AVAD question

[Tech]

Just checking to make sure this is correct by the book. I'm thinking of making an attack AVAD with the defense being the EGO statistic. Would that be a +0 advantage (New defencse is the same frequency as original defense)?

[Ndreare]

I would say in my games that would bee a +1/2 for supers or a +0 for heroic games. Based solely on how common and relative they are in my games.

Who is almost always lower than PD/ED in supers games, but is usually pretty close in Heroic games.

 

Of course as a.disclaimer I play heroic almost exclusively, and super hero games using the Hero System for me are rare.

[Hyper-Man]

I might even suggest a custom +1/4 if the average difference between the regular defense and the average EGO is less than 10 points.

[Mister E]

EGO can be an "All Or Nothing" NND (Defense is having an EGO) for 1/2 less Advantage/more Limitation.

 

NNDs are usually Rare. However since most living beings have EGO it may be a Very Common defense in the same category of frequency as PD & ED for AVADs.

 

Detonate: Blast 6d6, Does BODY (+1)(60 active pts); NND (having an EGO, Very Common; -1/2). Total cost: 40 pts.

 

"The latent energy inside inanimate objects can be harnessed, focused & released violently. Does not work on targets w/ free will."

[WistfulD]

EGO can be an "All Or Nothing" NND (Defense is having an EGO) for 1/2 less Advantage/more Limitation.

 

NNDs are usually Rare. However since most living beings have EGO it may be a Very Common defense in the same category of frequency as PD & ED for AVADs.

 

Detonate: Blast 6d6, Does BODY (+1)(60 active pts); NND (having an EGO, Very Common; -1/2). Total cost: 40 pts.

 

"The latent energy inside inanimate objects can be harnessed, focused & released violently. Does not work on targets w/ free will."

 

I have never gotten the hang of NND. A lot of the superhero write-ups (say the three Villians books) have NNDs that violate the rules as I understand them. For instance, I believe (I will have to check when I get home) there is a KA attack in one that is NND: Power Defense (+1). AVAD power defense for a killing attack is +1/2. NND in this instance is a hindrance (any amount of Power Defense eliminates the attack, so it should be +0 instead. Very confusing.

 

To the OP's question. I would normally say that +0 (or -1/2 as NND) would be fine. However, there are a few things to think about:

1) In a sufficiently high powered Supers style game, PD, particularly non-resistant PD, might well by in 30s-40s range, while Ego scores may still max out around 20. This is one of those cases like ACV where you have to look at the values that the campaign runs around at before determining the value of the advantage.

2) In the case of the blast that only effects creatures with Ego scores, this can be as much of an advantage as a limitation. If Mister E's NND attack example was an AoE, he could drop it on a mixed group of enemy drones and hostages/allies, only affecting the drones without the cost or constraints of a Selective AoE. In that situation I would at the very least call it a -0 limitation (much like "only does stun", the advantages and drawbacks balance out).