Conservation of Ninjutsu

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

Actually a band of delvers could have this - it would make TPKs more difficult. And since they're not very many, the bonuses applied to the last man wouldn't be horrendous.

I'd avoid the high point costs of Affliction-based abilities, though. A golden rule of game design is this:

Any ability that only works when you're hurt, losing, or doomed must cost far less – in terms of cash, dots, feat picks, points, or whatever else the game system uses for currency – than an ability that prevents injury or failure in the first place.

I still think that something in the 5- to 15-point range of Destiny (or, I suppose, Higher Purpose bought in levels) is in the right ballpark. Using my original proposal, if +15 seems too grotesque for PCs, make the cost 5 points instead of 15 points and the maximum bonus +(Party Size-1) instead of +15. I think that a 5-point advantage that gives, say, one PC in a group of six +1 when one to three people are down, +2 when four people are down, and +5 when the other five are down would be balanced vs. Higher Purpose [5] that gives +1 all the time when pursuing some goal. It conveniently scales to give a bigger bonus when the party is larger and thus the last survivor is facing threats the GM scaled to far more PCs.

[Anders]

Higher Purpose (Defend Fallen Comrades) might also work. Although this can actually lead to TPK when party members won't run away from deadly threats.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I'd avoid the high point costs of Affliction-based abilities, though. A golden rule of game design is this:

Any ability that only works when you're hurt, losing, or doomed must cost far less – in terms of cash, dots, feat picks, points, or whatever else the game system uses for currency – than an ability that prevents injury or failure in the first place.

I still think that something in the 5- to 15-point range of Destiny (or, I suppose, Higher Purpose bought in levels) is in the right ballpark.

A bazillion levels of Area Effect are overkill for your average PC unless the party regularly expects to be at different ends of the game world while being murdered to death.

Try this.

Affliction 1 (Might of the Bretheren; ST +1; Area Effect: 4 yd; Cosmic: No die roll required; Malediction (Receives -1/yd range); Reflexive; Selective Area; Backlash: Heartattack; Emanation; One Use) [5].

As per P.Kitty's MYGURPS recommendation, Backlash: Heartattack is roughly equivalent in utility to "only when killed". One Use is of course the 1/5th cost discount, and if resurrected or character spends an Extra Life to come back on his own, the advantage is GONE.

For each doubling in radius, cost is increased by 1 point (fun with One Use). For 10 points, radius is therefore 128 yards.