How would you build psychic backlash?

[Daryl]

Anyone playing in my Teamups game should stop reading now.

 

All clear?

 

 

Okay, this one has me stumped. I want to build a bad guy with psychic backlash -- you do pain to him, and that pain comes back to you in the form of an ego attack. This should work for any kind of attack -- energy, physical, mental -- but only ones that cause pain (wouldn't work against knockout gas, say). It should work for HTH as well as ranged combat, but the attacker would have to be in line of sight for the backlash to work. It should also work for all attacks hitting in a phase. Finally, it's uncontrolled -- the bad guy can't stop the backlash.

 

This has elements of absorption, missile reflection, and damage shield, but none of those really describe what I'm after. So how would you build it? Thanks for any ideas.

 

--d

[Snarf]

A mental damage shield with the +1/2 advantage that makes it affect mental and physical attacks is pretty close to what you're looking for, but it wouldn't work against ranged attacks.

[Maccabe]

Backlash

 

Why isn't it;

Ego Attack, only when attacked, 0 endurance, persistant.

not vs attacks that do not do Body normally.

 

That way it includes; Entangles, Flashes, NND's, etc

[altamaros]

Re: How would you build psychic backlash?

 

Originally posted by Daryl

Okay, this one has me stumped. I want to build a bad guy with psychic backlash -- you do pain to him, and that pain comes back to you in the form of an ego attack. This should work for any kind of attack -- energy, physical, mental -- but only ones that cause pain (wouldn't work against knockout gas, say). It should work for HTH as well as ranged combat, but the attacker would have to be in line of sight for the backlash to work. It should also work for all attacks hitting in a phase. Finally, it's uncontrolled -- the bad guy can't stop the backlash.

 

This has elements of absorption, missile reflection, and damage shield, but none of those really describe what I'm after. So how would you build it? Thanks for any ideas.

 

my two pence :

 

 

"Feel my pain: touch/mental"

EGO Attack nD6

+ 0 END +1/2

+ continuous : +1

+ uncontrolled: +1/2

+ inherent: +1/4 (does it need "persistent" as well?)

+ Damage shield (mental contact): +1/2

+ damage shield (physical contact): +1/2

- Only if SFX of attack includes pain: -1/4

- limited to amount of STUN done to the character: -1/2

 

(and eventually 0 END)

 

"Feel my pain: from a distance"

Detect : "people who just did hurt me"

* mental sense group, active

* sense, targetting, 360°

* a obscene amount of PER rolls bonus.

 

EGO Attack nD6

+ 0 END: +1/2

+ fixed trigger : +1/4 (when pain inflicted to character)

- only to attacker previously detected : -1/4

- limited to amount of STUN done to the character: -1/2

[Kristopher]

Just slap Ranged on the Ego Attack Damage Shield and be done with it.

[Fireg0lem]

Buy a megascale area of effect ego attack Always On, then limit it such that it only affects those who hurt him (this is not much of a limit, I'd call it a wash at -0).

 

Ranged Damage Shield is WAY too cheap for this effect. If you choose to go that way, bump up the cost of ranged. A lot.

[Lord Liaden]

I think I would probably go with the Damage Shield idea presented above, but rather than Ranged to affect an attacker at a distance (which I don't think is strictly legal as far as a Damage Shield's damaging effects go), I'd try Stretching with a Trigger that goes off when the character takes damage; the Stretching "projects" the shield back toward the attacker. That would probably require the additional +1/4 Advantage on the Damage Shield to allow it to damage a target with other than a Grab.

 

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Couldn't you add area to the damage shield?

 

Ego Attack (6d6) 0 End, Continuous, Damage Shield, Area Radius, Several Radus Doublings, Only to amount of stun done to him.

 

The ego attack would affect everyone in the radius but those who did no damage would take none in return with the limitation. Those who hurt him would hurt back.

[Lord Liaden]

According to the FAQ, that kind of Limited AoE Damage Shield might be legal with GM permission:

 

Q: Can a character buy a Damage Shield with the Area Of Effect Advantage, so that anyone who comes close to him takes damage?

 

A: As a default rule, yes, because it might allow for some interesting power constructs and isn’t too far different from what normally happens when a character enters a Constant area-effecting power field. However, GMs should consider it a “stop sign†power and review it carefully; there are definitely possibilities for abuse. Gamemasters also need to decide what happens if the character moves; ordinarily area-effecting powers, once established, can’t be moved (see above).

[Daryl]

Thanks everybody. Especially to VG and LL: VG, because the Area Affect Damage Shield seems to me like the way to go; and to his Lordship, who went the extra mile to look up the legality in the FAQ.

 

--d

[GrimJesta]

I think I would probably go with the Damage Shield idea presented above, but rather than Ranged to affect an attacker at a distance (which I don't think is strictly legal as far as a Damage Shield's damaging effects go), I'd try Stretching with a Trigger that goes off when the character takes damage; the Stretching "projects" the shield back toward the attacker. That would probably require the additional +1/4 Advantage on the Damage Shield to allow it to damage a target with other than a Grab.

I never once have even thought of using stretching this way. Damn...thats too freakin cool...

 

-=Grim=-

[Lord Liaden]

Originally posted by GrimJesta

I never once have even thought of using stretching this way. Damn...thats too freakin cool...

 

-=Grim=-

 

Glad you approve, Grim, but the idea was suggested by another board member in an earlier discussion of a similar effect. I can't take credit, much as I'd like to.