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Old 04-25-2020, 10:16 AM   #1
Kallatari
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Default Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

I'm trying to determine a reasonable value for a Suspended Animation (or biostasis) as a modifier to Affliction.

By suspended animation, the subject is unconscious, doesn't eat or drink, doesn't breath, doesn't age, and likewise has all "temporal biological effects" halted; i.e., he won't bleed, poisons/diseases will stop in their tracks while suspended, etc. However, the subject is still vulnerably to physical injury, can be moved around, etc.

Affliction already has a Temporal Stasis enhancement worth +1000%, which is close, but adds too much temporal protection. Specifically, with that enhancement, the subject is also physically immune to everything. You can't harm him, or even move him. He's effectively locked out of time. So this is not what I'm trying to build.

You can create the following which also comes close:

Affliction (HT; Advantage, Doesn't Breathe, +200%; Advantage, Doesn't Eat or Drink, +200%; Advantage, Unaging, +150%; Incapacitating Condition, Unconsciousness, +200%). This adds up to a +750% enhancement.

With this build, the subject can be physically affected by the world around him. However, it doesn't halt poisons and diseases, bleeding, or other temporal biological effects. The closest traits that would allow for that are Metabolism Control (which is levelled) or possibly Resistant, but neither are exactly what is needed. Both essentially give bonus to HT roll and would make it so that the subject successfully resists, thus ending the poison/disease (and would require actual HT rolls)... but this is only meant to temporarily halt it, and it picks right back up when the suspended animation ends.

So what is a reasonable value for that last part?

I think overall this should be weaker than Temporal Stasis, so to keep it less than +1000%, you need a value of less than +250% (when added to the +750% described above).

I'm thinking +100%... no real reason, other than I would probably dump in under a Cosmic +100%, and it seems balanced with it. So that would bring it to an +850% enhancement for Affliction.

Does that sound reasonable? Should it be more? Less? Other considerations that I'm missing that should be included?


For Bonus Points: To create an Entombment power, which puts them in Suspended Animation and buries them 50 feet into the ground (and brings them back up when it ends), what else would you add? Seems too powerful to only be a feature...
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Old 04-25-2020, 11:00 AM   #2
whswhs
 
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

I think you want to Afflict a version of Metabolism Control.
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Old 04-25-2020, 11:39 AM   #3
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

Biostasis is similar to petrification, which is a variant of paralysis, so I would use a +150% modifier. You are immune to aging and metabolic hazards but, since you cannot do anything, it really does not matter (another possibility is Altered Trait [Statue], which would be +150%). A Statue template would have DX-10, IQ-10, fixed DX and IQ at 0, ST+30, DR 7, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Drink or Eat, Homogeneous, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Unaging, No Manipulators (arms do not work), No Legs (legs do not work), and Unhealing (Total), for a total of -200 CP.
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Old 04-25-2020, 12:21 PM   #4
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Biostasis is similar to petrification, which is a variant of paralysis, so I would use a +150% modifier. You are immune to aging and metabolic hazards but, since you cannot do anything, it really does not matter.
I had completely forgotten about the petrification variant of paralysis. You're right, they are effectively the same, other than petrification gives your skin DR and other benefits of stone while Biostasis wouldn't. But clearly, they kept it in line with normal paralysis which doesn't give those benefits either. So that appears to be the right ballpark...
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Old 04-25-2020, 01:02 PM   #5
Christopher R. Rice
 
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
I think you want to Afflict a version of Metabolism Control.
Bill has the right of it here. Afflict Metabolism Control and then specify that it's under the control of the afflictor not the afflicted (this is a feature - if you can swap it at any time that's probably worth +10% as a enhancement).

Alternatively, use Temporal Stasis from GURPS Powers, p. 118.
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Old 04-25-2020, 02:29 PM   #6
Kallatari
 
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
I think you want to Afflict a version of Metabolism Control.
I disagree with this. Although thematically appropriate, the game effects are not correct.

Looking at Metabolism Control, you want to afflict at least 10 levels (see below), so that's a cost of 50 points (or +500% as an affliction). Here is what it gives:
- reduces oxygen requirement by 100%. Good.
- reduces food/water requirements by a factor of (2^10 =) 1,024, so approximately 3 years counts as 1 day without food and water. Although a long time, looking for no food or water needed, so not a match (although it's long enough that I don't see a problem hand-waving this one away for most campaign settings).
- give a +10 bonus to HT rolls resist bleeding, poisons, diseases, etc. This is the biggest problem. This bonus means they will make their HT roll and end the bleeding, poison, or disease. Suspended animation doesn't end the problem, but merely postpones it.. when they come back to, the bleeding, poison, or disease kicks off exactly where it was when they went under suspended animation. This could probably be adjusted to "delays roll instead of rolling" with a modifier, so Cosmic +50%, but now we've hit a 75 points trait.
- gives a -10 penalty to rolls to realize you are still alive. Definitely not the intention of suspended animation
- you still age...

So, doesn't quite match the intent. And, at that point, you're looking at 75 point version of Metabolic Control to Afflict, so it's a +750% enhancement. You are now matching the +750% enhancement I came up with in my original post, which even though is not perfect either, I think it comes closer than Metabolic Hazards does. Still, they're close, and that tells me my +750% and a bit more was in the right ballpark.


What throws this all off is the ruling on petrification. I don't remember where that came from (was it a sample power in Powers? Sorcery spell?) For a variation of the +150% Paralysis, you can turn the subject to stone. That eliminates all the metabolic requirements, aging, halts diseases and poisons, etc. Basically, everything as per biostasis, except the skin also turns to stone. And that's a mere +150% enhancement. It makes me wonder if Petrification was priced too cheaply at +150%.

But since it's RAW, that also suggests to me that should be the cost of biostasis as well... even though I'm not sure I like it, it is backed by rules.
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Old 04-25-2020, 03:20 PM   #7
TGLS
 
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

That was from Banestorm if I recall.
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Old 04-25-2020, 04:43 PM   #8
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

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Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
That was from Banestorm if I recall.
GURPS Powers, p. 118 and includes thoughts on the build.
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Old 04-26-2020, 09:54 AM   #9
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Default Re: Value for Suspended Animation (Biostasis) Affliction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
GURPS Powers, p. 118 and includes thoughts on the build.
Interesting, so Petrification is actually a +300%, and can "alternatively" (their words) be considered "equivalent" to a combination of Paralysis +150% and Extended Duration (Permanent) +150%.

Reversing that, a temporary Petrification would therefore be only +150%, which is the same as paralysis.
Paralysis: you cannot physically move, but remain conscious and can take mental actions (e.g., mental powers). Your body remains vulnerable. You still have metabolic limitations (i.e., breathe, eat, drink, etc., and you age normally.)

Petrification: you cannot physically move, your mind is unconscious (presumably?) and thus cannot use mental powers. Your body gains some protection against physical harm (DR, Homogenous, bleed, etc.) and no longer has metabolic limitations.
So, does this balance out? You render the subject incapable of doing mental attacks but give him physical protection/immunity to metabolics in return. (Admittedly, no mental attacks is not relevant in a world without supernatural powers, but we are talking about petrification.)

Taking a step back to look at all the Incapacitating Afflictions and their enhancement values:
+50% = Hallucination, Retching = Act with extreme difficulty/hindrance, thus actions very unlikely but possible.

+100% = Agony, Choking, Ecstasy, Seizure = Do Nothing each turn, can defend at -4, and some side effects.
+50% = Daze = Do Nothing each turn, can defend at -4, but can be slapped out of it.
+150% = Paralysis = No physical actions or defenses, but can perform mental actions

+200% = Unconsciousness = No physical or mental actions.
+150% = Sleep = No physical or mental actions but can be slapped out of it.
So they appear to be consistently priced by Actions Unlikely / No Actions Except Defense / No Physical Actions / No Physical or Mental Actions, with a rebate if they can be ended prematurely. (That's actually interesting to see when coming up with new affliction conditions... going to note this somewhere)

Following that logic, I would personally rule that both Petrification and Biostasis should fall in the +200% price value. From the point of view of the afflicter, the target can neither take physical nor mental actions, and they can't just be slapped out of it. However, they also gain additional protections - no metabolism, and DR in the case of petrification. Are those additional protections to the subject worth a price change, or merely a special effect? If they are worth a price change, is it more expensive because the subject gets more benefits (say +250%) or less expensive because it makes it more difficult for the afflicter to then harm the subject (thus +150%)? Or is it the combination of these two factors that make it wash out to a neutral special effect in the end, leaving it at (my recommendation of) +200%?

Of relevance in those considerations, Coma is +250% (no physical or mental actions, and may die if not treated) and Heart Attack is +300% (dies). Since the subject is not in danger of dying with either Petrification or Biostasis (and in fact, is less likely to die!), I guess that's an argument to not increase the value, so it would remain at +200% (or +150%?).
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