Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire
[Step 2] Really popular at parties. "Would you please spit in my cup, good sir? Or maybe nibble on my fingers?"
Toxic Attack 1
Modifiers: Cumulative, +400%; Cyclic ( 1 Second) ( 2 Cycles), +100%; Follow-Up ( Sharp Teeth), +0%; Side Effect ( Ecstasy; Secondary), +70%; Side Effect ( Euphoria), +80%; Accessibility ( Terran Mammals), -...%; Blood Agent, -40%; Damage Limitation ( No Wounding), -50%; Partial Dice ( Per Level) ( +4), +1
What I think this does: Bite! If DR isn't penetrated, nothing happens. If DR is penetrated, victim takes 4 phantom damage every second for two seconds (so the second it is bitten and the second afterwards) that only counts towards determining the penalty for resisting the side effect. 1st second, attempt to resist side effect at -2. 2nd second, attempt to resist side effect at -4. Bite again! Same deal, but 3rd second (bite 2's first second) the penalty is -6 and the 4th second (bite 2's second second) penalty is -8. If victim fails its' resistance, it is incapacitated while having a really good time. - Cumulative is taken from Affliction, and is intended to model that the toxin builds up with multiple bites and becomes harder and harder to resist. Is there a more appropriate modifier?
- I'm not sure what Accessibility (Terran Mammals)'s value should be, though I know it should be at least -20% and probably higher. Your opinion on the limitation value?
- Damage Limitation (No Wounding) isn't technically available for Toxic Attacks, but the poison doesn't hurt them ... and slapping Cosmic (Can purchase "Damage Limitation (No Wounding)") on it feels silly; though I can do so easily enough if it seems necessary.
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I don't think you need Cumulative for this. Damage is already "Cumulative", and Symptom is based on total damage done. Side Effect, of course, is based on the damage per hit, so it might make sense to have its penalty based on the accumulated damage... except that the target is already rolling every Cycle to resist the effect.
Perhaps you could switch that, so the target only rolls to resist
once (when it first takes damage) and then compares its resistance roll to an updated penalty as "damage" builds up. For example, a HT 10 human rolls 8, just enough to resist the base attack (4 damage = -2 HT). The next second, damage increases to 8 (-4 HT), making his initial resistance roll a failure. That feels like a clunky fit though, and I'm not sure what enhancement value is appropriate, so I'd personally just drop the Cumulative Side Effect. Rolling at -2 every second is harsh enough.
Using No Wounding as a sort of "Phantom Damage" is something I've considered, and don't have a problem with. However, I've heard other folks suggest making Phantom Damage a -25% limitation instead. After all, No Wounding normally wouldn't accumulate
at all, making it fine for Side Effect but useless for Symptom. As Phantom Damage, it builds up in the victim's system for the purpose of the Symptom. Presumably it dissipates at the same rate the body heals, though there should reasonably be other ways to treat it - "First Aid" could suck out some of the toxin, while an Antidote spell or poison could flush it from the system.
Another option, if folks don't like the Phantom Damage angle, is to make it a Fatigue attack instead of Toxic. This would be more expensive, but is more obvious in how it interacts with the victim. If the poison is harder to recover from than simply resting for an hour or two, make it a Hazard like Dehydration (the poison must be flushed with lots of water) or Freezing (sweating helps the body purge it). Or make a new one with a similar mundane countermeasure.