12-07-2015, 06:40 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Buff Powers With Tradeoffs
I was wondering what might be the best strategy for recreating a buff from a video game for example that has a tradeoff.
A specific example I'm working on is a buff that gives +2 striking strength if attacking a weak point (which I interpret as vitals, skull, and neck), but -2 striking strength if attacking anywhere else. I think this is giving an advantage with an accessibility, and a disadvantage with an accessibility, but I'm kinda stuck after that, because it seems like if I just flat out add the two together, the disadvantage makes it way cheaper than I think it should be, and if I think of it as afflicting an advantage and a disadvantage simultaneously, it becomes even more costly than if it were only inflicting the advantage to begin with. In short, I think +2 striking st (weakspots only - 10%) is about a 9 point advantage, and -2 striking st (everything but weakspots -5%) is a -10 (or, precisely, -9.5) point disadvantage, but this advantage can't be negative points, can it? Is there a supplement or simple solution somewhere that explains what the point cost of a buff should be if tempered with a drawback? And one interesting thought on that by the way: it seems like the guide in the sorcery book for pricing magic items works well for beneficial enchantments, but might fall apart when purposefully making a malicious enchantment. Is such an option available if, for example, a player wanted to be a jerk and force a princess to wear a ring that turns her into a frog? I mean, the princess, of course, will not be using FP of her own volition to maintain the upkeep of a curse on herself. Is there an obvious solution to this problem? Did I read it wrong? Edit: Just found the solution to my own problem seconds after posting (Temporary disadvantage)... Slightly Embarassed, wish I could delete/lock my own thread.
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Blog Running Games on Tuesday (online). Playing Sunday. Last edited by Pseudonym; 12-07-2015 at 06:49 PM. Reason: Found the answer myself. :c |
12-08-2015, 07:18 AM | #2 | |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: Buff Powers With Tradeoffs
Quote:
As for Temporary Disadvantage, that is indeed what you want to use for your example. That said, I personally think Temporary Disadvantage could use some work - it would likely be more balanced if the discount were based on relative point value, rather than the absolute point value. |
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Tags |
cost of magic items, powers, sorcery |
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