09-23-2018, 09:33 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Psionic Ward
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Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
In many different horror settings, creatures often seem to have many times their normal power the second all eyes are off of them. For example, vampires 'wooshing away' either moving many times faster than normal or using some kind of warp, or a strong monster can only bang on blast doors until nobody is observing, then suddenly it can break through in a few hits.
In order to stat this kind of accessibility to a reasonable modifier, I feel like first we need to define when exactly it applies. Some examples of being watched:
How would you rule this kind of accessibility, and how would you price it so that players might see it as a different flavor of "Emergencies Only" that easily applies when working alone (or with allies, who would learn not to "Watch" to person with such abilities) but not in the company of opponents, especially not when opponents know of your limitations? |
09-23-2018, 09:40 AM | #2 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
Quote:
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09-23-2018, 09:40 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
Check out Ghostly Movement, page 20 of GURPS Horror for 4e, which features Accessibility, Only if Unobserved, -20%. It's a build for Warp for e.g. the way a slasher movie villain vanishes if you don't keep an eye on him, and appears somewhere mildly implausible for an ambush without anyone ever hearing him.
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09-23-2018, 10:12 AM | #4 | ||
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Psionic Ward
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
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Mind reading "except when watched" might not be as big a limitation as it seems, because if you can set up an interrogation-style environment, you just need the mind reader to walk around behind the interrogated while others allies are distracting them. I do, see, though, that different kinds of powers might warrant different limitation values, as is done for some other limitations. Quote:
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09-23-2018, 04:56 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
I treated it as no sapient entity is looking at the character.
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09-23-2018, 06:00 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Shoreline, WA (north of Seattle)
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
The classic example of this is, of course, Invisibility. (c.f. Mystery Men)
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09-23-2018, 06:06 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
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09-23-2018, 08:00 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
I'm sure someone has tried to stat the Weeping Angels before.
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09-23-2018, 09:40 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Aug 2018
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
Quote:
Only if Unobserved -20 and Machines Only -50 and Switchable +10 works out to -60, but the way Invisible Boy had to pause and recite a mantra, probably had some combination of "requires will roll" and "takes extra time" and "preparation required" to bring it to -80. I can't remember if he removed his clothing or if it just fell to the ground (insubstantiality?) when he turned invisible. |
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09-23-2018, 11:32 PM | #10 |
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
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Re: Statting accessibility "except when watched" and mechanics thereof?
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