Heart Shot..too much?

[Alibear]

I'm getting a chance to play for a change, but I don't want to upset the game..I would accept it if the player genuinely wanted powers to simulate an effect rather than an excuse for cool powers from the book.

 

Anyway here is the main power of my character (stolen from a novel btw) Is it overpowering? Would you allow it?

 

The premise is basically that the character can always hit the heart if he concentrates and empties his mind of everything else. The world becomes grey and lifeless apart from the beating heart which draws his arrows..

 

Heart-shot.

8 skill levels. Active points 40

costs end (-1/2) 4 end

only to hit the vitals, location 13 (-1)

concentrate 0 dcv (-1/2)

requires a skill roll (-1/2) (around 10 or less)

only living creatures with a beating heart (-1/2)

real cost 10 points.

 

btw this is in a 25+25 campaign with a very loose magic system.

[Talon]

Yes, too powerful IMO.

 

I think this should be done with PSLs rather than full CSLs, and in either case I wouldn't give -1 for only to hit the vitals.

 

To make this remotely balanced, I'd require at least Extra Time: 1 Phase (so you have to spend 1 Phase at 0 DCV before the attack goes off), and probably somehow limit it in terms of uses per day. Even then it would be questionable.

 

Of course, this is based on my impression of 25 + 25 games, which tend to be very low-powered. It might fit fine with what the GM and other players are doing.

[Alibear]

I'm wondering why you wouldn't give a -1 to hit the vitals?

 

5 point skill levels are marvelously flexible beasts, ocv, dcv, damage or a combination of all three.

 

The character will be at 0 dcv for a full 6 seconds, he has only two speed after all..and he only has 20 end which will limit it's uses not to mention the 10 or less activation roll.

 

Well perhaps you are right, I'll have to think about it.

[Monolith]

I would buy this as follows:

+8 PSL (offset Vitals Hit Location): 24 points.

Costs END: -1/2 5 END

Concentrate to 0 DCV (you are half DCV with bow anyway): -1/4

Requires A Skill Roll: -1/2

Only On Living Creatures: -1/2

Only With Bows: -1/2

Total Cost: 7

[Bartman]

I agree that 3pt penalty skill levels are a better fit than limited combat skill levels. Actually I pretty much agree with Monolith's writeup. I'd have to see the other 25+25 characters to decide if this is unbalanced or not. As it stands now you will be about doubling the effectiveness of your attacks (when it works).

[Talon]

I wouldn't give -1 for the limitation "only to hit vitals" because I don't feel the Limitation is restricting the power that much -- the only time it will really be a restriction are 1) if the target is wearing chest armor but no head armor and 2) if you don't want to kill the target. To me that's around -1/4, maybe -0 or maybe -1/2 depending on game.

 

If your GM feels differently, more power to you (literally ).

[Qamar]

Why the END cost other than to drop the total cost of the power? It's a point or two above the END cost to shoot a bow in the first place and doesn't really make much of a limitation.

[dugfromthearth]

I would go with:

 

+8 PSL (offset Hit Location): 24 points.

Concentrate to 0 DCV (you are half DCV with bow anyway): -1/4

Activation (set to level of EGO roll): -1/2

Only to target vitals: -1/4

Only On Living Creatures: -1/4

OIF Bows of opportunity: -1/2

Total Cost: 9

 

0 DCV is fine

 

requires a skill roll is odd: what skill roll? I would probably do this as an activation set to the level of an EGO roll for concentration.

 

only to target vitals -1/4, because it is slightly worse then targetting the head but otherwise you really don't want to target much else so it isn't much of a limitation

 

only on living creatures is a very minor limitation unless the campaign consists of hunting skeletons and golems. And it is partly covered by the "only to target vitals"

 

OIF bows of opportunity is the standard way I think for skills and powers you can use with any weapon of a particular type

[bjbrown]

I don't think, with PSLs, you get to automatically add all the limitations of the weapon you use. I think that's included in the fact that the PSL is bought with a specific attack (firing a bow). So I don't think the PSL gets a focus limitation.

 

I would also make the limitation of only applicable to living creatures broader. Not only does the target need to have a heart, but the character has to know where the heart is. That might be an easy call for a humanoid target, but a difficult call for something else (where is a dragon's heart?)

 

As for whether the power is unbalancing or not, compare it to buying extra damage classes, since that's almost what a vitals shot does. If you're using a bow that normally does 2d6 RKA, the PSLs turn it almost into the equivalent of a 2½d6 RKA, or +10 Active Points, or +2 Damage Classes, or 4 3-pt. Skill Levels. Use that kind of reasoning to compare with other characters as far as balance.

[dugfromthearth]

"I don't think, with PSLs, you get to automatically add all the limitations of the weapon you use. I think that's included in the fact that the PSL is bought with a specific attack (firing a bow). So I don't think the PSL gets a focus limitation."

 

That is true of 2pt PSL's but not 3pt PSL's.

 

basically a 2pt PSL is a 3pt PSL with a limitation on what weapon you can use.