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Old 07-29-2014, 06:27 AM   #1
Juca
 
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Hi guys. For our upcoming game, we are trying to emulate some "feats" from Pathfinder (yes, I know, yada yada we should not try to readly translate the other games mechanics in Gurps mechanics, but some things are too fun to be left out), and one of the things that are bugging us is how to make a limitation that lets an advantage being used only during one attack, something like this:

Power Attack: Striking ST +4 (costs fatigue -5%, hard to use -5%, limited duration: one attack -X%).

How should us price it? Thanks!
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Old 07-29-2014, 06:33 AM   #2
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Maximum Duration (1 second) -75% (Powers p.111)? However, that makes it into an 'encounter power', it can only be activated once every 5 minutes.

Otherwise, I would double the modification for activating the power. Normally it would last 1 minute, but having to pay the price every time you use it... double the discount is probably fair.
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Old 07-29-2014, 07:01 AM   #3
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The Pathfinder Power Attack can be used on every attack, if desired. Certainly, you only roll one at a time. But it's not a 1/day sort of power. Emulating that feat wouldn't call for any duration limitation. It's just an ability you can choose to use or not.

There's also no fatigue cost on PF. The reason you might not always use PA is the penalty to hit.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat...combat---final

For GURPS, rather than create an ability, I'd probably houserule a new Maneuver. For comparison, Committed Attack gives you a penalty to defense in exchange for bonus damage. But here, we want a penalty to attack in exchange for bonus damage. Say, take -2 to hit / +1 damage, or -4 hit / +2 damage, with no effect on active defenses.
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Old 07-29-2014, 07:09 AM   #4
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I'm Anders and I endorse this solution.
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Old 07-29-2014, 07:14 AM   #5
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Yes, Anaraxis, maybe power attack was not the best choice to sample here, but we are making "power maneuvers" that are sort of encounter power, but on Pathfinder, the explanation is that it is taxing for the user, thats why we chose to use "costs fatigue" in GURPs.
Anders, what should I double, the fatigue cost "discount"? (-10% per fatigue point instead of -5%?).

Thanks again!
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Old 07-29-2014, 07:19 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Juca View Post
Yes, Anaraxis, maybe power attack was not the best choice to sample here, but we are making "power maneuvers" that are sort of encounter power, but on Pathfinder, the explanation is that it is taxing for the user, thats why we chose to use "costs fatigue" in GURPs.
Anders, what should I double, the fatigue cost "discount"? (-10% per fatigue point instead of -5%?).

Thanks again!
If you want an 'encounter power', you want Maximum Duration - for -75% it lasts for no more than 30 seconds and can't be reactivated for five minutes. If you make a lot of 'power maneuvers', then I strongly recommend getting Powers and making liberal use of that limitation. My doubling of the Fatigue Point discount was off the top of my head, there's nothing official or play-tested about it.
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Old 07-29-2014, 08:28 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Juca View Post
Yes, Anaraxis, maybe power attack was not the best choice to sample here, but we are making "power maneuvers" that are sort of encounter power, but on Pathfinder, the explanation is that it is taxing for the user, thats why we chose to use "costs fatigue" in GURPs.
Anders, what should I double, the fatigue cost "discount"? (-10% per fatigue point instead of -5%?).

Thanks again!
Actually, I think it's a nice example, because it slams you right into the differences between GURPS and D&D. Many feats would be, in my opinion, little more than perks. They're neat tricks or access to a special rule or a very minor bonus.

If you want genuine minor powers, check out some of the options from DF Power-Ups. If you're looking for a system of "encounter powers" as a resource that the heroes need to manage, consider the -75% rule that Anders suggested. I don't know how you'd build daily powers. Though I think in both cases, a fatigue system is more appropriate to GURPS as it better takes advantage of how the system works.

Let me expand the general advice against converting mechanics into GURPS. Games exist in a certain mechanical context. They balance on certain strategic points and focus on certain elements. D&D tends to center around a certain economy of actions, power-based resource management (at least 4e. I'm less familiar with other editions, though spells certainly work this way in all editions), and spatial manipulation. GURPS also centers on certain mechanical considerations, but it makes more use of time as a mechanic, it's far less abstract, is far more granular, and has a completely different set of resource management tools (mostly FP).

The best way to "convert" something from D&D to GURPS is to understand what about the game mechanics you find "fun." I'll help you: Fun gameplay tends to involve interesting choices and evolving emergence of play. A good D&D game not only involves the interesting choice of what power to use when (because you can only use it once!), but the powers also typically inflict lasting consequences that reshape the battlefield. When you're looking at that interplay, pick out what you like, and find a way to get similar fun in GURPS.

If that seems too difficult for you, I return you to your previously stated "don't convert between systems" advice. Just grab DF and don't look back.
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Old 07-29-2014, 08:31 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
If you want an 'encounter power', you want Maximum Duration - for -75% it lasts for no more than 30 seconds and can't be reactivated for five minutes. If you make a lot of 'power maneuvers', then I strongly recommend getting Powers and making liberal use of that limitation. My doubling of the Fatigue Point discount was off the top of my head, there's nothing official or play-tested about it.
You could argue that it's official:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Characters, p.111
If an advantage that produces continuing effects only lasts one second, and you must pay the cost to maintain it every second, this doubles the value of the limitation to -10% per FP.
Also, the Power Attack could probably be considered Committed Attack: Strong from Martial Arts. The Extra Option perk could be used to gate this, so that only those with Extra Option (Committed Attack) can use that rule. In essence, that would make it an application of what Mailanka talks about.

Last edited by WingedKagouti; 07-29-2014 at 08:40 AM.
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Old 07-29-2014, 08:49 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mailanka View Post
I don't know how you'd build daily powers.
Useable 1/day?

Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedKagouti View Post
You could argue that it's official:
Well, I'll be damned. I now officially pronounce myself Genius! :)

(I've probably read that and forgotten all about it).
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Old 08-15-2014, 02:55 PM   #10
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Sorry to ressurect this topic, but I guess it's better than creating another topic.
I have yet another question about powers, this time Afflictions:
One bard in our group want to have the ability to "Inspire Courage" on one fellow delver, and we tried to build it as follow:
Affliction 1 (Advantage: fearleness 2 +40%, hearing-based +150%, bard-song -30%, takes extra time - 1 second -10%) [25]. The cost seems a little too high, but this is another topic.
With this affliction he can give the advantage to one target at 100 yards, right? Even with hearing-based, does he still needs to "hit"? What about the duration, that is stated as minutes x margin of failure, can the target simply chose to fail? What will be the margin that way?
Also, he wants to eventually be able to affect two targets at the same time, how can we built this ability? We tried using: Extra Attack (only one attack -60%, not the same target -20%, linked with the affliction +10%)[8]. What do you think?

Thanks again!
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