Affliction + Dread = Cheat?

[onetrikpony]

It seems to me that Affliction: Disadvantage, Dread (see B36, B133) is a cheat, depending on which aspects of the Traits apply.

Affliction: Disadvantage is resisted by HT, Lasts for minutes x (Target MOF) and targets a single opponent.

Dread; has no resistance, is an area effect based on the level of the disadvantage.

Which aspects supersede? Would this power be resisted or not? Would it have an area effect or single target?

If the area effect an no resistance roll apply then this definitely beats out a 15pt True Faith.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by onetrikpony

Which aspects supersede? Would this power be resisted or not? Would it have an area effect or single target?

Huh? This seems quite simple. You afflict a target with the disadvantage. They get a HT roll to resist the affliction. If they fail to resist, they now have a Dread of something (presumably, you), until the affliction duration expires. Then they don't have a Dread anymore.

[Shuckster]

So Id think this affliction would be vs Will rather than vs HT just because it pertains to a mental condition.

I'm not sure if dread can actually be used for player characters, since the disadvantage only says it can be applied to an "Item or Substance" so if you aren't able to have "dread: my character" as the disadvantage than it couldn't work that way. If it could though lets compare that affliction to a modified True faith.

the Divine Power supplement lists powerups for true faith:
True Faith (Reliable 10, +50%; Turning, +65%) [33]

To have it work on everyone instead of just monsters/undead you could slap a "Cosmic" modifier on it.

True faith would not be resistible the way an affliction would be so the trade off is that your affliction won't always be successful the way this cosmic true faith would be. If you're up against opponents with a ton of HT they may never actually be affected by it at all.

[DangerousThing]

Dread is a supernatural disadvantage that any character could have in the right campaign.

You would have to define the item that the Dread applies to (what the target character would be "afraid" of).

The character point cost of this is determined by the radius and the rareness of the dreaded thing.

I don't think this is any worse than other afflictions.

[onetrikpony]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Huh? This seems quite simple. You afflict a target with the disadvantage.

Dread has Levels that increase the Area of the Dread Effect. What if my affliction inflicts level 10 Dread (20 point disadvantage), +20% to the CP value of affliction? Is the Affliction now an area effect rather than a targeted attack?

10CP - Affliction: Disadvantage, Dread level 10
+20% Dread level 10 [-10 points], 10 yard radius [10 (B133)
12 points

If the area effect of the disadvantage supersedes the targeted attack nature of Affliction then, does the unresisted effect of Dread also supersede the resistance roll allowed by Affliction?

Regardless, if Affliction+Dread is possible then you get the effect of True Faith without having to make more than 1 concentration maneuver.

It's obvious to me that this is not the way Affliction: (Disadvantage) should work, in this case, but it's not obvious as to Why by RAW.

Originally Posted by Shuckster

So Id think this affliction would be vs Will rather than vs HT just because it pertains to a mental condition.

I'm not sure if dread can actually be used for player characters, since the disadvantage only says it can be applied to an "Item or Substance"

I agree it should be a will roll but Afflictions are specifically resisted by HT. To be precise I'd use; Based on Different Attribute; (Will) +20% (B102)

My understanding is that there is no RAW restriction as to which Disadvantages can be applied to a target by Affliction (B35). Of course the GM is final arbiter.

Thanks for your thoughts

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by onetrikpony

Dread has Levels that increase the Area of the Dread Effect. What if my affliction inflicts level 10 Dread (20 point disadvantage), +20% to the CP value of affliction? Is the Affliction now an area effect rather than a targeted attack?

No, not at all. To make the affliction an area effect, you buy the Area Effect enhancement on the affliction. The GURPS advantage system has a meta-rule that you have to buy what you get: twisted interpretations looking for free synergies are not supported.

[ericthered]

Perhaps he meats terror rather than dread?

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by onetrikpony

Regardless, if Affliction+Dread is possible then you get the effect of True Faith without having to make more than 1 concentration maneuver.

True Faith is totally irresistible. And doesn't require you to target the enemies it repels in any way. You could give an Affliction those characteristics, but it would involve quite expensive (and GM guidance required) Enhancements.

Originally Posted by onetrikpony

It's obvious to me that this is not the way Affliction: (Disadvantage) should work, in this case, but it's not obvious as to Why by RAW.

You seem to be oddly confused about properties of the trait being afflicted vs. properties of the Affliction advantage. They're completely separate. You can afflict a very complex advantage or disadvantage, but none of that complexity changes how Affliction works. And conversely you could pile loads of modifiers onto Affliction without changing anything about the mechanics of the afflicted trait.

[onetrikpony]

Originally Posted by johndallman

The GURPS advantage system has a meta-rule that you have to buy what you get: twisted interpretations looking for free synergies are not supported.

Thank you; Where is this explicit or implicit in a book?

I just want to know why; if you use an affliction to apply a trait that has an area of effect, Why that area of effect is disregarded.

If I use affliction to apply Dread, Psi Static or Obscure (Each effects a 2 yard radius) on the the ground where I stand does the area effect work then?

If I Afflict my Hat With Dread, Psi Static or Obscure Does the area of effect move with me?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by onetrikpony

I just want to know why; if you use an affliction to apply a trait that has an area of effect, Why that area of effect is disregarded.

It isn't. You're using two separate effects, and their separation is significant.

You use the affliction. Affliction, by default, targets a single creature/object; to afflict several close together, buy Area Effect on the Affliction. If the affliction works (is not resisted), then the target acquires the trait you're afflicting.

That trait is the second effect. If it has an area effect that operates normally, but that only applies to the trait, not to the means used to afflict the trait.

For an example, consider a magical potion, whose drinker acquired a Dread. That makes sense as a concept, but it makes little sense for everyone close to the drinker to acquire the same Dread.