Nerve Strike II

[Hugh Neilson]

While I agree it takes 2 skill levels to bump Nerve Strike up 1 DC, the question is really "how much does 1 DC of nerve strike cost?" If it's 10 points per 1d6 (the pre-6e baseline for NND), it takes 4 skill levels to add 2 DC's which is 1d6. [Vol 2, p 96-97]

 

Is rigid armor or PD Resistant Protection common or uncommon? If Common, it's +0 so 1 DC = 5 points, so 2 levels bump it 1d6. If it's Uncommon, it's 7.5 so skill levels bumps it 1d6. If it's rare, it would be 10 points, so 4 skill levels for 1d6. I don't think I've seen a game where it would be Rare, but I guess if you left out some forms of Resistant PD that aren't Rigid (eg. Combat Luck and many Force Fields), you could make the defense less common.

 

It seems like the frequency of the defense, and therefore the cost of 1 DC, could vary between games.

 

Am I on the right track, or just spouting nonsense?

[Steve Long]

Who says you can’t do both at once?

 

For AVAD purposes, Resistant PD/ED is considered “Common.” As a subset of that, Rigid Resistant PD/ED probably counts as “Uncommon” — but as you say, that could vary between campaigns. In a Champions game where everyone wears “bulletproof spandex” or has defensive powers, RRPD/ED might be Rare; in a Dark Champions game where all the characters wear ceramic-reinforced body armor it might be Common.

 

As shown on the character sheets in Champions Villains, in 6E every +2 Extra DCs add +1d6 to a Nerve Strike. This contrasts with earlier editions due to changes in the NND cost structure and Adding Damage rules, if memory serves — though it’s early on a Saturday and I haven’t had any coffee yet.

 

And of course that involves my judgment as to the commonality of the defenses in the CU campaign setting. Technically speaking I suppose some of the rare Nerve Strike defenses discussed in HSMA might add at a different rate, but that may be complicating things more than necessary.

 

So let’s consider that the standard, and to the extent other charater sheets differ because I missed something, just change ’em.