Isnt Ally too overpowered?

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

It can be if it's "implanted, worn like clothing, or supernaturally attached." I'm guessing a golem Ally is none of these things. It's not a familiar.

Or the genre is one where the Ally would need to be constant in order to be around, such as in Dungeon Fantasy.

Originally Posted by DF 15: Henchmen, pg 27

Frequency of Appearance
The default frequency of appearance is “Constantly,” quadrupling the costs on the Allies Table. This might seem unusual – bodyguards and apprentices are people, not implants or bound spirits – but it reflects the realities of the genre. While summoned and conjured Allies can be called up and dismissed as needed, mundane Allies must trudge around with their masters. Since Dungeon Fantasy assumes that PCs are wanderers who spend at most a night in a given town or even dimension, there’s no “safe” place to park Allies so that they can just show up when needed. Moreover, munchkins are apt to argue about whether their Ally is handy when the dragon comes in the night. It’s simplest to say that the answer is always “yes” and price Allies accordingly; they’re cheap enough that this is best for game balance anyway.

“Constantly” refers to how often the henchman provides a useful service – not the percentage of the time he’s within his master’s sight. The Ally might be left to mind the wagon at the dungeon entrance, sent ahead to scout, or even deposited in town for the entire adventure to guard the party strongbox. That doesn’t count as failure to show up! Neither does sleeping, eating, etc.; delvers who want associates without mortal foibles should cough up the points for divine servitors or familiars.

The text does go on to describe that it's perfectly okay to use lesser frequencies of appearance if the game genre is one where it's perfectly reasonable to justify it, such as a 'city based' game.

[GM.Casper]

Originally Posted by Railstar

Pyramid 3/01 covers this with zombie hordes. It says to use the x4 constantly, because even if not literally attached, the necromancer is unlikely to be without it.

If there are circumstances where you want to leave your minions behind, those are probably covered by disadvantages for the minion like Appearance or Social Stigma.

Or add the Summonable(+100%) enchantment to let you turn on and off your robot/golem servant.

[mr beer]

Originally Posted by GM.Casper

My player wants a golem minion. So, a 250 point ally for a 250 PC is 5cp, multiplied by x4 for constant Frequency of Appearance, is 20cp, for what is basically a whole extra party character, optimized for combat.

The GM builds the golem so it doesn't have to be optimised for combat. Kind of a douche move if the player specifically requests a combat monster and then you go ahead and build something that can't fight. But you don't have to give it ST 20 and Damage Resistance 10 and Weapon Master and Broadsword - DX+4 either. You can say 'I'll build it so it can fight but it will be my vision of a golem' and make it effective but not totally combat oriented.

[Railstar]

Originally Posted by GM.Casper

Or add the Summonable(+100%) enchantment to let you turn on and off your robot/golem servant.

Summonable lets you call your robot/golem servant out of thin air when you need it and then have it disappear when you don't.

Turn off as in deactivate wouldn't require it, you just tell the golem to stay put... You'll have to return to where you left it when you want it back.

The point I'm making is if you always have the option of bringing the golem along then you should pay the points for constant frequency of appearance, even if the golem is not always useful. So if the golem has Appearance or Social Stigma or Disturbing Voice that makes it a liability to take around town, then those problems will already be factored into the golem's point-value as an Ally.

[AlexanderHowl]

As a GM, I think that I would just break the Golems if it becomes a problem, though the PC pretty much guarantees a TPK if I have to send in a dragon with a Burning Attack 2d (Armor Peircing, Infinite, +300%; Cosmic, Unavoidable, +300%) to deal with the problem.

[Refplace]

Allies can be overpowered but the GM not only controls the design they can simply forbid the advantage or what its used for.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by mr beer

The GM builds the golem so it doesn't have to be optimised for combat. Kind of a douche move if the player specifically requests a combat monster and then you go ahead and build something that can't fight. But you don't have to give it ST 20 and Damage Resistance 10 and Weapon Master and Broadsword - DX+4 either.

Don't forget it's spending points on being a golem - that's points that aren't available for stabbyhurtchoppybits.

I would presume any golem worth its Chem would have at a minimum Injury Tolerance: Homogenous, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Doesn't Eat, Doesn't Sleep, and Doesn't Breathe. That's a big chunk of points right there.

An IQ 0 Ally, by the by, does nothing without someone controlling it. This isn't "giving it orders", this is operating it, like a forklift, car, or machine gun. You can do that with a magic spell instead of manual controls (if you have an appropriate spell) but you can't simply shout instructions at it. At IQ 0, it doesn't understand speech (it has no senses to hear you with, and no language ability), and even if it did, at IQ 0, it can't actually direct its own body.

You operate it, because like a car it is blind, deaf, numb, and without will, incapable of action above the level of "beat heart, operate lungs"

I'm not sure what spell you'd use to teleoperate it though - but whatever spell you use, remember that this is a spell anyone else can use to co-opt your golem too, just like anyone with Drive (Forklift) who can get their hands on the forklift controls can control a forklift.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by malloyd

If you play them like they're originally intended, essentially as NPC henchmen you don't have to worry about the loyalty of and who won't necessarily desert you if you can't make payroll some week, then no, they aren't particularly overpowered. Anybody can after all hire retainers for cash. If you let the players treat them as second PCs, then sure, there's a potential problem there.

That summarizes two of the most important things to understand about Allies:

1. They are hirelings you don't have to pay, and who won't quit if you make strenuous demands. You're paying a premium for that, but your friend could spend those points on Wealth and hire a gang of goons – and your friend might get more and better warriors for the points.

2. They are not secondary PCs. They are NPCs. Strictly speaking, the GM calls all the shots for them, including whether they run off after a worthless foe in combat, or end up entangled in a grappling match when you want them to whack foes with a club.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Kromm

1. They are hirelings you don't have to pay, and who won't quit if you make strenuous demands.

See... that's what I've always sort of wanted to question...

What would the Limitation(s) value be on an Ally that you [1] did still have to pay and/or [2] might just get upset and quit if you treated them too poorly?

[Bengt]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

See... that's what I've always sort of wanted to question...

What would the Limitation(s) value be on an Ally that you [1] did still have to pay and/or [2] might just get upset and quit if you treated them too poorly?

A normal Ally will leave if you treat them too poorly, it's in the fifth paragraph. Of course it's up to the GM exactly how bad you have to treat them before they actually leave, but from the description they should start getting upset and protest if you are not even nice to them.