Continuous Powers as Damage Shield

[austenandrews]

I want to buy Suppress as a Damage Shield. I want the Suppress to have Continuing Charges (that is, when a target gets affected, the Suppress lasts for X amount of time).

 

I also want the Damage Shield to have a Continuing Charge (that is, when the Damage Shield is turned on, it remains in effect for Y amount of time).

 

How do I buy this? Do I take the Continuing Charge Limitation/Advantage twice?

 

Thanks,

-AA

[Steve Long]

Since this is a “how to” moreso than a rules question, I’ve moved it, but I’ll give my answer before others give theirs.

 

I am assuming, when you say you want the Suppress to “last for X amount of time,” you mean you want to maintain the effect for X period of time, not to have the Suppress attack the target on every Phase during that time period. With that in mind, here’s how I’d buy it, but I’m sure other folx have other ideas. I chose numbers at random; feel free to substitute your own.

 

Suppress 4d6, Damage Shield (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (Suppress remains in effect against victim for 5 Minutes and then dissipates; +1/2) (50 Active Points); 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 Minute (applies to Damage Shield not Suppress effect; -1). Total cost: 25 points.

 

The Reduced END keeps the Uncontrolled from requiring an END pool; instead, it ends when the defined time period expires (the same tack is taken with many FH spells). The Continuing Charge is for the Damage Shield aspect — the DS remains active for a minute after it’s turned on.

 

You might be able to construct the power more “accurately” by using naked Advantages, but this should work pretty well. Invoke Rule #6 and head forth to battle!

[TheEmerged]

Like Steve I'm not 100% sure I know what you're asking.

 

If I read you, you're looking for something akin to what one of my NPC's has -- in his case it's called the Chloroform Effect. Suppress STR as a Damage Shield, but you want the STR Suppress to last for a bit even after contact is lost.

 

The place you're losing me is the seperate durations.

[Talon]

If you want a Damage Shield Power to remain on a target after they hit you, you're really looking at two separate effects:

 

1) Create and maintain the Damage Shield.

 

2) The Damage Shield's actual effect on a target.

 

In theory, these could have wholly different Advantages and Limitations -- in particular, you might be able to maintain the Damage Shield for only a minute a day, but once someone is hit, they might be affected for an hour. (Usually, Damage Shields are Instant Powers, so this issue doesn't come up.)

[Elysea]

Why not use Drain with a few levels of delayed return rate instead of Suppress?

[austenandrews]

Talon has it right. The duration of the Damage Shield is independent from the duration of the Suppress. Frex, I cast a "death touch" spell that lasts one minute; anyone who touches me gets a BODY Suppress that lasts one day.

 

My first thought was to buy the Continuing Charge Limitation/Advantage twice, but I'm not sure if that's legal (which is why I originally posted in the Rules section). I'm guessing that's what Steve was working around when he suggested naked Advantages, which sort of bypass those kinds of issues. Buying Uncontrolled also avoids the uncomfortable "double trouble" of duplicate Continuing Charges. That's probably how I'll go, unless someone has a better idea.

 

The trouble with Drain on a Damage Shield is that after the first shot it's not much of a deterrent, because Drain effects don't stack. I could buy up the maximum effect, but I like the mechanics of Suppress better (especially the fact that it shuts off all at once).

 

-AA

[Gary]

Originally posted by austenandrews

Talon has it right. The duration of the Damage Shield is independent from the duration of the Suppress. Frex, I cast a "death touch" spell that lasts one minute; anyone who touches me gets a BODY Suppress that lasts one day.

 

FWIW, I consider a body suppress to be an EXTREMELY bad and unbalancing idea. It's trivially easy to suppress someone's body to 0 or 1 and then use a 1d6 penetrating killing attack or nnd or avld regular attack to kill him. Or use a 1d6 standard effect transform to wipe him out.

 

I actually created a character like that. She suppressed a person's body to 0, and had a time delay 1 dex rank transform to anything linked. Not a character likely to be allowed by most GMs.

[austenandrews]

What exquisite munchkinism, Gary! I applaud you.

 

I agree. I'm not actually building a BODY Suppress; that was just an easy example. The actual spell in question saps a couple of other characteristics.

 

-AA

[DoctorItron]

Originally posted by Gary

FWIW, I consider a body suppress to be an EXTREMELY bad and unbalancing idea. It's trivially easy to suppress someone's body to 0 or 1 and then use a 1d6 penetrating killing attack or nnd or avld regular attack to kill him. Or use a 1d6 standard effect transform to wipe him out.

 

I actually created a character like that. She suppressed a person's body to 0, and had a time delay 1 dex rank transform to anything linked. Not a character likely to be allowed by most GMs.

 

I'm not sure how the rules officially handle it, but I run games so character death occurs only after the character is at negative starting BODY (calculated before Suppress or Drain effects).

 

Example: Joe Normal starts with 8 BODY. Joe gets hit by a Suppress that siphons away 7 BODY, leaving poor Joe with a mere 1 BODY. Then "1d6 NND KA guy" hits Joe and rolls a massive 6 for damage. Joe has -5 BODY (cough, cough). He's dying, but he won't be dead until he's at -8 BODY.

 

If the Suppress turns off before Joe takes more damage, then he'll pop back to 2 BODY (-5 plus the 7 previously suppressed, or 8 original BODY minus 6 from the KA).

[prestidigitator]

Originally posted by Gary

FWIW, I consider a body suppress to be an EXTREMELY bad and unbalancing idea. It's trivially easy to suppress someone's body to 0 or 1 and then use a 1d6 penetrating killing attack or nnd or avld regular attack to kill him. Or use a 1d6 standard effect transform to wipe him out.

 

I actually created a character like that. She suppressed a person's body to 0, and had a time delay 1 dex rank transform to anything linked. Not a character likely to be allowed by most GMs.

 

From the FAQ:

 

From Powers FAQ

Q: How does Suppress BODY interact with the rules on bleeding to death once a character reaches negative BODY?

 

A: A character who has positive BODY, and is Suppressed into negative BODY, does not lose more BODY in Post-Segment 12.

 

If reduced to negative his BODY solely due to Suppress, a character “dies†for all intents and purposes, but comes back to life when the Suppress ceases to apply.

 

If a character is in negative BODY numbers due to a wound, and a Suppress adds to that effect, he keeps bleeding from the wound on Post-Segment 12 and will eventually die for real.

 

If a character has lost some BODY due to a wound, but not enough to put him in the negatives, and Suppress takes him into the negatives, he does not bleed on Post-Segment 12, and will “come back to life†after the Suppress is removed if it takes him to negative his BODY.

 

I'm not sure about Drain. I'll post a question for Steve.