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Aberrant RPG - :eek: need feedback on new power


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eek.gifI would like to know what you think of the power I created

Feedback

level:2

quantum minimum:3

dice pool:intelligence+feedback

range:self

area:N/A

duration: maintenance

effect : (quantum+successes)levels bashing damage

description:the player makes a contested roll(perception+pr)against(intelligence+Opponent's PR).If the telepath doesn't have the extra surreption he is automatically detected.when the opponent is detected the player spends 1 Q per turn to inflict (quantum + successes) bashing damage.

[This message has been edited by raven (edited 06-28-2001).]

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Raven, could you retype the description? Part got typo-ed, I think. Unless it was supposed to read that they telepath takes permanent damage, in which case it'd be WAY over level one... way over level 3, for that matter.

Maybe, instead, the telepath takes X levels of bashing per round?

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I'm with Stellar on this one. It seems to be a psychic Immolate power, which puts it at least at level two. Mind you, Immolate may seem kind of wimpy, but its hell on baselines. I saw one player take out 15 armed thugs in one action just by flying through them (Area effect extra). Also, since it can cause damage over an incredible distance, its extra nasty. Far superior to psychic shields in the case of Telepathy and Domination since their psychic shield should be less your power and your quantum will remove atleast half of them in most cases.

Let's think about this: Int.(4) and Mega. Int.(2) + Feedback(1) is about 4 successes per roll(assume Q takes out Pshields). Your target is unconcious in two actions. Three if their kind of tough. So for three nova points I'm knocking tepes out with their own attacks. Better yet, if you get Armor Piercing, it probably wont matter if they have shields or not, so make that six points and your dropping them in one.

My advice is to go with Invulnerability (Mental) for 9+7per and be happy. The Immolate idea that only works on mental contact is also a good solution. Whatever you decide, this is definitely not a level one power. The only level one power that hurts people is claws (unless you count bodymorph) and thats only one per level and a touch attack. Feedback is superior too Psychic Shields because of the damaging ability and the fact that its nature makes it close to an aggravated attack.

Just my two cents worth.

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Actually, this seems (to me at least), to be something that could be done quite well as an Extra to Psychic Shield.

Extra: Feedback (Invading nova takes (Power Rating + Opponent's Power Rating) levels of Bashing or Lethal unsoakable damage (choose which at time of purchase, may not buy multiple levels to gain ability to do both))

Done that way, it's still not quite as good as the original power, but it's almost toasty death to an unwary telepath.

[This message has been edited by Kirby1024 (edited 05-11-2001).]

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y'mean (PR + Opponent's PR) bashing or (PR) lethal, right?

I'm still hesitant about the whole "unsoakable" aspect of this power, is the only thing. I just don't like the sounds of it, kinda a "I keeeel you. No, you can't do ANYTHING to prevent it" sorta deal.

But this system seems kinda reasonable.

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I like Kirby's idea. I think Feedback as an extra onto Psychic shield is pretty good. I would imagine that the telepath in question would resist feedback with willpower and their own psychic shield.

Nice idea for an extra, I must try it with one of the PCs in my next game.

Jager, we had two telepaths in our last game. One of which attempted to gain armor piercing extra. Unfortunatly it only works for powers that do damage, we let him away with it anyway. It was less annoying than the telepathetic with surrupticious!

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I still have a problem with any power that is unsoakable. Imagine what your players will scream when this happens to them.

I like the idea of the Psychic Shield extra. Q(damage) plus Power Rating in dice (x2 if bashing). Have it cost a Quantum everytime it activates and take the Stat+Mega. Stat out of the equation. Remember, for most people mental soaking is Pshychic Shield rating x2 and a Willpower Roll. One action will hurt most Telepaths, but not take them out.

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As far as pity for telepaths goes, once they have made contact, they can find you again, anywhere in the world. No Q-bolt does that, yet.

Once ran across a tepe who had bought two types of telepathy; one with sureptious and one that allowed her to use her other powers through it. Talk about a late night wake-up call.

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Quote:
Originally posted by Stellar:
y'mean (PR + Opponent's PR) bashing or (PR) lethal, right?



Hmm, looking at it now, you do have a good point there. OK, alter the extra.

I thought "Well, if it was soakable, then get invulnerability vs psychic attacks, or even get psychic shield yourself, and you're set against it". By adding the Opponent's power Rating, the more powerful you get, the more careful you have to be, and making it Dices of damage (instead of set damage), there's always the chance you can luck out and get away unscathed, thanking the heavens you got away scott free this time.
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That's not precisely what I was thinking... everyone's going about this with the mindset of "if a Tepe tries to enter someone's mind, he SHOULD take damage." That's the same as going about saying "if a nova fires a quantum bolt at another nova, he SHOULD suffer from feedback and take damage."

Mental [X] is a quantum power, and a Tepe-based nova should have the same chances of surviving something like that as of using any other power. This whole concept of an extra for Psy Shield providing added defense against mental attacks is just that... an added defense, not an invulnerability. If you want a 100% surfire way to make a Tepe sorry he ever scanned you, pick up Invulnerability - Mental, and learn to trace the beotch.

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Let me get this straight; I (the tepe) make a non-damaging attack against an opponent and I take damage because of this. Huh? I don't get to soak, resist, or avoid this in any way? If it is an extra, we are talking 3+2xp/level and you have just shut my level 2 power down. At no Q-cost to you. What a bargain!

Also, making it unsoakable really makes the bashing vs. lethal irrelevant. Why make it lethal, when you can make it bashing, have his/her levels add to your damage, and take them out of the fight that much faster. Run this baby to level 5, and no tepe will survive the experience. You start out at 6 levels and you should average 8, dropping most tepes instantaneously. Just look for the body to fall and they are at your mercy anyway.

Now, if the tepe also has feedback, then does it loop back around, taking both out?

A counter-question then: What about a power, or extra, that "Backlashed" damage to the giver that was unsoakable?

Ex.: Quasar shoots Backlash, inflicting 5 levels of lethal damage. Backlash has his "Backlash" power/extra active so Quasar also takes 5 levels of lethal.

Does anyone see anything wrong with this?

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Well, you two do have a point. It was just a suggestion, but you're right, it does seem a little unbalancing now that you think about it.

Well, OK. We make it soakable. So, the new extra goes something like this:

Extra: Feedback (Invading nova takes (Power Rating + Opponent's Power Rating) levels of Bashing or (Power Rating) levels of Lethal damage (choose which at time of purchase, may not buy multiple levels to gain ability to do both))

There. Actually, looking at it now, that does look a little better. So, do we have a winner, or does it need a little mroe work?

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I think this sounds fairly reasonable. Make it a one-time deal, so that it activates when the link is made, but doesn't do damage every round. Soak is as normal for mental shiznit, willpower + psychic shield or invulnerability.

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Actually, Stellar, I would prefer it to be the 'hand in the blender' routine with every action allowing the Feedback individual to burn a Q and do the damage. Since it wouldn't be automatic, if the Feedbacker didn't know that some one was in their head, it couldn't go off (unless it was always on).

As for damage, how about Q+(your level and his level)dice in bashing. For lethal, Q+ (either his level or your level, chosen when the power is purchased)dice. Once it is soakable, you can be more flexible with the damage.

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Right, so the good little extra goes a-something, like this (note, I'm using the rulebook's system of brackets):

Extra: Feedback (When Psychic Shield is used, Nova may make a Perception + Psychic Shield Roll, if successful may spend 1 Quantum Point per turn to deal to Invading Nova (Power Rating + Opponent's Power Rating) Bashing or (Power Rating or Opponent's Power Rating, choose at time of purchase) Lethal Damage (choose at time of purchase)

To be honest, I don't think that adding quantum to the amount of dice is all that good an idea, put simply, at a higher level, it's instant toasty death (especially if they have Mega-Perception, and so will be almost guaranteed to be able to see them). Plus, even as an extra, it only costs as much as a level 2 power! This is a lot of band for your buck here

[This message has been edited by Kirby1024 (edited 05-13-2001).]

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I actually had the extra "feedback" on to my psychic sheild. I didn't much care about the damage I just wanted to know if somebody was poking around in my mind.(using the seruptitious enhancement)

Reflexive enhancement on telepathy his fun too...you read my mind, I read yours.

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Well, here's my take on it:

Mentel Feedback: As soon as somebody try to temper with the nova's mind, he automatically spend 2 Q-Point and inflict (Quantum) + (Psychic Shield) Bashing damage that maybe soaked with a WP roll.

This mean that if you want telepathy, you have to totally drop your shield. This also give you an automatic defense against surreptitious - and why not? Normal psychic shield does defend you. The nova's mind is a permanent burner, weither he likes it or not, it defend itself.

I don't think the lethal part is good idea, but that's just me, I never was big fan of 'lethal' (or worse yet, aggravated) mental damage. After all, if you are 'frying' his brain, then it's physical damage.

And I also think it's pretty much imperative that the dices be rolled and not a 'set damage'... inflicting 10 Bashing in one shot will knock out pretty much any mentalist I know, while 10 dices is painful, but not an instant knock out.

Another interesting question... since IV: Mental is level 2, could you possibly have IV:Mental - Feedback?

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How about this, some kind of extra onto Psychic sheild like reflexive that targets the Telepath with a quantum drain. Would probibly better to create a new power:

Mental Vacuum

Level: 3

Dice Pool: N/A

Effect: Telepathic attackers (as defined by Psychic Sheild) must expend 2 extra quantum every time they are required to spend quantum for each level possessed in Mental Vacuum.

Example: Mindmaster wants to read Vapid's mind with his telepathy power. Vapid has Mental Vacuum 3 so Mindmaster must spend 8 quantum to contact Vapid's mind.

Could also have a power like this:

Psychic Shell

Level: 2

Dice pool: N/A

Effect: As psychic sheild but mental attackers who do not get enough successes (2 extra per level) believe they have entered the victims mind when in fact they have entered a sub-division of the power owners mind which has whatever memories and mental characteristic the power owner wishes.

Example: Mindmaster uses his telepathy on Firebug who has Psychic Shell 2. Mindmaster does not get enough sucesess to penetrate the basic psychic sheild and so enters the shell mind constructed by Firebug. This mind resembles Firebugs normal mind but has no access to the bulk of his memories. (including the password that Mindmaster is looking for...)

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for Mental Vaccum; would resistance to quantum manipulations help? It is essentially a style of quantum drain.

What would you think of this; I have this power, or an extra on to a defensive power. Here is how it works. Everytime someone attacks me and hits, they lose two extra quantum, even if the attack doesn't cost quantum? That would seriously suck. Stacked with Absorption, and this guy is hideous.

should the Psychic Shell be level 3 or a level two that lasts for either Q+Power Lvl turns or a scene(maintainence)? Also, you could make it a Wits+PShell roll which you create when the shell is established. If the invader doesn't initially discover the deception, then it becomes a contested manuever and if the PShell individual wins, they have convinced the tepe that they found what they are looking for. Its false, mind you, but the tepe would think that they were successful. Also, the tepe wouldn't necessarily be able to contact that subject again.

Guys, if you want to be immune to telepaths, buy Psychic Shields and Mental Invulnerability. Allowing something into the mental arena will eventually allow it into the physical one.

How about this:

Tripwire

Level:1

Duration: Permanent

Allows the person with this power to detect wether or not they are being mentally scanned. If the level of tripwire equals or exceeds the level of mental power, the warning is automatic. If the mental power is higher, the user of that power has the option of losing two dice per level of tripwire to avoid detection.

Psychic Static Field

Level 2

Q min.:3

Duration: (Q+Power level)turns (maintainence)

Each level of Psychic Static increases the difficulty of all mental attacks against the subjuct. This equals to a +1 difficulty for every level of PSF.

This is equivalent to the Super-Heavy Armor extra, but is its own power and is essentially psychic radar jamming. Alternatively, it could be an extra for Psychic Shields.

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I like both of them. The static one would make you very noticable to telepaths though and you could end up on the wrong end of a Q-bolt. Tripwire is something I would dearly love to have.

With The Ranger character the dominant personality used the other personas as bluffs for anyone entering his mind(s). Thats where the Psychic shell came from.

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As far as I know, regardless of the skill of the telepath, the person being scanned always knows that they are been scanned and by whom. The only exception that I know of is with the surreptitious enhancement for telepathy.

Immunity to mental attacks is hands down 5 times better than psychic shield when it comes to mental defences.

However I think that the real danger for a telepath lies in the fact that they can not use other powers while using it, and also they are very vunerable to physical attack.

I love the idea of an over confidant telepathic reading someones mind across a room and getting something like, "I am about to hit you" and then gets hit.....

I just dislike telepaths.

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No arguement there. You know what I'm like. I hate telepaths. They can ruin an otherwise fun game.

Telepathy in Aberant is very restricted, which is one of the resons I don't wrap my head in tin foil (yes I know it doesn't work...but it makes me feel safer) and blubber away to myself in my lead bath whenever I play it.

Thankfully I only do that infrequently.

Unless you get permission from the person that you are using your power every time you use it on them I fail to see how you could class telepathy as anything other than a moraly invasive power. It's legally and moraly wrong to invade someone's thoughts. There is very little way of justifying it.

Trust me Jager, the only way I'd ever play a telepath is in an attempt to avoid having it used on me. Thankfully Rangers not too telepath enamoured either, so his games and tend to be relativly safe...not always though...grrrrr

I'm going to my lead bath now.

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Bagman,

Good Telepath Rule No. 1: Get your team leaders permission before you do anything. Do not be team leader. This kind of check and balance works well. Work on your detective skills, as you will use these to build up the evidence to convince the team leader that you need to use your power.

G.T. Rule No. 2: It is your job to hunt down and destroy evil telepaths. That's what everyone else wants you to do. Fortunately for you, almost every other telepath you meet will be a bad guy(or girl).

G.T. Rule No. 3: : Once you know the target is involved with the crime, he/she becomes fair game. Sadly, they have chosen to violate another's rights in some way. Now its payback time. Nail their ass.

Now, if you are feeling a bit uneasy about these rules, remember that most novas resolve situtions with hot, screaming, quantum death. After that, there is no way of saying your sorry, we mistook you for someone else.

Go gettum, Bagman.

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