How to build: Inflicting Damage upon Application of Healing

[Manic Typist]

Based on a discussion about Healing in the other forum, an idea popped into my head for a power construct whereby a latent threat (a poison or perhaps a spell) becomes active if a PC receives an application of (presumably) magical healing. Imagine nasty critters designed by enterprising villains to deal with pesky groups of adventurers.

 

Is there anything more to this build than a linked attack that requires a successfully Body wound which causes a secret roll to determine if any "poison" successfully made it into the PC, with a Trigger NND slapped on there? How would you deal with making the poison able to last, say a week or so, before it passes from the system?

 

Most importantly, do you think this would be an interesting, memorable, fun-contributing type threat to add to your games? For me, I can imagine my reaction as a player upon my PC's second encounter with these creatures, and it is positive. They would be disproportionately "scary" and signal that this combat is a serious fight that will require my full attention, but that's me.

[Lucius]

I like the idea so well I just might steal it.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Smuggling it out in a palindromedary's saddle bag

[Ndreare]

In Soul of the Fire this type of spell was used very effectively against Richard Raul, and in Wizards First Rule this type of spell was used to trick the First Wizard into being responsible for killing his own.

 

I think it is an amazing and insidious was to deal with healers, but if used to often it will anger your players.

[Manic Typist]

In Soul of the Fire this type of spell was used very effectively against Richard Raul, and in Wizards First Rule this type of spell was used to trick the First Wizard into being responsible for killing his own.

 

I think it is an amazing and insidious was to deal with healers, but if used to often it will anger your players.

Agreed- I think it should be restricted to a particular enemy, or small kind of enemy, so that players know what to expect after they first encounter the enemy.

 

So, is this build straightforward or does anyone see something tricky about the Trigger condition?

[Christopher R Taylor]

You could build a transform to give someone a susceptibility to being healed, that fades over time.

[Lucius]

Agreed- I think it should be restricted to a particular enemy, or small kind of enemy, so that players know what to expect after they first encounter the enemy.

 

So, is this build straightforward or does anyone see something tricky about the Trigger condition?

 

I was about to say that you need to be present to reset your own Trigger, but then it struck me that I probably don't know what I'm talking about.

 

You might want to build  a "Detect Magick Healing" Sense into the Power, unless you think Healing is obvious enough that it can't be done stealthily.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary buys Heal with Invisible Power Effects

[Manic Typist]

Fair point. So, a "simple" build would use Trigger but only activate once. Subsequent healing would NOT cause additional damage, so as long as you survive the initial surprise... you have a better chance assuming more healing can be found.

 

Hm. Can you combine Trigger with Charges? Each Charge after the first has an additional Trigger that the previous Charge must be expended before it can be activated?

[Christopher R Taylor]

You can build a trigger to automatically reset, although it gets spendy.  Charges would give you an absolute maximum curse time though

[Lucius]

Accursed Wounds of the Blades of Tharex: (Total: 65 Active Cost, 18 Real Cost) Drain BODY & REC & Regeneration & Healing 1d6, Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Being already accursed, undead, demonic, or unholy; All Or Nothing; +0), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Difficult To Dispel (x2 Active Points; +1/4), Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates, Trigger can expire (it has a time limit); +1/2), Cumulative (12 points; +3/4), Expanded Effect (x4 Characteristics or Powers simultaneously) (+1 1/2), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Day; +2 1/4) (65 Active Points); OAF (Specially cursed weapon; -1), No Range (-1/2), Conditional Power Must do BOD with weapon attack to set Trigger (-1/2), Requires A Roll (Attack roll, -1 per 20 Active Points modifier; -1/4), Incantations (-1/4) (Real Cost: 18)

 

Those fearlessly evil enough to court the dangerous attention of Tharex, God of Curses, have been known to use this horrifying curse. First a weapon is ritually cursed to prepare it. If the weilder manages to 1) Make a to-hit roll by at least 3, and 2) inflict BODy damage, and 3) utter the appropriate malediction, then the wounded victim is afflicted with the curse, which will manifest when the victim is subject to magical healing, whether self administered, applied by an ally, or the effect of a magical item, potion, blessed place, etc. The victim, and everyone else within four meters, which usually includes the healer, loses 1 to 3 pts of BOD, REC, and Regeneration (1d6 halved because these are defensive abilities) and 1 to 6 pts of Healing. The Trigger automatically resets, so further healing activates the curse again, and it is Cumulative up to 12 pts. Hapless bystanders suffer apparent wounds mimicking the one originally inflicted on the main victim. Lost points return at the rate of 5 per day. The curse is Difficult to Dispel, but fortunately wears off with time; how much time depends on the power of the cursor.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says I should use this in my game now; my players will HATE it.

[Christopher R Taylor]

You can also build a side effect to work on others instead of yourself; very odd complex build for this though.

[Manic Typist]

Jeeze, you took my nasty idea and made it an even nastier bomb.

 

Where in the power build does it list what the Trigger condition is? Maybe I'm blind. I'm definitely sleep deprived, but I thought that was where it was supposed to go... Also, shouldn't you add Incantations if you have to utter a malediction?

[Lucius]

Jeeze, you took my nasty idea and made it an even nastier bomb.

 

Where in the power build does it list what the Trigger condition is? Maybe I'm blind. I'm definitely sleep deprived, but I thought that was where it was supposed to go... Also, shouldn't you add Incantations if you have to utter a malediction?

I put the Trigger condition in the Power description. If there's a place it's supposed to go in the Power build, I didn't see where Hero Designer asked for it.

 

You may have a point about Incantations, but one could make a case that that is part of "setting up" the trigger, just as placing a trip wire for a more conventional trap doesn't mean you take "Gestures." On the other hand, setting a trigger is not something you usually do in combat....if I had it to do over I'd probably include the Incantations Limitation.

 

And making it Area Effect may seem overkill, but I wanted it to reduce a healer's ability to heal and that pretty much requires the Radius - also, without it the curse needs to make an Attack Roll to work even on the victim.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary suggests finding a way to put the curse on a bow and fire accursed arrows