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Old 09-20-2019, 12:01 PM   #16
evileeyore
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
Default Re: [DF] Threshold magic points

Okay, there are two "best practices"* ways to do this: A simple inexpensive way and a complicated expensive way.


Simple Inexpensive Way:

Taste Of Blood 2.4 points per level
When wounded† or having dealt wounds† Priests of [INSERT GOD] temporarily receive a blessing of increased power. One point of energy per wound they received or dealt until those wounds are healed (or their enemy dies [I recommend until the end of a scene for slain foes, or longer if it's a particularly empowering moment]).


Under the hood:
Energy Reserve 2.4/level (ER [3]; Accessibility: Equal to wounds received or dealt - only while wounds exist, -10%; Power Modifier: Divine, -10%‡).


The Way It Works:
For every wound he takes or receives the Priest unlocks one level of his ER pool. This means he has an upper limit, a maximum cap on the ER pool. It also means if he chooses to be a walking wounded for an extended period of time, this pool will refresh on it's own! So staying wounded in the eyes of his God is a blessing, maybe he's showing off his strength or prowess, or something, but regardless, this pool will refresh on it's own (as per ER standard rates of 1/10 minutes).

The standard ER refresh rates also apply between uses... so if the Priest fights in a battle, uses up this pool, heals, and then get's into another fight before it can completely refresh, the pool is still diminished.

My Personal Thoughts:
It depends on how you want to run it... my personal preference is to drop standard ER refresh rates, the pool is simply full every time he unlocks it. However... if you have munchkins, or you like the image of the Priest's God trickling them a slow stream of extra energy from being walking wounded, and you don't mind the extra detail tracking this requires, then keep the refresh rates.



Complicated Expensive Way

Taste Of Blood 5 points per level
When wounded the Priest's God blesses them with increased potency, for every three(ish) points of wounds they receive, their Energy Pool increases. This pool is 'capped' by the amount of wounds the Priest has received or dealt that are still open and bleeding.


Under the hood Metatrait:
Damage Resistance 5§/level (DR [5]; Absorption: ER, +80%; Extended Duration: Special, ±0; Does Not Stop Damage, -80%; Power Modifier: Divine, -10%‡).

Used to buy:
Energy Reserve 2.5§/level (ER [3]; Accessibility: Equal to wounds received or dealt - only while wounds exist, -5%; Does Not Regenerate, -5%; Power Modifier: Divine, -10%‡).


The Way It Works:
This one is a little more complicated... for every 3 (or 5) damage the Priest takes they can power 1 (or 2) level(s) of an ER Pool. The only upper limit to this is the amount of damage they take and the amount of wounds they have received or dealt that are still 'bleeding'. With this model they have to take damage to build the pool, however it remains 'unlocked' so long as they or their enemies are wounded. The "Extended Duration: Special" applies to the character points generated by the DR(Absorption), instead of bleeding away at a rate of 1/second, they remain so long as the Priest or a foe is in a wounded state. This is also why I added "Does Not Regenerate, -5%" to the ER Pool, there is no point to being walking wounded (for munchkinism purposes). However, if your Player is the sort to not resort to munchkinism, and you particularly like the idea, remove the "Does Not Regenerate, -5%". Wouldn't break nothin (as long as you and your Players like it).


COMPARISON

The advantage to the Simple Way is, well it's simple. However the Player may balk that it doesn't 'feel' like their getting more power for taking or dealing wounds as they have to buy the cap on the ER in advance, and it is inherently capped. The advantage to the Complicated Way is it retains the flavor in the crunch, the PC literally becomes more powerful the more they are damaged. The higher they buy the ability, the faster they become more powerful and less wounds they 'waste' in building that power.


* I'm ignoring Imbuements (Vampirism) as I'm neither willing to do the research right now and adding more power traits is perhaps over complicating a simple situation... also IIRC the Imbuement does nothing to address the "wehn wounded" portion of the request, which means the PC has to buy two traits to cover one bit of "flavor".

† I list it as wounds as while that is a higher amount (due to wounding multiplier most times), damage is blockable and this way the Priest (or those he strikes) have to be wounded for them to gain this.

‡ Or whatever your Power Modifier is in your campaign.

§ I smoothed the costs for pentaphiliac purposes. Actual costs are 4.9 and 2.4 respectively. One... this ability has an awful lot of handwavium in it (which doesn't bother me, but other GMs may break out the pitchforks and fiery brands) and two, it speeds play and chargen to have nice even costs.

¶ For instance, you could set it as "For as long as combat lasts", or "as long as wounded". The only problem that is really foreseeable is that as this is a "build up" power, the Priest could have 1 level and build up a huge ER with it, so caution in changing the duration that the ER pool lasts and whether it can regen or not is advised.
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