Lucking Into The Plot

[CrosshairCollie]

So, in my wife's Teen Champions game, we have a character with luck powers. We were kind of talking about stuff he could buy, and one idea was the idea of a 'right place, right time' kind of power. Typically, when a superhero patrols, it's kind of a crapshoot; it's pure coincidence that they tend to pass by crime. Well, since this guy can load the dice ... how would you buy a power that lets you go looking for trouble and have a good chance of finding it?

[Cygnia]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

I'm getting this from the 5th Ed UNTIL Superpowers Database... (pg. 132)

 

"I've Got A Funny Feeling About This"

 

Danger Sense, Heightened: Increase to INT roll +3 and add Sense. Total cost 25 pts

[sinanju]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

GM fiat.

 

Whether a character "finds trouble" or not is generally the GM's decision. So just make sure he does. If necessary, write up a bunch of random crimes for him to encounter beforehand.

 

If you MUST buy it as a power, I'd use Summon. Give him a low-level Summon power in which he "accidentally" (No Conscious Control) comes across a crime in progress. A small number of summoned creatures, which are always hostile, generally of "normal human" point levels, and so on. (For extra added fun, a supernaturally-aware NPC might wonder aloud if, perhaps, he isn't CAUSING these crimes to occur for subconscious reasons of his own. Which, in game terms, he really is....)

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

It could just be a feature of a decent number of dice of Luck. In Digital Hero issue #23, Dave Mattingly had a number of 1-point "Knacks" that used Luck this way (i.e. Relevant News on TV: Luck 1d6, OIF (TV/Radio/Newspaper of Opportunity; -1/2), Only to turn to news relevant to self or current case (-2)). He also used Absolute Time Sense to simulate being in the right place at the right time (Finding a Good Parking Spot). Though an interesting use of that Talent, I think I prefer Luck, especially for the use described in the OP.

 

In my Champions game, the luck-based heroine Serendipity has a semi-similar power, Lucky Guess. It was written up as Clairsentience with Precognition + Retrocognition (Only), Vague and Unclear, Requires Luck Roll. She might open the Yellow Pages to an advertisement of someplace related to the plot (though she has no idea how it's related), or just drives off in a direction and ends up where she needs to go, even if she doesn't exactly know where she's going.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

Depending on how flexible you're willing to go with Enhanced Senses, it could simply be a Detect Crime in Progress, with appropriate Range mods.

[casualplayer]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

I don't make characters spend points for making my GMing easier. I might make them spend points if their Luck assures the encounter is always something they can handle rather than stumbling into something more than they can deal with.

 

Blue Devil didn't have to pay points to be a weirdness magnet.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

I don't make characters spend points for making my GMing easier. I might make them spend points if their Luck assures the encounter is always something they can handle rather than stumbling into something more than they can deal with.

 

Blue Devil didn't have to pay points to be a weirdness magnet.

 

Well, true. BD probably got Weirdness Magnet as a Disad.

 

The particular instance that set the idea in motion was at last night's game; four teenaged supers, none of us with Streetwise, are intending to prowl Millennium City looking for members of a particular gang ... not necessarily while they're in the process of committing a crime, though. It does seem like the ability to 'randomly' bump into someone you're looking for could be worth a couple of points.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

xd6 Luck, only to be where the action is

 

I'm sure I've seen a writeup (likely a very old one) with that structure.

[Naanomi]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

I've worked on the same power, and ultimately wrote it up as a 'Danger Sense' type thing or an 'Independant' Clairvoyance. Writing it up as 'Luck' was always disconcertingly vague in practice for me.

 

I can see need for this sort of power to balance out with other heroes who traditionally have super senses, contacts, or super-detective skills to do their crime-finding... probably totally unnecessary if the power/plot level is beyond this though, after all many supers (X-men, Justice League, etc) had trouble find them *or* be big and loud enough to react to without much investigation needed (alien invasions, Juggernaut attacks, etc)

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

Practically, I'd want the character to get some advantage beyond just getting to be part of the scenario. It seems unlikely the GM will plan the game with any real likelihood the PC's will not get involved in the plot.

[casualplayer]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

Well, true. BD probably got Weirdness Magnet as a Disad.

 

The particular instance that set the idea in motion was at last night's game; four teenaged supers, none of us with Streetwise, are intending to prowl Millennium City looking for members of a particular gang ... not necessarily while they're in the process of committing a crime, though. It does seem like the ability to 'randomly' bump into someone you're looking for could be worth a couple of points.

 

Almost sounds like a Cosmic VPP under the GM's control that allows Skills also and falls under the descriptor of Luck, or just an extensive suite of skills. Need to find some information in a book and it falls open to the right page (Cramming or floating Knowledge Skill, Speed Reading, Deduction.) Always end up at the right destination even though you don't know where you are going (floating AK.) Your first guess at passwords is often right (Computer Programming.) Lost things or people are not only in the last place you look but often in the first place (Streetwise, Tracking, Concealment, Deduction.) if no one checks your id because of luck, you effectively have a flawless fake id (Perk.) If the person you want to talk to calls you right when you are thinking of them then you have some pretty good help at your fingertips (Contacts.)

 

Ron Stoppable looked clueless and goofy but that was just the SFX for a crazy long and deep set of skills.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

Oooh ... Variable Skill Pool actually sounds pretty good. Only problem would be that the player is not well-versed in HERO, so a full-blown VPP for his Luck powers would be problematic, but something like 'here, you can have 10-15 points of skills' should be manageable. Brilliant! I'd Rep you, but I need to spread it around some more.

[JusticeZero]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

My personal thought on it would be to make it a Disadvantage (DNPC 'Lucky Innocent Victim Of The Week', 14-, less powerful than PC), personally, but that depends on what you wanted to do with it.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Lucking Into The Plot

 

My personal thought on it would be to make it a Disadvantage (DNPC 'Lucky Innocent Victim Of The Week'' date=' 14-, less powerful than PC), personally, but that depends on what you wanted to do with it.[/quote']

 

I think the flaw here is that the power is semi-controlled; it may not always work when he wants it to, but it never works when he doesn't want it to.