Doc Democracy

To me, a lot of this is about balancing the game. If you want a character who can shoot the legs off an ant at 100 paces you can have one without blowing through every campaign limit the GM may have applied. obviously, in superhero games, there are going to be more circumstances where it makes more sense.

It actually makes the rules as written make even more sense. If you are good at grabs there is no reason why you should also be good at disarm, trip or strike. If you want to be good at multiply attacking with strike then you do not purchase skill levels with multiple attack (prohibited explicitly in the rules), you buy levels with strike. Otherwise being good at hitting lots also makes you good at all those other things. 🙂 If you wanted to put strike and disarm into the same attack, I do not think I would class it as a Multiple Attack but instead class it as a Combined Attack. There the rules are even more explicit in that you can apply levels bought on the individual manoeuvres but not apply generally to the Combined Attack.

I knew I was being clumsy with what I was saying. Penalty Skill Levels are designed to make you normally competent at something you would otherwise be less competent at. MartialArtsGuy has OCV 10 when punching someone, OCV 8 when punching twice (multiple attack) and OCV 6 when punching thrice. With 4 levels in Strike, he becomes OCV 14, 12 and 10 respectively, with 4 penalty skill levels he would be be OCV 10 for them all. I can see reasons why the GM might not allow the 4 skill levels due to his campaign restrictions. I think though that it makes the distinction between removing penalties for distance and environment etc from those imposed by manoeuvres more understandable.

The difference between a level and penalty skill level is that the skill level raises the ability by the same amount always. The penalty skill level is something used to make you as good at using a power even when circumstances would normally dictate you would be worse at it. the manoeuvre itself is not a circumstance...

Why are you buying off the penalty rather than simply buying levels with grab? To save points? Seems to me that the cost of being good with grabs is what it would cost you to buy levels with grab...

I would not allow it given the explicit rules against boosting multiple attack by skill levels. This is simply the same thing in different guise. But you would be good, RAW. 🙂

You can get better at them, you just cannot buy the cheaper penalty skill levels. There is nothing saying that you cannot purchase skill levels for any manoeuvre other than Multiple Attack. You can buy skill levels with move through, just not penalty skill levels. Multiple Attack is unique in not allowing skill levels with the manoeuvre but you can apply any of the skills on the power used in the multiple attack.

Penalty skill levels in 6th were much more tightly defined. This would come into the Offensive Penalty Skill levels, which would apply to things that reduce OCV. However, these were grouped into Range skill levels (to offset range penalties), Targeting skill levels (to offset hit location penalties) and Throwing skill levels (to offset unbalanced object penalties). It is quite explicit that Penalty Skill Levels should not be used to offset the penalties imposed for using manoeuvres. Costs are 1pt/level with any single attack, 2pts/level with three attacks(*) or a tight group, 3pts/level with all attacks. Doc * it says manoeuvres rather than attacks in my rulebook but I am presuming that is a typo given the explicit text in the book...

Likewise. What is the function of CON in the game, if it is not a general measure of robustness and mechanical number to avoid being stunned? In most games, I would think that 90% of the time it is used in-game, it is about whether or not the character is stunned. If CON plays a much bigger role in your game (lots of powers acting against CON etc) then that changes the calculation, possibly quite drastically. Doc

Steve obviously considered it a balance thing. It is buying off penalties for a whole range of powers and attacks whether or not they are a tight group or similar, just anything. I have not done any maths and am not inclined to. 🙂 Doc

I read this just yesterday. What it says is that you cannot buy skill levels with Multiple Attack. You can purchase skill levels with the powers that use in Multiple Attacks and can use them to offset penalties for those attacks when used as Multiple Attacks, you could probably also limit those skill levels to be useful only to offset Multiple Attack penalties with this power... It makes sense. Skill levels with Multiple Attack itself would have a huge utility, this means that you multiple attack with the powers you are skilled in, not those you are not... Doc

You have considered multiple attack? That is simply a manoeuvre with penalties. You could buy skill levels with the base attack only for use with TK in a Multiple Attack, and then simply utilise it. Initial contact must be on targets with a particular range and then will last for as long as END is paid or the target breaks free... Multiple attack allows you to use the same power against multiple foes, you take a cumulative -2OCV for each attack after the first, so to affect 6 foes you would be at -10 OCV against them all. If you bought OCV, only for TK when using Multiple attack, then that would effectively be the cost of the power. Personally, as a GM, I would allow you to buy the area effect power as is and the skill levels in a two slot multipower. You would be able to switch between them freely, hitting the area effect as a starter and then, if the number of people did not exceed the skill level offset, switch to a multiple effect power. If there were more people in the area than your skill levels would cover, I would make you roll to switch to the individual effects (each target to be hit again with the relevant OCV penalty). That saves points but would be of less utility than having them separately. Doc

I am struggling just slightly to understand the power, as the characters see it. Is it simply creating a heavy gravity bubble around everyone in a set area where the bubble follows them regardless of distance and as long as the END is paid? Doc

Well,. you have a single attack that has three elements to it. You have a killing attack, a grab that hinders movement and a continuing triggered attack that will damage until the harpoon is removed. I would buy a straight killing attack. I would buy a telekinesis (only to pull toward you) with physical manifestation. I would also buy an attack with a Killing attack NND (does BODY, only when harpoon removed) and a normal attack NND (optional does BODY, only when fighting against the harpoon). This is expensive but you could vary the cost with the extent of the damage done. Doc

The only problem with death traps is both building tension and not getting to a place where the PLAYERS do not see the avenues for escape that the CHARACTERS would. For building tension you can run time. I find a better solution is to have a dice pool that the players roll at set points (often decision points or significant actions). When someone rolls the pool, any dice coming up six is removed, shrinking the pool. When the pool is empty "something" happens. If the players have not escaped then you can kill them (bad GM-ing IMO), rescue them (slightly better), have the trap go off and lead them through escaping with heroic actions and damage sustained/resources lost, use their apparently unsuccessful actions to show why the trap does not work as anticipated, or some other plot advancing result. Phew! 🙂 People love reading about their heroes escaping from death traps, they often hate being in them unless you make the situation one of possibilities rather than impossibilities. If the players do not immediately engage with the problem solving throw some vague hints, highlighting the key features of the trap. As the pool shrinks you could offer more detailed clues, with or without the need for skill or characteristic rolls. I give you all this as evidence where my enthusiasm for death traps have led, in the past, to less than enjoyable gaming sessions!! 😬 Doc

Do not think there is definitive on this. I am very much a heroic action type of GM and so the immediate fall off the horse plays badly in my head. If the horse changes what it is doing (from still to galloping or vice versa) then probably. If there is nothing except the usual riding or fighting then probably not. In neither case, falling off, or not falling off, would I require a ride roll because, as you say, the character is stunned. If this was a dramatic moment in the scenario and the dice would mitigate that the hero falls off the horse, then in that particular circumstance, I might provide a modified ride roll, to facilitate the continuance of heroism rather than because the rules said so... Doc

I note that this attitude took Lord Liaden to 17 likes yesterday and well-deservedly winning the day... 🏆

You’re in London? And you didn’t think to drop in, say hello and get a tour of the Palace? I am devastated!!! 🙂 A tour would be easy to deliver if you are close to Westminster though....

It is almost flattering that someone wants to talk to us enough to keep joining... ...or is that level of persistence actually troubling?

I will do likewise. What a wise man Hermit is.... PS: Got everyone but Dan... 🤐

I reckon Lord Diadem is upset Usagi was banned and is on a downvote campaign... Who is the mysterious Lord Diadem? Usagi?? Could be!!! 🙂 Doc

Usage, I began to respond to you in a detailed way but there is too much. If you cannot see that calling Lord Liaden evil is an ad hominem attack, that introducing downvotes to a highly policed topic then I can see you very quickly getting yourself a ban. I do not know what is motivating your ire but you need to contain it, your belief (because that is what it is) that human discourse would be immeasurably improved by abandoning belief in higher beings and religion may be correct, it may not. It is only slightly easier to prove than most of the religious beliefs out there. Your 'fact' that Christianity is the root of all corporate evil demonstrated a very privileged, Western perspective. My advice is to back off, find other places to chat. I don't think you have the restraint necessary to converse here. Illustrated most pointedly by attacking one of the nicest board members we have as evil. 😞 Doc

In recent months I have preferred pretending to be a cowboy than a barbarian but am trending towards computer golf. I have only mindspace for one thing at a time. 😄

Absolutely. VIP provides quality of life but if you aren't collecting the per diems you are not enjoying the quality of life either. 🙂 After I had played six or seven months I felt obliged to spend some cash, at least as much as I might have splashed out on a game I was spending 10 or 12 hours a week playing (much more than my wife thought reasonable for a man of my age!) Doc

I had a lot of fun for about a year. They changed it about two months ago and it changed the gameplay enough to put me off (combined with a focus on Red Dead Online) and I have not been on much. Tips? Don't spend money on anything but VIP, and then only if you can log in every day to collect the per Diem benefits. Focus on the campaigns and ways to earn astral diamonds, you can buy lots of stuff using astral diamonds. The early levels are MUCH easier if you buy a companion early on. I had most fun when playing in a party, so much better than solo play. Doc