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Post by wayne on Nov 29, 2003 6:12:26 GMT -5
I've been wondering why speedsters in the game seem weaker than they should be. I think part of it is that their main power, their speed, is limited to only one outlet: the Speed Ability. So here's an Action to take care of that. It's based on Concentration, and functions the same way, but has a SPD bonus instead of an INT. Of course, the GM should feel free to disallow combining it with an Action that it really shouldn't be able to combine with (although offhand I can't think of one.) RAPID THOUGHT/MOTIONCost = Action Number + 3 DescriptionThis simply is the ability to use your speed to enhance any other Action you may wish to perform. Make use of speed to analyze a clue in far more detai than normal in one panel. To easily catch and compensate for negative situational modifiers while driving. To count cards at the blackjack table. To throw that stone harder, or get a better bead on a target (including lead time.) It can also be used on it's own in many situations, similar to how Concentration can be used alone to examine a room. This power can be combined with most other Actions provided you can describe how the speed helps. Obviously, it comes with a free SPD bonus. CommentsEssentially Concentration for speedsters, this Action finally lets them tap into their power and apply it in almost every situation, without having to suffer the cost of +5 levels for each of your Actions upon purchase time. Rule for Action Box:
- Combine with most Actions provided you can describe how speed helps
- SPD Bonus
ExampleZip is facing an oncoming car, driven by two gang members. Zip realizes he has 4 panels until the car hits him. This panel, he puts several stones into his SPD to run into a nearby hardware store, and several stones into Rapid Thought/Motion to find and grab a few tools. His next panel, he zooms back out and faces the villains, not exerting any extra energy. The next panel, he catches his breath, and then in the final panel, he exerts all of his 9 stones into Rapid Thought/Motion, to disassemble the car's main parts while it's in motion. By the time the kidnapper's panel starts, the car is mostly disassembled, and they fly foward amid car parts at a rapid clip, hitting the road rather messily. |
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Post by ArtOfMagic on Jan 27, 2004 12:07:42 GMT -5
Whow, this works like Time Mastery I designed, except it's cheaper and better, but has less options.
If you add time mastery options, it becomes quite omnipotent.
Perhaps too much.
[glow=green,2,300]options[/glow]
* Fast Time Field +2
- +1 defense per active stone on power. - warp field
- +1 reflective dodge per active stone.
+ other options from hyperion's time mastery.
I think it's wrong to combine Concentration and mastery...
Where's that corebook!
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Post by wayne on Jan 27, 2004 16:45:42 GMT -5
Whow, this works like Time Mastery I designed, except it's cheaper and better, but has less options. If you add time mastery options, it becomes quite omnipotent. Perhaps too much. [glow=green,2,300]options[/glow] * Fast Time Field +2 - +1 defense per active stone on power. - warp field - +1 reflective dodge per active stone. + other options from hyperion's time mastery. I think it's wrong to combine Concentration and mastery... Where's that corebook! ?? But this isn't a Mastery. It's a simple, no-specialties, single-purpose Action. It's the same as Concentration, except it uses Speed instead of Intelligence. I may add another example to the Action to help clarify this. -Wayne |
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Post by i3ullseye on Jan 27, 2004 18:51:17 GMT -5
I find speedsters to be handled just fine in this game. Each of the things they can do are really just a special effect more than a unique ability. What do I mean by this?
Can a speedster move so fast they can phase? Sure, you take phasing and define it as speed based.
Can a speedster move their hand so fast they create a vibration attack? Sure, it is just an energy blast defined as such.
Can a speedster attack so fast they get a bonus to their combat? Sure, part of it is basing their close combat on a Speed bonus... and then take claws defined as rapid strikes.
What about the velocity of thrown weapons? Take targetting with a negative mod limiting it to thrown weapons only.
Etc... etc....
And the more options/action you buy lower, but with an attribute bonus linked to Speed, the more 'speedster' the character becomes.
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Post by wayne on Jan 28, 2004 2:54:16 GMT -5
I find speedsters to be handled just fine in this game. Each of the things they can do are really just a special effect more than a unique ability. What do I mean by this? Can a speedster move so fast they can phase? Sure, you take phasing and define it as speed based. Can a speedster move their hand so fast they create a vibration attack? Sure, it is just an energy blast defined as such. Can a speedster attack so fast they get a bonus to their combat? Sure, part of it is basing their close combat on a Speed bonus... and then take claws defined as rapid strikes. What about the velocity of thrown weapons? Take targetting with a negative mod limiting it to thrown weapons only. Etc... etc.... And the more options/action you buy lower, but with an attribute bonus linked to Speed, the more 'speedster' the character becomes. The thing is, whenever I try this, it invariably means I'm spending a minimum of 4 stones on most Actions when I add the +5 for the Speed bonus. If the character was supposed to have a skill at a high level, but was also able to (realistically) put Speed toward it too, that raised the cost even higher. This just strikes me as a much cleaner option for handling the talent. You can design your skills as normal, and only apply Speed as needed. Of course, you could even have "speedster" tricks, such as a Vibrational Attack (Force Blast), but now you can add the disadvantage that it has to be used in conjunction with Rapid T/M, which is realistic. I also found "generic" speedster tricks (like disassembling something at high speed) to be rather ambiguous in their execution. This Action makes it explicit that yes, the character can pull off such tricks with this Action alone, as that's part of what it was designed for. And even if not terribly necessary, I so much prefer explicit Actions to having to ask the GM permission.  -Wayne |
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Post by bittercupojoe on Jan 28, 2004 8:39:22 GMT -5
For the speedster rapid strikes trick, I've found that adding the "Are of Effect OR 2x damage" option to close combat, along with the "Selective area of effect" option to work very well. And, of course, basing it off of speed. That allows a speedster to strike everyone he needs to without splitting stones. Of course, he needs to spend stones for the area, but that makes sense. Still, you can end up with a devestating speedster doing this. It's easy to make a 40-point character that can do 11 red stones to a 25' area in one action. If, on the other hand, he just wants to beat some poor sucker unconscious super fast, he can do that, too, and at double damage! The claws thing i3ullseye mentioned is a good choice, too.
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Post by wayne on Jan 28, 2004 13:53:40 GMT -5
For the speedster rapid strikes trick, I've found that adding the "Are of Effect OR 2x damage" option to close combat, along with the "Selective area of effect" option to work very well. I vaguely remember reading somewhere about a "selective area of effect" advantage; I thought it was on a mailing list though. Could you point out where you saw it? -Wayne |
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Post by bittercupojoe on Jan 28, 2004 14:14:27 GMT -5
I have been trying like mad to find that. I can't find it in any of the three books, but I know I've seen it somewhere. It might have been in th HouseRules.pdf or on a forum. I don't remember, off the top of my head, how much it costs, but I want to say one or two ranks above and beyond the AoE cost.
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Post by dagreatjl on Jan 29, 2004 17:14:43 GMT -5
One thing I want to point out about Rapid Thought/Motion: since it is an action, if you were using it in conjuntion with another action, then the enhanced action is the only one you can make than panel (two action limit, remember). So, as Wayne wrote it, it wouldn't be any more open to abuse than Concentration is.
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Post by gloom on Apr 23, 2004 12:27:18 GMT -5
I like this too. In the book it says that the Speed ability is used for running. It says nothing about adding speed to anything else. This is a great way to represent doing mundane tasks quickly, such as taking apart a moving car.
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Post by darkhawk on Aug 4, 2004 14:28:27 GMT -5
I am going to hafta side with !3ullseye on this on. When a character is a speedster it is considered that he can do alot of mundane actions rather quickly.. take quicksilver for instance.. though his speed not only acts as his order of actions, i would allow a character that makes a speedster to use a +2 cost for actions to add speed to there actions, like a mind-monkey can have a +2 to get the intel bonus. To me it would only make sense. i can't see a reason to come up with a whole new action to show that, "yeah, the guy is fast at everything"
This will allow them to add speed to anything they do that would not normally alow for a attrib bonus like theiving.. he is damn fast and can crack a safe, pick a lock, hot wire a car just as fast.
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