Chain Effect Modifier

[Blackguard]

I'm looking for a standardized way to build "chain" powers such as chain lightning using a well defined modifier. As far as I know there is no such official modifier unless it is in one of the Dungeon Fantasy books. If so, please give me a pointer to it. Otherwise, here is my proposal for Chain Effect.

Chain Effect +50%/Level
Chain Effect can be applied to any ranged single target advantage to which Area Effect can be applied. An advantage with the Chain Effect modifier can affect an additional target for each level of Chain Effect. The nearest target of the same type as the original target will always be the next target, excluding any target already affected by the ability. For example, targeting a table will cause the chain to jump to other nearby tables, while targeting a person will cause it to jump to other nearby people. It is up to the GM if nebulous types like "people" are allowed, or if more precise types such as "human" are necessary. If you wish more control over targets, take Selective Area.

If the advantage is a normal ranged attack, the next target in the chain must be within 1/2D range. Make a new attack with the old target as the origin for calculating all attack and defense modifiers. You can not target a hit location, though the chain will target the closest part of targets with an SM of 2 or higher. You also may not use any special attack rules, such as Deceptive Attack. If the attack misses or the target defends the chain ends and no additional targets are affected.

If the advantage is a Malediction, perform a new Quick Contest against the new target with distance measured from the previous target in the chain. If the new target resists or is immune, the chain ends. If you win the Quick Contest but failed your Will roll the chain ends.

This seems to me to be balanced against Area Effect, Cone, and Rapid Fire. I'm very much interested in other opinions.

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Blackguard

If so, please give me a pointer to it.

Area Effect + Selective: All targets in the AoE are hit by chain lightning. Whether the lightning jumps from one victim to the next, or comes from the sky, is just cosmetics.

[Refplace]

I like it and await responses.
It is a lot more expensive then rapid fire which I feel it should be.
Area effect may or may not get more people so I think fairly balanced there too.

The only issue I have is the 1/2 damage range which may make it jump too far to each target.

[Wicked Lurker]

Originally Posted by zorg

Area Effect + Selective: All targets in the AoE are hit by chain lightning. Whether the lightning jumps from one victim to the next, or comes from the sky, is just cosmetics.

What if you want the original damage to drop with every "jump" though?

[simulatoralive]

Just a little explanation: I use a spells-as-powers magic system in my wiki.

I built a chain lightning spell here and a fireball-like spell based on the same idea here.

Both are based on the idea of giving a spell multiple passes with the Homing Enhancement, with Cosmic allowing it to keep going regardless of hit or miss. The fact that it strikes at a new target each time is a special effect.

I hope that helps. It's a pretty straight-foreword method.

Edit: Oh, I forgot that the chain lightning spell uses the Over-Penetration rules instead of using the Cosmic enhancement. It just goes at new targets after over-penetrating (special effect).

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Wicked Lurker

What if you want the original damage to drop with every "jump" though?

An Accessibility on some of the damage dice? Something similiar to the "Costs Variable FP" build?

Honestly, that would be too complicated for my taste, and possibly slow down the game. ymmv, of course.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Blackguard

I'm looking for a standardized way to build "chain" powers such as chain lightning using a well defined modifier. As far as I know there is no such official modifier unless it is in one of the Dungeon Fantasy books. If so, please give me a pointer to it. Otherwise, here is my proposal for Chain Effect.

Chain Effect +50%/Level
Chain Effect can be applied to any ranged single target advantage to which Area Effect can be applied. An advantage with the Chain Effect modifier can affect an additional target for each level of Chain Effect. The nearest target of the same type as the original target will always be the next target, excluding any target already affected by the ability. For example, targeting a table will cause the chain to jump to other nearby tables, while targeting a person will cause it to jump to other nearby people. It is up to the GM if nebulous types like "people" are allowed, or if more precise types such as "human" are necessary. If you wish more control over targets, take Selective Area.

If the advantage is a normal ranged attack, the next target in the chain must be within 1/2D range. Make a new attack with the old target as the origin for calculating all attack and defense modifiers. You can not target a hit location, though the chain will target the closest part of targets with an SM of 2 or higher. You also may not use any special attack rules, such as Deceptive Attack. If the attack misses or the target defends the chain ends and no additional targets are affected.

If the advantage is a Malediction, perform a new Quick Contest against the new target with distance measured from the previous target in the chain. If the new target resists or is immune, the chain ends. If you win the Quick Contest but failed your Will roll the chain ends.

This seems to me to be balanced against Area Effect, Cone, and Rapid Fire. I'm very much interested in other opinions.

You might want to check out GURPS Psionic Powers, it has a variant of Surge in their called 'Arcing Surge'; its +100% btw.

Ghostdancer

[Wicked Lurker]

Originally Posted by zorg

An Accessibility on some of the damage dice? Something similiar to the "Costs Variable FP" build?

Honestly, that would be too complicated for my taste, and possibly slow down the game. ymmv, of course.

Hmm.. how would you price that?

I mean something like the following:

Chain lightning (2d; Skill for Follow-up-lightnings: 12):
Roll to hit for a chosen target (using the innate attack skill). If hit the target takes 2d damage. The target NEXT to this original target is attacked with skill 12 minus range from the original target. Damage is half the damage rolled in the first roll. The chain continues until damage is lower than 1 or an attack roll misses. Probably selective for enemies only, but not necessarily..

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Wicked Lurker

Hmm.. how would you price that?

I guess you could do something by estimating the average number of targets, the average number of dice dealt, and come up with something. Merely thinking about it gives me headache, though - I hadn't a specific scheme in mind. Just thinking out loud.

I'd estimate you could fairly end up with something like a 10% discount for every die lost by jumping to the next target, assuming you go the AE+Selective build.

I mean something like the following:

Apart from the pricing issue, this build requires an attack roll for each target affected. In my opinion (note that qualifier), that makes it unwieldy in actual play, since a single attack would require lots of rolls.

[Kuroshima]

One possibility is Area Effect+bombardment+disipation, and then eyeballing some modifier that makes you need to hit the previous target to continue to jump, loosing damage as if all targets where in a straight line away from the primary one.