austenandrews

I've built spell systems based around Trigger and Extra Time, where each spell requires a long casting time but can be Triggered later (basically like Delayed Effect, without the arbitrary number limit). Then you've got a hard limit based on prep time, with some flexibility depending on what else the spellcaster is doing besides casting spells (that is, the caster gets extra spells if he stays home from the tavern, skips meals & sleep, etc.). -AA

What was the name of that weapon used by Niven's Puppeteers? The one that incapacitated the target by direct stimulation of the brain's pleasure centers? -AA

Of course, that's just a Special Effect issue. "Losing BODY" is just something that happens on the way to being killed. Assuming the GM doesn't have other effects for losing BODY besides just being closer to death, there's nothing to say the extra BODY isn't just a game mechanic to simulate unkillability. It's the same kind of thinking that created Combat Luck and similar constructs. Granted with Regen/Resurrection, you'd have to build it in such a way as to avoid death in 99% of the cases. You'll never get every case, of course, but there's not much you can do about that. Well, except that modified BODY doesn't logically have the effect that you're describing. -AA

Re: Re: IPE Yeah, that's the trouble with simulating an absolute effect like this by using a non-absolute system like HERO. But you've gotta pick something, right? You could also buy a flavor of Desolid, "Only to eliminate BODY damage," with wring through all the issues that entails. If the GM allowed it, that might be the most elegant solution. -AA

BODY with a Focus doesn't make you unkillable, either. It just means there's one more way for enemies to take your BODY besides hacking it from you piece by piece. The only way extra BODY can simulate this effect is to keep you from dying. It can still be taken away like normal, but the enemy will have to take away a lot more of it. So you might buy something like "+30 BODY, Only if external 'soul jar' is intact (-1/4)" but someone could still come along, knock you down to -41 BODY and you'd be dead. At some high point cost you could conceivably invoke FH's optional rule about absolutes, but that's a big-time "GM permission" effect. (At that point it's probably more cost effective just to buy Regeneration/Resurrection with the above "soul jar" Limitation.) As an aside, across the spectrum of gaming I agree it's a rare construct, but in certain folklore the concept of an "external soul" is fairly common. -AA P.S. Now you've got me thinking what effect IPE on BODY would have. I suppose it might hide the fact that you're wounded.

Holy cow. Now that's certainly a unique interpretation. -AA

I'm lost. How does IPE on BODY make you unkillable? -AA

I know, but you also suggested a slavishly loyal Summon of yourself, which was enough to make me skip on to Yamo's post. -AA

Yamo's idea is the most elegant. Admittedly I'm not sure how to cost the Limitation value for a Focus that you don't actually carry with you. That's certainly worth less of a point break. In fact I'm inclined to say it's not a Focus at all, but just a Limited Power. Not more than -1/2, probably more like -1/4. Of course you also get the Physical Limitation "Dies when external soul is destroyed." -AA

Granted, but I would think that particular AP cost falls outside of the usual limits (as long as she's only producing one suit of armor and not ten). -AA

I'd build it as Duplication, with serious "psychic feedback" from the girl to the armor. -AA

Buy the spells with Focus and Trigger. The Focus is the weapon, the Trigger is impact. -AA

Yeah, the trickiest part (assuming you want to) is keeping the players in genre. The usual player instinct is like Scott Evil: "We've captured the hero. Why not just shoot him in the head?" If you don't want that, you may want to discuss it with your players beforehand. -AA

Ah. I, and seemingly the others, assumed you wanted a generic spell to create that effect anytime. If you're specifically targeting a single Independent spell, then it's probably a GM call. Normally an "effect" (an Image, a Change Environment, etc.) has no "handle" with which others can manipulate it. If that's all you're looking for, if I were your GM I'd consider allowing you to "buy off" the Independent Limitation (maybe with an Aid, or perhaps with Transform, as you suggested; either way, it should fit in your "piddly" VPP ). However, if I were your GM, I'd question what your real goal is. If you're just trying to manipulate a large spell using a small VPP, I might not even allow it. If I did, I'd make it a very risky venture, essentially handling a power level beyond your ordinary capacity. Be on the lookout for Side Effects. -AA

I recently played in a Golden Age villain game. It went very well, as have most such games I've played in the past. In my experience, two important factors for a villain game are (a) make it a short-run, and ( don't try to make it serious. (a) helps because in short runs, the tone and fun of the game can supercede each character's personal growth. Players tend to be more interested in playing out a fun story, rather than "getting theirs." ( is almost inevitable, because players feel like they can cut loose when they're running villains. It's cathartic and laugh-inducing. A lighter tone also helps to smooth out the different "evil tolerances" between players, so that Player-ChildRipper and Player-NunTorturer don't utterly creep out Player-GentlemanThief and Player-SillyRiddles. -AA

I agree with Talon. That's an extreme stretch for Transform, and quite abusable. A VPP is the most obvious general solution. Maybe have an available Transfer, if you want to "steal" the spell from someone else? If you're determined to use Transform, though, you'll have to decide what "stat" you're rolling against (since in general a spell effect has no BODY). If it were my game, I'd probably say AP/5 (so you'd need to roll 2*AP/5 to complete the Transform). Then I might require that the Transform add UBO to the spell, allowing you to "steal" it for your own use. You'll also have to decide on issues such as whether the original spellcaster can still influence the effect, etc. -AA

I sure wouldn't pass up an opportunity to pit my character against his fellow PCs. How often do you get that chance? Then get captured and play Boy Hostage for awhile. -AA

I'd add a Limitation that a disbeliever could "break free" of the effect using the same mechanic as Mental Illusions. But I'd make disbelief require active resistance, not passive. Ultimately it's just a special effect of Invisibility, which shouldn't require the tons of dice-rolling necessary for Mental Illusions. -AA

Miniature antigrav robot security attendants. Nanoclouds have all sorts of interesting applications. Personal geosynchronous laser platforms. Be the first on your block to get one. My 50's atomic space opera game has a Vibro-Gun that fires tiny metal shards into a target and then uses a high-powered magentic beam to vibrate it to smithereens. -AA

Right, it depends on the situation that triggers the berserk. If the target goes berserk when innocents are harmed, some form of illusion would work. If the target goes berserk in total darkness, use Darkness. If they go berserk when their blood is drawn, use a KA. &c. -AA

For KA's, I'd consider just dropping the Hit Location STUN multiples by 1. Or as someone suggested, buy up the average stats of the PCs. How about 10 or 15 extra points of STUN for heroic characters? As Lord Laiden said, it also matters what tactics the players use. If you've got a bunch of powergamers who covet each Phase like a priceless jewel, you're always going to have a problem convincing them to Block or Dodge or keep calm when their character is Stunned. But if your group is more flexible, you might try stretching out your combats time-wise, to encourage defensive maneuvers and combat recoveries instead of the usual "everyone hit them with their biggest attack" strategy. -AA

I was conscious of the fact that my world's strange magic setup might take some getting used to for the players. That's why in the beginning I've tried to make the world very accessible - standard medieval, northern European setup; no races; Welsh, Celtic and Saxon naming schemes; unusual fantasy elements given familiar fantasy names (like "elf" and "troll"); discernable but not unusual effects of magic on the world (few diseases, no rampaging monsters through the village, a smattering of enchanted objects). Slowly I'm leading the campaign into more meaty directions, but I'm unfolding the weirdness rather than dropping the players in the middle of it. Just to answer your second question, the basic idea is that there are six types of magicians in the world. In essence they represent the six "pillars" of magic, around which almost every fantasy element in the world is based. The types are: - Quickeners, who are healers and "greenmen" that "quicken" the natural world to serve their purposes - Archers, who use the Spirit Winds to guide their paths and their arrows - Avatars, whose magic empowers their own bodies with great might and unusual abilities - Sentinels, who walk the parallel world of Shadow, through which all magic occurs - Eldwrights, who control the numerous ores of the world that are naturally enchanted - Summoners, who control the world's strange "gargoyles" of enchanted stone -AA

For me, an 18 always has some detrimental (though not necessarily disastrous) effect. Likewise a 3 always has a very positive effect (like "max damage, pick the hit location" for attacks). That goes for any roll, not just complementary skill rolls. You know how special it feels to roll one of those, so I like to use them as pseudo-randomizers in the story. On rare circumstances I'll let 4 & 17 serve a similar function. That's usually to further some plot goal I have in mind, though, and make it look vaguely random. -AA

Same difference. A spectacularly failed roll means the Seduction backfired. Maybe the target pretends to be charmed but sees through the ruse. Maybe the target just gets really annoyed at the character's attempts to charm them. Depends on the situation. A normally failed roll just means Seduction didn't help. -AA

About the only time I give wrong information is when a skill roll fails spectacularly. On a 17 or 18, the player is usually willing to play the character as unaware of their mistake. On less drastic failures, it becomes a deterrance against using skill rolls that aren't bought up to a high level. I want to encourage skill use, not discourage it. As for complementary skills, I have a general philosophy that applies. Namely, someone with a Familiarity in a skill always has a better chance than someone with no skill at all. Too often I've seen the non-skilled PC get a Char roll while the PC with the Fam gets an 8-less roll. But they shouldn't get penalized for having spent that point. Makes no sense. Similarly, someone with a complementary skill always has an advantage over someone without one. They still have to make the roll to get a bonus, but no, I don't give penalties for missed comp skill rolls. That would discourage their use. The only exception is a roll of 18, which pretty much always guarantees something to go wrong regardless of the circumstances. -AA