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Build this power: steely-jawed hero


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5th Ed. Pulp hero - Standard hero: 150CP

 

I'm building a Steely-jawed Hero. Literally. His jawbone including teeth has been replaced with Stainless Steel. (Think Jaws from James Bond)

 

In addition to the obligatory 'HKA - must follow grab' power, I'm trying to figure what would happen when some feckless thug goes to sock him in the jaw. (Swish *CLANK* YAGHHH&$!&!^$!*#!!!)

 

Two effects:

1. our hero feels nothing (bought as +2DCV, just like a shield is bought) +

2. the thug gets a broken hand (4D6HA Damage Shield)

limits: only versus melee

activation 8- (represents that, on average, only the occasional attack will be aimed at the jaw - I am not using Hit Location rules)

 

So:

+2DCV

plus

6D6HA 0End(+1/2), Cont(+1), Inh(+1/4), Damage Shield(+1/2), maxes out at opponent's attack (-1/2), only vs. melee (-1/2), Act8- (-2)

 

or: (10 + (30@+2 1/4)@-1/2) @ -2 1/2

 

I work this out to a whopping 107AP / 21RP (one seventh of all his CPs). And it only works 25% of the time!

 

I suppose I could weaken it to 4D6. (the max-out limitation might be reduced to a -1/4)

so: (10 + (20@+2 1/4)@-1/4) @ -2 1/2

 

This is a weaker 75AP / 18RP (1/8th of his CPs)

 

 

Anyone have better ideas about how to simulate the fist-meets-steel effect?

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I would change out the +2 DCV since he is not actively using his Jaw as a Shield, and instead buy the following (Assuming 15 STR, and I believe STR adds to the HHA in this instance):

Steel-Jawed Hero: PD 6 Points; Resistant (+1/2), Hardened (+1/4), Inherent (+1/4) (12 AP); Activation Roll 8- (-2) (4 Real Cost)
 
You Shouldn't Punch Him In the Jaw, Moron: HHA +4d6 (7d6 Total), 0 END (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Inherent (+1/4), Damage Shield (+1/2) (65 Active Points); HHA (-1/2), Damage Maxes Out at Opponent's Attack (-1/2), Activation Roll 8- (-2), Linked to Steel-Jawed Hero (-1/4); (15 Real Cost)

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Hm. So, you can add the damage of an Inherent power to the damage from STR? I hadn't thought of that.

 

So, if the character already has a 20 (or maybe 25) STR, I could simply buy the power as a naked advantage?

 

Naked advantage on 25 STR: Damage Shield(+2) Max-out(-1/2) Act 8- (-2) Inh(-1/4) = 50AP, 13CP

 

Am I missing anything?

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Inherent is a +1/4 Advantage, not a -1/4 disadvantage but other than that it looks good.

Right. But I also forgot Always On.

 

Another point: you can use a damage shield on someone by grabbing them, what limit would you give for a DS to be passive only? Maybe -1/4?

 

I would still link it to the 6 resistant PD.

Nah. I like the cinematic effect of Jaws taking NO damage and just grinning.

 

A 6PD just won't do enough.

 

(Then again, PD always reduces damage, whereas DCV only reduces the likelihood that damage will be done. If the attacker makes it by 3, our hero takes full damage. Hmm.)

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6 rPD will stop Body from most small arms.

 
Except this is really meant for HTH. In fact, in my revision, I have a -1/2 lim: only HTH.

 

True, there's no reason why this power wouldn't work vs. ranged weapons. The player can always buy off that lim with XP.
 

 

And I would assume the Steel Jaw would be under skin, so there would still be nerve endings and such to take the Stun.

 
 
I was thinking about that. I am considering the special effect that the surgery deadened all the nerves and the skin turned leathery, so that there's no feeling in his jaw and not much to get damaged.

 

Of course it also turned the skin on his jaw grey (Great comic-book optics here: a guy with a reputation for a steel jaw looks like he has a steel jaw).

 

I figure, if Kenneth Robeson's 'The Avenger' can do it, so can this hero.

 

 

IIRC, Inherent and Always On are not Mutually Compatible.

 

D'oh! I really gotta go back and read the whole section. This is the first time I've cracked the book in years...

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Didnt Bond shoot Jaws in the face at one point in one of the movies?  (If I remember it slightly stunned him-aka it smarted-but he was more or less none the worse for it)

 

Yeah, it certainly fits, I was just trying to shave points. Though frankly, with the Activation(-2) in there, the only HTH(-1/2) only shaves a point or so off.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

 

(Then again, PD always reduces damage, whereas DCV only reduces the likelihood that damage will be done. If the attacker makes it by 3, our hero takes full damage. Hmm.)

 

Right - because an attack that succeeds by that much MISSES THE JAW.

 

Steel Jaw:  (Total: 18 Active Cost, 8 Real Cost)

+2 DCV (10 Active Points); Limited Power Hand to Hand only (-1/2), Perceivable (-1/2), Limited Power Can be negated with a Tactics roll or by devoting 1 Combat Skill Level to countering it (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4)

<b>plus</b>

Change Environment (-1 to Characteristic Roll or Skill Roll), Persistent (+1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (6 Active Points); Conditional Power Only affects someone who misses by 1 or 2 pt due to Steel Jaw DCV (-1), No Range (-1/2), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; attacker may take -1 OCV and not risk hitting the jaw; -1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2)

<b>plus</b>

 +1/+1d6 Striking Appearance when Struck (vs. [a specific group of characters] - those hitting the jaw); Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2)

 

Steel Jaw grants +2 DCV only vs hand to hand or melee attacks. If such an attack misses by 1 or 2 pts (i.e. misses because it hits the jaw) the attacker rolls CON at -1 if attacking barehanded; failure means the attacker recoils in pain clutching their hand and is 1/2 DCV until their next phase. The attacker rolls DEX at -1 if using a weapon such as knife or club, and loses the weapon if the roll fails. In either case the attacker suffers a PRE attack. Character does not have to pay for Variable Combat Effects because the character cannot control how the attacker chooses to attack. An attacker may deliberately avoid hitting the jaw, in which case treat the bonus as +3 rather than +2 DCV.

 

 

Personally I think +2 DCV is a little high; I'd have done it as +1. My version here doesn't do actual damage, but that can be added back in of course.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary asks why I'm sitting around jawing when there's things I need to do

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Right - because an attack that succeeds by that much MISSES THE JAW.

 

Steel Jaw:  (Total: 18 Active Cost, 8 Real Cost)

+2 DCV (10 Active Points); Limited Power Hand to Hand only (-1/2), Perceivable (-1/2), Limited Power Can be negated with a Tactics roll or by devoting 1 Combat Skill Level to countering it (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4)

<b>plus</b>

Change Environment (-1 to Characteristic Roll or Skill Roll), Persistent (+1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (6 Active Points); Conditional Power Only affects someone who misses by 1 or 2 pt due to Steel Jaw DCV (-1), No Range (-1/2), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; attacker may take -1 OCV and not risk hitting the jaw; -1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2)

<b>plus</b>

 +1/+1d6 Striking Appearance when Struck (vs. [a specific group of characters] - those hitting the jaw); Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2)

 

Steel Jaw grants +2 DCV only vs hand to hand or melee attacks. If such an attack misses by 1 or 2 pts (i.e. misses because it hits the jaw) the attacker rolls CON at -1 if attacking barehanded; failure means the attacker recoils in pain clutching their hand and is 1/2 DCV until their next phase. The attacker rolls DEX at -1 if using a weapon such as knife or club, and loses the weapon if the roll fails. In either case the attacker suffers a PRE attack. Character does not have to pay for Variable Combat Effects because the character cannot control how the attacker chooses to attack. An attacker may deliberately avoid hitting the jaw, in which case treat the bonus as +3 rather than +2 DCV.

 

ovel, 

Personally I think +2 DCV is a little high; I'd have done it as +1. My version here doesn't do actual damage, but that can be added back in of course.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary asks why I'm sitting around jawing when there's things I need to do

I like this:

Perceivable (-1/2), Limited Power Can be negated with a Tactics roll or by devoting 1 Combat Skill Level to countering it (-1/4

 

But I'm not keen on the CE. A simple Damage Shield will do STUN to the attacker. No need to complicate things.

 

+2DCV is high, yes; in fact I would say it is cinematically high. To wit: in the Doc Savage books, this would come into play virtually every novel.

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