Alternate Weaknesses

[nerdvana]

I'm trying to build an effect where my elves take damage on touching iron. They already have a Vulnerability which increases the damage they take from iron/steel weapons, I am aware of Weakness but that disadvantage is too slow (requires a minute of contact) and does too much damage (a full d6 is too much).

I'm looking to make it where they are burned (either HP or FP damage, not 100% sure which yet) on immediate contact and continue taking damage over time (maybe once a minute) but only a single point of damage each instance.

I'm figuring it would be based off Weakness, probably with reduced time to make it happen sooner, but I'm not sure how to approach this. suggestions/advice?

[Flyndaran]

I think you're mistaken. A weakness takes effect immediately AND again after X units of time.

[Varyon]

The [-5] level of Weakness works out to around 1 damage every 8.5 minutes, [-10] works out to around 1 damage every 1.5 minutes, and [-20] works out to around 1 damage every 0.3 minutes. If we round down the first to 7, that works out to every +2 SSR to the value of the trait is -4 SSR to the damage interval. You want to start with the [-10] and go -1 SSR to the damage interval, which is around +0.5 SSR to the value - call it [-12] for 1 damage per minute. Weakness doesn't state outright if the damage occurs as soon as you come in contact or if you have to spend an entire interval in contact with it; if you want it to by default be the latter, changing to the former is an Enhancement. How much of one I'm not certain, but boosting the Disadvantage to [-15] may be appropriate (indicating something like +25%).

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by nerdvana

I'm trying to build an effect where my elves take damage on touching iron. They already have a Vulnerability which increases the damage they take from iron/steel weapons, I am aware of Weakness but that disadvantage is too slow (requires a minute of contact) and does too much damage (a full d6 is too much).

I'm looking to make it where they are burned (either HP or FP damage, not 100% sure which yet) on immediate contact and continue taking damage over time (maybe once a minute) but only a single point of damage each instance.

I'm figuring it would be based off Weakness, probably with reduced time to make it happen sooner, but I'm not sure how to approach this. suggestions/advice?

Weakness is what you want here, but you want to reduce the damage. What I'd do is apply the rules for partial dice to Weakness as a multiplier before you set how common the item is you are damaged from. So "Weakness (1 point/minute; Steel/Iron)" would be worth -20 points (the base for 1d) x 0.25 (for doing only 1 point) x 2 (rarity multiplier I figured it as Common) = -10 points. Vulnerability would increase that to 2 points per contact. To make it jut one point, something like "Accessibility, non-Weakness sources of damage" might be worth around -40% on Vulnerability.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I think you're mistaken. A weakness takes effect immediately AND again after X units of time.

That would be great but the text in the disadvantage reads "The more
quickly you take damage, the more points your Weakness is worth" and none of the options have an instant damage option. In the RAW I believe you are incorrect... or I'm completely missing something obvious.

[the_matrix_walker]

Kromm on Weakness.... The second paragraph is the relevant one.

Originally Posted by Kromm

Weakness self-evidently implies contact. Look at the examples: cold is assumed to be chilling the air that engulfs you; horse dander, pollen, smoke, etc. are assumed to be going up your nose and touching your skin; noise is assumed to be vibrating your person; and electromagnetic radiation of all sorts, including sunlight, is assumed to be impinging on your body. The only corner case is "nearby magic," and as magic in GURPS clearly emits something that certain spells and individuals can detect from quite far away, it's really no different from radiation.

What's unclear is how momentary contact works. Generally, I rule that any contact produces the initial dose of damage, whereupon later doses are only effective one full cycle after the first. So "1d per minute" from holy water would be: "Takes 1d from contact with holy water. A second dose won't be effective until a minute after the first." I'd gauge damage that applies per discrete dosing attack as being a +100% enhancement, doubling the points back for Weakness.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by nerdvana

That would be great but the text in the disadvantage reads "The more quickly you take damage, the more points your Weakness is worth" and none of the options have an instant damage option. In the RAW I believe you are incorrect... or I'm completely missing something obvious.

No, Weakness does damage immediately, then again at each interval. This is explained explicitly in GURPS Monster Hunters 1: Champions (p. 51) in the box Holy Attacks. To do "instant" damage (as in there is no interval between the damage you take from being exposed to your weakness), add the enhancement "Quickened 6" for +120% (it's from my Safe as Houses article) and is analogous to "Reduced Time," but for the Weakness disadvantage.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Kromm on Weakness.... The second paragraph is the relevant one.

Originally Posted by nerdvana

That's perfect... any advice on damage on initial contact? Or is that RAI and just not written well into the description in the book?

See the post above, which was more or less cribbed from Kromm's post (another one I believe), which then got put into RAW via Pyramid.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Weakness is what you want here, but you want to reduce the damage. What I'd do is apply the rules for partial dice to Weakness as a multiplier before you set how common the item is you are damaged from. So "Weakness (1 point/minute; Steel/Iron)" would be worth -20 points (the base for 1d) x 0.25 (for doing only 1 point) x 2 (rarity multiplier I figured it as Common) = -10 points. Vulnerability would increase that to 2 points per contact. To make it jut one point, something like "Accessibility, non-Weakness sources of damage" might be worth around -40% on Vulnerability.

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Kromm on Weakness.... The second paragraph is the relevant one.

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

No, Weakness does damage immediately, then again at each interval. This is explained explicitly in GURPS Monster Hunters 1: Champions (p. 51) in the box Holy Attacks. To do "instant" damage (as in there is no interval between the damage you take from being exposed to your weakness), add the enhancement "Quickened 6" for +120% (it's from my Safe as Houses article) and is analogous to "Reduced Time," but for the Weakness disadvantage.

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

See the post above, which was more or less cribbed from Kromm's post (another one I believe), which then got put into RAW via Pyramid.

Thank you guys! I removed my post between Ghostdancer's and the_matrix_walker's (not quickly enough obviously). Thanks for the clarification. That covers everything perfectly for me!

[Not]

That makes weakness a strange choice for albinism, since some exposure time is required for ill effect. On reflection, I can't think of much that would cause instant damage, and also require thirty minutes of exposure to cause any more damage.