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Old 11-21-2018, 09:26 PM   #1
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Defensive Auras

I am curious about something and wanted to ask the community about it. Let us say that you have a character with the following ability: Crushing Attack 10d (Aura, +80%; Double Knockback, +20%; Limited, Metal Only, -40%; Melee, C, -30%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Psychokinetic, -10%; Uncontrollable, -30%) [20]. What happens when the character has their aura active and they are attacked by a metallic weapon (like a sword) or a metallic piece of ammunition (like a bullet or an arrow with a metallic head)?

Would the aura attack the weapon or ammunition before it could deal damage? Would the weapon or ammunition deal damage before the aura attacked it? In either case, how far would the aura send the metallic weapon or the metallic ammunition from the character?
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Old 11-21-2018, 10:55 PM   #2
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

I almost always couple DR with an aura attack (usually via Link) in order to avoid most of these questions.

That said, I tend to treat most aura attacks as allowing a destructive parry. In this case, an unarmed Parry from any of the six unarmed combat skills would damage the weapon as per the attack's 10d dice; this will probably send most swords, spears, and maces flying, though I'm unsure about arrows. The distance would be determined by the "10d cr dbk nw" rolled against the weapon's HP.

In the case of your build, though, the Uncontrollable means that occasionally he won't be able to call upon it. Is that what you're going for?
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Old 11-22-2018, 12:28 AM   #3
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
I almost always couple DR with an aura attack (usually via Link) in order to avoid most of these questions.
Is Link right? Link primarily allows you to activate two advantages as one, but DR does not normally require activation. Link would seem to be added cost for reduced capability.

I would make it DR (Accessibility: Only while Aura is active).
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Old 11-22-2018, 12:45 AM   #4
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
I am curious about something and wanted to ask the community about it. Let us say that you have a character with the following ability: Crushing Attack 10d (Aura, +80%; Double Knockback, +20%; Limited, Metal Only, -40%; Melee, C, -30%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Psychokinetic, -10%; Uncontrollable, -30%) [20]. What happens when the character has their aura active and they are attacked by a metallic weapon (like a sword) or a metallic piece of ammunition (like a bullet or an arrow with a metallic head)?
I didn't know you could take "Limited" limitations for damage types for Innate Attacks, any book examples of that?

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Would the aura attack the weapon or ammunition before it could deal damage?
I would say no, but if the GM allows a power parry and that is able to fully reduce the damage then you can interpret it that way. If it doesn't fully reduce the damage then some of the metal hit and injured you.


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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Would the weapon or ammunition deal damage before the aura attacked it?
"Defending with Powers" (Powers 167) rules are probably appropriate for this, to see if reactions happen in time to mitigate damage.

If you already had your aura up then I think you would want to roll a Power Parry. If you make the roll it allows you to roll your damage dice and subtract that from the damage of whatever attack you parried.

Normally you must be able to do an active defense and a Power Parry counts as one, but with Aura (which gives a free attack per turn) that might not be the case.

I was thinking an Aura could parry for you until I reread B102 which says "an aura cannot parry". Normally an Innate Attack with "Melee Attack" can be used to do parries so unless you have the "Selectivity" enhancement (can choose to disable the Aura enhancement a moment so you can perform a parry with it) you technically can't do a parry with it.

If you can't afford an enhancement, P153 also says "the Aura enhancement changes Innate Attack from active to passive, while the Active Defense limitation shifts Damage Resistance from passive to active." so taking this limitation might be another approach performing parries with an aura (by changing it back to active again)

Once a power parry is possible, you normally spend your active defense doing it (can't do it on an all-out attack) but if you fail a fear check and your Uncontrollable wakes up, it might be able to do parries for you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
In either case, how far would the aura send the metallic weapon or the metallic ammunition from the character?
Knockback depends on the damage rolled compared to the ST or HP of the object as usual.

BTW if you didn't already have your aura switched on... you'd probably need to roll to try and get it up in time. I'm guessing this part might be a Power Dodge? Auras can be put up as a free action on your turn, so if you're allowing it to be done on your opponent's turn in response to something he does, it sounds like you need an active defence roll. This could happen 2 ways:

1) your aura is off, normally you can turn your aura on at the start of YOUR turn as a free action, roll a Power Dodge (instead of any other active defense) to activate your aura

2) your aura is off, you made an All-Out Attack and can't do active defences, but since you are stressed out and fail a fright check, your commandeering intelligence (Powers 106 says this can be your unconscious, with your stats, or something else, you specify) rolls a Power Dodge to try and get it up.

Just ignore the part about "avoid the attack entirely". You can still Power Dodge using Insubstantiality against an Affects Insubstantial attack, it just means you activate it in time but it doesn't have the juice to save you. Power Dodge might be interpreted to more broadly refer to activating switchable instantaneous abilities on an enemy's turn instead of your own, but still functions by normal damage mitigation rules.

Last edited by Plane; 11-22-2018 at 12:52 AM.
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Old 11-22-2018, 05:26 AM   #5
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

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Originally Posted by RyanW View Post
Is Link right? Link primarily allows you to activate two advantages as one, but DR does not normally require activation. Link would seem to be added cost for reduced capability.

I would make it DR (Accessibility: Only while Aura is active).
For these type auras, I generally either add Switchable (and/or Reflexive) to the DR or Always On to the Attack. Usually the former, as no one wants to walk around on fire or crackling with electricity all the time; for starters, it makes it very inconvenient when you want something to eat or sleep in a bed!
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Old 11-22-2018, 12:11 PM   #6
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

Crushing Attack is not a parry, dodge, or block, so this aura won't mechanically do anything to protect you from attacks with metal weapons. You can, however, buy defensive traits with an appropriate limitation to acquire protective effects mechanically.

Remember, ALWAYS buy the mechanical effects you want. Don't try to pull mechanical effects you didn't pay for out of traits to suit fluff
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Old 11-22-2018, 12:19 PM   #7
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

Well, the Aura would attack the weapon/ammunition when it touches the individual. The relevant question would be does the Aura attack occur before or after the damage of the metallic attack? If after, what would be the effect of having weapon/ammunition experiencing an average of 70 points of knockback?
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Old 11-22-2018, 12:41 PM   #8
Andreas
 
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

Quote:
Originally Posted by Humabout View Post
Crushing Attack is not a parry, dodge, or block, so this aura won't mechanically do anything to protect you from attacks with metal weapons. You can, however, buy defensive traits with an appropriate limitation to acquire protective effects mechanically.

Remember, ALWAYS buy the mechanical effects you want. Don't try to pull mechanical effects you didn't pay for out of traits to suit fluff
Affecting weapons is a mechanical effect of such an aura. The description in the basic set even specifically mention it! It is just a matter of whether the weapon is affected before or after it injures you (probably after due to the wording of the ability, but even then it would protect you by making it harder to use the weapon against you again).

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Well, the Aura would attack the weapon/ammunition when it touches the individual. The relevant question would be does the Aura attack occur before or after the damage of the metallic attack? If after, what would be the effect of having weapon/ammunition experiencing an average of 70 points of knockback?
The description in the basic set says that it affects weapons which strikes you. That to me implies that the aura effect occurs after injury is caused (since otherwise it would seem more appropriate to say that it affects then when it touches you rather than when they strike you).
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Old 11-22-2018, 02:10 PM   #9
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantasm View Post
For these type auras, I generally either add Switchable (and/or Reflexive) to the DR or Always On to the Attack. Usually the former, as no one wants to walk around on fire or crackling with electricity all the time; for starters, it makes it very inconvenient when you want something to eat or sleep in a bed!
If the DR is always on when the Aura is active, and always off when the Aura is inactive, Accessibility seems to me the correct way to build.
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Old 11-22-2018, 04:28 PM   #10
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Defensive Auras

DR 35 (Force Field, +20%; Flexible, -20%; Limited, Metallic, -40%; Psychokinetic, -10%; Semi-Ablative, -20%; Uncontrollable, -10%) [35] would be an interesting addition.
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