Mechanics & Metaphors: Palladium HTH Reassessment

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JDRook
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Nightbane Vampires

Post by JDRook »

You can't have a contemporary horror setting without vampires, right? In the Nightbane setting, vampires are all connected to an extra-dimensional alien vampire intelligence, more Cthulian than Stoker. The Intelligence send fragment of their essence around the Megaverse searching for those willing to be their servants (and dimensional anchor) in exchange for power (not unlike classic witches or Shifters in Rifts). These vampires spread through their world to give the Intelligence a greater hold on that world and can eventually manifest directly there.
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Master Vampire - PL 7

Strength 5, Stamina 4, Agility 3, Dexterity 0, Fighting 4, Intellect 2, Awareness 4, Presence 6

Advantages
Fearless, Jack-of-all-trades

Powers
Metamorphosis: Morph 2 (+20 Deception checks to disguise; Narrow group; Extras: Metamorph 3; Flaws: Activation 2: standard action)
Summoning
. . Summon Canines: Summon 3 (Extras: Multiple Minions 3: 8 minions, Type (General): Canines)
. . Summon Fog: Environment 8 (Visibility (-5), Radius: 0.5 miles)
. . Summon Vermin: Summon 5 (Extras: Type (General): Vermin Swarm)
Vampire Physiology
. . Horror Factor 14: Perception Area Affliction 4 (1st degree: Dazed, Vulnerable, 2nd degree: Stunned, Defenseless, Resisted by: Will, DC 14; Extras: Perception Area: DC 14 - Visual, Extra Condition, Reaction 3: reaction; Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited 2: Once per Target per encounter, Limited Degree)
. . Immortality 17 (Return after 30 seconds; Flaws: Limited: Vampire Vuilnerabilities)
. . ISP Pool: Feature 7 (Flaws: Custom 4: ME Bonus)
. . Limited Invulnerability: Immunity 101 (Aging, Common Descriptor: Mind Control, Sleep and Paralysis Attacks, Common Descriptor: Spell MAgic (half), Toughness Effects; Flaws: Limited: not vs Wood, Silver or Magical creatures and weapons [80 ranks only], Limited - Half Effect [10 ranks only])
. . PPE Pool: Feature 6 (Flaws: Custom 4: PE Bonus)
. . Regeneration 4 (Every 2.5 rounds)
. . Speed 1 (Speed: 4 miles/hour, 60 feet/round)
Vampire Psionics: Wide Array 1
. . Alter Aura: Illusion 12 (Affects: One Sense Type - Aura, Area: 4000 cft., DC 22; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom: ISP Check, Quirk: 1 hr / lvl, Reduced Range 2: close)
. . Deaden Pain: Immunity 2 (Uncommon Descriptor: Pain; Extras: Affects Others, Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom: Slow (Trance), Custom 2: ISP Check, Quirk: 1 hr / lvl)
. . Death Trance: Enhanced Trait 1 (Advantages: Trance; Extras: Feature 2: +10 to all Trance checks, Standard Action to enter Trance, Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom: ISP Check)
. . Empathy: Mind Reading 5 (DC 15; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check, Limited to Emotions)
. . Hypnotic Suggestion: Cumulative Affliction 5 (1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Compelled, 3rd degree: Controlled, Resisted by: Will, DC 15; Extras: Cumulative, Increased Range 2: perception; Flaws: Custom: ISP Check, Limited: Simple Suggestions & Calming, Sense-dependent: eye contact)
. . Induce Sleep: Affliction 5 (3rd degree: Asleep, Resisted by: Will, DC 15; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check, Limited Degree (third only))
. . Mind Block: Immunity 10 (Common Descriptor: Psionics; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check, Quirk: 10 min / lvl)
. . Presence Sense: Senses 3 (Acute: , Detect: Supernatural Creature 2: ranged; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check)
. . Sense Evil: Senses 4 (Detect: Supernatural Evil 2: ranged, Radius: Choose Sense, Tracking: 1: -1 speed rank; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check)
. . Super-Hypnotic Suggestion: Progressive Affliction 5 (1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Compelled, 3rd degree: Controlled, Resisted by: Will, DC 15; Extras: Increased Range 2: perception, Progressive; Flaws: Custom 5: ISP Check, Noticeable: Glowing Eyes, Sense-dependent: eye contact)
Vampire Senses & Knowledge (Advantages: Jack-of-all-trades)
. . Attacks per Melee: Strength-based Damage 2 (DC 22)
. . Family Link: Senses 4 (Acute: , Detect: Vampire 2: ranged, Radius: )
. . Telepathic Link to Minions: Mental Communication 3 (Flaws: Limited 2: Created Minions only, Simple commands)

Offense
Initiative +3
Attacks per Melee: Strength-based Damage 2, +4 (DC 22)
Empathy: Mind Reading 5 (DC Will 15)
Grab, +4 (DC Spec 15)
Horror Factor 14: Perception Area Affliction 4 (DC Will 14)
Hypnotic Suggestion: Cumulative Affliction 5 (DC Will 15)
Induce Sleep: Affliction 5, +4 (DC Will 15)
Super-Hypnotic Suggestion: Progressive Affliction 5 (DC Will 15)
Throw, +0 (DC 20)
Unarmed, +4 (DC 20)

Defense
Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4, Will 9

Power Points
Abilities 56 + Powers 166 + Advantages 1 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Defenses 6 = 229

- The Master Vampire is the top tier, contacted directly by the Intelligence. It's the most powerful and the only one that chose to become a creature that feeds on its own kind, so they're assumed to be pretty evil and not recommended as PCs.
- As the Master Vamps. the have several powers just for vamp creation and management. Slow Kill bites to transform people into vamps, special mental links to keep track of and control their created vamps, and the ability to sense vampires and their respective "bloodlines".
- Their powers are ridiculously varied: besides the obviously supernatural strength and endurance, they have a suite of psionics; they can change into bats, wolves or a mist form; summon vermin, canines, and fog; they resist damage from all kinds of attack and regenerate rapidly. They can even have magic, but only if they were mages before the change and they can't learn more or accumulate more PPE.
- On the flip side, there's a lot of downsides besides the loss of humanity. The transformation wipes most of the mind, leaving a few skills and memories. The vampire becomes vulnerable to sunlight and water, needs to sleep on soil from their home continent, and can be repelled by holy symbols and protective herbs. A stake through the heart will hurt anyone of course, but it also paralyzes the vamp and keeps them from regenerating.
- Technically PL7 defensively, although they have a lot of Immunities and vulnerabilities to make that number very situational. Offensively around PL6; there's no option to improve combat or physical skills, but you can gain some weapon proficiecies. A sword-trained vamp could be surprisingly devastating.
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Master Vampires create Secondary Vampires, and can do so by force unlike the Intelligence. This allows the "2Vs" to occasionally resist treating humans like cattle, giving the potential to even be PCs. Nothing stops them from needing blood, though.
- 2Vs are a little weaker mentally and on a few other traits (+3 vs Mind Control instead of immune), but otherwise have all of the powers and weaknesses of the Masters.
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Secondary vampires can make other 2Vs, but it's actually slightly more likely for the Slow Kill process to make a Wild Vampire. Wilds are again not as mentally capable, often falling below human average, and are too "diluted" to make anything other than more wilds, if they even bother with the long process. Otherwise they still have all the other powers of vampires, although lacking in skills; they even lose all magic spells if they knew any.

Wampyr - PL 6

Strength 5, Stamina 3, Agility 1, Dexterity 0, Fighting 2, Intellect 0, Awareness 2, Presence 0

Advantages
Daze (Intimidation), Fearless

Skills
Intimidation 6 (+6), Perception 1 (+3)

Powers
Wampyr Physiology
. . Horror Factor 11: Perception Area Affliction 1 (1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Stunned, Resisted by: Will, DC 11; Extras: Perception Area: DC 11 - Visual, Reaction 3: reaction; Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited: Once per Target per encounter, Limited Degree)
. . Immunity 81 (Aging, Toughness Effects; Flaws: Limited: Only vs Metal Weapons [80 ranks only], Limited - Half Effect [80 ranks only])
. . ISP Pool: Feature 7 (Flaws: Custom 2: AWE 2)
. . Regeneration 4 (Every 2.5 rounds)
Vampire Psionics: Wide Array 1
. . Alter Aura: Illusion 12 (Affects: One Sense Type - Aura, Area: 4000 cft., DC 22; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom: ISP Check, Reduced Range 2: close)
. . Deaden Pain: Immunity 2 (Uncommon Descriptor: Pain; Extras: Affects Others, Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom: Slow (Trance), Custom 2: ISP Check)
. . Death Trance: Enhanced Trait 1 (Advantages: Trance; Extras: Feature 2: +10 to all Trance checks, Standard Action to enter Trance, Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom: ISP Check)
. . Empathy: Mind Reading 5 (DC 15; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check, Limited to Emotions)
. . Hypnotic Suggestion: Cumulative Affliction 5 (1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Compelled, 3rd degree: Controlled, Resisted by: Will, DC 15; Extras: Cumulative, Increased Range 2: perception; Flaws: Custom: ISP Check, Limited: Simple Suggestions & Calming, Sense-dependent: eye contact)
. . Induce Sleep: Affliction 5 (3rd degree: Asleep, Resisted by: Will, DC 15; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check, Limited Degree (third only))
. . Mind Block: Immunity 10 (Common Descriptor: Psionics; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check)
. . Presence Sense: Senses 3 (Acute: , Detect: Supernatural Creature 2: ranged; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check)
. . Sense Evil: Senses 4 (Detect: CSupernatural Evil 2: ranged, Radius: Choose Sense, Tracking: 1: -1 speed rank; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check)

Offense
Initiative +1
Empathy: Mind Reading 5 (DC Will 15)
Grab, +2 (DC Spec 15)
Horror Factor 11: Perception Area Affliction 1 (DC Will 11)
Hypnotic Suggestion: Cumulative Affliction 5 (DC Will 15)
Induce Sleep: Affliction 5, +2 (DC Will 15)
Throw, +0 (DC 20)
Unarmed, +2 (DC 20)

Defense
Dodge 3, Parry 2, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3, Will 8

Power Points
Abilities 26 + Powers 64 + Advantages 2 + Skills 4 (7 ranks) + Defenses 8 = 104

- The Wampyr is a sort of mutant variant of the vampires. Maybe they were psychic or unactivated Nightbane or some other undefined reason, but when they were changed it didn't allow them to be controlled by vampires. They're still supernatural,with minor psionics, blood dependency, sunlght vulnerablility, rapid regen and an immunity to metal weapons, so not quite as tough as vampires but on par.
- Mechanically a little more balanced and probably easier to play as a PC.
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JDRook
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Rifts & Nightbane: Ley Lines

Post by JDRook »

I've mentioned Palladium's use of energy points (PPE and ISP) as an interesting alternative to Vancian magic. Another aspect of it that makes it more complex is the use of Ley Lines.

Ley Lines (hereafter referred to as LL) and Ley Line Nexuses (just Nexus) were introduced in the Palladium Megaverse (before that was a thing) way back in 1988 in Beyond the Supernatural, a book that focused on horror and mysterious powers in a modern setting. LL are a real-world if pseudo-scientific concept that defines them as a geographic feature linking places of mystical or religious significance. BtS took this further and actually imbued LL and Nexus (points where LL cross) with psychic potential energy (PPE), which had several properties useful to the setting:
- it increased magic and psychic power in anyone possessing those powers
- it attracted creatures of magic that can feed on that energy
- it created sites at Nexus that could even open doorways to other dimension during times of high energies (ie planetary alignments) or deliberately with ritualistic magic.

Narratively, LL allows for "bad neighbourhoods" of mystical activity, with higher risk and reward for anyone who wants to go there, like a party of PCs. (EDIT: See also Batgirl III's descriptions of Ley Lines and PPE in Jab's Rifts Thread)

The influence of LLs are localized, of course, but the range is pretty impressive, although it's hard to find precisely how big affected areas are. After combing through PDFs that say "Ley Line" literally hundreds of times, I found a table that describes the actual size of LLs. They are listed as being about a half-mile wide and several miles long, with a random table that gives lengths from 3 miles to 300 miles; no height is given. The only other specific reference is in the Rifts Ultimate Edition under the LL Walker, specific their LL Teleportation power, where LL are described as 1/4 to 1 mile wide and a half to 2 miles tall; it seems a little counterintuitive to me that LLs are typically taller than they are wide, but hey, it's magic!

I bring this all up since it can be problematic in practice if taken literally for conversion purposes, requiring a few setting-specific houserules:

1) Sensing LL: this is a common power for any PC with magic or psychic ability, and the range is usually measured in miles, which technically requires at least 2-3 ranks of Extended. However, the thing being sensed is objectively huge: LLs as described are higher than any man-made building and stretch for miles, so they're essentially geographic features larger than most small cities and therefore would be visible above buildings and/or treelines miles away for anyone with the power to see it. (LLs are invisible in contemporary settings like BtS and Nightbane but actually glow blue in Rifts, making them obvious at night and almost detectable during the day with normal vision.) For this reason, LL Sensing should be considered to have the equivalent of 2 ranks of Extended for free, taking -1 penalties to perception for every thousand feet and spot it as DC0. Particularly attuned characters like LL Walkers, Psi-Stalkers and dragons would buy 1-2 more rank of Extended, as they can sense at ranges in the tens of miles.

2) Bonus Energy from LL Influence: Even if they can't sense it, many magic or psychic characters get a power boost from being in or close to a LL or Nexus. There's some variation between the settings, but there is some general consistency:
- being within 1 mile of a LL gives a 50% bonus to range and duration (NOT damage) to most magic or psychic powers. Since Range is tricky, duration is weird and 50% isn't even a whole rank, this might be ignored for simplicity.
- being on a LL OR within 1 mile of a Nexus doubles range, duration AND damage, so a circumstantial +1 rank to magic or psionic effects would be appropriate. Mages and Psychics can also use PPE or ISP from the Nexus, which varies based on OCC and level, but could be easily simulated with a circumstantial +1 rank to their respective energy pool, allowing for the casting of more powerful spells with less energy loss.

3) Special times - Nexus energy will surge at certain times of day and year, giving even more bonus energy:
- Double energy available at dawn, noon and midnight (strangely not dusk/sunset, but make your own ruling) for a few (1d4) minutes. In practice, add another +1 for a total of +2 circumstantial ranks to energy pools
- Triple energy available during the daylight hours of the Spring Equinox and the night hours of the Fall Equinox (12 hours each) for a total of +3 circumstantial ranks to energy pools
- Solstices (Summer or Winter) provide a x10 increase, which I convert to a +4 pool bonus for their 12 hours.
- Lunar eclipse is a x12 increase, so close enough to Solstice for our purposes, but only lasts 90 minutes and happen maybe once a year. There's also a chance of a Rift opening spontaneously: odds vary with setting.
- Minor Planetary Alignments of 3-4 planets also function just like Solstices and last 15 minutes, occurring once every 8 years.
- Partial Solar Eclipses are the most powerful with 30x energy increase, which is a +5 pool bonus for 2d4 minutes once every 10 years. Major Planetary alignments of 5+ planets have the same effect, last 8 minutes and occur every 22 years.
- as much fun as all the specific stuff is, for simplicity a GM might ditch the granularity and give a +2 minor circumstance to energy pools for Nexus proximity and save the +5 major circumstance bonus for special occasions like astronomical events.

This sets up some very specific places and times that can result in a whole pile of magical shenanigans, but because they are somewhat predictable you can count on competition and a lot of preparation for fully utilizing these high-power moments.
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Nightbane NPCs - Ashmedai

Post by JDRook »

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Ashmedai lvl 6 - PL 7-10

Strength 2/4*, Stamina 3/5*, Agility 7, Dexterity 7, Fighting 7, Intellect 4, Awareness 3, Presence 2

Advantages
Accurate Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Fearless, Improved Grab

Skills
Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+9), Intimidation 3 (+5), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Throw 2 (+9)

Powers
Ashmedai Physiology
. . Horror Factor 14: Perception Area Affliction 4 (1st degree: Dazed, Vulnerable, 2nd degree: Stunned, Defenseless, Resisted by: Will, DC 14; Extras: Perception Area: DC 14 - Visual, Extra Condition, Reaction 3: reaction; Flaws: Custom 2: Once per target per encounter, Instant Recovery, Limited Degree)
. . Speed 1 (Speed: 4 miles/hour, 60 feet/round)
. . Supernatural Senses: Senses 4 (Counters Concealment: Invisible, Darkvision)
. . Tentacles
. . . . Extra Limbs 4 (Linked; 4 extra limbs, Advantages: Improved Grab)
. . . . Strength-based Damage 1 (Linked; DC 18)
Psionic ISP Pool: Feature 7 (Flaws: Custom 3: AWE Bonus)
Psionics: Wide Array 1
. . Alter Aura: Illusion 12 (Affects: One Sense Type - Aura, Area: 4000 cft., DC 22; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom: ISP Check, Quirk: 1 hour / lvl, Reduced Range: ranged)
. . Empathy & See Aura
. . . . Heightened Intuition: Enhanced Trait 5 (Traits: Insight +10 (+13))
. . . . Senses 6 (Acute: Arcane Energies, Detect: Emotions 2: ranged, Detect: Arcane Energies 2: ranged, Radius: Emotions, Advantages: Assessment, Benefit: Insight Check instead of Percepton for Psioncs; Extras: Custom 3: 1 min; Flaws: Custom 3: ISP Check, Resistible: Will)
. . Mind Block: Immunity 10 (Common Descriptor: CMind Attacks; Extras: Increased Duration: continuous; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check, Quirk: 10 min / lvl)
. . Telepathy
. . . . Mental Communication 1
. . . . Mind Reading 5 (DC 15; Flaws: Custom 2: ISP Check)
Shapeshifting
. . Animal Form Powers: Variable 4 ([0 active, 0/28 PP, 7/r])
. . Down to Mouse-size: Shrinking 6 ([0 active, 0/28 PP, 2/r], -1 STR, -3 Intimidate, +6 Stealth, +3 active defenses, -1 size rank)
. . Up to Elephant-size: Growth 6 ([0 active, 0/28 PP, 2/r], +6 STR, +6 STA, +3 Intimidate, -6 Stealth, -3 active defenses, +1 size rank, +6 mass ranks)

Power Settings
Elephant Form (Powers: Trunk: Extra Limbs 1, Tusks: Strength-based Damage 2)
Mouse Form (Powers: Rodent Bite: Strength-based Damage 1, Rodent Tracking Scent: Senses 3)

Offense
Initiative +7
Grab, +7 (DC Spec 12)
Horror Factor 14: Perception Area Affliction 4 (DC Will 14)
Mind Reading 5 (DC Will 15)
Rodent Bite: Strength-based Damage 1, +7 (DC 18)
Strength-based Damage 1, +9 (DC 18)
Throw, +9 (DC 17)
Tusks: Strength-based Damage 2, +9 (DC 19)
Unarmed, +9 (DC 17)

Complications
Imperfect Copy: The Ashmedai can transform into any living form from mouse to elephant and almost any humanoid, although mimicking a particular person is only done with a +5 Deception check instead of +20. Can also imitate Nightbane aspcts, although biomechanical and inorganic forms are beyond their ability.
Monstrous Form: The true form of the Ashmedai is a worm-like, fleshy giant, with no apparent eyes and four long tentacles protruding from the sides of his serpentine trunk. The head is dominated by a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth and four main fangs in each comer. This form is equal to Growth 2.

Defense
Dodge 8/7*, Parry 8/7*, Fortitude 7/9*, Toughness 5/3/7*, Will 7

Power Points
Abilities 70 + Powers 80 + Advantages 4 + Skills 8 (16 ranks) + Defenses 10 = 172
*True Form

The Ashmedai are the full-on shapeshifters of the Nightlands. Higher ranking than most, but still independent so as not to be utterly obedient to the Nightlords, they are still "too evil" to be playable characters, and are more likely to selfishly screw up the scheme to hide the supernatural from humans than take the human's side.

The build is a little tricky to get as specific as the books, but as soon as I made their base size a Complication it got a little simpler. Their stats are based on either a human form or their true form, which are presumed to be the most common ways they would be encountered. However, they can take any animal form from mouse to elephant (sample powers included in the Variable) and even take on Nightspawn appearances, although they can't read as Nightspawn to special senses without very rare artifacts.

Combat-wise, they are about a PL 7-8 across the board without using any size or Variable tricks, but can easily get to PL10 with them. With a little trimming, this could easily be a RtP PL10 Shapeshifter archetype.
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Nightbane NPCs - Namtar "Hollow Men"

Post by JDRook »

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Namtar - the Hollow Men - PL 5

Strength 2, Stamina 0, Agility 1, Dexterity 1, Fighting 3/1, Intellect 3, Awareness 2, Presence 0

Advantages
Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 3

Skills
Athletics 4 (+6), Expertise: Government Agent 3 (+6), Intimidation 4 (+4), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 3 (+5), Ranged Combat: Firearms 4 (+5), Technology 2 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+5)

Powers
Hollow Man Construct (Activation: Free Action)
. . Demonic Insect Form: Shrinking 12 (Alternate; -3 STR, -6 Intimidate, +12 Stealth, +6 active defenses, -3 size ranks, -1 speed ranks; Flaws: Permanent)
. . HTH Expert
. . . . 6 Attack per Melee: Strength-based Damage 2 (Linked; DC 19)
. . . . Enhanced Trait 10 (Linked; Traits: Fighting +2 (+3), Parry +1 (+4), Dodge +3 (+4), Advantages: Defensive Roll 2)
. . Immune to Illusion: Senses 4 (Counters Concealment: Visual, Counters Illusion: Visual)
. . Tough Skin like burlap: Protection 4 (+4 Toughness; Extras: Impervious)
Namtar Natural Abilities
. . Comprehend 2 (Languages - Speak All, Languages - Understand All)
. . Immunity 2 (Disease, Environmental Condition: Cold)
. . Senses 1 (Low-light Vision)
. . Speed 1 (Speed: 4 miles/hour, 60 feet/round)

Equipment
Submachine gun

Offense
Initiative +1
6 Attack per Melee: Strength-based Damage 2, +3 (DC 19)
Grab, +3 (DC Spec 12)
Submachine gun, +5 (DC 19)
Throw, +1 (DC 17)
Unarmed, +3 (DC 17)

Complications
Broken Shell of a Man: The Hollow Man shell can be shattered if Incapacitated, releasing the Namtar within. The Namtar can also choose to leave the body, but it takes hours to repair or replace the body in any case.
Weakness: Both the construct and the Namtar themselves take double damage from magical attacks and physical attacks from other supernatural creatures.

Defense
Dodge 4/1, Parry 4/3, Fortitude 0, Toughness 6/4, Will 6

Power Points
Abilities 20 + Powers 33 + Advantages 3 + Skills 15 (30 ranks) + Defenses 4 = 75

Nightbane has their own take on the Men In Black (pre-movies, post-Malibu comic) with these demonic insects that use a combination of blood magic and papier mache to create humanoid shells to ride around in. They can also make other creatures, but the Nightlords want the human focus to infiltrate the Earth's governments. They're convincing enough to pass, but are largely unexpressive and cold, looking fearless although the bug inside is still freaking out.

The shell takes several (4d6) hours to build, so even though I've built the two forms as an array, it's not easy to change back and forth. The bug form is about 6"long and has +13 Stealth, so it's likely to sneak away if not immediately destroyed once "unshelled".

At PL 5, they make a good low-level goon threat for PCs, although they can be made tougher with the addition of agency kit like flak jackets and machine guns. Their skill sets aren't very fleshed out in the NB book, so I added some from the Government Agent minion archetype in the Deluxe Handbook.

Note that this is one of several character classes that hits a weird hiccup in the "Supernatual PS" category. Besides having a completely separate damage system, supernatural strength also has a different carrying capacity: normal capacity is PSx10 in pounds up to PS 16, with PSx20 after that, while supernatural has PSX10 up to PS 17 and then jumps to PSx50 for PS18+. So for the 1pt jump from PS 17 to 18 carrying goes from 170lbs to 900lbs, which is a huge difference for characters that presumably roll randomly. For consistency, a GM might want to bump up Hollow Men STR a few ranks or at least add some Enhanced Lifting.
Last edited by JDRook on Mon Jul 06, 2020 2:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mechanics & Metaphors: JDRook's Rules Rants and Character Conversions

Post by catsi563 »

the faceless men were awesome badguys when I ran nightbane, Id basically throw them matrix style at the heroes

first the cops and Swat would show up and of course the PCs had to be careful because theres no real way to know which ones are just guys doing their jobs and which ones are doppelgangers

when the PCs started winning to up the ante and emphasize the terror the AGENTS would show up. the Faceless men the namitars who could go toe to toe with them. IF the Namitar fell then the Hounds Showed up shortly after and the crap really hit the fan

because the Hounds would usually be accompanied by a Shape Shifted Ashmedi or 2 (using MIB looking form or the like) then things would get fun
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JDRook
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Nightbane NPCs - Night Squires & Princes

Post by JDRook »

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Night Prince lvl 7 - PL 8

Strength 5, Stamina 6, Agility 1, Dexterity 1, Fighting 3/1, Intellect 3, Awareness 2, Presence 4

Advantages
Accurate Attack, Accurate Attack, Close Attack 2, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll 3, Fearless, Improved Critical 3: Stun Punch, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Languages 4, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Skills
Deception 4 (+8), Expertise: Occult Lore 4 (+7), Perception 3 (+5), Persuasion 4 (+8)

Powers

HTH Assassin Level 7
. . 6 Attacks / Melee: Enhanced Trait 4 (Advantages: Close Attack 2, Ranged Attack 2)
. . Combat Bonuses: Enhanced Trait 19 (Traits: Fighting +2 (+3), Parry +1 (+5), Dodge +3 (+6), Advantages: Accurate Attack, Defensive Roll 3, Improved Critical 3, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack)
. . Stun Alternate
. . . . Stun Punch: Affliction 5 (Alternate; 1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Stunned, 3rd degree: Incapacitated, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 15)

Masters of Illusion
. . Illusion 7 ([0 active, 0/36 PP, 5/r-2], Affects: All Sense Types, Area: 125 cft., DC 17; Extras: Custom 3: Time rank 3 (1 min), Precise; Flaws: Custom 6: PPE Check)
. . Illusory Affliction: Affliction 8 ([0 active, 0/36 PP, 5/r-4], Resisted by: Will, DC 18; Extras: Increased Range 2: perception, Reversible, Subtle: subtle, Variable Condition (All); Flaws: Custom 6: PPE Check)
. . Illusory Concealment: Burst Area Concealment 10 ([0 active, 0/36 PP, 3/r+1], All Senses; Extras: Burst Area: 30 feet radius sphere, DC 20, Precise, Selective; Flaws: Blending)
. . Illusory Damage: Damage 7 ([0 active, 0/36 PP, 3/r+2], DC 22; Extras: Alternate Resistance: Will, Increased Range 2: perception, Variable Descriptor 2: broad group - illusionary effects; Flaws: Resistible: Will)
. . Illusory Disguise: Morph 4 ([0 active, 0/36 PP, 4/r], +20 Deception checks to disguise; Any form; Flaws: Resistible: Will)

PPE Pool: Feature 9 (Flaws: Custom 6: STA bonus)

Supernatural Physiology
. . Immunity 9 (Aging, Custom: Mind Control 5, Starvation & Thirst, Suffocation (All))
. . Regeneration 1 (Every 10 rounds)
. . Senses 6 (Awareness: Ley Lines, Counters Concealment: Invisible, Counters Illusion: Visual, Low-light Vision)
. . Speed 1 (Speed: 4 miles/hour, 60 feet/round)

Offense
Initiative +1
Grab, +5 (DC Spec 15)
Illusory Affliction: Affliction 8 (DC Will 18)
Illusory Damage: Damage 7 (DC Will 22)
Stun Punch: Affliction 5, +5 (DC Fort 15)
Throw, +3 (DC 20)
Unarmed, +5 (DC 20)

Complications
Energy Vampires: Like their masters , the Night Princes are energy vampires who need to feed on the life force of other living beings. Not getting enough energy slowly erodes PPE and eventually STA until they hit 0 and crumble to dust.
Weakness: Night Princes take double damage from the attacks and Talents of the Nightbane, and from the energy powers of the Guardians.

Languages
Choose any 7 languages, Native Language

Defense
Dodge 6/3, Parry 5/4, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/6, Will 5

Power Points
Abilities 46 + Powers 89 + Advantages 7 + Skills 8 (15 ranks) + Defenses 6 = 156

Also known as the Ba'al-Zebul, the Night Princes (or "Squires" for lower-ranked BZs) are a separate Racial Character Class, although it's kept vague whether Princes are actually some pre-Nightlord form or valued servants imubed with power by the Nightlords. They are the chief lieutenants, so higher ranking than almost any other creatures that aren't actually Nightlords.

Their power is almost completely based on illusion, but for a one-trick pony, it's a pretty good trick. They use their powers primarily to fool humans since most other supernatural creatures are resistant or completely immune to illusions. They often take high-level, high visibility positions like celebrities and CEOs, and also use their influence to funnel other highly positioned humans into supporting the Preserver Party or secretly joining the Cults of Night.

Despite being highly placed, Night Princes are not overly physically powerful and are even considered candidates as PCs. As a character build they have a lot of potential as a PL8 Illusionist, with physical attacks at about PL5. NPCs can of course have access to extensive resources including equipment and minions.

This build can still use some tweaking. I've made the Illusion Array Dynamic and added a few AEs that aren't actually listed in the book but would be logical extensions. The book has a system for Illusion that basically has several levels of complexity (a few senses to full immersion) with varying costs in PPE, all of which I feel is too problematic to directly translate. Another option could be to have all the illusions in a rank 8 Variable, with a PPE check at rank every minute or every time the Variable is reconfigured. I also switched my Attacks/Melee bonus from Damage to Attack (both Close and Ranged, actually more similar to 2nd Edition Attack), similar to how Jabroniville treats it. I feel it does work better, but only when Effects are 5+ ranks so it can take full advantage of tradeoffs.
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Device Damage Houserules

Post by JDRook »

I don't usually focus on Device-based characters, but when I do, I want a better system to break their stuff. I asked about this on the RA boards and got some decent answers, if not precisely what I was looking for, but since RA has been crossing the veil like Brigadoon I thought I'd copy a few things over here.
hypervirtue wrote:A device can be disabled if it fails a toughness save by 4 or more degrees, or suffers 2 toughness saves by 3 degrees. A device has Toughness Equal to 1/4 the (pre-adjusted) power points placed in it, or the campaign power level, or the character wielding it, whichever is higher. Devices roll toughness (1d20+toughness) as normal. Devices are not subject to critical hits unless unattended, at which case they are considered defenseless.

Degree of Failure:
1 Degree: -1 cumulative penalty to all future damage saves until repaired. No other effects.

2 Degrees: -1 cumulative penalty to all future damage saves until repaired. No other effects.

3 Degrees: -1 cumulative penalty to all future damage saves until repaired. The device cannot use any non-passive powers in the next round of combat. So armor would still be armor, but a force field, or an energy blast would be unusable while the device "reboots" as it were.

4 Degrees: The device is knocked off-line, the magic in the amulet is disrupted, the zord loses connection to the morphing grid. Whatever the case it is unusable until repaired. Further attacks can destroy the device. A second failure by 3 or more degrees destroys the device. It may be able to be repaired, GM's option, but such a repair would take time. If the device cannot be repaired the player is refunded the cost of the device at the end of the adventure and may re-spend them however they wish.

This is a perfect opportunity for characters to gain non-device powers, "When the quantum field power generator was ruptured I was bombarded with inter-dimensional radiation and it changed me!" "When the Amulet of Zardax shattered, its power was lost, my close connection to it for so long, however, seems to have imbued me some of its power."

Or simply to rebuild it, better than before:
"The White Star Armor was destroyed, yes, but I had recently come up with ideas to improve on the design... I give you... The White Star Mk. II!"
badpenny also had a version based on their own M&M2.5 homebrew so it's mostly 2e with some elements from 3e and other systems. This is from the Devices section:
badpenny wrote:Devices
Devices play an important part in the superhero genre, and need to be uniquely addressed. It's practically the only Flaw that's more like a Complication than any other. When (and if) the player's Device gets taken away or broken is up to the GM. If the GM fails to account for it, the player can have a significant edge (in their point total) over other players.

Extra Effort, when applied to a Device, imposes a loss of 2 points from all effects for the Fatigued condition, and a 6-point loss from all effects for the Exhausted condition. An Unconscious condition for a Device means it stops working altogether.

Devices are subject to reduced function as they are damaged. They have a Toughness equal to PL. Damaging the Device is as per the rules on Damage to Objects, M&M pg. 167. Third degree Damage takes systems offline randomly. Attackers can Take 10 on their Damage checks against the Device and even spend HP to roll with Advantage.
Indestructible is a +1 Extra.
The Restricted Power Feat has one rank: only you can use it.

In lieu of Damaging the Device, you can make a called shot (roll with Disadvantage) to target a Device's obvious functions, e.g. boot jets, armament, etc. Non-obvious functions, e.g. sensors, various Immunities (e.g. Suffocation, Environmental conditions), etc. can be targeted with the addition of an appropriate-to-descriptor DC 15 Knowledge check (e.g., Arcane Lore, Technology) or the use of an appropriate Super-Sense, otherwise should be collateral damage from a third degree hit against the Device.

Targeted System Degrees of Success:
The system goes offline until the PC can take a Standard action to "reboot" it
The system goes offline until the PC can make the appropriate skill check, DC 10 + [ranks in effect], which takes at least a Full Round. Roll with Disadvantage to reduce the time to a Standard action. Attacks against the afflicted PC are made with Advantage for the next round due to their distraction, unless they seek Total Cover or can make a DC 10 + [ranks in the attacking effect] Concentration check.
The system goes offline for the rest of the scene and will need repair that takes 4 hours per point in the effect. The PC has to make a DC 20 Concentration check or attacks against them are made with Advantage for their next round.
As per 3rd degree and the PC takes Feedback as a Side Effect (Stun) Flaw if they fail a second DC 20 Concentration check.
I will hopefully post my own rules or find the elusive ones I really liked. Sound off if you have your own favorites.
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Mechanics & Metaphors: Super Weapons

Post by JDRook »

I found some notes I wanted to resurrect here:

Super Weapons

There are quite a few standard weapon tropes that players come back to over and over.

Infinite Arsenals

Making any weapon appear is a common power, and can be simpler than you'd expect. Melee weapons are relatively inexpensive with most of the standard list from the book costing 5p or less. This can easily represented with a rank 1 Variable.

Arsenal: Variable 1 (Action: move; Limited: Melee Weapons) - 7p

Variable is meant to have a built-in limit based on its Descriptor, but I figure limiting it to only standard close weapons is a reasonable Flaw. Default Action to change the configuration is Standard, but bumping it up to Move allows for changing the weapon and attacking with it in the same round. Move is also similar to "drawing" the weapon, so while you could easily do it as a Free Action for only 1p more, keeping it as a Move Action fits the concept well. Overall, it's restricted enough that it's not too powerful a Variable and it's simpler than making a similar Array with more than 3 settings.

Increasing the Variable to rank 2 would allow for weapons more powerful than the standards, or other logical possibilities like paired weapons, shields or hand tools. That much flexibility would probably require removing the Flaw (GM's choice). At 16p, it might be better to choose a handful of configurations and make an Array. Here's a sample build:

Weapon Sets
. . Daisho: Strength-based Damage 5 (DC 20, Advantages: Improved Critical 2; Split: 2 targets)
. . Nonlethal Attacks
. . . . Pepper Spray: Affliction 4 (1st degree: Impaired, 2nd degree: Disabled, 3rd degree: Unaware, DC 14; Alternate Resistance (Dodge); Limited: Visual)
. . . . Stun Gun: Affliction 5 (1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Stunned, 3rd degree: Incapacitated, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 15)
. . Oversized Chainsaw: Damage 7 (DC 22; Reach (melee): 5 ft.)
. . Paired Sai: Strength-based Damage 4 (DC 19, Advantages: Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Weapon Bind; Split: 2 targets)
. . Sword and Shield
. . . . Shield: Enhanced Trait 4 (Traits: Parry +2 (+2), Dodge +2 (+2))
. . . . Sword: Strength-based Damage 3 (DC 18, Advantages: Improved Critical)
. . Whip
. . . . Movement 1 (Swinging)
. . . . Strength-based Damage 1 (DC 16, Advantages: Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Trip; Reach (melee) 2: 10 ft.)

This is built with 6 slots of 8p each for only 13p. The types are a little weird, but demonstrate the range of melee weapons with a few extra uses.

Ranged Weapons is a little more expensive, but can also be made quite simply depending on how much variation you desire.

All the Guns: Damage 7 (DC 22, Advantages: Accurate Attack, Power Attack; Increased Range: ranged)

Most guns are defined as just different Damage ranks with Range, so this allows for a weapon that can be any rank from 2 (Derringer) to 12 (Tank Shells), with a sliding accuracy that keeps it from going over PL, although ideally the wielder needs at least +5 to hit for full usage.

Again, Variable is an option, able to get most conventional ranged weapons in 2 ranks, 3 ranks for automatic weapons and sniper rifles. That would go up over 20p, but an Array could be made with All the Guns above and a few AEs with Multiattack or other modifiers for less than 20p.

Of course no discussion of truly super comic-book weapons would be complete without mentally controlled weapons, the best known being Thor's warhammmer Mjollnir. Now one of Mjollnir's features is the ability to come when called, no matter how far away, and a common interpretation for that is a Limited Move Object power. My preference is to simply treat the hammer like a power as opposed to a separate device. A simplified version is something like this:

Warhammer - 19p Array Pool + 3 AEs
. . Hammer Strike: Strength-based Damage 4 (DC 27, Advantages: Improved Critical 2; Penetrating 12; Activation: move action)
. . Hammer Throw/Lightning Bolt: Damage 8 (DC 23; Increased Range: ranged, Variable Descriptor: close group - Bludgeoning/Electricity; Activation: move action)
. . Only the Worthy: Immunity 10 (Common Descriptor: Movement; Increase Duration: Continuous, Activation: move action)
. . Returning Hammer: Damage 8 (DC 23; Increased Range: ranged, Indirect 4: any point, any direction; Quirk: Must already be thrown)

To My Hand!: Feature 1 (Buys off Activation if hammer is in hand)

This assumes a thundergod-like PC with STR 8. The Strike is most powerful at rank 12 and able to overcome most armor. The Throw/Bolt is less strong at rank 8 but compensates with both range and flexbility. Returning Hammer gives the ability to make the hammer attack while in flight, with a possible circumstance bonus for surprise; it can fly in any direction, including back to the PC's hand.

The Activation - Move isn't strictly necessary, but for concept it works as a way to "call" the hammer to wield it. To My Hand! is a Feature to buy it off the activation when the hammer is in hand. It requires a little work on the player's part to specify when the hammer is held or still in flight, but I think this adds to the flavour of the power itself.

I added Only the Worthy to simulate the hammer's resistance to movement. It just barely fits in making it Continuous with an Activation - Move, allowing you to, say, place it on someone's chest and leave it to hold them down. 🙂

As is, this Warhammer costs 23p total, including the Feature, and would probably fit well into any PL10 game. It can't be taken away or disarmed except as a Complication. I suppose you could also make it a Removable Device, but I definitely wouldn't allow it to be Easily Removable if it's so easy to reclaim.
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Re: Mechanics & Metaphors: Super Weapons

Post by Spectrum »

Looks like a strong start!

A couple of ideas:
1. Would variable descriptor instead of the variable power be helpful? I think that the descriptor would be more helpful when it comes to damage type rather than overall different weapon types (blunt, impaling, slashing, fire, Holy, etc..)

2. On the removable vs complication, I was under the impression that you couldn't have both at the same time? You could either have the potential for an hp OR save the few pp.

Just a few thoughts :)
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Mechanics & Metaphors: Knockback as a modified Trip

Post by JDRook »

I was just looking at the Facebook M&M page and someone was asking about pushing an opponent out of melee range and even had a little video clip of a woman pushing a guy about 6' back. Inevitably almost every answer was using either some variation of Move Object or the Knockback rules in the GM Guide. Personally I find MO to be overkill for what should be the world's simplest combat maneuver, and while the GMG KB is good for the kind of super-powered knockback that does additional damage as well as sending opponents flying blocks away, I don't think it works for simply shoving someone back a bit.

Thinking on it, I figure the closest existing combat action is Trip: while it doesn't knock people back, it does knock them prone, which means they still need to use a Move Action to get up before they can attack. GMG-KB also causes prone for very low KB, so what if I just modified Trip to be a non-damaging Knockback attack on very high success?
TRIP/KNOCKBACK - STANDARD ACTION
You try to trip or throw your opponent. Make a close attack check against your opponent’s Parry with a –2 circumstance penalty on the check. If the attack succeeds, make an opposed check of your Acrobatics or Athletics against your opponent’s Acrobatics or Athletics. Use whichever has the better bonus in each case. If you win by one degree, the defender is prone in an area adjacent to you of your choice. If you win by more than one degree, the defender is thrown or knocked back a distance rank equal to your degrees of success -4, ending prone. If you lose, the defender immediately gets another opposed check to try and trip you. If it fails, the trip attempt ends.
The text is quoted directly from the Trip Action description in the Deluxe Handbook, with my own additions underlined and the words "to the ground" removed from the first line to open it up for longer-ranged throws. GMG-KB has -3 and -4 results as Prone, so modifying that I made -2 the minimum KB distance with 2 degrees of success. I suppose you could change it up for distance rank per pip for really distant throws, but like the relatively stable results using degrees. I thought about removing the reversal, but I still want it to function like the normal Trip at low levels.

I like the best of Acro/Ath option since it allows a really acrobatic or athletic martial artist to be on an even keel with a superstrong opponent with minimal physical training, which fits the source material. Improved Trip would remove the -2 penalty, the reversal, and let the tripper focus on the target's weaker trip defense.

IMHO, the best things about this modified Trip is that it requires no direct training (although it helps), scales from normal to superheroic, and still lets you Power Stunt a MO if you really want to send targets into orbit.

UPDATE: I realized the GMG-KB rules also only kick in on 2nd degree Damage failure or worse, so besides being moved, the target is also at least Dazed, so not only do they need at least one Move Action to close distance again to re-engage in melee, they are also short one action that round after they land. To align with this, I think the Trip/KB should also end in prone position, which also uses up an action to get up. I might still think about how that interacts with Instant Up and/or Acrobatics.
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Mechanics & Metaphors: Blink Teleport and How to Fix it

Post by JDRook »

Blink Teleport, as described in the Power Profiles, is broken. Not OP, not "allowable for certain concepts," but completely broken.

It's a simple build, relatively inexpensive, and completely unsurprising that it's the first thing most new players ask about when cracking open Power Profiles.

This is a screenshot from the Power Profiles Teleport chapter.
Blink Teleport.jpg
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The description gives the impression that you can simply move out of the way of ANY attack. It says "so long as your teleport distance takes you out of the affected area", but a minimal 5p Blink Teleport would be built with Teleport 1, which is a 60' port, which will easily get you away from any single rank Area effect and ALL non-Perception Range single target attacks.

Admittedly, the power makes conceptual sense for teleporters and should be something they can do. You can also make a logical argument that the triggered Reaction Teleport should resolve after the Attack Check but before the Resistance Check, and that moving out of the way should essentially nullify the Effect of the Attack. However, this is gaining too much utility for a simple Movement effect. If that's how it works, there's no reason that these powers aren't equally valid:

Hummingbird Reflexes: Reaction Flight (Imminent Attack) • 5 points per rank
Grasshopper Escape: Reaction Leaping (Imminent Attack) • 4 points per rank
Aqua Scoot: Reaction Swimming (Imminent Attack) • 4 points per rank
Mole Bunker: Reaction Burrowing (Imminent Attack) • 4 points per rank
and of course
Untouchable Speedster: Reaction Speed (Imminent Attack) • 4 points per rank
(not to mention it would also allow any PC to Ready a Move Action to completely avoid attacks. This would cost no points and be available to ALL PCs.)

Untouchable refers to a power for speedsters that is also in the Power Profiles, but it's a little more complex:
Untouchable.jpg
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Functionally, Untouchable and Blink Teleport should be about the same, but as you can see UT also has an 80p Immunity vs Dodge/Parry-based Attacks with 2 Flaws on it: Concentration (to use up Standard Actions and make it effectively a "defensive stance") and the Surprise Flaw which is alluded to in BT but does not appear in any mechanical capacity in the build (although Reaction can only be triggered by detectable phenomena). This leads me to think that Blink Teleport might have been meant to be a more detailed power but overlooked before going to print.

So as written, Blink Teleport is an inexpensive Reaction Movement that seems to allow for at least a 40p defense (80p Immunity Flawed for Surprise) for free on top of off-turn movement when the PC is attacked. Untouchable does mostly the same thing but is slightly less flexible (requiring a Standard Action) and costs several times more. The examples I listed above illustrate that allowing Blink Teleport to work as written opens up a whole host of issues where any PC can easily make cheap thematic powers (or even use free maneuvers) to completely avoid most kinds of attacks without a die roll. I submit this would break the game, or at least any conceivable balance in the point-buy system.

So how to fix it?


Option #1 - Enhanced Defenses - Replace or Add

Some Teleporting characters like Nightcrawler are already hard to hit even without teleporting, but not every teleporter PC is going to be a mutant acrobat. The Teleport Effect can't be used as a Defense, but teleportation as a concept makes sense to be a Descriptor for bonus defenses. Something like Enhanced Defenses (+10 Dodge/Parry) for 20p with the Teleporting Descriptor will make any PC with human-range defenses much more capable of avoiding highly-skilled attackers. This could completely replace the Teleport Effect component of Blink Teleport with successful dodges looking like very short-range 'ports,* or it could be in addition to Reaction Teleport.

In practice this would let the Teleporter PC easily blink away from any low-level attacker without the attack landing, looking functionally like the BT description, but could still potentially be hit by highly skilled attackers or a lucky high roll. Area Attacks will still hit, although with Enhanced Dodge they will likely do half damage; adding in a rank or two of Evasion with a Teleport descriptor might be appropriate here.

You could Flaw the Enhanced Defenses so it doesn't work on surprise or subtle attacks, but keep in mind that surprise attacks already impose Vulnerable on a target, halving defenses unless you also have Uncanny Dodge (which could also be under the Teleport Descriptor). The Surprise Flaw could be useful for saving points, but would make your PC very vulnerable to sneak attacks.

Alternative - Blink Teleport: Enhanced Defenses Dodge X/Parry Y, Evasion 2, Uncanny Dodge - X+Y+3p

Overall this option is probably the simplest way to simulate an "absolute defense" that admittedly doesn't work all the time but will be effective for its cost without being prohibitively expensive or require any tricky Action or Array management. This is the one I would recommend for new players and GMs.


Option #2: Base it on Untouchable

This is the most obvious fix, with a few issues. The Reaction applied to Speed in Untouchable is a "floating extra" that assumes the PC always has at least 1 rank of Speed active, so you'd need to either have the same setup for your teleporter, or buy the Teleport ranks as part of the power; the latter is going to be preferable if you have all of your Teleport ranks inside an Array. As a very expensive power, you'd likely want it in an Array, and could potentially remove the Concentration Flaw so that you don't need to use up Standard Actions in a "defensive stance" to activate your Blink, but you would still need to manage your Array slots so that it is active when you need it. The other option is to have BT outside any Arrays so it's always available, but that is going to be very expensive.



Option #3 - Combo Platter - Some Immunity AND Enhanced Defenses

Personally I like having the teleporter jump away** but occasionally getting nicked or burned by a near-escape from a very powerful or accurate attack, but if you absolutely have to get away clean every single time (barring Complication), Immunity is really your only option. Limiting it, however, could cut down on its ridiculous cost. If you allow Enhanced Defenses to get you away from single target attacks, you're still getting hit by Areas, but you could limit your Immunity to Area Attacks to remove that eventuality. You could also apply a Half Effect to your Immunity, either against everything or just Areas, so even when you do get hit it's generally going to be minor; a Dodge Resisted Area already drops to half, so Half Immunity on top of that brings it down to a quarter, so barely noticeable and worth the savings.

Full Immunity to Dodge/Parry-based Attacks = 80p
Half Immunity OR Immunity only to Area Attacks = 40p
Half Immunity to Only Area Attacks = 27p

You could also bring back Concentration on the Immunity to lower cost and make it more of a defensive stance power, although the intention of Blink feels like it should be open to maximum mobility.


In conclusion, Blink Teleport as written does not and cannot work the way it is described in the Power Profiles without upsetting the balance of the game and should not be used that way. However, there are defenses that can get your PC close to the same outcome without blowing your budget, but it does take a little investment, and more depending on how untouchable you want to be. Keep in mind that it's usually very hard to die, heroes that don't get hurt are boring, and it's just a game, so enjoy yourself.


*multiple short-range teleports would look very much like how I imagine the Blink spell from D&D operates, which is likely what inspired the name.
**or toward. There's nothing that says you can't use your free off-turn movement to close with or even get behind your attacker.
Last edited by JDRook on Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:08 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Mechanics & Metaphors: Blink Teleport and How to Fix it

Post by squirrelly-sama »

Ah, Blink Teleport. One of the things in MnM I will rant endlessly about at any opportunity. You hit the nail on the head, it's baby's first "I win" button when newbies try and make an over powered character. Untouchable being a power just makes it worse, making it look like whoever was editing and play testing the book just didn't give a shit. When I see this power crop up in a build my reaction is a resounding "No." The only way I will allow it as it's built is to make it take place after an attack strikes and either lands or misses.
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Re: Mechanics & Metaphors: Blink Teleport and How to Fix it

Post by JDRook »

squirrelly-sama wrote: Thu Nov 04, 2021 10:39 pm...When I see this power crop up in a build my reaction is a resounding "No." The only way I will allow it as it's built is to make it take place after an attack strikes and either lands or misses.
Exactly. The Effect is Movement, the modifier allows moving off-turn, and that's it. There's no effect that protects you from all damage without even a check roll, and in an Effects-based system, you need that. Built as is, getting a free move every time someone shoots at you would still be pretty cool, but it's not going to make you untouchable.
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Mechanics & Metaphors: Spiders & Ice or the Hole in Snare

Post by JDRook »

With the new Spiderman movie coming out, this seemed like a good time to bring this up. I'd seen someone commenting on Facebook that the M&M system couldn't simulate Spiderman's webbing and this was as an absolute dealbreaker for them. I was going to retort but looking deeper into it I realized they weren't completely wrong.

The go-to Effect for webs is the Snare Affliction:
Snare.jpg
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It's one of the Sample Powers in the book, which is good since it would be almost impossible for a new player to stumble on such a specific customized build themselves, unlike say Ranged Damage for Blast. Snare is similar to a Grab, which makes sense, although a Snare is an Instant Effect with lasting conditions while Grabs require a lot of attention to maintain.

The problem comes from the fact that the Conditions don't actually do everything one might expect from a Snaring power. The first degree slows a target (-1 Speed, cutting movement in half) and makes them easier to hit, which works for a bola or web shot or ice bond that hits but doesn't quite take. The second degree makes them Defenseless (0 to defenses) and Immobile so that can't move from the spot. However there's no condition that says they can't keep taking other actions. Specifically:
Immobile and Defenseless targets can still:
  • Attack (Close, Ranged, or Perception)
    Disarm/Grab/Smash/Trip a target in reach of Attacks
    Aid an Ally in reach
    Command a minion
    Call for help / Radio for backup
    Aim (fire next round)
    Defend (but with 0 defense, it's basically a raw dice roll +10 if 10 or below)
    Drop Prone (best defense against Ranged or AoEs if you can't move)
    Ready an Action (like attacking when someone comes in range)
    Recover/Escape (remove highest Damage or Fatigue Condition or resist the snare as a Standard Action in addition to at end of turn.)
Because this outcome goes against expectations of what a Snare should be able to do, players and GMs often gloss right over it, assuming the target is sufficiently subdued. In practice, this isn't necessarily a bad idea: the power is a little more costly than most basic 2p/rank attacks and arguably harder to make stick, so ignoring the technically capable targets isn't a gamebreaker, particularly against lower-level and minion-type threats. However, at some point a player is going to be on the receiving end of one of these attacks, start flipping through the book to see what they can still do and realize it's quite a lot, potentially dragging a game to a halt as this new paradigm blows their collective minds.

OTOH, it should be noted that even though an I&D target is still fully capable of everything above, they are still a sitting duck. They are Defenseless, meaning they have 0 defense, can be attacked routinely or easily targeted by Power Attacks or even Finishing Attacks, and so are likely to take Critical Damage or (in a lethal game) even be killed! Any Snared target with even a little bit of self-preservation should be assumed to be aware of this, so unless breaking the Snare is easy or their attacker(s) are distracted from them, the target should probably surrender or at least not make any threatening moves. Bold, desperate and/or insane snared targets might attempt any of the above actions or other tactics appropriate for the situation. Teams on either side will be a huge factor in what can or should be done in case of Snaring.

With those options in mind, the Snare is not so much broken as it just not quite as functional as one might expect, and while the full consequences of that might lead to some interesting combat, some tables may prefer to avoid it. There are several ways you can fix this by either swapping out Conditions, adding new ones or even using different effects.

1) Immobile vs Stun
Pros - easiest change, no alteration in cost, may already have been playing this way so it's backwards-compatible
Cons - Snare becomes less like Grab, Stun may be too effective for concept or not fit some descriptors.
Caveat - Stunned targets can't maintain Sustained or Concentration Effects

One of the bigger arguments about Conditions is how they vary in utility with some being objectively better than others, and Stun vs Immobile is the most obvious. While Immobile limits the ability to move from the spot, Stun simply stops ALL Actions, even Free ones, so it also stops movement. (It should be noted that Stunned stopping all actions means that they can't even use Free Actions to maintain Sustained Effects like force fields or created objects or flight.) Replacing Immobile with Stunned in the Snare build means none of the actions described above are possible while taking away no functionality from the Snare or even changing its cost. This is also effectively how Snare is often treated as described above, with the possibilities of actions while Snared ignored, so it's definitely the simplest fix. The conceptual problem with this is that Snare is basically a form of Grab, but while 2nd degree Grab (Bound) at least includes Impaired, swapping Immobile for Stunned makes the Snare that much more powerful than Grab. At the very least, the Stun should be considered physical only, still allowing mental actions and attacks, and making it more in line with the next option . . .

2) 3rd Degree Paralyzed
Pros - doesn't require a different second attack to finish, easier to one-shot minions.
Cons - more expensive, not appropriate for all descriptors

Paralyzed is a combined Condition of Defenseless, Immobile and physically Stunned, but most importantly as a 3rd degree Condition it requires a minute or outside aid to resist after the first failure; adding it to Snare makes the power more expensive but also more conclusive. Attacks against minions that always hit maximum degree on success will wrap them up completely with no chance of a breakout during a fight. Non-minions might still need a second attack, but with a target now either Vulnerable or Defenseless you can likely Power Attack or Finishing Attack and get the full wrap. It should work for webs, ice and other full-coverage Snares, but maybe not for something like bolos. It might almost be worth dropping Cumulative for cost purposes, since you don't have to worry about stacking as much, although that may not fit all descriptors.

3) Snare as Grab Custom Job - use Bound as 2nd Degree
Pros - more mechanically consistent with Grab
Cons - Grab's not that intuitive anyway, not appropriate for all descriptors

Full disclosure: I didn't even consider this until Thorpocalypse mentioned it. Bound is the 2nd degree Condition of failing a Grab attack. It's a combined Condition of Defenseless, Immobile and Impaired, making it slightly better than just D&I but still not quite as powerful as D & Stunned, so it's really GM's decision whether the cost should change. Bound is not included in the Conditions listed for use with Affliction, although Snare is already more customized than any other pre-built Affliction so it doesn't seem unreasonable to use it. And if you're using Bound like a Grab, you might also allow using the Escape Action as an option. (Keep in mind Escape requires a Move Action, but would not replace the end of turn reistance check against the Snare.) All of the above listed actions would still be possible, only with an additional -2 penalty.

4) Create as a Trap
Pros - incredibly flexible options for nature of trap, simple resolution, requires breaking the trap to escape
Cons - needs to be separate effect either Linked or fired as a second Action, may not fit descriptors

Create makes a "volume of Toughness", able to be shaped for many uses, with one option being to trap someone inside it. Trapping requires an Attack vs Dodge and a Dodge Resistance vs Create Rank, so while you can attempt to use it on its own, it's going to be far more effective against Vulnerable or Defenseless targets. A "1-2 punch" of standard Snare and Create could be made as a Linked attack or split between two Array slots if you don't mind taking two Standard Actions to do it. Trapping with Create also has some fun flexibility since depending on the descriptor you can define it as simply as a couple of limb restraints to a full body cocoon; you can even make sure the trap is opaque so the target can't see or hear or be seen or heard, effectively in total cover. Created Traps are broken like objects, so a 2nd Degree Damage Condition is sufficient to break out; for consistency, you can either assume that the Traps is too robust to be contorted out of with Sleight of Hand, or possibly add a Quirk that SoH is still an option.

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Overall, I think the best version of a Spidey Webbing or even an Iceman Block or similar Snaring supers is probably the standard Snare combined with the Create Effect. Stunning feels a little powerful; vanilla Snare doesn't really need to be a fight-ender with Paralyze; and I don't think Bound is so much better that it's worth changing.

Next time, less theory, more Super Weapon builds!
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squirrelly-sama
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Re: Mechanics & Metaphors: Spiders & Ice or the Hole in Snare

Post by squirrelly-sama »

I have run into this issue many times myself, snare costs an extra point per rank than the usual standard for an ultimately subpar effect. Immobile is niche at best and while the Defenseless condition is good it's not that good since a toughness shifted character doesn't suffer too much from it and is still able to clap back. Worse still it suffers from the same problems that big down afflictions meaning it's hard to proc, doesn't naturally have compounding effect like damage, and will stick around about as long as the father of an inner city youth with a smoking habit.

For me my solution was just Continuous Move Object limited to holding in place. The limit I even remove for spiderman type web slinging (though I make it a Strength Effect for my version).
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