[DF] Power Up: Firetrap

[Faolyn]

Out of laziness (at least in part) I'm converting old D&D adventures to GURPS for my DF game rather than make my own. The only real problem I ever have with D&D-to-GURPS conversions are spells, and sometimes I have to translate them as powers (especially if they're spells that monsters use). The adventure I'm converting now has the spell Fire Trap--you know, you put the spell on an object, someone touches the object, the spell goes off, boom.

So I made it into a power, like the Magical Bolt from DF 11. So here it is. I'd welcome your opinions:


This is a Runic trap (a la DF 2) that can be bought as an ability, rather like the Magical Bolt power-up. It’s a rune, drawn on the item to be trapped. It remains dormant until activated (the item it is on is touched or opened) by someone other than the wizard who placed the rune, and it doesn’t burn the item it’s on. Once the firetrap has been activated, it's gone, and needs to be reset.

The stats are Burning Attack (Accessibility (Not on wizard who placed it), -5%; Contact Agent, -30%, Costs Fatigue (2 FP), -10%; Extended Duration (Permanent with Dispelling Conditions), +150%; Limited Use (Once only), -40%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; No Incendiary, -10%; Partial Dice, -1)

Damage Cost Prerequisite
1d-1 5 Magery 1
2d-2 12 Magery 2
3d-3 18 Magery 3
4d-4 24 Magery 4
5d-5 30 Magery 5
6d-6 37 Magery 6

The Magery prereq is pretty arbitrary (again, taken from Magical Bolt). I'm not entirely sure if both Melee Attack and Contact Agent are needed, but Contact Agent, for some reason, still seems to allow range (or at least it does in GCA). I wasn't sure about the Limited Use (Once Only), so I took the cost from Limited Use (Once per day), with the idea, technically, the wizard could use the power several times each day, but each rune only has a single use. It seems to even out, at least in my head.

Next stop: Explosive Runes.

ETA: I can't seem to get the damage/cost/prereq list to line up. :(

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Faolyn

The stats are Burning Attack (Accessibility (Not on wizard who placed it), -5%; Contact Agent, -30%, Costs Fatigue (2 FP), -10%; Extended Duration (Permanent with Dispelling Conditions), +150%; Limited Use (Once only), -40%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; No Incendiary, -10%; Partial Dice, -1)

This build looks a bit shaky. First, that Accessibility is clearly not a limitation - it's basically minor Selectivity. Most of these modifiers simply don't make sense on an Innate Attack - you need first to make it a placeable attack before you can make it Permanent. I think the way to go with this is a Triggered Delay, though in this case the unwitting adventurer is the one who provides the trigger. Unless you want it to last for centuries, you don't need really Permanent. Oh, and Triggered Delay can include that the caster can't trigger it himself, and could maybe let him designate other characters who won't trigger it either.

The Magery prereq is pretty arbitrary (again, taken from Magical Bolt). I'm not entirely sure if both Melee Attack and Contact Agent are needed, but Contact Agent, for some reason, still seems to allow range (or at least it does in GCA). I wasn't sure about the Limited Use (Once Only), so I took the cost from Limited Use (Once per day), with the idea, technically, the wizard could use the power several times each day, but each rune only has a single use. It seems to even out, at least in my head.

Yeah, drop Limited Use. Each attack only hits once anyways. Contact Agent is fine, meaning that the subject is only hurt if he touches the trap with bare skin. Melee Attack is fine too, meaning you can't place it somewhere you can't reach. The good news is that, despite dropping one big limit and adding an enhancement, with Permanent gone it's cheaper than before.

[Faolyn]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

This build looks a bit shaky.

Many thanks for the advice. I didn't even think about Trigger when I wrote it up, and that makes a lot more sense.

For some reason, my GCA isn't giving me Selective Effect (or Contact Agent...oddly, the older version of GCA I have on my computer at work had no problem with it), but I still can't imagine it's worth more than 5%. Anyway, I'll ignore that in favor of Trigger, and allow it because it's not an immediate attack.

The new build is: Burning Attack (Contact Agent, -30%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP, -10%; Delay: Triggered (not by caster or individuals specified by caster), +50%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; No Incendiary, -10%; Partial Dice (per die), -1; Selectivity: Caster doesn't trigger the effect, -5%). I assume you meant the +50% version of Triggered.

First level costs 3 points; second level costs 5 points; third level cots 8 points; fourth level costs 10 points; fifth level costs 13 points; and sixth level cots 15 points. Wow, that's pretty cheap.

Unless you want it to last for centuries, you don't need really Permanent.

Well, technically, in DF-style games, trapped items could have been left around for centuries... but yeah, it's probably not necessary.

So, Explosive Runes would then be...

Crushing Attack (Contact Agent, -30%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP -10%; Damage Modifier: Double Knockback, +20%; Damage Modifier: Explosion, +50%; Delay: Triggered (not by caster or individuals specified by caster), +50%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; Partial Dice, -1). Not quite sure how to mod it not harming the item it's place upon, as I did with No Incendiary above, but...

Level one is 6 points; level two is 14 points; level three is 21 points; level four is 29 points; level five is 36 points; and level six is 44 points.

[Walrus]

Originally Posted by Faolyn

Not quite sure how to mod it not harming the item it's place upon, as I did with No Incendiary above, but...

Selective Area, of course. Maybe tweaked to +10% for predetermined selectivity.