Does Not Work in Water

[Myrlyn]

Hi folks:

 

I've got a character in my campaign that is playing a cyborg with an advanced weapons system based on electrical discharges. Many of his offensive and defensive powers have the limitation "Does Not Work In Water". My question to you is how you would work with this limitation in the following circumstances:

 

1. The cyborg is hit with a bucket of water or doused with a stream of water (fire hose)
   
2. The cyborg is immersed under water (or partially submerged in water).
   
3. The cyborg is caught out in the rain during a fight. Please give consideration to how hard the rain is falling for this one.
   

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this one.

 

Keith

[hfergus]

Re: Does Not Work in Water

 

This one can have problems, especially #1 if done like I did it for a hero I had. (A water ballon could do it, and villains started carrying water ballons or super soakers.) If a true hosing only could do it, a not usable 1/4 of the time would be good unless you are doing a lot under water. Be sure you talk to/know the GM to make sure it is not used too much, or up the limitation.

 

Good luck.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Does Not Work in Water

 

Personally, I'd distinguish between "Doesn't Work In Water" (which I'd probably give a -1/4 Limitation) and "Doesn't Work When Wet" (which I'd probably give a -1/2).

 

Assuming you had the -1/4 version, I'd probably make the Limitation no effect for the bucket, and a small reduction in power for the fire hose (immersion would invoke the Limitation completely, of course). The rain would start out like the bucket (no effect), but would start reducing the power's effectiveness based on how heavy the rain was and how long you stayed in it.

 

If you had the -1/2 version, all of these things would fully trigger the Limitation and shut off the power.

[Vanguard00]

Re: Does Not Work in Water

 

For any gradual dampness I'd probably treat it as an across-the-board drain for every power/ability that had that particular limitation. As Derek says, reduce the effectiveness of a given power dependent upon the amount of water the character is being subjected to. If it's a light drizzle it might take several turns for systems to start shutting down. Getting hit with a firehouse might give the player a phase or two at reduced capacity before shutting down completely. That sort of thing.

 

Think of a person wearing a good rain coat. How long and under what circumstances would it take the undershirt to get wet? That's how long it would take his systems to shut down.

 

Them's me thoughts.

[Tonio]

Re: Does Not Work in Water

 

Personally, I'd distinguish between "Doesn't Work In Water" (which I'd probably give a -1/4 Limitation) and "Doesn't Work When Wet" (which I'd probably give a -1/2).

 

Assuming you had the -1/4 version, I'd probably make the Limitation no effect for the bucket, and a small reduction in power for the fire hose (immersion would invoke the Limitation completely, of course). The rain would start out like the bucket (no effect), but would start reducing the power's effectiveness based on how heavy the rain was and how long you stayed in it.

 

If you had the -1/2 version, all of these things would fully trigger the Limitation and shut off the power.

 

Exactly, it should depend on how much of a value you gave the Limitation (and of course, the text of the Limitation should accurately reflect that). A Limitation "Does Not Work In Water" worth -4 would probably represent a power that would fail to work in the prescence of any water, including the water vapor normally present in the air (and should probably be renamed "Only Works in Absolute Vacuum" or somesuch). If worth -1/4, then it'd probably take immersion in water, or at least a heavy and thorough wet-down, to stop them from working.

[pinecone]

Re: Does Not Work in Water

 

Yeah, at the -1/4 I'd likely just ignore a bucket of water or give a -1 ocv to your next attack for some flavor at most...light rain falls into ignore or minor anoyance territory and real downpour might cause a reduction in power instead of a shut down (-2 to -4 DC's or so)

 

at -1/2 then getting wet in general causes a shut down, with lingering anoyance till completely dried out....

[teammaxx]

Re: Does Not Work in Water

 

I have a bow character that originally had the disadvantage of not in water for -1/4. The GM informed me that lots of adventures would take place near or on the Mississippi River and said if I was just on the surface of water the bow would not function. Yikes!!! Skip that one and I went with Requires Both Hands instead -1/4.

[Myrlyn]

Re: Does Not Work in Water

 

Thanks for all of the feedback guys. This is exactly the kind of thinking I was hoping I'd get.