Character builds with innate attacks vs magic (full metal alchemist)

[starslayer]

Having actually tried to build a FMA style PC- I went with:

Very high powered innate attack (environmental limitation: minor -5%)
Alternate ability transmutation inorganic to inorganic (-10% no atomic changes)
Alternate ability transmutation organic to organic (-10% no creating life)

Then enable power stunts (GURPS powers); OR put all of the power modifers you would want to use on the innate attack and take selectable (wall is a big one).

[Psychotime]

As much as I freaking LOVE Fullmetal Alchemist, I think it's practically impossible to adequately adapt it's version of alchemy to ANY kind of tabletop RPG.

Every player would need to have a decent grasp of real chemistry to pull off anything based on the concept, and rules would need to be implemented to limit things like quantities, the amount of damage capable if it's an attack. It's have to be balanced, and it'd have to be logical.

Bottom line, it'd take way too much busywork to get it off the ground.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Psychotime

As much as I freaking LOVE Fullmetal Alchemist, I think it's practically impossible to adapt it's version of alchemy to ANY kind of tabletop RPG.

Why do you say so?

[Psychotime]

I edited my post for a light explanation.

But for a character like Mustang, he's pretty simple with just Innate Attacks with Alternative Attacks and the correct limitations. His powers actually work completely differently than they appear, but you could ignore them for the sake of practicality.

A character like Edward, Alphonse, Izumi, Hoenheim, or Father, who can instantly transmute ANYTHING and EVERYTHING if they know what they want to do with the material, things get ridiculous for the reasons I said before.

And the same would have to go for a character using a transmutation circle.

In Fullmetal Alchemist, alchemy is almost nothing like magic. It runs on very strict rules that limit what can be done with it and at the same time makes a huge number of options that are possible with it.

There's logic to pay attention to, there are facts the players and GM must know in order to be sure what's possible, and then everything needs balance.

It's extremely impractical, because of all the busywork you need to pull it off adequately.

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Psychotime

I edited my post for a light explanation.

But for a character like Mustang, he's pretty simple with just Innate Attacks with Alternative Attacks and the correct limitations.

A character like Edward, Alphonse, Izumi, Hoenheim, or Father, who can instantly transmute ANYTHING and EVERYTHING if they know what they want to do with the material, things get ridiculous for the reasons I said before.

And the same would have to go for a character using a transmutation circle.

In Fullmetal Alchemist, alchemy is almost nothing like magic. It runs on very strict rules that limit what can be done with it and at the same time makes a huge number of options that are possible with it.

There's logic to pay attention to, there are facts the players and GM must know in order to be sure what's possible, and then everything needs balance.

It's extremely impractical, because of all the busywork you need to pull it off adequately.

You may want to look at create with the transmutation modifier; it does basically everything that Elric or Alphonse do with respect to transmutation- so it's just a matter of scale from that point (one level would do small objects, encasing a shadow-demon in a massive prison of stone might take 40 levels). There would need to be two versions, one for organic to organic, one for inorganic to inorganic; specialists could focus on there speciality. Any time it is doing direct damage, use innate attack.

[Psychotime]

I'm just thinking off the top of my head (it's been a long while since I've read Fullmetal), but...

You've got a character that constantly transmutes the metal his metallic arm into a bladed weapon or changes it's hardiness and durability based on what kind of material is in it, is able to modify flesh to nullify his opponent's DR, creates a metal sword out of blood, creates a megaphone out of a radio, instantly boils water, make ANY kind of physical attack with an existing solid material, create weapons...

How do you balance something like that? How do you gauge what a character like Edward can't do? His only limits in the comic were based on his morals and personality. A player with decent knowledge in chemistry could be an absolute nightmare.

My chemistry knowledge is small, but off the top of my head if he wanted he could turn the air around him into ozone, turn soda into cyanide.

There's one instance in the comic where Mustang turns water into pure hydrogen and throws a lighter to incinerate everything in the room. The reality of his fire powers is that he modifies the air around him and ignites it with his special gloves. Anyone who read the final arc can see how deadly that is. He can boil eyeballs with pinpoint accuracy, he can blast any target regardless of it's size. Even a character like him has few limits to a lesser extent, and he still uses circles!

[starslayer]

->Transmute flesh to modify opponents dr
Transmute organic to organic- likely at level 8 or so so as to be able to effect a reasonable level of DR

->turn a peice of metal into another shape of metal
transmute inorganic to inorganic- only one level required

->turn the iron in blood into a sword
transmute inorganic to inorganic- probabaly 15+levels required, there's not a lot of iron in blood so you'd need to effect a huge area.

->turn radio into megaphone
transmute inorganic to inorganic, linked to control inorganic- only one level required, but needs to also make an applicable roll, needs reduced time enhancement or is not instant.

->any physical attack: innate attack- environmental restrictions; take level as per damage of attack

->Any wall: innate attack environmental restrictions add wall enhancement+permanant

->how do you determine what they can/can't do, how many levels of the appropriate transmute/control/innate attack do they have.

->turning environmental aspects into hostile toxins- 1 point of damage per level of transmutation; as per create/transmutation.

->There is no reality to his powers- he's a fictional character, if you want to build him he obviously needs a very potent innate burning attack with a lot of neat enhancements the specifics of how it works is all descriptive, the mechanics are easily handled by GURPS (and other systems too potentially, but I think GURPS does a damned good job).

Now is it possible to build them on a reasonable point budget? That part gets more difficult, the FMA alchemists are defiantly in excess of 200 points if you replicate all of there abilities and that's before you start trying to scale there innate attacks and transmutations to compare to the weapons that are shown to be all but ineffective by comparison.

[RussellChamp]

Originally Posted by Psychotime

Bottom line, it'd take way too much busywork to get it off the ground.

Isn't that part of the beauty of GURPS, though? If you don't want so much busywork then you can go for a more simplified gameplay experience by ignoring all the extra rules and fiddly bits. However, if you want to extremely fine-tune something to the point of agitation, then you are allowed to do so with enhancements, limitations, extra resource books, and more!

[Sunrunners_Fire]

...

Create (Large Category) ... Create Gas, Create Liquid, Create Solid

• Cosmic: No Die Roll Required, +100%
• Link, +20%
• Reduced Fatigue Cost 2, +40%
• Transmutation: (Large Category) to Gas, +50%
• Transmutation: (Large Category) to Liquid, +50%
• Transmutation: (Large Category) to Solid, +50%
• Transmutation Only, -100%

...

Control (Godlike Category) ... Control Liquid, Control Solid

• Collective, +100%
• Link, +20%
• Reduced Time 17, +340%

Control (Godlike Category) ... Control Gas

• Link, +20%
• Reduced Time 17, +340%

... the Reduced Time 17 on the Control (Godlike Category) reduces the time needed to reshape the stuff; from 1 day (24 hours) required down to 1 second required.

Add limitations as appropriate to the character, enhancements if you feel the need for them and make sure you buy multiple levels of each.

Also:

Ultra Power

• Cosmic: Can Purchase Reduced Fatigue Cost, +50%
• Cosmic: Can Purchase Reduced Time, +50%
• Fixed Duration: 60 minutes, +0%
• Fixed Fatigue Cost: 10 FP, +0%
• Reduced Fatigue Cost 10, +200%
• Reduced Time 12, +240%

... should cover anything they do that isn't covered by the above builds.

Add innate attacks or whatnot as appropriate. Adjust to taste.

[AdamAxelord]

Mustang should be left out of the conversation because the only reason he can do what he does is because he uses the secrets of Hawkeye's father's research making him a unique character in FMA. No other alchemist, not even the Elric brothers, can match his destructive power.