stock manipulator

[bostonfreak]

Hey all.

 

Long story short:

I'm new to Hero system. One of the characters I'm trying to build was from a short story I wrote in a 'wild cards' type universe.

 

He's basically a mentally ill, homeless guy that watches the outdoor stock tickers scroll by in NYC and can 'make the numbers change' unknowingly creating financial booms or crises at his whim.

 

How would you write that up? If he was just using it just for himself, I'd give him Filthy Rich with the sfx that he can always make money in stock market.

 

Some sort of transform (stock to higher/lower priced stock)? What sort of area effect would you need? How would you assign a 'body' to a stock?

 

As you see, I've managed to stump myself. Any insights by some veterans would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Bostonfreak

[Captain Obvious]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Transform to increase Wealth, Area Effect, Megascale, only affects stock investors, plus a Transform to decrease Wealth, with the same modifiers. Put them in a Multipower together.

 

Use the rules for adding Powers with Transform, so it takes a little more effort to move someone from Destitute to Filthy Rich than it does to move them from Destitute to Middle Class.

 

EDIT: By the way, welcome to the game and to the forums.

[SteveZilla]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Hey all.

 

Long story short:

I'm new to Hero system. One of the characters I'm trying to build was from a short story I wrote in a 'wild cards' type universe.

 

He's basically a mentally ill, homeless guy that watches the outdoor stock tickers scroll by in NYC and can 'make the numbers change' unknowingly creating financial booms or crises at his whim.

 

How would you write that up? If he was just using it just for himself, I'd give him Filthy Rich with the sfx that he can always make money in stock market.

 

Some sort of transform (stock to higher/lower priced stock)? What sort of area effect would you need? How would you assign a 'body' to a stock?

 

As you see, I've managed to stump myself. Any insights by some veterans would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Bostonfreak

 

That's a doozie. It really does depend upon how one defined the Stock Market in Game Terms. for one, is it a real, and singular, "thing"? Is he manipulating the computers that are used in the buy/sell process? is he affecting people to buy/sell directly (which would cause a change in the price)? Is he affecting the outdoor stock tickers directly?

 

Wild Cards was in interesting series, but IMO the sometimes wild flights of imagination are hard to model in a non-broken way in a game system.

[Klaus Mogensen]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Change Environment, affects wealth (+/- 10 points of Perk/Disadvantage), 23 radius doublings, Long-Lasting (+8 steps). Cost: 5 + 10 + 115 + 40 = 170 points.

 

You could add the limitations No Conscious Control (-2) and Focus, IAF, Immobile: Wall Street tickers scroll (-1½). Real Cost: 38 points.

 

- Klaus

[nexus]

Re: stock manipulator

 

This is a rough power to model since it has so many repercussions on such a large scale. The character could theoretically plunge the world into chaos ( or at least the US) on a whim. Causing financial booms and busts would have far ranging effects even on those that don't invest. Of course some of that would fall under special effects in Hero terms.

 

I have to agree with an earlier poster though. This is one of those powers that is difficult to model in anything but a very narrative game in way that doesn't feel cumbersome or broken.

 

One question to make sure I understand the concept. The character actually alters reality to effect the stock market, it's not an changing the ticker?

[bostonfreak]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Okay... I'm running out but quickly to the replies I've already gotten: Thank you.

 

Yeah, it's a doozie. Could just do it by fiat, but I'd like to know how to build it.

 

In the story, the character would see the Widget Corp's symbol scroll by at 16-1/2 then he'd will it up and it would scroll by at 16-5/8 etc. That's all he would see would be the symbols change, but in the 'world' the stock price actually climbed. Suddenly people all over would be clamoring to buy WDGT stock and therefore it would rise.

 

So, actually it was a limited, large scale, unconcious mind control. Which may be the way to go, or that's just a special effect.

 

Capt O. I like that. Any ideas on how to determine the target 'body'?

 

Really gotta run, again thanks all. Back soon.

 

BF

[Captain Obvious]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Okay... I'm running out but quickly to the replies I've already gotten: Thank you.

 

Yeah, it's a doozie. Could just do it by fiat, but I'd like to know how to build it.

 

In the story, the character would see the Widget Corp's symbol scroll by at 16-1/2 then he'd will it up and it would scroll by at 16-5/8 etc. That's all he would see would be the symbols change, but in the 'world' the stock price actually climbed. Suddenly people all over would be clamoring to buy WDGT stock and therefore it would rise.

 

So, actually it was a limited, large scale, unconcious mind control. Which may be the way to go, or that's just a special effect.

 

Capt O. I like that. Any ideas on how to determine the target 'body'?

 

Really gotta run, again thanks all. Back soon.

 

BF

 

I don't have my rule book handy (actually, I don't know where it disappeared to...), but IIRC, there are special rules for adding Powers, requiring Transform points over and above the base BODY. In this case the base BODY would be that of a normal human, since you're actually Transforming the stock investors themselves, to give or take away the Wealth perk.

[SteveZilla]

Re: stock manipulator

 

I don't have my rule book handy (actually' date=' I don't know where it disappeared to...), but IIRC, there are special rules for adding Powers, requiring Transform points over and above the base BODY. In this case the base BODY would be that of a normal human, since you're actually Transforming the stock investors themselves, to give or take away the Wealth perk.[/quote']

 

A couple of things:

 

I would think that more than a single stockbroker buys & sells stock for any single company.

 

If the actual price of the stock is being affected, wouldn't that also affect many more people than the stockbroker(s) through Mutual Funds, 401Ks, individual stock holdings, stock options, dividends, etc., etc.

[bostonfreak]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Stevez, I think he meant the transform would be on a group comprised of any holder of a particular stock.

 

 

 

Anybody... what about Aid to wealth(megascale, target group the holders of a particular stock)? Maybe with the Succor option since it goes up as he concentrates but then when he stops it's free to go up or down naturally?

[prestidigitator]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Unknowingly, and in an uncontrollable fashion? Hmm. I'd probably go with some kind of mild and hard to detect Distinctive Features or Physical Limitation. Stocks vary anyway, and if it is neither to the advantage or disadvantage of the character, his friends, or his enemies, I think the only game effect is going to be that people might be able to somehow locate him by watching for dramatic changes in the rate of stock fluctuations. Sounds cinematic to me. Like one of those scenes where the lights flicker and you KNOW the baddie is close by....

[Sean Waters]

Re: stock manipulator

 

I would not use transform because that makes certain implied assumptions about what the stock market is. Try instead megascale mind control, single command buy/sell. That would do it. After all the stock market doesn't actually exist, it is a shared fiction, and if you manipulate people's beliefs then you change reality. Even if you only affect a small proportuion of stock market users, say 5-10%, the shift will be noted and acted on by the rest. Hell, it isn't even an expensive power.

 

Of course I imagine this is an NPC power and one maxim that has served me well over the years is this: just because you can build it doesn't mean you have to.

 

Unless a power or effect is going to impact the PCs directly there is no need to actually put it together as a power unless you are, you know, bored

[Sean Waters]

Re: stock manipulator

 

Global Economy Maniplulation (27 active, 8 real)

Mind Control 1d6, Telepathic (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Area Of Effect (2" Radius; +1), Cumulative (24 points; +1), MegaScale AoE (1" = 10,000 km; +1 1/4) (27 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Set Effect (Buy or sell on the stock market; -1/2)

[Captain Obvious]

Re: stock manipulator

 

A couple of things:

 

I would think that more than a single stockbroker buys & sells stock for any single company.

 

If the actual price of the stock is being affected, wouldn't that also affect many more people than the stockbroker(s) through Mutual Funds, 401Ks, individual stock holdings, stock options, dividends, etc., etc.

 

Does the number of targets matter? I'm not being snarky...like I said, my rulebook has been MIA for a while now. The rationale for Transform being that "if you can kill a guy, you might as well be able to turn him into something else", adding Area Effect makes it "if you can kill a bunch of guys, you might as well be able..."etc. The actual rulebook might say differently though, Idunno.

 

Mutual funds, 401Ks, individual stock holdings, stock options, etc are all stock investors. It would Transform them all. Assuming, of course, that my build isn't screwed from the get-go.

[bostonfreak]

Re: stock manipulator

 

I tried to reply before, but for some reason it didn't post.

 

Just want to thank everyone for their input.

 

I think Sean is right, go with the mind control. I'd probably make the cumulative max a little higher, but add something like must achieve the +20 to make target think it's his own idea.

 

Again, thanks all.

 

edit - obvious spelling oops.