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01-09-2015, 03:23 PM | #41 | ||||
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes
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Oh, and traveling through time is quite common; its traveling in more than one direction at more than one rate that is rare... relatively speaking as some settings are all about such time travel. Of course, none of this answers my concerns over "Doesn't this goof up other game mechanics?" I mean, where Trait A depends upon the cost of Trait B; if Trait B is priced not based on perceived usefulness but on how common it is, then all those times where "We made it a Perk because it cost too much otherwise." is wrong. I'll say it a third time (unless I said it more than that in this post... kind of out of time here): even in my own eyes I blew my credibility. Then again, this entire series of threads was for those that have questions over even stuff in [Basic]... which included me. I've been given an answer, but it lacks justification for why it is "right". I mean, just because something has been that way since 1st Edition doesn't make it right or wrong, that just makes it something that has been that way since 1st Edition. I never played 2e but I'm assuming something changed between 1e and 2e. If just being a certain way in 1e made something the correct way to do things, why change things for later editions? I did play under 3e rules and even with my minimal use of 4e, I still consider 4e to be a superior product.
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) |
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01-09-2015, 04:42 PM | #42 | |
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Cambridge, MA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes
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The GM is free to assign whatever point values he likes--the creators of GURPS, based on guesses or opinions about what kinds of games people will generally want to play, decided on what traits should be easier to get or more difficult to get. If a trait is particularly rare in your world, you're explicitly encouraged to charge an "Unusual Background" penalty. Even the name makes it clear that the higher cost is for the unusualness, not the utility. The real issue is that the "fair" cost for an advantage will vary from game to game whether you price for utility or rarity. But rarity is actually more likely to be similar from game to game, because people tend to tell stories that fit into well-known genres: tolkeinesque fantasy, modern action, pulp adventures, horror, sci-fi, etc. Utility varies hugely, because it's so dependent on TL, whether the game will be heavy on combat or social role-playing or sneaking around or whatever. Utility also depends somewhat on rarity, since surprise factor and uniqueness both add to utility. For example, suppose I'm running a fantasy game and I'm pricing everything for utility. I tell my players that there are five dominant languages in the world: Common, Elvish, Dwarvish, Orcish, and Gnomish. But I know that in the first adventure the PCs will travel to visit elven lands, while I have no plans whatsoever to introduce any gnomes in the campaign. Should I tell my PCs that Elvish costs double now and Gnomish is a perk? I'd be giving away my plans for the campaign. Better to price all languages the same and see what kinds of characters the players are interested in making. Or if I plan to have a lot of the battles happen at night, should I jack up the price of Night Vision? This way madness lies... |
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01-09-2015, 05:47 PM | #43 | ||||||
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes
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01-09-2015, 06:55 PM | #44 |
formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans'
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Wyoming, Michigan
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes
Serendipity costs the same as the first level of Luck.
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Ba-weep granah wheep minibon. Wubba lubba dub dub. |
01-09-2015, 10:56 PM | #45 | |
Dog of Lysdexics
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Melbourne FL, Formerly Wellington NZ
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes
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See the Essay on Unusual Backgrounds in GURPS Powers p.184–186 |
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01-11-2015, 02:13 PM | #46 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ottawa, Canada
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes, Enhanced Defences, ETS
To answer the original post as to what I do with Combat Reflexes in my games, I've eliminated the RAW advantage and turned it into its breakdown components which players can buy separately.
Talent (Fast Draw) [5 x level] Resistant to Mental Stun (Common; Only to recover from mental stun, -40%) Fearlessness [2 x level] Dodge +1 [15] Perk (Can't be totally surprised) [1] Enhanced Defenses (Parry and Block) My "Combat Reflexes" package comes out as: Talent (Fast Draw) +1 [5]; Resistant to Mental Stun +8 (Common; Only to recover from mental stun, -40%) [5]; Fearlessness +2 [4]; and Perk (Can't be totally surprised) [1] for a total of 15 points. So it works pretty much as in the RAW except you don't get the +1 to active defenses. There was a bit of grumbling at first when I first implemented this because of the cost increase to get all the same feature (that is, you have to buy Enhanced Defenses separately), but everyone has adapted to it now. Especially since they've been able to pick and choose their effects (e.g., "I don't need the +1 to fast-draw"). |
02-21-2015, 07:04 PM | #48 | |||||
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes, Enhanced Defences, ETS
So after having taken some time off... this thread still makes me leery of continuing. There are some questions I didn't answer back then that I probably should address now.
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15 points for a once-per-session plausible, fortunate coincidence doesn't seem all that expensive to me, or do you mean that it is overpriced relative to the benefit it grants? At the same time, it is also not exactly rare, though as the comment to which your statement was a response pointed out, it is also seen as something of a cop out; bad writing. Quote:
This was a question about invisibility. I should not have worded it as "quite common". It is also important to remember that it just takes a story being set with a slightly different focus for how common or uncommon things are in the same setting. Still I should have simply said "It isn't rare." Just in case... spoilers. In the world of Harry Potter, while the main character has a "rare invisibility cloak" we later find out that its rare in the sense of a "rare" [insert item that can be reliably obtained if you spend enough money to buy it/]. Harry's ends up being quite special and works better than any other... but others do exist. Even if they didn't, one of the spells that can be learned is the "Disillusionment Charm". I am not certain if the Harry Potter setting is better handled with Spells as Skills or as Advantages that can be learned, but in the case of the latter then while it is not common it is not rare: "uncommon" is a good term for it. I am not trying to pull a fast one, but some sort of "optic camouflage armor" shows up in multiple ultra-tech settings with which I am familiar. Again, calling it "common" was incorrect. It such settings, while sometimes its a prototype or have a low Legality Class, it is much like the Harry Potter cloaks. If pressed, I would point out that I was under the impression that for the "Predator" species of the Predator franchise, it seemed a standard feature of their armor. Of course, you're not generally paying points for such gear, but if someone had it built in should it be worth as much as in a setting where it only appears as a "super power" or the like? Speaking of super powers... invisibility might not be standard issue, but its not all that rare. You assume at least one major name in a Marvel or DC like setting has Invisibility as their main thing and that several have some form of it as a part of their abilities. In most of these settings, those that have reason to worry about interference by "supers" include that in the laundry list of "powers to consider". Unless the characters are supposed to be surprised about such things. I'm a Transformers fan; while not every character can turn invisible, because apparently being alien robot life that transforms into at least one alternate mode isn't fantastic enough, over the years most iterations have had a character who could turn Invisible, though sometimes it is to a specific sense and not the visible like spectrum. Quote:
I asked when this discussion was new why we didn't get prices based on what is balanced for game play "in general" so that the GM can then say "Okay, and I want it to be really common but not standard in my setting, so I'm going to halve the price." or "I want it to be rare but not forbidden so I'm going to double the price." Quote:
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) |
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02-22-2015, 02:29 AM | #49 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes, Enhanced Defences, ETS
Serendipity is a pain to GM. You either have to design it into each session, which is difficult when the PCs are free to do a very wide range of things, or it's an extra thing to remember to improvise. I've only used it on one of my own PCs, and it often didn't seem to happen unless I suggested something to the GM. Advantages that the players are meant to control are easier on the GM and more collaborative.
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02-22-2015, 11:10 AM | #50 | |||||
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#26): Combat Reflexes, Enhanced Defences, ETS
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As for how many take it: Most groups I've played in/run for seem to regard even "too good to pass up" advantages as "Does this work with my character's premise"? So it is neither over or under represented on character sheets in the groups I've been in. HPT on the other hand, is often given the old hoary eyeball by GMs. Quote:
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Want to be more defensive? By up your Combat Defense stat. Wnat to be better at attacking? Buy your Combat Attack stat. (Ignore those terms, I've forgotten exactly what they are called of hand) While HERO (and Champions) can be used to make highly individual characters, the lack of 'skills' makes character sheets 'seem' to be very similar. Quote:
Granted I've had one person take Serendipity and I've only taken it once. Impulse Buys may have killed it entirely as an Advantage. |
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Tags |
advantage, advantage of the week, combat reflexes, enhanced defenses, enhanced time sense, week, [basic] |
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