10-20-2014, 07:14 PM | #1 | |
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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[Basic] Advantage of the Week (#15): Binding
Last Week: Arm ST; Lifting ST; Striking ST
Next Week: Blessed Binding (p. B40) is one of the "attack" Advantages in the Basic Set, along with Affliction (which we have covered) and Innate Attack (which we have not). If they weren't so broad individually, I'd have merged them all into one but there is more than enough meat for discussion here. It is a Physical, Exotic Advantage that costs 2 points per level. Binding attacks hold a target in place; like many such Advantages you need to consider what specific mechanics you want, justified by the flavor of the character and setting. By default it is a range attack with 1/2D -, Max 100, Acc3, RoF1, Shots N/A and Recoil 1: as there is no half-damage range as there is no damage to halve. Assuming you hit your target, they are "grappled" as per p. B370. The victim is rooted in place at -4 to DX plus unable to select the Move or Change Posture maneuvers or even change facing. The effective ST of the Bind is equal to its Level, but (by default) you can layer attacks onto an already bound victim for +1 per layer. Still sticking to the default build, the Binding victim can break free by winning a Quick Contest of ST (or Escape Skill) versus the ST of the Binding; failure means a lost of 1 FP but may try again and whether it succeeds or fails the attempt takes one second. Unless you take the appropriate Enhancement, another option for someone trapped through Binding is to attempt to destroy it; the victim attacks at -4 unless using an Innate Attack (which hits automatically). There are not special penalties for those unaffected by Binding to attack the Binding of someone else (though penalties that would apply regardless, like lighting and footing would still apply). There is a risk of hitting the victim on a miss or through over penetration. Each point of damage reduces the ST of the Binding by 1 and it is destroyed at ST 0 (freeing the victim) but it also has DR equal to 1/3 the Binding level (rounded down). Modifiers Besides the generic modifiers from the Basic Set, Binding has six exclusive to it. Engulfing (+60%) means the attack pins the victim: no speaking or moving of limbs! The victim can still attempt to break free via ST (but no Escape), damage the binding with an Innate Attack or to use purely mental abilities. Escape attempts now take 10 seconds, and on a 17 or 18 the victim fails so badly that he no longer can escape on his own. Only Damaged By X (variable) means that only certain damage types (burning, corrosion, crushing or cutting) can damage the Binding. The value is +30% if only one of those applies, +20% for any two and +10% for any three. I am uncertain if this means that only those four types of damage can affect a Binding in the first place or if those are just the only ones the book felt like dealing with (a hypothetical Binding that can only be damage by Impaling damage is either somewhat odd, diabolical or perhaps both). Sticky (+20%) is treated as being persistent but only to those touching the original target of your attack. Unbreakable (+40%) means that your binding cannot be destroyed though a target can still attempt to break free. Moving onto Limitations, Environmental (variable) means your Binding works by manipulating some existing aspect of the environment and won't work if such a thing is lacking in the current location. Examples are -20% for something that requires the victim actually be touching the ground (not sure if that means "earth" or any sort of ground or even the floor) to -40% for something like the victim must be standing in dense vegetation. One Shot (-10%) I do understand; it simply prevents layering your Binding to increase its ST. Other Sources The GURPS FAQ has one entry for Binding: Quote:
So in your experience, how has Binding worked out? Is it well balanced, over or under powered, confusing or straightforward? Any particularly memorable uses or builds? Other Binding related topics you feel are worth discussing?
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) Last edited by Otaku; 11-03-2014 at 06:01 AM. |
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10-21-2014, 01:32 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
I have never used Binding.
Is it the forum's opinion that I am missing out?
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10-21-2014, 01:34 AM | #3 |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
A Rapid Fire (300) Selective Area Area Effect at level 1 seems to be one of the more powerful builds. I once played an Improvised Morph who was supposed to be swashbuckly and versatile; I ended up mostly morphing this web launcher, and relegated to a support role, because it was that good.
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10-21-2014, 04:59 AM | #4 | |
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Australia WA
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
Quote:
As for Binding itself, I've only ever used it once, as part of a super powered "dice" ability, the character formed dice made of energy in his hand and threw them at the opponent, each of his 6 abilities had a 1 in 6 chance of activating. Sadly, I only ever got to play him once, but his first roll did chain down the Super who was built up to be near unstoppable, so I was pretty satisfied with it. It makes a great way to stop opponents without damaging them. |
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10-21-2014, 05:10 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
Not really. Past a certain level, every doubling of RoF gives +1 to hit, and thus +1 shot hitting the target (at Rcl 1). The only times I've seen it grossly exploited is when combined with Area Effect, to justify having all shots hit the target. That is clearly not the intent of 4e's Rapid Fire mechanics.
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10-21-2014, 05:40 AM | #6 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
Quote:
I mean, you shoot three hundred 'grenades' into a big room. Where do you think they will fall? |
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10-21-2014, 06:04 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
Quote:
My preferred approach for cluster-bomb attacks is to build the effects rather than the fluff. The effect is to fill a wide area with overlapping attacks, for a relatively consistent degree of damage within the area that falls off rapidly at the edges. So just build it like that - a single-shot Binding with a much wider area and higher ST. If this attack can be "tightened" for greater effect within a smaller area, buy that as an Alternative Attack. |
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10-21-2014, 06:20 AM | #8 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
Quote:
That being said, I wonder if there's a Krommquote or non-Basic rule explaining how Scatter interacts with RoF. |
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10-21-2014, 09:15 AM | #9 |
formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans'
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Wyoming, Michigan
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
I know one GM who used Binding with Engulfing for a petrification attack rather than an Affliction of permanent paralysis, heart attack, or a meta-disadvantage of "my body is now immobile stone".
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10-21-2014, 10:36 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week: Binding
Note that GURPS: Supers provides Super-Binding for Binding, which is basically Super-Effort for Binding. +400%, look up your binding level on the Super-Abiliies table (speed/range table) etc.
Constricting and high levels of Binding and/or Super-Binding make this a potent damaging attack in its own right. Suffocating isnt as useful, as lots of targets in Supers games dont breathe, and the remainder take a long time to drop unconscious from lack of air. Constricting is better. Binding (Super-Binding +400%; Unbreakable +40%; Constricting +75%) [12.3/level], especially at 8+ levels, can do gruesome things on a hit, as it does margin of victory on a ST vs (Binding Super Level) contest... Against non-super-ST targets, that can be death in 1 or 2 turns, and significant damage even to Super-ST targets who dont massively out-compete your binding ST. Add Selectivity +10% (12.5 /level) to have the option to not squeeze targets like tubes of cherry toothpaste. Constricting can be useful even in non-Supers games without Super-Binding, 4.3 /level for binding is pretty cheap for what it does. It mimics a rather expensive Innate Attack (Crushing, cyclic 1 second, Resistable, lots of cycles +50%xlots) [5 + 2.5xlots/level]. That build got a lot of play in one Supers style campaign. Disable and damage on a hit proved a valuable attack to have.
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