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Old 08-18-2019, 11:09 AM   #11
Toptomcat
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

If the effect was Always On with respect to those who saw the character's actual *face*, which they could conceal with a mask or a veil or a helmet or something, I'd call that 5%- maybe 10% if they were routinely subjected to area effects that destroyed their headgear and, as a matter of genre convention, didn't routinely carry spare masks.
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Old 08-18-2019, 12:01 PM   #12
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

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Originally Posted by Toptomcat View Post
If the effect was Always On with respect to those who saw the character's actual *face*, which they could conceal with a mask or a veil or a helmet or something, I'd call that 5%- maybe 10% if they were routinely subjected to area effects that destroyed their headgear and, as a matter of genre convention, didn't routinely carry spare masks.
B109 guidelines mention:
a Vision-Based attack cannot affect a blind subject or someone with his eyes closed
It doesn't seem like you actually need to be looking at the attacker at all, weirdly? Or you'd think "or has their back turned" would also be a defense.

I don't think you would limit 'Always On', but rather have an additional limitation (making the ability cheaper, not more expensive by lessening the Always On discount) since afflictions which affect fewer targets are less expensive.
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Old 08-18-2019, 05:19 PM   #13
SimonAce
 
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Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

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Originally Posted by Wordsmith View Post
No, I'm not kidding.

So I'm interested in running a campaign involving superhumans, using an old Mutants and Masterminds sourcebook as a blueprint. In the sourcebook, there's a character sheet for an NPC who has the ability to make whoever looks at his face ill. I've been trying to figure out how to make this power work in GURPS, but I'm having some trouble. At first I thought Affliction, would work, considering that it allows you to make targets retch just by looking at them, assuming you have Malediction. However, the problem I have with Malediction is that it requires a contest of HT vs Will to work, whereas the NPC I'm trying to recreate has more of a passive ability. That is, he doesn't have to roll at all to make people sick--anyone who sees him has to beat a certain DC to avoid getting sick.

So how can I make this character work in GURPS? Also, its worth noting that this NPC can't turn his power off--he has to wear a mask that covers his face
I think this would be an always on requires sight of uncovered face stun malediction effect as vomiting is treated as being stunned in GURPS . There is also a zero cost ability called "required skill" IIRC IDHMBH so set the skill around 20 and viola anyone without near super HT would puking
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Old 08-18-2019, 07:51 PM   #14
Anaraxes
 
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Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

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Originally Posted by Plane View Post
you'd think "or has their back turned" would also be a defense.
That sentence is just a few examples to clarify the one before it ("Your attack only affects someone who is using the targeted sense.") It's not intended to be an exhaustive list of possible defenses, exceptions, or catalog of ways in which you can avoid directly looking at Medusa. Given a couple of examples to make sure you've got the idea that you have to be sensing the originator of the effect with the appropriate sense, you can think of many cases. But attempting to be exhaustive is doomed to failure, particularly when you start considering the wide variety of settings.

Keep in mind the "reasonable adults trying to cooperate to have a good time" mindset for the target audience for GURPS authors. The rules aren't written to try to plug every conceivable loophole when applied mindlessly literally, or by rules lawyers conducting meta-combat to meta-win their meta-game.
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Old 08-19-2019, 04:28 AM   #15
Balor Patch
 
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Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
You cannot have Reliable added to an attack power.
As a counter example, Protection From Evil (Enhanced) on Divine Favor p.11 uses Reliable with True Faith (Turning).
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Old 08-19-2019, 10:01 AM   #16
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

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Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
That sentence is just a few examples to clarify the one before it ("Your attack only affects someone who is using the targeted sense.") It's not intended to be an exhaustive list of possible defenses, exceptions, or catalog of ways in which you can avoid directly looking at Medusa. Given a couple of examples to make sure you've got the idea that you have to be sensing the originator of the effect with the appropriate sense, you can think of many cases. But attempting to be exhaustive is doomed to failure, particularly when you start considering the wide variety of settings.

Keep in mind the "reasonable adults trying to cooperate to have a good time" mindset for the target audience for GURPS authors. The rules aren't written to try to plug every conceivable loophole when applied mindlessly literally, or by rules lawyers conducting meta-combat to meta-win their meta-game.
This is a very complicated response to answering the question as to whether sense-based refers to "using the sense at all" vs "using the sense in a way that would get input from the attacker".

If sight-based means not only eyes-open but eyes-open looking directly at the character, then hearing-based means not only ears-open but without anything inhibiting sound from bouncing into the ear.

With scent: even if you are able to smell, if a breeze is blowing in the other direction, would that be prevention?
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Old 08-19-2019, 01:58 PM   #17
Black Leviathan
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
For example, you could have Affliction (Area Effect, 32 yards, +250%; Contact Agent, +150%; Emanation, -20%; Nauseated, +30%; No Signature, +20%; Retching, +50%; Selective Area, +20%) [60]. Anyone you target within 32 yards of you that fails a HT roll suffers Retching for minutes equal to margin of failure and nauseated afterwards for minutes equal to margin of error.
I like your build but if they have to see the face I'd do a smaller AOE without Emanation and give it the -20% limitation from striker for forward attacking only. That way it's possible to come up behind them without being affected.
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Old 08-20-2019, 10:13 AM   #18
ericthered
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Default Re: How to design a super power that makes people vomit

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Originally Posted by Black Leviathan View Post
I like your build but if they have to see the face I'd do a smaller AOE without Emanation and give it the -20% limitation from striker for forward attacking only. That way it's possible to come up behind them without being affected.
It needs to be an emanation the user can "throw" the effect around corners and so forth. Emanation keeps it centered on the face. The -20% limitation for forward only is excellent. I'd also replace "Contact Agent" with "Sight Based", which does penetrate armor, for an essentially identical cost. The note about making it smaller is an interesting question, and one the OP will have to think about: from how far away does the effect work. Selective area is in appropriate. Its not easy to control, and the manner in which it can be controlled is due to a +150% enhancement, which I think counts as paying for the ability. I also would drop no signature: I think its obvious what's happening, though your mileage may vary.

I'm not sure if this attack should be considered "dangerous to others". Danger is not limited to effects that kill. This is fairly easy to conceal, so I went with the simple -10%.

So here is my version:

Affliction (Area Effect, 32 yards, +250%; Vision-Based, +150%; Emanation, -20%; Nauseated, +30%; Retching, +50%, always on -10%) [55]

Note that like many afflictions and powers, multiplicative multipliers gives a much more generous discount for the fairly onerous limitations, making the power cost [41]
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