Granting and Curing Afflictions

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by bonafidenubbin

Okay, I definitely was unclear somehow! Sorry.

The demon straight-up has Modular Abilities, yeah. She doesn't self-afflict them.

She afflicts Enthrall on someone else, which in turn unlocks HER Modular Ability. So Afflicting Enthrall on Joe Schmoe gives the demon the 'fuel' to use her Modular Ability, but only for one thing, once, that Joe Schmoe requesred.

So she does not affect the enthralled individual at all- she gives herself a modular ability to then use on the targets behalf (so if they wished for gold she might give herself transmutation)?

There are a few threads on the forums about 'grant CP' -which is effectively what you are trying to achieve; I think?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by bonafidenubbin

Okay, I definitely was unclear somehow! Sorry.

The demon straight-up has Modular Abilities, yeah. She doesn't self-afflict them.

She afflicts Enthrall on someone else, which in turn unlocks HER Modular Ability. So Afflicting Enthrall on Joe Schmoe gives the demon the 'fuel' to use her Modular Ability, but only for one thing, once, that Joe Schmoe requesred.

I feel like there is a "one attempt per target per trigger" limitation but I can't find it now.

[munin]

Originally Posted by bonafidenubbin

Yeah, I'm fine with expensive given what I'm trying to do …

I'm pretty versed in GURPS, but this is such a complex power that I don't want to neglect the possibility there's a 100-pt version out there instead of my 200-pt version. Why shoot yourself in the foot unnecessarily?

One thing you can do to bring the cost down is to move the base Affliction out of the Modular Ability and then, instead of limiting the MA to allocating Afflictions of a certain type, limit it to improving that one specific Affliction.

Instead of:

Modular Ability (Limited, Afflictions with Advantage/Cumulative/Permanent)

you do (or whatever you're doing):

Affliction (Cumulative; Permanent) + Modular Ability (Limited, Improve associated affliction only)

That way you're just paying regular points for the Affliction rather than whatever multiple points the MA would cost for it (quite a bit in the case of this Affliction), and you only pay the MA multiple points for what's actually changing each time.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by bonafidenubbin

The way I want the powerset to work, she makes a pact with some hapless but willing target. That pact lends her an ability to grant the target's wish, so long as it falls within the purview of possible via physical flesh-molding, but also leaves a brand on the target's soul. As the target makes more and more pacts, they fall under her control.

My design right now is this, simplifying down to the core modifiers:

Affliction (Enthrall):
Accessibility: Only on willing;
Cumulative;
Permanent (With Dispelling Conditions: Dispelled by Cure Affliction);
Disadvantage(Enthrall: a new disadvantage that, at maximum level, adds a version of Reprogrammable subject only to the Enthraller).

Modular Abilities:
Slotted Cosmic Power, 40 points;
Trigger (Only accessible in response to Enthrall);
Physical Only (required to make Affliction an option);
Trait-Limited (can only be used for Afflictions).

So, her willing target agrees to take a level of Enthrall, which then unlocks her Modular Ability; she designs a beneficial Affliction that gives them the ability they contracted for, as much as she can within a 40-point window.

That Cosmic slot is going to have a problem doing much if you want it to be permanent.

How about
Affliction (IQ, Accessibility, Only willing subjects, -20%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Demon Boon, +3000%; +3130&) 323 points if I did the math right?


Demon Boon is Morph (Improvised Forms, +100%; No Memorization Required, +50%; Unlimited +50%; +200%) [300]
This allows any 0 point cost form and all forms include the Repgrammable Disadvantage which gives them a bit extra to work with. Buying up the forms beyond that only costs 1 point each.
ie, each extra point in the pool is 1 point or a+10% to the Affliction which on a 10 point base power is 1 point. The math works differently if you have enough of a limitation to lower the cost below 10 points but I think that is rather unlikely here.

[bonafidenubbin]

Originally Posted by Refplace

That Cosmic slot is going to have a problem doing much if you want it to be permanent.

How about
Affliction (IQ, Accessibility, Only willing subjects, -20%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Demon Boon, +3000%; +3130&) 323 points if I did the math right?


Demon Boon is Morph (Improvised Forms, +100%; No Memorization Required, +50%; Unlimited +50%; +200%) [300]
This allows any 0 point cost form and all forms include the Repgrammable Disadvantage which gives them a bit extra to work with. Buying up the forms beyond that only costs 1 point each.
ie, each extra point in the pool is 1 point or a+10% to the Affliction which on a 10 point base power is 1 point. The math works differently if you have enough of a limitation to lower the cost below 10 points but I think that is rather unlikely here.

Hmmm. I'm having trouble seeing how this approach is better, to be honest - it costs more than twice as much as my most expensive formulation and I don't think gives much more. For 323 points, assuming it is in fact reasonable to slap the -80% 'one use only per enthrall' limit on, I could expand my build to something utterly ludicrous like a 200-CP slot Modular Ability instead. (Which is a lot more than what I want, honestly.)

[bonafidenubbin]

Originally Posted by munin

One thing you can do to bring the cost down is to move the base Affliction out of the Modular Ability and then, instead of limiting the MA to allocating Afflictions of a certain type, limit it to improving that one specific Affliction.

So, I have the one Affliction that IS cumulative/permanent (Enthrall), and then the Modular Ability for the benefit - they're already separate.

[bonafidenubbin]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

I feel like there is a "one attempt per target per trigger" limitation but I can't find it now.

That'd be fantastic, if it is out there. I might just ask my GM what he'd allow for that. But you agree that Modular Ability should reasonably take such a limitation in my build if she can't redefine OR use the ability she designs after one shot?

[bonafidenubbin]

Originally Posted by starslayer

So she does not affect the enthralled individual at all- she gives herself a modular ability to then use on the targets behalf (so if they wished for gold she might give herself transmutation)?

There are a few threads on the forums about 'grant CP' -which is effectively what you are trying to achieve; I think?

Originally I was thinking 'grant CP', but it's so powerful and crazy, I preferred to do it in a more roleplay-heavy sense... I grant them a power, they pay for it later. (And the power itself is nothing too big.)

But her powers are also extremely limited to the sphere of anything that can be done with shapeshifting. So she can't give you gold, but she can make you taller, stronger, more handsome, give you an extra arm, etc...

[munin]

Originally Posted by bonafidenubbin

So, I have the one Affliction that IS cumulative/permanent (Enthrall), and then the Modular Ability for the benefit - they're already separate.

Unless the Modular Ability is allocating Afflictions (or improving an Affliction), how does it improve the enthralled person?

[bonafidenubbin]

Originally Posted by munin

Unless the Modular Ability is allocating Afflictions (or improving an Affliction), how does it improve the enthralled person?

The Modular Ability grants the demon a new Affliction she customizes to improve the enthralled person, possibly permanently but more likely temporarily.

Joe Schmoe wants to be handsome, he contracts with the demon and gains Enthrall 1; the demon's Modular Ability unlocks, she configures it to grant Affliction (Advantage, handsome; Duration: Permanent). For one example where I could likely afford permanence.