Barrier Belt Focus question

[Tech]

I have a character whose belt generates a Barrier (Force Wall for 5th ed people) around her. Now the puzzlement comes around as to how to label the focus belt. When she touches the belt to activate it, it's obvious for that moment that the belt activates the protection but once up, it's not obvious that the belt is keeping it up. As for if it's accessible, as long as the belt isn't activated, it could be grabbed away. Once the barrier is up though, you'd have to get through that to grab it. What focus limitation would you give this belt?

[Ninja-Bear]

Sounds like iif to me. Most of the time people wouldnt notice her touching her belt and nothing while power is on-inobvious. Again most of the time the belt is inaccessiable.

[Doc Democracy]

If you declare the belt to be accessible which means it can be grabbed away then I would go for OAF. It is obvious, when the power is switched on, that it comes from the belt. Good enough for me. If you can get close enough, you can grab it away, that is accessible.

 

Doc

[Doc Democracy]

I think the obviousness of touching the belt comes down to how obviously it is described. If the GM explicitly links the action and the power, or simply tells someone if they ask, then it is obvious to me.

 

As for the accessibility, if the character also has a sword, does that also become inaccessible due to the barrier?

[freakboy6117]

It kind of depends I tend to think of obvious versus inobvious as batman vs James Bond.

 

Batmans cowl lenses are an obvious focus James Bonds night vision sunglasses are an inobvious focus. Batmans bat grenades are an obvious focus bonds grenade pen is inobvious.

 

So in your example if the belt looks like a normal belt until activated inobvious if it looks like a high tech device it's an obvious focus.

[steriaca]

A rule of thumb is, if you can see it, and you can tell what it does without someone activating it, then it is an obvious focus. If you can't tell exactly what it does unless activation, then it is inobvious.

[BoloOfEarth]

I would go with it being an IAF. 

 

I'd say inobvious since you do specify that it's not obvious the belt is keeping the barrier field going.  You can't have the benefits of it being inobvious without paying the extra price for it.

 

Accessible because I'm assuming this barrier encompasses the hex around her, so someone could be inside the barrier with her, or teleport inside and grab the belt.

 

Though I would normally consider a belt inaccessible, as it needs to be unbuckled, not just grabbed.  Unless the field generator is something clipped to the belt.

[Christougher]

I'd say IIF as well; the nature of its powers cannot be determined until it's used.  The belt cannot also be easily taken away, especially if its power is in use.  An thirdly, GMs are likely to argue taking a lesser limitation and paying more for it.

 

Chris.

[Doc Democracy]

I really am more about how something is treated rather than what it ostensibly looks like.

 

Is it obvious? Well if I am the GM and I want to remove the focus, I do not expect the player to rely on activating it in secret and trying to hide its nature. I will expect villains to have seen it being activated, or there are mini-figures out there with Barrier-Man's belt activated Barrier . :-). That is obvious despite not gave a glow extend from belt to barrier.

 

Accessible is accessible. If someone close can grab it during combat, then it is accessible. The barrier itself is, IMO, irrelevant to whether it is accessible or not.

 

Doc

[Lucius]

Accessible is accessible. If someone close can grab it during combat, then it is accessible. The barrier itself is, IMO, irrelevant to whether it is accessible or not.

 

Doc

Exactly. There is no rule requiring that a character with Barrier has to only have Inaccessible Foci. One might as well argue that a flying character can only have an Inaccessible Focus because they can't be grabbed by those stuck on the ground.

 

On the other hand, the belt can just be grabbed? Really? No need to unbuckle it first? If it's Inaccessible I would say it's because it requires unbuckling, not because it generates a Barrier.

 

Also, "Inobvious" is not the same as "totally undetectable." I would require a Perception or some other roll to note (and grasp the importance of) the character touching the belt to activate the power, and make it Inobvious.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

And an Obvious Inaccessible Palindromedary

[Ninja-Bear]

Years ago I made a power enhancer belt for Orb. I built it OAF. I made it the way in cartoon comics it was easy to rip a belt off. As anything else in Hero go by the effect you want not what people assume it should be.

[Lucius]

Years ago I made a power enhancer belt for Orb. I built it OAF. I made it the way in cartoon comics it was easy to rip a belt off. As anything else in Hero go by the effect you want not what people assume it should be.

In a cartoon I've seen Spiderman grab away a belt with webbing.

 

So yes, if you want that, make it Accessible. If you don't want that, don't.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

I want a palindromedary tagline here

[Ninja-Bear]

In a cartoon I've seen Spiderman grab away a belt with webbing.

 

So yes, if you want that, make it Accessible. If you don't want that, don't.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

I want a palindromedary tagline here

That could be the cartoon I was thinking of!

[JmOz]

A rule of thumb is, if you can see it, and you can tell what it does without someone activating it, then it is an obvious focus. If you can't tell exactly what it does unless activation, then it is inobvious.

 

I strongly disagree: I feel that IF when the power is in use/activated the source is obvious then it is obvious, the fact that it is hard to detect when not in use is a matter of concealment...

 

Take the GL ring:  A glowing aura around the ring in use tells you it is a Obvious focus, the fact that GL has a weird ring on when not in use does not change that it is Obvious, even though you would probably not really notice it.

 

James Bond's pen obviously shoots a laser, so I would say it is actually two powers a RKA and a + to concealment.  The plus to concealment is probably an In obvious (Actually a third power for transform as well to represent the pen itself...but lets not get silly)

[Ninja-Bear]

I strongly disagree: I feel that IF when the power is in use/activated the source is obvious then it is obvious, the fact that it is hard to detect when not in use is a matter of concealment...

 

Take the GL ring: A glowing aura around the ring in use tells you it is a Obvious focus, the fact that GL has a weird ring on when not in use does not change that it is Obvious, even though you would probably not really notice it.

 

James Bond's pen obviously shoots a laser, so I would say it is actually two powers a RKA and a + to concealment. The plus to concealment is probably an In obvious (Actually a third power for transform as well to represent the pen itself...but lets not get silly)

I believe that there was a minor squibble over IAF and OAF with concealment back when Ninja Hero first came out.

[steriaca]

I believe that there was a minor squibble over IAF and OAF with concealment back when Ninja Hero first came out.

If you can tell what it does, than it is Obvious. If it requires a bit of examination, it is counseled Obvious. If you can't tell what it does special, it is Inobvious. If it is obviously a normal item of that type, even when it is not, then it is counseled Inobvious.

 

Let's take an umbrella with a hidden weapon system for an example. If you can spot the buttons on the side of the umbrella handle and know it is not for automatically opening the umbrella, then it is OAF. Hide the extra buttons, then it is an COIF. Design the umbrella well and use powers which don't seem to come from the umbrella, IAF. We'll make it and it is CIAF.