[powers Affliction] Stun-locking?

[Maz]

I have somehow used affliction wrong for all these years.

Here is how I now read affliction.
If you hit; target makes a HT+1 check at a penalty equal to your Affliction level.
If they fail they are stunned. Each turn they roll against HT to recover at the same penalty as the initial roll.

This means if I buy an level 11 affliction they are at -10 to that HT roll. So most will never make it, ever. They just stay stunned then?
And no this does not have to be expensive It's quite easy to get Affliction down to 2 pts per level.


Here is how I mistakenly always played affliction.
If you hit; target makes a HT+1 check at a penalty equal to your Affliction level.
If they fail they are stunned for a number of seconds equal to margin of failure. After which they may roll each turn to to recover, at a penalty equal to the initial penalty, but at +1 cumulative bonus per turn.

I have no idea how I came to that conclusion. It seems to be a weird mix of the Surprise stun-rules and the "equal to margin of error" part of how Disadvantages on affliction works.



Anyway. My question is now twofold:
First: Is "how I read it now" the correct way? If so, isn't it problematic?

And number two: How can I modify affliction to work as I thought it did (as I quite like that way).

Actually I have a third question. Does "how I read it now" mean that how well I make an attack roll for an affliction with malediction, just gives a penalty to the initial stun roll, but not to further rolls to recover?

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Maz

I have somehow used affliction wrong for all these years.

Here is how I now read affliction.
If you hit; target makes a HT+1 check at a penalty equal to your Affliction level.
If they fail they are stunned. Each turn they roll against HT to recover at the same penalty as the initial roll.

This means if I buy an level 11 affliction they are at -10 to that HT roll. So most will never make it, ever. They just stay stunned then?
And no this does not have to be expensive It's quite easy to get Affliction down to 2 pts per level.

This way. But they succeed on a 3 or 4.
The second way is an optional method using the modifier Based on MoS.

Originally Posted by Maz

Actually I have a third question. Does "how I read it now" mean that how well I make an attack roll for an affliction with malediction, just gives a penalty to the initial stun roll, but not to further rolls to recover?

Maledictions work like spells so Rule of 16 applies. p. B349 that affects initial success but the HT roll to recover still has a penalty (though based on MoS)

I have always seen the initial roll as a Resistance roll with Rule of 16 applying, but might be a common house rule as the book is a bit confusing.
It says this first.... "If you hit, your victim gets a HT+1 roll to resist. " Rule of 16 would apply here.
Later on though..."If the victim makes his HT roll, he is unaffected. If he fails, he suffers the effects of the Affliction." never noticed the change in wording before.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Maz

Here is how I mistakenly always played affliction.
If you hit; target makes a HT+1 check at a penalty equal to your Affliction level.
If they fail they are stunned for a number of seconds equal to margin of failure. After which they may roll each turn to to recover, at a penalty equal to the initial penalty, but at +1 cumulative bonus per turn.

I have no idea how I came to that conclusion. It seems to be a weird mix of the Surprise stun-rules and the "equal to margin of error" part of how Disadvantages on affliction works.

The "Backlash" limitation (GURPS Power-Ups 8 pg 11) uses language like that:

If you get a HT roll to resist, and the effects last for minutes (seconds) equal to your margin of failure, halve this.

It's based upon various Affliction effects, so maybe this influenced your thinking?

Originally Posted by Maz

And number two: How can I modify affliction to work as I thought it did (as I quite like that way).

B34 has Incapacitation work for MoS minutes, so you could reduce that to seconds (reduced duration) you just need to select "reduced duration" as a limited enhancement (not for the overall advantage) and then buy back "Stunning" with a +10% enhancement which takes effect after that.

B428 "In addition to their other effects, you’re effectively stunned". Closest might be "Daze", which is in the cheap tier with hallucination/retching.

It's sort of unclear to me if you can active defend (as intro implies) or if "you can do nothing" means no defenses. The literal "Do Nothing" maneuver does allow them so I'm not sure that phrase necessarily forbids it...