Post by sgingell on Apr 15, 2005 21:20:45 GMT -5
As it stands the MURPG punishes large reflexive dodge or toughness modifiers and rewards a smattering of each. One consequence is that the same total defensive bonus can cost wildly different amounts depending on if it’s pure toughness, pure reflexive dodge, or some mix of the two.
For example:
Bill wants a +9 defense modifier for his brick, he buys Toughness: +9 and is staggeringly hard to hurt. He pays CL: (MN+3) or CL: 12 or 25 white stones.
Jim also wants a +9 defense modifier for his tough, fast, armored mercenary. He buys +3 Toughness, +3 Reflexive Dodge, and some fancy +3 Body Armor. He pays CL: (MN+3) for each, or 4 white stones each, or a total of 12 white stones.
The net result:
Bill: +9 defense. 25 white stones.
Jim: +9 defense. 12 white stones.
Granted, Bill and Jim interact with area and armor piercing attacks differently, and granted, Bill would take +8 Toughness that nullified armor penetration instead of +9 but basically, the system is charging two astronomically different costs for the same ability.
In many, many, fights they’ll both get much the same result except Jim has 13 extra white stones to spend elsewhere.
This is clearly not a good result. For one thing it makes it much more difficult to say what a “40 stone close combat character” is likely to be capable of, making player to player balance hard to maintain. Jim for instance would wipe the walls with Bill in a PvP contest, or consistently show him up in cooperative missions. Secondly it plays havoc with balance generally, with a entirely doable Durability of 4 and +9 defense a character could maintain a 13 defense indefinitely, if he exerts himself he can take the best shot of pretty much any close combat super in the rule book without taking a scratch. At 25 stones that’s his one big trick, and it seems ok to me. At 12 stones its still an investment, but certainly not breaking the bank.
Here’s my proposed solution.
Instead of selling three modifiers (Toughness, Dodge, and Armor), sell one (creatively named “Defense”). “Defense” would have a CL of (MN+3) and a required flavor description. As much of your total modifier as you like can be designated as Toughness, Dodge, Armor, Cosmic Protection, Defensive Luck, Mystic Energy Field, whatever you like. Any type is assumed to have a trump (an attack type that ignores it). If any of the types involved doesn’t have a trump then the modifier takes a +1 to CL. Add special bonuses like “No x2 damage from projectiles” in the normal way (i.e. +1 CL to the entire thing).
Example 1: Captain America buys +4 Defense and designates +1 of that as Toughness and +3 as Reflexive Dodge. He pays 6 white stones for a (MN+3) modifier. In the normal way, he gets +1 defense against area attacks, +3 defense against armor piercing attacks, +4 against attacks with no special effect and +0 defense against those rare armor piercing area attacks. His costume doesn’t get factored in, as it is only +1 the GM rules it is conventional equipment and purchasable with cash rather than stones. His shield doesn’t get factored in as it is bought under the rules for a Ranged or Close Combat modifier.
Example 2: Jim takes +9 defense that he specifies as 3 parts armor, 3 parts toughness, and 3 parts reflexive dodge. He pays 25 white stones.
Some example flavors:
Toughness: Voided by armor penetration.
Reflexive Dodge: Voided by area attacks.
Armor: Voided by armor penetration. Can be lost / stolen, but also can be lent out to a friend.
Blessing of the Gods: Voided by nothing. +1 CL.
Anything you like could be a flavor, the only limitation being that the attack type that voids your defense has to be about as common as area or armor penetrating attacks. If Orange Boy wants +5 defense that is voided only by citrus products he’s paying for a +6 modifier.
-Stephen
For example:
Bill wants a +9 defense modifier for his brick, he buys Toughness: +9 and is staggeringly hard to hurt. He pays CL: (MN+3) or CL: 12 or 25 white stones.
Jim also wants a +9 defense modifier for his tough, fast, armored mercenary. He buys +3 Toughness, +3 Reflexive Dodge, and some fancy +3 Body Armor. He pays CL: (MN+3) for each, or 4 white stones each, or a total of 12 white stones.
The net result:
Bill: +9 defense. 25 white stones.
Jim: +9 defense. 12 white stones.
Granted, Bill and Jim interact with area and armor piercing attacks differently, and granted, Bill would take +8 Toughness that nullified armor penetration instead of +9 but basically, the system is charging two astronomically different costs for the same ability.
In many, many, fights they’ll both get much the same result except Jim has 13 extra white stones to spend elsewhere.
This is clearly not a good result. For one thing it makes it much more difficult to say what a “40 stone close combat character” is likely to be capable of, making player to player balance hard to maintain. Jim for instance would wipe the walls with Bill in a PvP contest, or consistently show him up in cooperative missions. Secondly it plays havoc with balance generally, with a entirely doable Durability of 4 and +9 defense a character could maintain a 13 defense indefinitely, if he exerts himself he can take the best shot of pretty much any close combat super in the rule book without taking a scratch. At 25 stones that’s his one big trick, and it seems ok to me. At 12 stones its still an investment, but certainly not breaking the bank.
Here’s my proposed solution.
Instead of selling three modifiers (Toughness, Dodge, and Armor), sell one (creatively named “Defense”). “Defense” would have a CL of (MN+3) and a required flavor description. As much of your total modifier as you like can be designated as Toughness, Dodge, Armor, Cosmic Protection, Defensive Luck, Mystic Energy Field, whatever you like. Any type is assumed to have a trump (an attack type that ignores it). If any of the types involved doesn’t have a trump then the modifier takes a +1 to CL. Add special bonuses like “No x2 damage from projectiles” in the normal way (i.e. +1 CL to the entire thing).
Example 1: Captain America buys +4 Defense and designates +1 of that as Toughness and +3 as Reflexive Dodge. He pays 6 white stones for a (MN+3) modifier. In the normal way, he gets +1 defense against area attacks, +3 defense against armor piercing attacks, +4 against attacks with no special effect and +0 defense against those rare armor piercing area attacks. His costume doesn’t get factored in, as it is only +1 the GM rules it is conventional equipment and purchasable with cash rather than stones. His shield doesn’t get factored in as it is bought under the rules for a Ranged or Close Combat modifier.
Example 2: Jim takes +9 defense that he specifies as 3 parts armor, 3 parts toughness, and 3 parts reflexive dodge. He pays 25 white stones.
Some example flavors:
Toughness: Voided by armor penetration.
Reflexive Dodge: Voided by area attacks.
Armor: Voided by armor penetration. Can be lost / stolen, but also can be lent out to a friend.
Blessing of the Gods: Voided by nothing. +1 CL.
Anything you like could be a flavor, the only limitation being that the attack type that voids your defense has to be about as common as area or armor penetrating attacks. If Orange Boy wants +5 defense that is voided only by citrus products he’s paying for a +6 modifier.
-Stephen
). There are a lot of instances of stacking bonuses in this system (a character with str, density increase, growth , and a ring of +3 str for example). So addressing one of them is not doing any good. As far as marvel is concearned it's in the player's hand not to abuse them (and to a lesser degree to the GM's, I don't think GMs should heavily mess with the characters their players would want to play).