Descriptor Nesting and Effects

A place to discuss game rules, homebrew systems and the like.
Post Reply
Superfanboy
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:37 pm

Descriptor Nesting and Effects

Post by Superfanboy »

In my setting there is a group of heroes who are kind of like Green Lanterns or Nova but far less uniform. They use a cosmic/magic/science tesseract that's integrated with their natural abilities and some equipment (including multiple pieces, it's a tesseract and doesn't need to be contiguous).

How do immunities and description targeting powers work on multi-descriptor powers? For example, air magic or cosmic science? How about a device that's basically science but has an array of cosmic and and techno magic apparatus built in? My thought was that anything which nullifies or affects science tech would affect the whole object, with each effect being individually subject. Perhaps I'm making this too complicated, I play a lot of GURPS.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Descriptor Nesting and Effects

Post by Davies »

If you're immune to a descriptor, you always make resistance checks against effects of that descriptor, even if that effect has other descriptors to which you're not immune. Likewise, if you can nullify effects of a descriptor, then it doesn't matter if the effect has other descriptors that aren't being nullified.

Now ... there could come a corner case where someone is Immune to one descriptor and Vulnerable to another one, with both applying. I think the complication would trump the immunity, but possibly in that situation I would say, "Okay, you still enjoy some immunity, but just to the tune of having to make a normal resistance check rather than not getting one at all," while handing the player their Hero Point. (I'd probably just try to avoid that situation, really.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Superfanboy
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:37 pm

Re: Descriptor Nesting and Effects

Post by Superfanboy »

So having more descriptors basically adds to the vulnerability, unless you want to split it into two stacking powers with different descriptors.
FuzzyBoots
Posts: 2396
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:20 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Descriptor Nesting and Effects

Post by FuzzyBoots »

I don't think 3E ever spelled it out, and I'm having difficulty locating where they said in 2E that it was all or nothing for vulnerabilities and immunities. Personally, I tend to play it by ear. Sometimes, the hero who is immune to magic will get stabbed with the flaming sword (not the sword made out of fire) and take partial damage. Sometimes, the person with lactose vulnerability won't get quite as much of an increase when they get hit by a cheese club.
Superfanboy
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:37 pm

Re: Descriptor Nesting and Effects

Post by Superfanboy »

That makes sense. For a cosmic machine, disabling either cripples it. But if you're shooting a radiation light beam half and half seems reasonable. But you can have it by making them stacking linked effects.
Post Reply