EB vs EB

[Binnister]

We've all seen it (in cartoons or comics): Two Energy Manipulators...blasting at each other...the beams pushing at one another...brows sweating...until, ONE beam overwhelms the other!

 

How would you do that in HERO? And what the 'effect' be?

 

It seems straight forward enough: Roll Dice vs. Dice and add up the effect/body. Whoever has more, wins.

 

But, what about Advantaged/Limited Attacks?

What would actually happen if you 'win'?

Might there be an opportunity for a tie?

Would you have to have a held phase, or could you Abort to it? (or, would that be too powerful...being able to basically 'attack' off your turn?)

 

Ideas? Suggestions?

[griffinman01]

Re: EB vs EB

 

If it were me I'd go with Missile deflection to block the oncoming attack and then have a triggered energy blast that would fire off on a successful missile deflect.

[Greywind]

Re: EB vs EB

 

Skill vs skill roll. Power skill.

[ghost-angel]

Re: EB vs EB

 

The Ultimate Energy Projector has some rules for this actually. They're a pretty good set of dramatic rules for it.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: EB vs EB

 

Page 197 in the 5e book; pay attention to the 'Sustained Attack' option in the column prior.

 

Pretty good, and pretty much how I'd run it.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: EB vs EB

 

The Ultimate Energy Projector has some rules for this actually. They're a pretty good set of dramatic rules for it.

Do you happen to know if those rules made it into either of the APGs or any other 6E product?

If not, maybe that would be a good topic for APG3, all of the optional rules from the various Ultimate books that haven't already made it into other 6E supplements.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: EB vs EB

 

It is called a "Contest of Power" and it has been covered in Hero supplements before. 8 know it was in the 5th edition version of Ninja Hero.

 

I came up with a system for this years ago and if I remember correctly, the 5th edition Nina Hero system is very,very close to my own.

 

Basically you assume that the point of impact of the "EB's" is roughly right in the middle of the two contestants. Then you have each contestant roll their dice and count the Body. Subtract the lesser Body roll from the higher roll and the number you have left is how far (in hexes) the more powerful blast pushes the weaker blast toward its originator. This continues until either one blast reaches the other contestant, one of the contestants runs out of END or one voluntarily turns his power off.

 

Alternately, the GM could determine that if the contest of power doesn't have a winner after a specified amount of time (1 full turn maybe) that all the power being brought together detonates. Add the two damage rolls together into 1 big roll and treat it as a explosion (or AoE, whichever tickes you most).

 

That last is a new invention of mine. I just though of it based on a scene from Iron Man II.

 

As far as activating a Contest of Power is concerned, both character either need to act simultaneously (same action, same phase, use of held action or via some sort of instant trigger)

 

What happens when someone losses a Contest of Power? They take damage. They cannot dodge or missile deflect because they just used their attack action in an attemtp to overwhelm their opponents attack, but failed.

 

What about advantages and limitations? That's a good question. The answer is: it depends. It would be hard to have a Contest of Power with area effect or explosion powers, but I could see it working for AoE:Line. For Autofire add +1 body for each successful hit in the burst. (The visual effect being the autofire beams are rapidly firing and slowly pushing the steady beam back due to sheer power) 8ndirect might make a contest of power impossible. (Superman cannot have a contest of power between his heat vision and Darkseids Omega Beams because the Omega Beams just go around his heat ray!) Increased Knockback. Would get double distance during a successful push. I'm sure there are lots of options people could think of here.

[psyber624]

Re: EB vs EB

 

Contests of Power is in APG1 pgs 174-176 (seems too large a sample for me to cut and paste here, sorry).

[bigbywolfe]

Re: EB vs EB

 

Contests of Power is in APG1 pgs 174-176 (seems too large a sample for me to cut and paste here' date=' sorry).[/quote']

Thanks for the reference. I have both APGs, I just haven't read them through cover to cover yet. Too busy with Setting and Villain books (not to mention the occasional regular non-gaming book).

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: EB vs EB

 

Contest of Power: Explosion example.

 

[Zeropoint]

Re: EB vs EB

 

Would you have to have a held phase, or could you Abort to it? (or, would that be too powerful...being able to basically 'attack' off your turn?)

 

It DOES seem a bit overpowered to be able to "attack" as an abort action, but I'm used to seeing it played out as a defensive action . . . character A attacks with a beam, and character B, rather than dodging, opts to block with her own beam . . . a risky move, because now she's committed, but if she can muster up more power than A . . . then it becomes an attack again. It does seem as though, if you want the Beam o' War to happen at all, you need to allow characters to abort to it, even if it isn't purely defensive.