[RPM] Anti-Bullet Wards

[Varyon]

The ritual you'll need will be dependent on the situation. Here are some possible guidelines for modifiers you'll want, however.

First off, for dealing with the possibility of sneak attacks, you may wish to have Cosmic Dodge (PU4, page 7), which allows you to get a Dodge even if you're completely unawares. Cost for that is going to vary depending on your character's base Dodge score - subtract 3 from Dodge, and multiply this by 7.5 to figure out the cost of the Altered Traits. Modifying the Cosmic to be Ranged Only (total +40%) would change the multiplier to 6, Bullets Only (total ~+35%) would change it to 5.25. You could technically go lower than the subject's actual Dodge score, in which case they'd functionally just have a reduced Dodge for sneak attack situations. If you want to go higher than the subject's Dodge, you'll need to tack on some Enhanced Dodge while you're at it (for +22.5, +21, or +20.25 per level). Strengthen, Destroy, and Control Chance would all work, as would Control Matter and possibly Control Energy. Path of Chance may let you get away with making it a Lesser Effect, although anything else is pretty much guaranteed to be Major.

For a general increase to defense against ranged attacks, consider Bestows a Bonus. Bestows a Bonus (Dodge against bullets) may qualify as Narrow, and it's certainly no worse than Moderate. As a Narrow bonus, you can go up to +4 for 8 energy, as Moderate you can go up to +3 for 8 energy. If you've made your Dodge Cosmic, above, you can tack on an additional +1 for another 8 energy (total 16). Beyond these bonuses, you're better off adding on Altered Traits: Enhanced Dodge. This can use the same Path/Effect combinations as Cosmic Dodge, above, but just about all of them can get away with a Lesser Effect.

A possible option might be Bestows a Penalty. This would be to "ranged attacks against the subject," which again is either Narrow or Moderate. Personally, I'd only allow this as a Control Chance effect, and I'd stick it in Narrow by limiting it further, such that it only applies for purposes of determining if the weapon suffered a Malfunction.

Another option which will allow you to more readily survive an attack is Altered Traits (IT:DR, bullets only). That probably counts as Occasional, so you're looking at a cost of 30 for a divisor of 2, 45 for 3, 60 for 4, 75 for 5, and +15 per +1 SSR thereafter. You might be able to justify a divisor of 2 with a Lesser Control Chance (you aren't actually more durable, bullets just tend not to hit important bits), but beyond that you're probably looking at Greater Strengthen Body or Greater Destroy Matter. If all else fails, Extra Life may be possible.


Some less direct options are also possible. Sense Mind could serve to detect if anyone is drawing a bead on you, which could entitle you to a Dodge in a sneak attack, or at least give you an opportunity to get something between yourself and the shooter. Hopefully you can get away with Lesser Sense Mind, as with firearm ranges you're going to need a lot of Area of Effect - you're probably looking at a radius of around 2,000 yards*, for 32 energy. You can probably get away with a lesser radius, but it's probably not a great idea to go below 1,000 yards (28 energy) if you're anticipating snipers. Of course, if you're willing to have a single-use Charm or Conditional, you could get away with a ritual using long-range modifiers (in which case I think you're paying 2 energy for a mile radius), but that's only going to warn you the first time someone tries to shoot you, and if you have multiple people it's only going to detect whoever is closest.

*A skill 15 sniper with an Acc 6+3 rifle can get up to skill 30 with Precision Aiming, or even up to skill 34 (the limit of the weapon) if they know your exact range.


All that in mind, here are some example rituals.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

Sniper: An individual with a high accuracy, high damage, high range, low rof weapon fires a single shot at the rituals from a very long ways away.

Sniper's Bane
Effects: Lesser Control Chance
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Traits (Cosmic Dodge) + Bestows a Bonus (Dodge rolls against Bullets, Narrow)
Greater Effects: 0 (x1)

This assumes a character with Dodge 7, price will be +5.25 (round final cost up) energy per +1 to base Dodge score. For the next hour, this ritual greatly increases the chance that the character will happen to move unpredictably just as the bullet should hit him, functionally giving him a Dodge, at +2, even if the character was completely unaware of the incoming attack. If the character is aware, he still benefits from a +2 to Dodge.

Lesser Control Chance (5) + Altered Trait (Cosmic Dodge, only against Bullets) (21) + Bestows a Bonus (Narrow) 2 (2) + Duration, 1 hour (3). 32 energy (32x1).

Sniper's Bane is appropriate for a Magician, giving him a roll against 9 (or +2 to Dodge if he's aware). If he can get a grimoire or rack up some discounts, he can manage a higher roll. A Witch will likely boost the Bonus to +4 for +6 energy as well as making their entire actual Dodge score Cosmic. Increasing Duration may also be worthwhile - for only +4 energy, you'll only need to renew it around once a day.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

Eat Lead: someone opens up on the rituals from short ranges with a high RoF weapon with the Ritualists foreknowledge of the attack

Bestows a Bonus + Enhanced Dodge will work nicely here, as it will improve your chances of avoiding the attack. However, if your foe has enough ammo to keep going for several rounds, you'll want some cover - see below.

Create Wall
Effects: Greater Create Matter
Inherent Modifiers: None
Greater Effects: 1(x3)

This ritual creates a wall of dirt, hard-packed clay on the outside and coarse sand inside. The wall is large enough to crouch behind and gives DR 28 (enough to stop 8d).

Greater Create Matter (5) + Subject Weight, 1,000 lb (4) + Duration, 1 minute (1). 30 energy (10x3)

Create Wall is appropriate for a Magician, although he'll probably need to find some extra energy to make it into a Charm or Conditional. I'm assuming the wall is close enough to raw materials to not need a crafting roll, and I'm also going under the assumption that it has a density of around 96 lb/cf and gives DR 3/inch. The above wall is a yard wide and 1.5 yards tall - for the same energy, you could make a wall that you could stand behind (1 yard by 2 yards), but it would only give DR 21 (still good enough for up to 6d). If you're willing to lay behind the wall (1 yard by 0.5 yards or so), you could eke DR 83 out of it.
If the character knows how to make a wall out of steel (probably requiring a crafting roll), he might be able to get better DR out of that. Steel has a density somewhere around 500 lb/cf and gives DR 70/inch, so the above walls would end up much thinner but give DR 124, 93, and 373, respectively.
A Witch can make a much larger wall, as 123 energy is enough for a ridiculous amount of material - around 1.5x10^15 tons.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

Suppressing fire: The Ritualist needs to make their way through an area covered by suppressing or covering fire

Your best bet here is to just not go through the area.

Blink
Effects: Greater Create Crossroads
Inherent Modifiers: Speed
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

This creates a momentary portal that transports the character and his gear (up to a total weight of 300 lb) 5 yards in an instant.

Greater Create Crossroads (5) + Speed, 5 yards/second (2) + Subject Weight, 300 lb (3). 30 energy (10x3).

This can work for a Magician, provided cover (which may be defined simply as "area not being hosed down by MG fire") is only 5 yards away. A Witch is going to get a lot more out of it, however - every +3 energy is +1 SSR to how far it takes you, meaning a 51 energy ritual could instantly transport you 70 yards away. If the Witch gets a little crazy and decides to go all-out with a 123 energy ritual, he can go nearly 400 miles away.
I should note here that some GM's may require you to pay for both Range and Speed, as you're basically opening another portal at your destination. I would probably use the Long-Distance Modifiers for that, which is going to mean that tactical movement is going to be only +0 energy (+0 is enough for up to 200 yards). Blink can be used as a "blocking" spell, teleporting out of the way of an attack.

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

Plink Plink: someone is firing single shots or semi-automatic fire at the Ritualist from short to moderate ranges.

Any of the above options can work, honestly. With single shots that the character is aware of, he's got a potentially nasty option to work with.

Reflect Bullet
Effects: Greater Control Matter
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Traits, DR (Ablative, Active Defense, Directional: Front Arc, Reflective, Bullets Only) + Bestows a Bonus (Using this DR, Narrow)
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

Once activated, this allows the character to redirect bullets being fired at him from in front to strike the shooter instead (see B47). This lasts up to 1 minute, or until 3 points of damage have been redirected, whichever occurs first. Actually redirecting the bullet requires a roll against DX/2+4.

Greater Control Matter (5) + Altered Traits, DR 3 (3) + Bestows a Bonus (Narrow) 1 (1) + Duration, 1 minute (1). 30 energy (10x3).

For a Magician, this needs to be combined with actual DR - it only lets you ignore another 3 points of damage, but when a chunk of your foe's bullet comes whizzing back at him, he's likely to think twice about shooting at you again. A Witch can get some proper use out of this ritual, however - it's +3 energy per +1 DR, so he could get up to DR 34 for 123 energy - nearly enough to send back a 10d attack.

[Kalzazz]

One of my favorites is 'Create Dancing Shield'

[oneofmanynameless]

Originally Posted by Varyon

The ritual you'll need will be dependent on the situation. Here are some possible guidelines for modifiers you'll want, however.

First off, for dealing with the possibility of sneak attacks, you may wish to have Cosmic Dodge (PU4, page 7), which allows you to get a Dodge even if you're completely unawares. Cost for that is going to vary depending on your character's base Dodge score - subtract 3 from Dodge, and multiply this by 7.5 to figure out the cost of the Altered Traits. Modifying the Cosmic to be Ranged Only (total +40%) would change the multiplier to 6, Bullets Only (total ~+35%) would change it to 5.25. You could technically go lower than the subject's actual Dodge score, in which case they'd functionally just have a reduced Dodge for sneak attack situations. If you want to go higher than the subject's Dodge, you'll need to tack on some Enhanced Dodge while you're at it (for +22.5, +21, or +20.25 per level). Strengthen, Destroy, and Control Chance would all work, as would Control Matter and possibly Control Energy. Path of Chance may let you get away with making it a Lesser Effect, although anything else is pretty much guaranteed to be Major.

For a general increase to defense against ranged attacks, consider Bestows a Bonus. Bestows a Bonus (Dodge against bullets) may qualify as Narrow, and it's certainly no worse than Moderate. As a Narrow bonus, you can go up to +4 for 8 energy, as Moderate you can go up to +3 for 8 energy. If you've made your Dodge Cosmic, above, you can tack on an additional +1 for another 8 energy (total 16). Beyond these bonuses, you're better off adding on Altered Traits: Enhanced Dodge. This can use the same Path/Effect combinations as Cosmic Dodge, above, but just about all of them can get away with a Lesser Effect.

A possible option might be Bestows a Penalty. This would be to "ranged attacks against the subject," which again is either Narrow or Moderate. Personally, I'd only allow this as a Control Chance effect, and I'd stick it in Narrow by limiting it further, such that it only applies for purposes of determining if the weapon suffered a Malfunction.

Another option which will allow you to more readily survive an attack is Altered Traits (IT:DR, bullets only). That probably counts as Occasional, so you're looking at a cost of 30 for a divisor of 2, 45 for 3, 60 for 4, 75 for 5, and +15 per +1 SSR thereafter. You might be able to justify a divisor of 2 with a Lesser Control Chance (you aren't actually more durable, bullets just tend not to hit important bits), but beyond that you're probably looking at Greater Strengthen Body or Greater Destroy Matter. If all else fails, Extra Life may be possible.


Some less direct options are also possible. Sense Mind could serve to detect if anyone is drawing a bead on you, which could entitle you to a Dodge in a sneak attack, or at least give you an opportunity to get something between yourself and the shooter. Hopefully you can get away with Lesser Sense Mind, as with firearm ranges you're going to need a lot of Area of Effect - you're probably looking at a radius of around 2,000 yards*, for 32 energy. You can probably get away with a lesser radius, but it's probably not a great idea to go below 1,000 yards (28 energy) if you're anticipating snipers. Of course, if you're willing to have a single-use Charm or Conditional, you could get away with a ritual using long-range modifiers (in which case I think you're paying 2 energy for a mile radius), but that's only going to warn you the first time someone tries to shoot you, and if you have multiple people it's only going to detect whoever is closest.

*A skill 15 sniper with an Acc 6+3 rifle can get up to skill 30 with Precision Aiming, or even up to skill 34 (the limit of the weapon) if they know your exact range.


All that in mind, here are some example rituals.



Sniper's Bane
Effects: Lesser Control Chance
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Traits (Cosmic Dodge) + Bestows a Bonus (Dodge rolls against Bullets, Narrow)
Greater Effects: 0 (x1)

This assumes a character with Dodge 7, price will be +5.25 (round final cost up) energy per +1 to base Dodge score. For the next hour, this ritual greatly increases the chance that the character will happen to move unpredictably just as the bullet should hit him, functionally giving him a Dodge, at +2, even if the character was completely unaware of the incoming attack. If the character is aware, he still benefits from a +2 to Dodge.

Lesser Control Chance (5) + Altered Trait (Cosmic Dodge, only against Bullets) (21) + Bestows a Bonus (Narrow) 2 (2) + Duration, 1 hour (3). 32 energy (32x1).

Sniper's Bane is appropriate for a Magician, giving him a roll against 9 (or +2 to Dodge if he's aware). If he can get a grimoire or rack up some discounts, he can manage a higher roll. A Witch will likely boost the Bonus to +4 for +6 energy as well as making their entire actual Dodge score Cosmic. Increasing Duration may also be worthwhile - for only +4 energy, you'll only need to renew it around once a day.




Bestows a Bonus + Enhanced Dodge will work nicely here, as it will improve your chances of avoiding the attack. However, if your foe has enough ammo to keep going for several rounds, you'll want some cover - see below.

Create Wall
Effects: Greater Create Matter
Inherent Modifiers: None
Greater Effects: 1(x3)

This ritual creates a wall of dirt, hard-packed clay on the outside and coarse sand inside. The wall is large enough to crouch behind and gives DR 28 (enough to stop 8d).

Greater Create Matter (5) + Subject Weight, 1,000 lb (4) + Duration, 1 minute (1). 30 energy (10x3)

Create Wall is appropriate for a Magician, although he'll probably need to find some extra energy to make it into a Charm or Conditional. I'm assuming the wall is close enough to raw materials to not need a crafting roll, and I'm also going under the assumption that it has a density of around 96 lb/cf and gives DR 3/inch. The above wall is a yard wide and 1.5 yards tall - for the same energy, you could make a wall that you could stand behind (1 yard by 2 yards), but it would only give DR 21 (still good enough for up to 6d). If you're willing to lay behind the wall (1 yard by 0.5 yards or so), you could eke DR 83 out of it.
If the character knows how to make a wall out of steel (probably requiring a crafting roll), he might be able to get better DR out of that. Steel has a density somewhere around 500 lb/cf and gives DR 70/inch, so the above walls would end up much thinner but give DR 124, 93, and 373, respectively.
A Witch can make a much larger wall, as 123 energy is enough for a ridiculous amount of material - around 1.5x10^15 tons.




Your best bet here is to just not go through the area.

Blink
Effects: Greater Create Crossroads
Inherent Modifiers: Speed
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

This creates a momentary portal that transports the character and his gear (up to a total weight of 300 lb) 5 yards in an instant.

Greater Create Crossroads (5) + Speed, 5 yards/second (2) + Subject Weight, 300 lb (3). 30 energy (10x3).

This can work for a Magician, provided cover (which may be defined simply as "area not being hosed down by MG fire") is only 5 yards away. A Witch is going to get a lot more out of it, however - every +3 energy is +1 SSR to how far it takes you, meaning a 51 energy ritual could instantly transport you 70 yards away. If the Witch gets a little crazy and decides to go all-out with a 123 energy ritual, he can go nearly 400 miles away.
I should note here that some GM's may require you to pay for both Range and Speed, as you're basically opening another portal at your destination. I would probably use the Long-Distance Modifiers for that, which is going to mean that tactical movement is going to be only +0 energy (+0 is enough for up to 200 yards). Blink can be used as a "blocking" spell, teleporting out of the way of an attack.




Any of the above options can work, honestly. With single shots that the character is aware of, he's got a potentially nasty option to work with.

Reflect Bullet
Effects: Greater Control Matter
Inherent Modifiers: Altered Traits, DR (Ablative, Active Defense, Directional: Front Arc, Reflective, Bullets Only) + Bestows a Bonus (Using this DR, Narrow)
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

Once activated, this allows the character to redirect bullets being fired at him from in front to strike the shooter instead (see B47). This lasts up to 1 minute, or until 3 points of damage have been redirected, whichever occurs first. Actually redirecting the bullet requires a roll against DX/2+4.

Greater Control Matter (5) + Altered Traits, DR 3 (3) + Bestows a Bonus (Narrow) 1 (1) + Duration, 1 minute (1). 30 energy (10x3).

For a Magician, this needs to be combined with actual DR - it only lets you ignore another 3 points of damage, but when a chunk of your foe's bullet comes whizzing back at him, he's likely to think twice about shooting at you again. A Witch can get some proper use out of this ritual, however - it's +3 energy per +1 DR, so he could get up to DR 34 for 123 energy - nearly enough to send back a 10d attack.

These are amazing. Will you marry me? =p

[MechaMage]

My own two cents:

If cost is an issue (e.g. the magician), it might be cheaper to set up something utilising a parry mechanic instead of a DR mechanic. Perhaps using Control Energy to allow a Path of Energy/2+3 roll to redirect bullets to avoid the caster - if the caster has different specialties, Control Mind/Body could also both be substituted against mortal shooters, etc. Range needs would be higher if using magic to affect the shooter, not their bullets. To overcome the need to know about the shooter, things like Sense Mind (to detect hostile intent) or Sense Energy/Matter (to detect material projectiles) might be used, or maybe Create Mind to automate the defense? Would have to talk to the GM about the specific mechanics.

...in the case of charms, mind, grimoires really would make the spells a lot more feasible energy-wise. I know it was specified not to use them, but personally I would expect a lot of casters expecting guns to be a risk to make an effort to acquire a spellbook relevant to anti-bullet protection - certainly, if they intend to be on a team running around with a lot of guns themselves. Friendly fire isn't. :)

[Kalzazz]

Oftentimes grimoires are 'things of the ancients'

The Ancients didn't usually fight many AK-47s

[MechaMage]

The Ancients, depending on how old they are, might have encountered bows, or at least thrown rocks. The situation might be similar enough (if it's a Control Chance to make a hit less likely or a Destroy Energy to stop a projectile) to retain the same ritual definition? Depends on how Ancient our Ancients are, I suppose.

[oneofmanynameless]

Also very much depends on setting and how difficult it is to make a grimoire. No reason a modern witch couldn't make a grimoire for a modern spell. Guns have been around for five hundred years or so in the west, protection against them could be equally as old.

On the other end of the spectrum you might end up with EXTREMELY ancient grimoires that date back to ancient and fallen civilization with highly advanced technology (e.g. Atlantis) or that were made to help primitive ritualists deal with invading aliens!!!

[PK]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

Oftentimes grimoires are 'things of the ancients'

The Ancients didn't usually fight many AK-47s

I'd just like to point out that you can legitimately buy a grimoire for the Computerized Ally spell (p. 40), which is optimized for casting onto a USB flash drive. So it's definitely a thing that grimoires are constantly being invented and updated; there are rules for allowing PCs to do so on p. 32.

[ajardoor]

I stated out a ritual that disabled firearms by rendering the bullets loaded inert - basically, causing the ammo to become duds.

A simple ritual can easily make a gun jam.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by ajardoor

I stated out a ritual that disabled firearms by rendering the bullets loaded inert - basically, causing the ammo to become duds.

A simple ritual can easily make a gun jam.

Lesser Destroy Matter to foul up the gunpowder?