Accidental Flash

[Pariah]

Okay, so over on the DC Animated-style HeroMachine thread I posted a character named Crystal:

 

Crystal is a woman who can transform her body into a diamond-like form. This gives her not only superhuman strength and resistance to injury, but also to ability to blind opponents temporarily when fighting in direct sunlight.

 

 

I've used this character as an NPC before, but I've never been entirely happy with the build. Most of it's pretty straightforward: A level of DI and a bunch of increased CHARs, and Only In Hero ID, plus an Instant Change. She also had a small Flash attack: 2d6 Flash (this was under 4th Ed. rules) vs. Sight, No END Cost, Gestures, Only in natural sunlight or other bright light (-¼).The idea was that in the middle of a fight, if there's a bright enough light source available, she could just turn her body (or arm, or neck, etc.) a certain way and hit her opponent with reflected or refracted light, leaving them blinded for a second or two. And that seemed to work okay.

 

When I was growing up, my family had crystals hanging in the kitchen window. On sunny days, if you weren't paying attention, you might happen to glance in the direction of the window and get a flash of light in the face, which would have you seeing red (or green, or yellow, or whatever) for a few seconds.

 

So I was thinking, with this character's body constantly reflecting/refracting light, there'd be a chance (small, but a chance nonetheless) that if you happened to be looking at her during a fight, you might just get Flashed accidentally—if the lighting conditions were right. I was thinking of a Power something like this:

 

Constant Sparkling: Sight Group Flash 2d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Area Of Effect (12" Radius; +1 1/2) (47 Active Points); Activation Roll 8- (-2), OIHID (-1/4), Limited Power: Only in the presence of a strong light source (-1/4) {Real Cost: 13 points}

 

Is this a reasonable build? Is it too much? Are the Advantages and Limitations appropriate? What improvements could be made?

 

I await your collective wisdom.

[MilkmanDan]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

Instead of Uncontrolled/Continuous, an automatically-resetting trigger, perhaps?

[Pariah]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

Instead of Uncontrolled/Continuous' date=' an automatically-resetting trigger, perhaps?[/quote']

 

I hadn't thought of that, but that's a good idea. What would the triggering event be?

[CoreBrute]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

Someone looking at her at the precise moment where he get's sun in his eyes.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

BREAK THE RULES!

 

Constant Sparkling: Sight Group Flash 2d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Area Of Effect (12" Radius; +1 1/2) (37 Active Points); Activation Roll 8- (-2), OIHID (-1/4), Limited Power: Only in the presence of a strong light source (-1/4), Always On (-1/2) {Real Cost: 9 points}

 

Anyone in the area when a bright light is shone on her has an 8- chance of being affected by a 2d6 Sight flash.

 

This is another great example of Activation and Persistent, even Always On, working fine together.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

just as a thought why not come at it from another direction instead of a flash how about a change environment that reduces OCV hard to accuratly aim shots when you could be dazzled at random just looking in that direction.

 

I've probably over built it but something like this

its 57 active points 0 end

Change Environment 8" radius, -4 OCV, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Mobile (+1) (114 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (only in bright light; -1/2), Always On (-1/2)

[Gemphyre]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

just as a thought why not come at it from another direction instead of a flash how about a change environment that reduces OCV hard to accuratly aim shots when you could be dazzled at random just looking in that direction.

 

I've probably over built it but something like this

its 57 active points 0 end

Change Environment 8" radius, -4 OCV, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Mobile (+1) (114 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (only in bright light; -1/2), Always On (-1/2)

 

I see a minor problem with this. It does not take into account those with sight Flash Def. Such people are resistant to bright lights by definition. Perhaps a second limitation added "Limited Power: Countered by Normal Sight Flash DEF, 1 Flash DEF counters -1 OCV, (-1/4)". What's more, if Crystal has more than 4 Flash Def (Sight), there is no need for the Personal Immunity any more since she has the defense for her power.

 

Gemphyre

[BoneDaddy]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

BREAK THE RULES!

 

Constant Sparkling: Sight Group Flash 2d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Area Of Effect (12" Radius; +1 1/2) (37 Active Points); Activation Roll 8- (-2), OIHID (-1/4), Limited Power: Only in the presence of a strong light source (-1/4), Always On (-1/2) {Real Cost: 9 points}

 

Anyone in the area when a bright light is shone on her has an 8- chance of being affected by a 2d6 Sight flash.

 

This is another great example of Activation and Persistent, even Always On, working fine together.

 

You might get away with the Always On if you drop it to -1/4. Always On and OIHID go together like... They don't actually.

[Pariah]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

It occurs to me that if I go with the Area Effect Flash option, I might need to throw a No Range limitation on it too. But I'm not sure how it would work. On the one hand, it's centered on her; she can't have it centered somewhere else. On the other hand, it affects people who aren't standing right next to her. Ideas?

[BoneDaddy]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

It occurs to me that if I go with the Area Effect Flash option' date=' I might need to throw a No Range limitation on it too. But I'm not sure how it would work. On the one hand, it's centered on her; she can't have it centered somewhere else. On the other hand, it affects people who aren't standing right next to her. Ideas?[/quote']

No Range and Area of Effect are not incompatable. That just means the start point for the area has no range. In the case of a radius, she would be in the middle.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

You might get away with the Always On if you drop it to -1/4. Always On and OIHID go together like... They don't actually.

 

Always On becomes a simple "cannot shut off". I'm OK with -1/2 in this instance, but I can see making it -1/4 because that adds to OIHID to make it -1/2.

[JmOz]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

Always On becomes a simple "cannot shut off". I'm OK with -1/2 in this instance' date=' but I can see making it -1/4 because that adds to OIHID to make it -1/2.[/quote']

 

the reason to reduce the value of Always on is because she CAN shut it off (by changing out of OIHID)

[Pariah]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

the reason to reduce the value of Always on is because she CAN shut it off (by changing out of OIHID)

 

And for that reason, I don't think I'd be using the "Always On" limitation anyway.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

And for that reason' date=' I don't think I'd be using the "Always On" limitation anyway.[/quote']

 

There is clearly some limitation to being unable to deactivate the power without deactivating your OIHID. I do agree there's a double dip to have both OIHID -1/4 and Al On for -1/2, so I'd probably price "always in hero ID" at an extra -1/4 and call it a day.

[MilkmanDan]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

I hadn't thought of that' date=' but that's a good idea. What would the triggering event be?[/quote']

 

I'd think "In the presence of strong sunlight" would be the event, it only going off with the 8- roll. That being said, I think this would be a really, really annoying power build to play; you want to roll that 8- every single time the character has an action?

[CoreBrute]

Re: Accidental Flash

 

How about OIF (light source of opportunity; -½). It suggests this for the version in the Until Super powers Datatbase?