Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

[JmOz]

For a number of reasons, I want to stat up a piece of rope. I thought it would be interesting to explore what a fairly common item can do in game, so rope here is your chance to get the hero addict treatment.

 

This is an exercise in modeling from effect, and ment as a fun diversion, this thread is not intended to be a "We don't need to model mundane items" in game you are right, but not what this is about

 

So first of all, while my focus is champions, It is a common enough item so that I think it is multi genre in it's uses (of course only in champs would you really need a write up). Second I think that this will be heroic rope, nor real rope, meaning that we are looking for what it can do in action stories/comics, not a 100% realistic view. However to draw the line somewhere, we are not looking at magical rope or any of the kind

 

So a list of abilities

 

To grab something (lasso)

To Swing by

To tie someone up

to support weight

 

anyone else have ideas?

[mattingly]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

In superheroic games, I normally just call it Telekinesis through a Focus.

[JmOz]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

In my superhero games I use stretching with limitations, works really well. But like I said, this is kind of an exercise in defining everything a F/X can do and building it. I chose rope for a couple reasons, one it was the next item in my vigilante guide (AKA Bat Gear), and it is a fairly common item that people are familiar with...

[prestidigitator]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

Lashing to create structures, rafts, etc.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

My first thought was a multipower with an Entangle and Swinging and Stretching, etc. but I think Mattingly has a very elegant solution with TK. My only addition might be to give it a built-in Power Skill roll (rope tricks!) so you can pull off stunts that might be a little outside of the normal TK effect (like making a makeshift fuse with rope and gasoline).

[Uncle Kudzu]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

My first thought was a multipower with an Entangle and Swinging and Stretching' date=' etc. but I think Mattingly has a very elegant solution with TK. My only addition might be to give it a built-in Power Skill roll (rope tricks!) so you can pull off stunts that might be a little outside of the normal TK effect (like making a makeshift fuse with rope and gasoline).[/quote']

 

The TK sounds like a great and simple solution. I would have made it far more complex...a VPP 'Rope Tricks' that's built into an independent OAF (rope).

 

- Uncle K.

[mattingly]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

I figure that since a rope can do many of the things that Strength can (grab, hold, trip, etc), making it TK worked for most cases. If you have really good control over the rope, then yes, Stretching works well, too.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

anyone else have ideas?

 

Um, yes... that rope wouldn't be made of hemp, would it?

[Utech]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

Try building it as an automaton.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

Try building it as an automaton.

If you are serious please elaborate.

[JmOz]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

Yes please do (But it does give me an Idea for a Follower for a character with mystical powers, a psudo-sentient mystic rope)

[Utech]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

I am serious. I once put together an automaton to model handcuffs and it was an interesting exercise.

 

Look at it this way, any rope is a very simple mechanical device not unlike a very simple zombie. It is capable of "understanding" only a few simple commands that must be "spoken" with an appropriate Skill roll. It can perform the Grab maneuver very well and clearly has 0 END cost on it's Strength. It has no ability to move, but can be easily picked up and moved by someone else. It obeys anyone who can make the appropriate Skill roll (Knots, Lasso, etc). It takes no STUN damage from attacks and cannot be Stunned, but it definitely has a BODY score and can be "killed".

 

Give your rope automaton:

0 STR + 20 STR only for Grabs or when used as a Whip, 0 END

0 DEX

0 CON

6 BODY

1 INT in order to understand the simple command, "Hold this."

0 PRE

0 COM

4 PD

3 ED

1 SPD

0 REC

0 END

0 STUN

0 Running

0 Swimming

Sell off all senses

Add Stretching for as long as the rope needs to be.

Add Does Not Bleed, No Hit Locations, and Takes No STUN (only takes BODY)

If you wish, add a Vulnerability to Fire and a Vulnerability to AOE attacks such that AOE attacks that cause BODY result in the loss of 10 STR

If you wish, add REC that only functions to heal BODY when a "rope doctor" succeeds with an appropriate Skill Roll.

 

All this will end up costing very little. I think it's entirely reasonable for the GM to insist on bumping up the final cost to something like 10 points.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

The rope automaton is an interesting build and potentially a better representation than just the TK build. That said, while I would allow it if a player really wanted to, it is a bit cumbersome to spec it that way, so I would have to go with the TK build personally.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

Ahem. Yeah, but isn't my sword a clever little tool too, that "understands" the commands I give it with my OCV?

[JmOz]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

I gave the automation build some rep.

 

I would never allow it in my game, but that is the kind of out of the box thinking I wanted to explore with this thread. In my games I will still use stretching bought as 0 endurance and a bunch of lims that I sum up as Rope -1 and focus (normaly). But for this I want all those weird things you can do. For instance, I am adding in Images as a possible use for rope (Being able to write a message with it)

[Utech]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

Ahem. Yeah' date=' but isn't my sword a clever little tool too, that "understands" the commands I give it with my OCV?[/quote']

Could be. Do you mind if it "dies"? Do you mind if it follows the OCV commands of others who pick it up? Giving the rope its commands would take several phases at least. Would you be willing to have the same limitation on your sword?

 

On the other hand, the Focus Limitation is clearly aimed at weapons such as swords. It works less well for items such as ropes.

[Lucius]

Re: Mundane Item Buildng: Rope

 

Bonus to Seduction...

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary has a blank look