Grailknight

The Palace Job and The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes. Two fantasy caper novels with large and engaging characters and an interesting setting and unique take on unicorns.

The text of CE forces a roll but does not give the consequences of that forced roll. My interpretation is that it does not include the potential failure of passive CHAR. Lacking word of Steve, I concede that your interpretation is equally valid. By your interpretation, just for one example, you could have a CE that says that a targets CON doesn't function and they would then be Stunned by any subsequent attack that did damage. I don't think CE should be an AVAD Suppress against any CHAR that instantly takes that CHAR to 0 regardless of value but that's the interpretation you're advocating.

Never said A would auto-win just that he had a chance. If I had to bet, I'd bet on G. But that doesn't mean that running till a more powerful opponent exhausts himself is a strategy that never works. Yeah, the 3d6 END and STUN Drain is a better power. It also costs almost twice as much and has a more common defense. How much cheaper should it be? The thing is, you can't come close to building it on 20 Active point. I've tried starting with CE, Suppress and Drain and Drain comes closest. If you go with CE, you have to realize that you can't take away REC or END. CE can give you a penalty for a task that requires a roll but it has no effect on things that don't. There is no circumstance in Hero that requires a REC roll except Drain and while CE can do damage it doesn't do Drain. If you handwave that then you get to making the target spend END. What does your power do if he just sits and meditates. Again, nothing by RAW unless you make it into a type of Drain. There are 3 flaws in trying Suppress. Suppress is an Adjustment Power and all of the CHAR affected by Suffocation are Defensive. That means all the points are doubled and you need 3d6 to reliably reduce the REC of a Normal NPC and larger amounts of dice to do the subsequent CHAR which will all be higher. You also need to add Variable Effect to change between CHAR so that means more Active Points. You could do it with repeated 1d6 attacks but you have to spend END to maintain each one's effect and Suppress cannot have reduced END in any form by RAW. That will exhaust you long before the target. Third, Suppress cannot actually kill you with reduced BODY. Steve has ruled that you go into a deathlike coma but you pop up as good as new when the Suppress stops no matter how negative you are. Finally, you can build it with Drain and I actually got closer to 20 Active than I thought I could this way. 1d6 Drain vs STUN and BODY,(+1/2 Variable Effect), (+1/2 Constant), (+1 1/4 Reduced Return Rate, so you don't recover before the Drain is finished) the AVAD portion goes as +0 and then Disadvantages of (-1/2 Must be Maintained) (-1/4 must Drain STUN to zero before Draining BODY) so 32 Active Points and 18 Real Points. Add the Darkness and you get a 35 Active Point Power and 20 Real Points. You still have to hit in each successive phase and the problems with the END expenditure are still there. You could add DOT(adding +5 1/2 Advantage and reducing Must Be Maintained to +0) but that gives you 87 Active and 70 Real Points Oh and Desolid has has enough problems since there's an advantage that negates in addition to to the defined weakness and the +2 cost if you want to affect something. I don't allow AOE accurate because it negates DCV. AOE is good enough

One of the optional rules in The Ultimate Mentalist allowed combing powers from different sources. The most powerful was at full strength and the rest could add 25% of their power to the total. So two 12 DC mentalists could combine for a 15 DC attack(12 DC from first 3 DC from second(.

Have you seen the Wearing the Cape series by Marion G. Harmon. The science and magic of that series work on a similar principle to what you describe.

It has to be applied to the Movement Power not the Advantage. As you built it the Naked Modifier has No Turn Mode, the Movement is unchanged.

First off, we never said this was a typical combat but it was a one on one fight. Here's a scenario; Apprentice is sent to die in the arena vs a Gladiator. A only knows one spell, Suffocation because he's an apprentice. He hits with it as G closes and then spends the rest of the fight blocking, dodging and fleeing for his life. G may corner and kill A or A may evade until G drops. But A only needs Suffocation to win. Secondly, I made the power example AVAD to be comparable to Suffocation. Did you pay attention to the note that it would be less expensive (32 points for 1d6 Supers version and 16 points for the 1/2d6 Fantasy/Heroic version) Of course it's abusive but that wasn't the contention. You said DOT wasn't fast enough in combat time so I gave an example to counter your argument. But it does appear that it's possible to look at a power without seeing it in play and say that it's under priced doesn't it? Thirdly, though Hero does a very good job of balance, all Powers are not equally effective for their point cost. I concede that Suffocation doesn't work quickly on its own. But just like the target of Suffocation can fight back so can the user. If Suffocation is followed by an END Drain that lack of REC means you have to burn STUN to stay alive. 20 points is too little to negate any value of REC from 4 to 400 in one blow. It allows you to maintain Suffocation for only 2 END outside of your other attacks. It's that aspect that makes it too under price to me but YMMV. Lastly, I came up with a ballpark figure of closely 50 Active Points with built in Disadvantages getting the cost to 25-37 Real Points. The DOT is a clearly superior power(as I said in Post 31) and can cost as little 16 Active points for the 1/2d6 Fantasy/Heroic version. I'm not comparing one at AP to another at RP. And yes, your 6d6 STUN & END Drain will be more effective. That's a 75 Active Point power, no matter how you reduce it to 36 Real Points.

Your alternatives can be effective delaying tactics but they don't end the fight by themselves. Suffocation can As for your assertion that DOT is too slow for combat, look here: Blast 1d6, Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Power Defense; All Or Nothing; +1/2), Does BODY (+1), Damage Over Time, Target's defenses only apply once, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (33-64 damage increments, damage occurs every Segment, +5 1/2) (40 Active Points) Note that the AVAD and Does Body are only here to make it work against a lesser defense. Take them out and it becomes a 32 AP power. That's for a Supers game. Assuming a hit in the initial segment 12, the target has taken 24 BODY and 84 STUN less defenses(once) at the end of turn 2. Before it runs out in 1 minute 4 seconds, it totals 64 BODY and 224 STUN. For a Fantasy or Heroic game cut it to 1/2d6 and you get 12 BODY and 48 STUN less defenses(once) and 32 BODY and 128 STUN at conclusion. IME, combats last 2 turns which makes this an effective power in combat. If your experience is shorter combats then I agree that it's slow however if your combats last longer this is really nasty in combat. In all cases it's nasty if the means of stopping it aren't readily available afterwards. I've tried pricing Suffocation in HD but I haven't got a model I'm satisfied with. For what its contributes, my attempts come in around 50 AP and 25-37 RP. It's not that expensive but it's not 20 AP either.

Okay, I reread the entire thread. It seems that we are evenly split on the under priced or just right opinion. That's great, one style does not fit all games. Except for DOT(which does not have to be slow), all of your examples require a character to constantly hit with attacks over the course of the combat. Suffocation(and DOT) is a hit once and win without the need of any other powers much less the teammates you dragged into the one on one fight. So I'll wait for examples of 20 AP powers that only require one hit from only that power before I concede that point. Sorry if you took my post as implying that your opinion was inferior to mine. I meant it as to say that some of us look at the power and reason that it is under priced. Nothing more.

One explanation, is that some of us can see that it is under priced without needing to see it in play. My post acknowledged that DOT was more under priced. Saying that Suffocation is okay because another construct is more broken is kinda weak as a defensive argument.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bullet-that-struck-caregiver-was-meant-to-protect-him-police-union-president-says/ar-BBuCQMF?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=UP97DHP Looks like the officer has admitted fault. He may be a good cop but I'm curious how he made the SWAT team with that kind of marksmanship.

In a Horror or Low Fantasy game, defeat by a vampire or werewolf means a character gets turned or dies more often than not. In High Fantasy or Supers, its more a plot device or radiation accident. The in-game expectations are radically different.

Because Change Environment doesn't actually have provisions for creating that hostile an environment. Creating a flood of that magnitude(much less a vacuum) would and should be a direct attack. Same goes for poison gas or burying in sand. Suffocation is an AVAD Suppress/Drain vs REC that also forces you to continue to expend END and eventually STUN then BODY. It's under-priced for what it can do in a long one on one battle. That's a quality it shares with Damage Over Time(with DOT being the greater offender). Suffocation is more a DOT that has to be maintained. Because it doesn't do STUN or BODY in the time frame we associate normally with Hero combat, we tend not to see it for the deadly attack it can be.

It's a STOP power only if it's allowed to be used offensively otherwise it's a plot device in the hands of the GM. So, no Usable as an Attack or Usable by Others Also(to transport them and then strand them) and you shouldn't upset game balance. Considering that it sounds like you found it without paying Character Points for it, I'd bury that sucker in the deepest hole I could find. The GM has PLANS for that little trinket.

That seems to cover most of it. If we could come up with a mechanical way to define the size of the XDM, we'd be there.

And another Asylum SyFy movie is born.

Hmm, you want your power to change how another character's powers function mechanically? Drain or Aid give boosts or reductions in Active DC's but don't change Advantages/Limitations so they're out. Change Environment could give penalties but would be restricted by SFX. By RAW, the only permissible way to change someone else's mechanical function is with a Transform. Giving an opponent a Limitation seems to be a textbook use and there are actual rules for adding powers to transformed targets.

Penetrating was not around until 4th at the earliest. It came in as Piercing's replacement.

Focus on villains who were in it mostly one up a hero who died in the event or those who feel they've been denied the acclaim they are due. With positive feedback and no rivals you may get some face turns. Give the mercenaries high salaries, benefits and amenities with primary attention here on those that can be stopped by conventional forces. Keep the Damocles option as subtle as you can and always keep your word to them.

This with AOE on the Teleport. The problem is defining the size of the extra-dimensional space. I guess you could buy it as a base or use Change Environment as a basis for the area's size.

Enhanced Perception costs per page 62 of CC. 3 pts. for +1 with all senses 2 pts. for +1 with a sense group 1 pt. for +1 with a single sense For Characteristic Roll based Skills per page 34 of CC. 4 pts. for +1 with Interaction(PRE) or Intellect(INT) based skills 6 pts. for +1 with Agility(DEX) based Skills

No, if only one buys up his maximum, only he can aid above 12 points. The other guys cannot contribute to a total above 12.

He could if you're using the more modern depictions of the Torch. The Lee and Kirby Torch could manipulate flame(his own and others also) as well as Pyro can. Better actually, because he even had Duplication.

Speedsters use Passing Disarm which would give your 14 STR ninja a 24 STR base Disarm with +5 for each Martial DC you have. That should be enough to Disarm everyone but the STR-based characters.

The Sleight of Hand Skill covers this. It would be a DEX-roll based power opposed by Perception.