New Options for Psy-Weapon

[dorkknight23]

(+0) Alternate Action: In the place of close or ranged combat, the action can put stones into another action. These extra stones cannot be used to exceed normal difficulty, but can be shifted to defense, used to beat resistance, or other ways.

Example: Fly Guy has Psychic Wings 4, which allow him to combine with Flight instead of close combat, and Flight of 5. After spending 4 stones to activate the wings, he can combine those stones the next panel (or the very same) with Flight, but he cannot exceed his normal flight speed of 5, but can use the extra stones to carry an individual, shift them to defense, or spend extra stones to maneuver exceptionally well.

(+2) can combine with close/ranged combat: for those weapons that can be used in either ranged or close quarters, like a psychic spear, or psychic dagger.

[Brainstem]

I like this, but I just have one question. So he has to purchase Flight and Psychic Wings? Can he fly without the Pyschic Wings normally and they only aid in his Flight or would they be required for him to fly? What I basically mean is, with the Alternate Action, would you still have to have the Action that gets enhanced, or can the Psi-Weapon provide the Action for the hero?

[dorkknight23]

I think you'd also have to purchase the action you'd want to combine to as well, if only for the sake of balance and sanity. So you need both Flight and Psychic Wing, but you'll be able to have a lot of free stones for flying, which will be cheaper in terms of stone expenditures, and a lot more convenient for those low-Intelligence low-Durability characters I'm always looking out for (The rate I go about it I think I have "Compulsion to Stick up for the Underdog" at about 5.)

[rennyn]

Well not just for balance.. you can't buy Psi-Weapon and use it without say Close Combat. Using a weapon without a high enough appropriate skill gives you resistance enough to make it nearly useless, per the back of the D&R chart.

But something like 'Flight' can't be used by substituting an ability like Close Combat can in some ways, so you'd definately have to buy it for well.. reality's sake.

I do very much like this rule, although I think the limitation of not exceeding his original amount should go away. If you take that rule a step further, then if you hit someone with zero defense, your weapon wouldn't let you do any more damage (since the weapon modifier couldn't take you over your base ability to do damage with close combat, just help negate defenses). Take it another step, and you can't use a baseball bat to beat down a door unless you can do it with your bare hands first.

Modifiers should be able to take you over your base ability levels, in my opinion. Ability bonuses should not They're very different animals, imo.

[Brainstem]

Well, the only thing I see is that Close Combat and Ranged Combat can be used without the Psi-Weapon, whereas with this it seems like Flight can only be used with the Psy-Wings.

[dorkknight23]

I think the issue is it's not really a modifier, it's free stones that can combine effectively indefinitely to another action. The combined stones in the Action Box should be able to exceed the Action Number, but can't allow you to do certain effects greater than the Action Number of that action. For example, with the example of Flight, I wouldn't want someone with Flight 5 and Psychic Wings 4 to be able to fly at flight speed 9. Rather, to continue with the above example, I like the idea of someone who is able to put 4 stones continually into Flight to fly at speed 5, 2 for beating that resistance, and 2 into defense, and can spend their stones (which might be limited) towards other actions, or on spending extra stones into Flight (exceeding the normal number of stones they can spend, as per the action number) to carry something.

I could also see this working really well for actions like Force Field, Unstoppable, or Create Illusions.

[rennyn]

No, it is a modifier, at least in my opinion It 'generates a weapon'. A weapon is a modifier. If it wasn't, you could use a knife, a psi-knife, and your close combat all in one round.

The modification you're making might not be a modifier, but then its not a Psi-weapon option.

Perhaps a completely separate power then, one that merely "provides up to its AN of free stones to power an existing action, never to exceed that action's AN."

[dorkknight23]

rennyn said:

No, it is a modifier, at least in my opinion It 'generates a weapon'. A weapon is a modifier. If it wasn't, you could use a knife, a psi-knife, and your close combat all in one round.

But it's used as a "combined action," not a modifier. And, you can "combine with close combat, ranged combat, or an ability," it doesn't seem to (at the very least explicitly) limit the use of ability bonuses and/or weapon modifiers with close/ranged combat and psi-weapons. So, I say it's possible to use a knife, a psi-knife and close combat in one round, as long as the character has at least two free hands. Or, a character could fire a psychic gun in one hand and use a regular Uzi in the other. The big problem seems to be the limit to 2 actions a panel, so you have to use both actions (psychic knife and close combat, for example) and another action. But, I think a character could use a weapon modifier, a psi-weapon, and close combat.

Not to seem like I'm overly defensive of this idea, just trying to talk out the rules .

[rennyn]

I disagree with you about Psi-Weapon. It creates a weapon for you to combine with Close/ranged combat. It is very very clear that it is creating a weapon. I don't think you can combine this weapon with another weapon without Ninja. Just for balance and sanity's sake if nothing else.

The big problem seems to be the limit to 2 actions a panel, so you have to use both actions (psychic knife and close combat, for example) and another action.

We've gone over it a hundred times, Psi-weapon does not count as an action once you have created your weapon A few small amount of people believe this, but most don't. Unless I'm misunderstanding you?

The big problem seems to be the limit to 2 actions a panel, so you have to use both actions (psychic knife and close combat, for example) and another action.

Oh definitely and I don't mean to sound overly critical hehe just working through it!

[Brainstem]

Hm, maybe a refiguring of the action and just calling it "Psi-Construct" that allows you to create any kind of psionic item for an additional charge... maybe +1 or +2 more to the price of the Action as it already is?

[quixoteles]

...I elect that if you create this tottally fair sounding psy-construct then by all means, well make it for combining with ONE action only. Not one object but one action. If you want extra actions that it can add two. Say you want to fly and rain down hunks of sulfur and this action was called the "wrath of god" then it would be what ever cost +1 because you got your wings on and some sick nasty sulfur action going down. Lets say this god fellow decided to balance you for fair play (it show's humans are his prefered children) and you could only use up to your action number for that quasi-mod effect that psi-weapon has. How does "wrath of god" sound?

[Brainstem]

I think that's a damn good way of working it out. I approve.