Herman Moskowitz, Epic Accountant

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Molokh

Well, Unfazeable also negates Reaction Modifiers. Allows thinking clearly despite the Appearances, Reputations, and Charismas of everybody around.

That's such a minor thing I would price it as a -80% limitation if that's the only thing you get.

[zorg]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

I don't think the first two would require fear checks, ...

I think the news that most of my savings are dust in the wind would be good for a few seconds of shock.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

That's such a minor thing I would price it as a -80% limitation if that's the only thing you get.

The Fright Check immunity is the big part of the cost... but the reaction mods bit was always the main attraction for me.

[tanniynim]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Seriously, Herman wins this fight more than half the time.

On a 12 or less, Herman's 25 point attacker is contending with between 11 and 20 150pt Characters!!! Even if none of his coworkers take martial arts, or go up state to Bow hunt on the weekends, that's a serious numerical advantage.

Maybe less so against an AK-47, but "Coma" is looking at a pretty sternly worded citizen's arrest unless Herman rolls 13+ to see if his allies appear in that adventure.

Doubt it, the point of Robert "Coma" Johnson was that he doesn't attack when Herman has his allies around. Even if the GM rolled that Herman's allies show up in the middle of things, Herman's still likely to get shot or stabbed and he'll run away.

[JAW]

Originally Posted by tanniynim

Doubt it, the point of Robert "Coma" Johnson was that he doesn't attack when Herman has his allies around. Even if the GM rolled that Herman's allies show up in the middle of things, Herman's still likely to get shot or stabbed and he'll run away.

Exactly. The allies would probably be close enough to call the medics - and if Herman did get killed regardless they'd be almost sure put "Coma" into lot of trouble..

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by tanniynim

Doubt it, the point of Robert "Coma" Johnson was that he doesn't attack when Herman has his allies around. Even if the GM rolled that Herman's allies show up in the middle of things, Herman's still likely to get shot or stabbed and he'll run away.

This depends on how the GM runs Allies, really. Plenty of GMs do let Allies work functionally a lot like Serendipity. In game terms, when trouble brews, you get a "fortuitous appearance of your Allies" roll. I've run Allies that way myself, and suspect that it's a common interpretation.* In that picture, the GM secretly rolls to see whether Ivan the Guard steps out of the elevator just as Johnson is about to strike. This makes characters who spend lots on Allies a fairer match for other characters of their point value and lower.

--

* Why? Because the alternative is rolling at the start of the adventure and having the player say, "No, it says, 'for the duration'!" when the roll succeeds and you try to set up a situation without the Allies, or complain, "Why did I bother spending points on Allies if they never show up when I need them?" when the roll fails at the start of the adventure and they need their Allies 10 game sessions into the adventure. Many GMs find there's less whining and fewer cases of Allies hanging around inappropriately if Allies work like they do in movies, showing up, helping out, and vanishing several times during the story.

[tanniynim]

Originally Posted by Kromm

* Why? Because the alternative is rolling at the start of the adventure and having the player say, "No, it says, 'for the duration'!" when the roll succeeds and you try to set up a situation without the Allies, or complain, "Why did I bother spending points on Allies if they never show up when I need them?" when the roll fails at the start of the adventure and they need their Allies 10 game sessions into the adventure. Many GMs find there's less whining and fewer cases of Allies hanging around inappropriately if Allies work like they do in movies, showing up, helping out, and vanishing several times during the story.

Thanks, I've never quite thought about it that way, and never built any characters for actual play that had allies that weren't Constant (familiars, etc) or Summonable. I guess it's a valid interpretation, but doesn't that really throw off the frequency? (Rolling under a 12 for an entire game that spans an entire day is certainly different than rolling under a 12 each time that ally might come into play) How often would you allow this? It seems alot more powerful than the "Roll once per in-game day" interpretation I'm used to.

With that interpretation, though, the allies really makes Herman a much more formidable opponent even against a sneaky, backstabbing opponent.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by zorg

I think the news that most of my savings are dust in the wind would be good for a few seconds of shock.

Stock collapsing, CEO's screaming about reducing headcount and the stock exchange getting blown up by separatists from the Hamptons (provided he's not on site), should all count as “ordinary” frightening things to an Epic Accountant.

Originally Posted by Basic Set, page 360; Fright Checks

As a general rule, “ordinary” frightening things do not require Fright Checks. Fright Checks are for events so unusual and terrifying that they might stun or even permanently scar someone.

What counts as “ordinary” depends on the characters and the setting. This is one place where a character story can be helpful! An ordinary, 21st-century American might have to make Fright Checks for encounters with monsters, dead bodies, and the supernatural. A battle-hardened commando in the same game might not have to roll for dead bodies. And in a fantasy campaign, all these things may be quite normal . . . threatening, but normal. On the other hand, a fantasy character might have to make a Fright Check if transported to the 21st century and given a ride down the interstate . . .

[Kromm]

Averaged over dozens of adventures or hundreds of game sessions, I'm not sure there's an appreciable difference. But one thing that helps iron out the statistical weirdness when your sample size is small is if the Allies vanish as fast as they appear. If Ivan gets paged and walks off while the cops are talking to Herman, and Johnson suddenly breaks free and tries to tackle Herman into traffic, well, too bad. Most players find this easier to live with than missing their Allies for entire adventures, and most GMs find this easier to run than having freakin' Ivan hanging around like a dog.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Molokh

Was there a distinction? A private army is as good as a governmental one for Rank purposes; should administration be different? (IDHMBWM)

Yes, I think so. According to Characters, p.29 it is only organisations that have significant social influence or give their members significant access to useful resources that ought to have rank that counts for game system purposes. Given examples are the military, the civil service, and the Church: single organs of wide influence, public recognition, and power. A high-paid job as an accountant for a private firm does not give you more social clout than having the same income from private investments.

But even if you reckon that this character works for a company so influential that its employees do enjoy enhances social influence, and so lax that they do get useful access to its resources, that would be Business Rank or Corporate Rank, not Administrative Rank.