unclevlad

It's fine using the 12 DEF, the problem is, you can't keep that assumption forever as the damage scales up.

A shorter analysis?  3 dice of negation basically subtracts 10 STUN, for this discussion.  For the 25% reduction to subtract 10 STUN, you have to be taking 40 past the defenses.

And in 6E, resistant negation also applies to AVADs, and Drain BODY and STUN...because it's clear, to me, that damage negation is intended to replace damage reduction.  It's more incremental and it's more effective, barring the issues with the stun mults for hit locations or in 5E.  

8 hours ago, Steve said:

I’m trying to find a build guideline to replicate a certain flavor of combat, where BODY damage can happen a little more easily but STUN is held down to allow for combats to go longer.

 

it might be that I will need to combine regular defenses like PD and ED, but also include both DN and DR.

To do "some BODY, but not too much"...be really careful with the KAs.  The BODY of a normal attack will only rarely be more than 20-25% more than the dice rolled...more than 15 BODY on 12d6 should be uncommon.  (The simplest way to get 15+ BODY is 3+ 6's, and no ones...that's about 20%.)  So, something like 14 BODY defense is probably good enough...against normal attacks.  The problem is, if you have 4d6 killing...that's the *average* BODY.  It'll do 18+ about 16% of the time.  OK, if full-DC KAs are *intended* to be a threat...someone with a big KA like that is a High Priority Target!!!...and it's unusual that this shows up?  Then go with extensive resistant defenses, right around the average KA BODY.  For the rest...STUN-only Negation.  You have good granularity now, you can pick the amount to suit your needs.  It is a bit more awkward, sure, but it isn't hard...with 12d6 and 5 dice negation?  Roll 7 dice, count BODY and STUN;  roll 5 dice, and count the BODY only, which is trivial.  It should SAVE time, as counting the stun on 7 dice should be faster than on 12 dice.  And if you want to simplify it, especially for KA STUN? Just subtract 3.5 STUN per die, rounding in the player's favor.  So 5 dice negation?  Knock off 18 STUN.  Of course, if you have, say, 6 dice of negation?  Then it doesn't matter, it's just 2 dice killing that gets negated.  Simple.

LW:  you're assuming a static level of defenses outside the DR or DN.  If that base defense 12 changes, then the net results change...and if they go *up*, then DR does worse.  That's the root problem with DR;  it does best as a standalone defense, but it's not good enough to *be* a standalone defense.  

I don't care about how, with only 12 base defense, 25% DR compares to 3 dice DN.  Why?  Because that's totally unacceptably LOW defense, IMO.  With the DN, you're facing 9d6 with 12 defense.  So, 9d6 > 35 stuns you.  You're stunned 22% of the time.  With the DR, it's

(12d6 - 12) * 0.75 > 23

12d6 - 12 > 92/3 --> 31

so 12d6 > 43 will stun you.  That's 40% of the time.

Those, for me, are both MUCH too high, and I suspect, 40% of the time would be too high for most of us.  Against 12d6, with 3 negation, 14 defense would mean you get stunned on 38+ on 9d6, which is down to 12% of the time.  With the 25% DR, it's 45+ on 12d6, which is still 34%.

And we can take it further...by your own chart, the 25% DR draws even with the 3 DN at 15 dice...when you're taking 30 STUN each time.  Your defenses are *insanely* out of whack, IMO.  Against 15d6?  I'd want closer to 20-22 defense...and my DR's effectiveness drops 2-3 points.

JUST dropped in my inbox...from NYT, an earthquake hit Taiwan.  Tsunami alert for Japan.  Pic from the email:

Damage negation is expensive.  2 dice of negation is 2 BODY (resistant, 3 points) and 5 STUN (can't be more than 5 points, and should likely be less).  But it costs 10.

Damage reduction, for what you get, and for how it interacts with other defenses (inefficiently), is hideously expensive.  50% DR is 30 points.  That's 6 dice of negation...21 STUN.  50% DR would only remove 21 STUN when you're taking 42...or the average STUN of a 12d6 attack with NO defenses applied.  You have to have some defense against the BODY of the attack...which would reduce the amount that gets reduced. 

Damage reduction makes a lot more sense when:

a)  you're playing 5E.  There's no other way to mitigate the obscene STUN possible with average to above average BODY, and that 4x or 5x STUN...which is quite likely.

b)  you use hit locations.  I abhor them, always have, always will.  Same thing, tho...you have potential 4x and 5x STUN...20% chance of a 4x, 5% chance of a 5x...and you're rolling the capricious killing attack dice.  There's about a 1 in 7 chance that you'll get x2 BODY and x4 or x5 STUN...so if it's 16 BODY rolled, it's 32 BODY...even with 10 resistant, you may be bleeding out...and 64 or 80 STUN.  

This is less about protection from being stunned, and more about avoiding being stunned and KO'd into next week.  You're out of the fight altogether, unless someone has Aid or Healing.

25% DR is basically worthless.  75% DR is just too freaking expensive, given its substantial mechanical drawback.

The point I was making, too:  for scaling how much BODY you have to be concerned with...only KAs matter, unless the GM's promised not to use them, or use them very sparingly, and possibly at lower max DCs.  For STUN, barring my conditions above, you're only worried about normal attacks.  The defense to mitigate the BODY damage from the KAs...not eliminate it but keep it down to manageable levels...will bounce the BODY from a normal attack of the same intensity (DCs).  

OK, qualifier...a 4d6 KA's BODY damage curve...first number is that much BODY or more, second is % chance.

14  55.63

15  44.37

16  33.56

17  23.92

18  15.90

19  9.72

So it's those 17 and 18...now toss in the 5 or 6 (1/3 of the time) on the stun mult.  51+ STUN is about 8%;  54+ is about 5%.  So...not all that likely, and about comparable with the frequency of that much STUN from a normal 12d6 attack.  So, it's still a consideration.  And, yes, I know...the probability that the KA STUN will be negligible is huge...but that's why PCs don't want to use them, and that's NOT how you measure risk *as* a PC.  It's not the average, it's the uncommon that matters.

And....I just checked.  Yankees are in Phoenix, with Gallen going for the D'backs...definitely a game worth watching.  

But...I can't.  The D'backs channel on Comcast is subscription only.  So's YES, but that's to be expected, so far out of its area.  

An issue I have with Hero is, there's not much stun-only defense.  There's ways to do it, but they start out expensive.  One of my preferred methods is some Armor, for the BODY, and then Damage Negation, STUN Only;  that's not bad.  Something like 8 armor + 4d6 Negation, STUN only, is 25 points, for 22 total defense.

The 2 starter questions:  

--how much BODY defense do I need?  OK, I'm biased as heck here.  It's not 12d6 normal...it's 4d6 killing I want to address.  14 BODY is average, so my target range would be 12-18 resistant, total.  (If you have, say, 3 dice of Negation, I count that as 3 BODY.)  

--stun...how often should I get stunned?  I'm REALLY biased here...because my preference is the more realistic one...just because you go down is a *better* reason to target you...so you don't get back up.  NOT the most common comic trope that a hero that goes down, gets ignored.  So...getting stunned, for me, is VERY, VERY BAD.  

So...we start with the damage.  12d6...ok.  What's my CON?  Let's go with 23.  By my lights, a 10% risk of getting stunned is dangerously HIGH.  Anydice.com is a great help here.  On 12d6?  50+ happens 10% of the time.  51+ happens 7.6% of the time, 52+ happens 5.4% of the time.  So for me...I need to block 27 STUN, with my 23 CON...minimum.

We can use other stun frequency numbers easily.  12d6, the damage percentages look like this:

And obviously, you can tweak the 2 right hand columns easily, as that defense to avoid being stunned is just Damage - CON.  So if you only want to be stunned by 1/4 of the full-strength strikes...you're looking at 23 total DEF with a 23 CON.

The 3rd question is more complex...how many hits can I take?  Note that the 27 total defense vs. STUN there...I'm taking 15 STUN per average attack.  Well, am I easy to hit or hard to hit?  Am I likely to be a focus of multiple attackers, or just 1 or 2?  If we're outnumbered, how many of em will have real, worrisome attacks...if there's 3 grunts on me, but they only have 8d6 attacks, well, they're barely gonna affect me.  Also note that the ease with which you can take an extra recovery is a factor...how easy is that for you?  SPD is an issue, but what, if anything, do you have to drop, since you can't take a recovery if you're spending END.  BUT, note that if you're taking 20 STUN a pop, you're not lasting very long unless you've got a LOT of STUN.  And getting KO'd is extra bad.

Well, Hero's basically aiming for the KO, rather than the kill.  But if resistant defenses are quite low, even 2d6 killing is a serious threat.  I'd argue GURPS is TOO lethal, if you're not careful.

Some years ago, one of the more odd situations happened back in 2018, when Vontae Davis announced his retirement...at halftime of the 2nd game of the season.  He offered what I thought at the time was a singularly insightful statement:

“But in my 10th NFL season, I have been doing what my body has been programmed to do: Get ready to play on game day. I’ve endured multiple surgeries and played through many different injuries throughout my career and, over the last few weeks, this was the latest physical challenge. But today on the field, reality hit me fast and hard: I shouldn’t be out there anymore.”

One now has to wonder if...in some measure...his body really was telling him something.  Because he was found dead in his home yesterday.  Cause of death has not been determined yet, pending a full autopsy, but foul play is not suspected.  Davis was only 35.

Beowulf:

https://devilmaycry.fandom.com/wiki/Beowulf

The article says the weapon form would be the Death Arm, which is here:

https://devilmaycry.fandom.com/wiki/Beowulf_(Devil_Arm)

From the article...bonus to SPD and OCV.  The attack power would be a multipower...mostly HAs or HKAs, with some various advantages perhaps.  Building up an attack over time can be done in a stacked attack, where, say, its base is 2d6;  +2d6 (delayed phase);  and +2d6 (full phase).  Or something like that.  Maybe full phase, then extra segment.  

The list of moves...thing is, these are tied to the game controls.  Like...the Beowulf Combo I and II are multiple attacks in Hero.  Punch, punch, then upward kick (double KB with the target flying UP...which would be a PITA in Hero, as the KB would be scaled back by the target's mass, and by vertical movement rules);  or punch, punch, kick that adds Target Falls.  In Hero, you'd buy attacks or maneuvers for each of these...but you can combine em any way you want.

SOMEONE...probably some company or service supplier...is up the creek.

At the NCAA women's championships, one of the regionals was in Portland.  Whoever set up the floor for this...screwed up.  The 3 point line at the top of the key was at the incorrect distance, on one side of the court.  Several games had already been played;  the error was found about an hour before the game today.  Both teams agreed to play;  for a variety of reasons, it was less disruptive to play, than to hold off until it could be fixed.  

But that's horribly embarrassing to the NCAA, which has had multiple issues reported, where the women's teams get *ridiculously* less than the men's teams.  And this is just not acceptable.  Another story reports the vendor is taking responsibility...who the heck else could it be?  Gotta figure they won't be getting much more business along these lines.............  There's one more game to be played, tomorrow...ESPN reported the court's being re-measured and re-painted.

I love it when studio hosts get egg all over their faces.

UConn leads Illinois by 5 at half.  They're ALL going...wow, they might be in trouble.

In the first 6+ minutes of the 2nd half, UConn *shreds* them.  Like a rabid Wolverine.  25-0.  

28 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

Thing is, the trial Trump is mouthing off about now is a criminal trial, not civil. Penalties for violating those orders, and/or contempt of court, is not fines. It's jail time.

I'll believe it when it happens...not before.

I saw that ESPN has a triple header tomorrow.  

Well, we know why, right?  Because there's basically nothing else TO show...and one has to think, the rights are relatively cheap right now.  (I think this is a big factor for ESPN.)  College hoops is wrapping up...and it's CBS/TBS.  Baseball's scattered;  each has isolated, individual games, but only at night.  And expanding existing rights would be expensive.  There's some hockey on ESPN, and I think they're splitting the playoffs with TBS there too.

But there's a LOT!!! of dead hours, particularly on Saturday and Sunday late morning to evening.  Hey, it wasn't long ago at all that local network affiliates slapped infomercials into these slots, a fair bit.  

I will remain a conscientious objector to the whole thing.

WRT the gag order...I'm not sure how fast they can proceed.  Trump has considerable leeway under the premise of free speech to start with...and I'm not sure how much violations of other gag orders could be held against him here.  My guess?  Not very much.  And this applies to what the judge can do, responding to violations...he's probably got to go back to square 1.  So minimal fines...which Trump will use for fund raising.

And I totally agree with the editor's letter, but it disregards a fact of its own.  There are real facts, and there are Trumpian facts.  The election WAS stolen...to his followers, that is a fact.  Period, full stop.  And that's the problem.  You can't correct MAGAts...without *deprogramming* them first.  That's a lot harder.

2 hours ago, slikmar said:

I basically pay Directv $160 a year to watch 130 or so Angel games - not including vs Giants or A's as those are our local markets or the games that get streamed, as MLB package doesnt include those, which seems annoying.

Because the teams don't want MLB stealing ad revenue...and MLB won't run the local ads because they have their own bills to cover. 

When the team was part of an RSN package, the RSN *could* consider waiving the blackout...probably wouldn't, but could.  Why?  Because there's still economic benefit for the RSN, promoting their OTHER teams.  That's not the case when it's baseball and the team doing the production.  Their only product is...the games of their team.  Nothing more.  So I think the shift is only going to make the broadcast rights even more rigid.

1 hour ago, Old Man said:

 

Don't tell me, tell our criminal justice system.

It isn't the justice system, per se.  The system is designed to minimize the chance that an innocent man gets convicted.  Trump and his legal team simply exploit that.  The insurrection charges...the problem's the vagueness.  And WHO can disqualify?  OK, yeah, I'd love seeing Trump off the Colorado ballot, but the point about potential chaos, allowing individual states to bar a candidate, is valid.  Some of the others...the Georgia charges...the challenges to the DA remaining on the case...uh...how does this damage Trump's defense?  OK, there's ethics issues, but that's separate...and not really germane to Trump's case.

The aspect where I'll agree is the degree to which the justice system...civil and criminal...has become a political tool.

Ouch...Jamal Shead is Houston's Wooden Award (player of the year) finalist.  Comes down bad in the middle of the first...severely sprained ankle.  Can't make it back.  Houston falls to Duke, 54-51.  This, after NC State clobbers the brackets earlier by beating Marquette, so the South is an ACC rematch.

Kind of odd, at least to me.  2 regionals are largely chalk;  East is #1 vs. #3;  Midwest is #1 vs. #2.  But the South is 4 vs. 11, and the West is 4 vs. 6.

The only problem with going to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch is the nightmares you risk, when you learn about how some of the *non* approved stuff is raised.  Sometimes it's due to fishing practices, such as this:

 

Quote

Dolphinfish caught by Panamanian fleets in the Eastern Central Pacific with drifting longlines should be avoided. A limited, exploratory stock assessment suggests overfishing is unlikely. Information about bycatch is limited, but there are indications that endangered or vulnerable turtles and sharks are caught. This fishery also catches yellowfin tuna, which are experiencing overfishing. Bycatch management is rated ineffective because the measures that exist are inadequate given the fishery's potential impacts. Drifting longlines don’t contact the seafloor, and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission has implemented some ecosystem-based measures that Panama must follow.

But with farmed fish...oh man.  

Quote

Sutchi catfish (a.k.a. pangasius) farmed in Vietnam should be avoided. The hyper-intensive production that occurs in Vietnam generates large volumes of effluent, and many farms are reportedly engaging in illegal dumping. Data on chemical use is not available, but there's evidence that it's very high and includes the use of antibiotics that are critically important to human health.

Or this

https://www.seafoodwatch.org/recommendation/tilapia/mozambique-tilapia-1983?species=226

since tilapia's the fish being discussed.  

So, it's a good idea to look for a Seafood Watch endorsement, or a BAP, MSC, or ASC certification.  

Could be worse.  You could be an A's fan.

Attendance for opening day in Oakland yesterday...13,522.  Report is there were several thousand fans who remained out in the parking lot to watch it.  But, wow.  13K for opening day, usually one of the best-attended games of the year?  Beat their average from last year......but still under the average for the Marlins, who consistently have the worst attendance in the NL...and by a lot.

https://ballparkdigest.com/2023/10/24/2023-mlb-attendance-by-average/

And if you take the Marlins out of it, you get to the Royals...effectively gonna be eliminated by Memorial Day...the Rays, with the most incredibly, disastrously bad ballpark, in an equally awful location, and the Pirates, who can at best be described as a AAAA team...and who still drew twice as much as the A's.

And the story also goes that there's *still* no clear-cut venue for next season, for the A's.

In 5e and 6e, there are no 1 point offensive skill levels;  those are only penalty skill levels.  Granted, you still want to be careful with those, IMO, especially the 2 point PSLs which can cover a small group of attacks.  Potentially much cheaper than buying Half Range Mods or No Range Mods...which also have the downside of increasing the active point cost.

7 hours ago, Pariah said:

Sadly, I wasn't able to watch a second of it because the MLB Network decided that we would be more entertained by a game in Seattle.

Broadcast rights are even more of a mess right now than they have been, from what I can see, as the RSNs bail out.  You may need to buy either a club package, or a full MLB package.

Well, look at it this way.  It was one bad inning.

One really bad inning.  Horribly bad.  Might well be the highest scoring single inning of the entire season bad.

Mmmm...yeah.  7 consecutive players reached base...TWICE.  First 7 batters...then fly out (but advancing a runner).  Next 7 after...then a sac fly.

Oh dear.  Not encouraging.  

Anthony Molina's ERA won't recover until after the ASB.  Got 1 out...gave up 6.  But, hey, on the bright side?  The pitchers after Molina went 5 1/3 scoreless.  

A high OCV can also be fine when the attack damage is low, or at least low-ish.  There's also Counterstrike...+2 DCs and +2 OCV, but only after a Block.  You forego an attack to block, to try to get your opponent to open himself up.  If the Counterstrike does significant damage?  You earned it.

A character with relatively low SPD is also less of an issue.  His strikes need to be a little more effective.

Well, to a degree it was inevitable...if there's no massive upsets to smash the brackets, then today's the day.

But tonight was a freshly made necklace of missiles caught in a fireball.

#1 UNC falls.

#2s Iowa State and Arizona are out.

UConn continued to steamroll, continuing to validate their #1 overall seed.

20 hours ago, Starlord said:

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-to-play-two-games-on-christmas-a-wednesday-during-2024-season

 

2 Christmas games this year - Christmas is on a Wednesday.

Money, money, money....MONEY!!!
If one of these is replacing Amazon's TNF, that isn't quite so bad.  

5 hours ago, Pariah said:

The conference formerly known as the PAC-12 used to have a rule that required teams playing on Thursday to have a bye the week before.

 

I wish the NFL would do something like that.

ALMOST impossible, or at least impractical, without adding a 2nd bye week.  That's tricky.  If you do this for all Thursday games, including Thanksgiving, you have 18 total games, so 36 teams, involved.  At least 4 teams play twice, then, so need 2 byes.  Also, the byes now are never too early or too late.  IIRC the first byes used to be week 5;  might be week 4.  Last byes were around week 13 or 14.  So there's t6 or so weeks where there's NO byes, meaning only 11 or 12 WITH byes possible.

But they won't even think about it.