01-26-2016, 04:05 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
Ok, i am looking to build a character that has glands that let them make any biochemical liquid that they understand. The glands are attached to a set of quills like a porcupine that can be thrown and are being built as an innate attack.
I am trying to decide it I want to use a flexible version of Affliction with a Modular Ability that can only be used with the quills or with Create. Any thoughts or things i might not be thinking of? Been a long time since I played or ran Gurps. |
01-26-2016, 05:01 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
Well, if the GM allows it then Variable Enhancement (pu4:5) on an affliction would likely work well.
If not, then a modular ability that can contain afflictions would likely be an alternative. |
01-27-2016, 03:16 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
That seems like a much better option than Create, especially since most biochemical substances are effective in small amounts and the point of Create is creating large amounts of your chosen substance, rather than enough to coat a single quill.
I'm not sure how to create the limitation that the character must understand the substance they are creating. I suppose you could require a roll against the appropriate skill (Poisons, for example), but considering that requiring an attribute roll is only worth -5% to -10%, and having a high attribute is much more difficult than a high skill, this probably wouldn't be worth very much. As an alternative, GURPS Powers has rules for giving your advantages Minor Benefits and Drawbacks. Rather than purchasing a specific limitation, you could just find some equally minor benefit as a trade-off. |
01-27-2016, 05:55 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
The "They understand" is likely "Requires skill roll:Chemistry -10%"(pu8:17) at most or just a minor limitation as said above.
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01-27-2016, 07:48 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
Awesome.
I am actually the GM and doing this as an exercise to refresh my memories of the system before I run a game in a few months. I have a few new ideas from this discussion already and want to thank everyone for the input. I think I will work a few things out and then post the power here to see what other players and GMs think. |
01-27-2016, 08:25 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
I'm not as familiar with the Powers rules as some people seem to be in this post, but I feel like the part about needing to know the substance could be better represented. How effective would these different substances be? Are we talking about poisons basically?
I think if I was GMing this intended power, it would be an Innate Attack for the quill, and then for each substance the character learns, it would be a different Follow Up. I might price the follow ups a little lower to represent that they can't be used on the same attack, but that way one follow up could be deadly poison, while the next one is a sleep poison, or radioactive substance that makes them easier to track or whatever. But that way for each beneficial thing the character can do, they're paying points for it. I really dislike the idea that a character could with a skill roll suddenly have a drastically different ability. Learning a new substance means spending points to me. |
01-27-2016, 10:05 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
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Alternate way to represent such a thing would be with alternate abilities where you pay full cost for first and then 1/5th for following. Up to about 10-15 such the alternate abilities would be cheaper in points than the modular ability as example. So you could get all really needed ones for a lot less than the modular ability, but it does not fit the character concept as well. |
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01-27-2016, 10:08 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
That sounds like something that could be used for mating rituals as well as defense. It can make a perfume.
If they are sophant, and are interested in trade they can also develop an industry catering to the silly vanities of humans by selling their Innate Perfume.
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"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison |
01-27-2016, 10:19 AM | #9 | |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
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02-02-2016, 11:47 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Re: Character idea, seeking thoughts and advice
I think the alternate abilities works pretty well actually. if I remove the need for a skill roll and use that to determine what she knows then I can simplify it and make it more balanced possibly. maybe add a modifier to make her her able to produce a limited amount of permanent material and she can be the party's bar tender.
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