Body for focuses

[Sean Waters]

One problem with the focus is that a single point of Body through its defences destroys a power. For an armoured vest that means that one penetrating attack destroys it completely. Not great.

 

How about allowing 'Body' to be bought for focuses at 1 point per point? They work like 'dummy' powers - they do not do anything but are lost before powers are, making focuses more durable - at least against attacks.

 

It also means that if your armour is penetrated it does not simply fall off you.

 

Thoughts?

[Alibear]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Something about dramatic and common sense.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Sounds like a decent idea. I assume the Focus limitation itself can be applied to that Body?

 

Anyway, another idea I like is to turn Body that gets past a focus's defense(s) into a Drain on that focus's powers, possibly at some custom ratio like 1 Body = 5 AP Drain. Keep track of the full cumulative Active Points so that partial effects stack up.

[Vulcan]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Bear in mind that under HEROS rules, you specifically have to target the foci to damage it. So simply doing BODY to someone wearing armor isn't going to destroy the armor.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Something about dramatic and common sense.

 

Something about paying for what you get.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Bear in mind that under HEROS rules' date=' you specifically have to target the foci to damage it. So simply doing BODY to someone wearing armor isn't going to destroy the armor.[/quote']

 

p294: any focus that provides defences for a character is automatically hit by a successful attack on the character. So doing body to someone wearing armour does damage to the armour too, destroying it, if that is its only function.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Sounds like a decent idea. I assume the Focus limitation itself can be applied to that Body?

 

Anyway, another idea I like is to turn Body that gets past a focus's defense(s) into a Drain on that focus's powers, possibly at some custom ratio like 1 Body = 5 AP Drain. Keep track of the full cumulative Active Points so that partial effects stack up.

 

Calling it Body may be slightly misleading. You could consider the one point as a seperate power whose only function is to get hit before other powers in focii: then, yes, the focus limitation could arguably apply to that power too.

 

The drain idea is a good one, but I might simply suggest that 1 Body = 5 points of loss of power rather than doing it as a drain: power defence would be irrelevant and 5 points of drain = 1/2d6 drain, or 2 points standard effect i.e. the effect is pretty negligible.

[schir1964]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Calling it Body may be slightly misleading. You could consider the one point as a seperate power whose only function is to get hit before other powers in focii: then, yes, the focus limitation could arguably apply to that power too.

 

The drain idea is a good one, but I might simply suggest that 1 Body = 5 points of loss of power rather than doing it as a drain: power defence would be irrelevant and 5 points of drain = 1/2d6 drain, or 2 points standard effect i.e. the effect is pretty negligible.

Sean, you are applying and Ablative Layer of Body underneath the armor.

 

- Christopher Mullins

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Sean, you are applying and Ablative Layer of Body underneath the armor.

 

- Christopher Mullins

 

But what about things other than armor/defenses? I think his suggestion is for Foci in general...

[prestidigitator]

Re: Body for focuses

 

The drain idea is a good one' date=' but I might simply suggest that 1 Body = 5 points of loss of power rather than doing it as a drain: power defence would be irrelevant and 5 points of drain = 1/2d6 drain, or 2 points standard effect i.e. the effect is pretty negligible.[/quote']

 

Sorry. Yeah. That's actually what I was thinking. I guess I should have used lower-case "drain" instead of upper-case "Drain" or something. Or just left the word out like you did.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Sean, you are applying and Ablative Layer of Body underneath the armor.

 

- Christopher Mullins

 

The idea of this one is that it will not act as a defence for anything but the focus, but ablative Body for the focus, which could act as a 'defence' for both the wearer and the focus might well be a nice way to go. You could buy Body (no figured) and UBO (simultaneously - character and armour), and apply the relevant focus limitation too.

[Vulcan]

Re: Body for focuses

 

p294: any focus that provides defences for a character is automatically hit by a successful attack on the character. So doing body to someone wearing armour does damage to the armour too' date=' destroying it, if that is its only function.[/quote']

 

Okay, then I agree, that is a stupid rule.

 

One shot penetrating a bullet-proof vest does not mean a second shot automatically goes through (although a second shot to the same spot will - but that is a vanishingly small chance). Same sorta thing with most ranged weapons.

 

One hit with a mace that goes 'through' plate armor likely doesn't even leave a hole, so a sword hit afterwards still needs to penetrate the plate even if it hits the same spot.

 

One hit with an axe... Okay, here the rule kinda makes sense. Still, it's hardly a good basis for a general rule.

 

I think this one should go under the 'GM should use sparingly when it makes dramatic sense.'

[Sean Waters]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Okay' date=' then I agree, that is a [i']stupid[/i] rule.

 

One shot penetrating a bullet-proof vest does not mean a second shot automatically goes through (although a second shot to the same spot will - but that is a vanishingly small chance). Same sorta thing with most ranged weapons.

 

One hit with a mace that goes 'through' plate armor likely doesn't even leave a hole, so a sword hit afterwards still needs to penetrate the plate even if it hits the same spot.

 

One hit with an axe... Okay, here the rule kinda makes sense. Still, it's hardly a good basis for a general rule.

 

I think this one should go under the 'GM should use sparingly when it makes dramatic sense.'

 

There used to be this comedian called Kenny Everett (Kenny's dead now) who did a TV sketch show (and lots of radio) who has a porn starlet character who would come on to be interviewed, describe an innocuous scene then finish with "...and then all my clothes fell off!!!"

 

I can just see Defender.....

[prestidigitator]

Re: Body for focuses

 

Hence the reason most armor is built with unbreakable foci, I presume. Heh.

 

(They killed Kenny?!...)

[schir1964]

Re: Body for focuses

 

The idea of this one is that it will not act as a defense for anything but the focus' date=' but ablative Body for the focus, which could act as a 'defense' for both the wearer and the focus might well be a nice way to go. You could buy Body (no figured) and UBO (simultaneously - character and armour), and apply the relevant focus limitation too.[/quote']

This is pretty much what I meant. You are adding a Layer of Ablative Body to the Focus, but instead of being hit first (Standard Rule For Ablative), it is only hit if the Defenses for the Focus is breached.

 

- Christopher Mullins