppies]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

Ah, how I love the HERO System. Thanks to everyone for a great amount of feedback.

[JohnTaber]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

 

An easy way to do it is by taking advantage of the Change Environment rules ability to penalize opponents. It can get a tad expensive, but its definitely effective. Both of these characters have CE based super skills representing their special skills at combat that could serve as an example:

 

NICE! I change my vote.

[Maur]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

And someone might be able to either find the reference or correct me if I'm wrong, but damage to a target caught out of combat (e.g. an ambush) results in hits doing double damage (I think we apply it after defenses). So, those headshots just become nasty in an ambush.

[Comic]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

Sorry for coming late to the party...

 

Change Environment -2 DCV, RSR Concealment, Extra Time, Trigger?

[jaws]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

Think the trigger is unnecessary. I like all the other Ideas, but the way it was built in the first posts works well. Just get rid of the trigger, make it a skill vs skill and and base the bonus on the success level of the roll.

 

That is my take at least.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

And someone might be able to either find the reference or correct me if I'm wrong' date=' but damage to a target caught out of combat (e.g. an ambush) results in hits doing double damage (I think we apply it after defenses). So, those headshots just become nasty in an ambush.[/quote']

 

I believe it's double STUN, not double damage. Although it might as well be double damage if most of your side goes down unconscious in the first volley.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Masterful Ambush

 

Obviously this all depends on how your campaign works. Low level campaigns I think that I would use skills to determine how well the ambush was set up and skills to determine whether the potentially bushwacked were caught out and/or respond quickly to the ambush. The combat table provides information on the effects for those effects.

 

Of course you could step up to use change environment for that concrete effect which is nice and means you dont waste lots of time with details - you have decided that an ambush means, for example, that those ambushed are at a constant -2 DCV.

 

Or you go a bit further and do an area effect invisibility power and, until engaged in HtH all the ambushers are effetively invisible to their opponents...

 

The last is the next step and the only bit I have added in this post.

 

 

Doc