Danger Sense in Dungeon Fantasy

[Ragitsu]

Could Danger Sense warn you about STDs/STIs? If not, what kind of Enhancement percentage increases are we looking at here?

[TroyGuffey]

Danger Sense shouldn't go off just because you've entered the dungeon! That kind of thing would make it useless.

It should warn you just before you are going to perform an act that will put you in the way of physical harm, and/or perhaps capture.

It should go off just in time before you step on that land mine, enter the ambush zone, before you leave the cover between you and the sniper, step into the path of the avalanche that someone is about to trigger.

It shouldn't go off just because you've entered a room with a trap, unless that trap is triggered by entering the room; but only when you're about to trigger a trap.

[RedMattis]

Originally Posted by TroyGuffey

Danger Sense shouldn't go off just because you've entered the dungeon! That kind of thing would make it useless.

It should warn you just before you are going to perform an act that will put you in the way of physical harm, and/or perhaps capture.

It should go off just in time before you step on that land mine, enter the ambush zone, before you leave the cover between you and the sniper, step into the path of the avalanche that someone is about to trigger.

It shouldn't go off just because you've entered a room with a trap, unless that trap is triggered by entering the room; but only when you're about to trigger a trap.

Second that. This is about how Danger Sense works, not how to make Danger Sense not work. If GMs don't want Delvers with Danger Sense in their dungeons, force them to take a defence-roll limited (aka. combat limited) version, or limited to be more vague 'in the field', but as usual in combat.

[Fish]

I agree that it isn't fair to allow a player to spend points on an Advantage and then deny him its use. I just don't think "unlimited plot detection" is covered in the ... what, 15 points you spend on Danger Sense, so the GM is advised to be justifiably cautious in how he interprets the power.

If Danger Sense only covers immediate, life-threatening danger — I forget exactly how it's worded — it would technically be useless against someone who is trying to cripple him. The Mafia sends out Vinnie to break the player's thumbs for non-payment of a debt. Immediate danger? Yes. Life-threatening? No. But the player would be justifiably upset if you didn't allow him the opportunity to detect such a danger.

[SCAR]

Here's something to think about.
Danger Sense is included in Precognition.
15 points for Danger Sense, 25 for Precognition which gives a comparitive measure of how useful they are.

Precognition only gives information that your “future self” could learn and that would matter to you.
This might seem obvious, but it remove some situations which the character would not encounter themselves.

Precognition is normally limited to “seeing” into the near future – perhaps a week or so.
A Week! - Danger Sense for a week ahead would not be very helpful. It would be going off before you even set off for the Dungeon!

There is no particular range limit on Precognition.

Perhaps applying suitable limitations with -40% to Precognition to get it down to 15 points might give an idea of how Danger Sense as limited Precognition might work?

[Bruno]

I personally think all the GMs who would roll whenever guy with Danger Sense walks into a room with a cursed dagger in it somewhere are VASTLY over-stating the sensitivity of the advantage.

It gives you that warning Just In Time to take action. Not "at some time far in advance, convenient to the character, so he can do a lot of planning and make sure to pack bandaids".

In cases where the Player is initiating the dangerous action (reaching out for the cursed dagger with the Deathtouch spell linked to it, about to step on the concealed pit, pulling the lever that opens the sluicegates and floods the room) a successful Danger Sense roll lets the player abort.
"As you reach for the dagger, you feel a horrible sickening lurch in your stomach."

In cases where the Player is NOT initiating the action, but something else is (anything from an ambush by hidden goblins disguised as statues, through a "friendly" about to backstab him, all the way to a timed clockwork deathtrap that activates every 5 minutes exactly) a successful DS roll means the player cannot be caught by Surprise and MUST get an Active Defense or other "chance to act".

Depending on the exact nature of the threat and the circumstances, I might allow the character one Move action to run and jump behind cover or out of the area of effect (for an explosion or a falling slab of granite), or to slam the door shut before the charging minotaur can get through, or another simple, one-second action. mostly Move/Change Posture, Concentrate, and Ready actions.

My minimum standard for these "reactive" events is an Active Defense. If the AD isn't possible, then something else, and suggestions are often solicited from the players. But the player only gets something inbetween "An Active Defense" and "One turn". Nothing more than that.

[Hannes665]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I personally think all the GMs who would roll whenever guy with Danger Sense walks into a room with a cursed dagger in it somewhere are VASTLY over-stating the sensitivity of the advantage.

It gives you that warning Just In Time to take action. Not "at some time far in advance, convenient to the character, so he can do a lot of planning and make sure to pack bandaids".

In cases where the Player is initiating the dangerous action (reaching out for the cursed dagger with the Deathtouch spell linked to it, about to step on the concealed pit, pulling the lever that opens the sluicegates and floods the room) a successful Danger Sense roll lets the player abort.
"As you reach for the dagger, you feel a horrible sickening lurch in your stomach."

In cases where the Player is NOT initiating the action, but something else is (anything from an ambush by hidden goblins disguised as statues, through a "friendly" about to backstab him, all the way to a timed clockwork deathtrap that activates every 5 minutes exactly) a successful DS roll means the player cannot be caught by Surprise and MUST get an Active Defense or other "chance to act".

Depending on the exact nature of the threat and the circumstances, I might allow the character one Move action to run and jump behind cover or out of the area of effect (for an explosion or a falling slab of granite), or to slam the door shut before the charging minotaur can get through, or another simple, one-second action. mostly Move/Change Posture, Concentrate, and Ready actions.

My minimum standard for these "reactive" events is an Active Defense. If the AD isn't possible, then something else, and suggestions are often solicited from the players. But the player only gets something inbetween "An Active Defense" and "One turn". Nothing more than that.

I have always treated like quick warning, maybe 1-5 sec. So if a PC with Danger Sense walks into a room with a Dagger of Death sitting in a chest it does NOT kick in. On the other hand if there is a assassin hiding behind the door I would roll a secret Danger Sense roll and if the roll is made say something like "you got a weird feeling that you are being watched or that your not save." Then the PC would have 1-3 sec to react and so on....

Also if the PC with Danger Sense goes into a Dungeon I don't give him a roll by just entering the room. I will when he enters the Great Hall in the Dungeon and there are 9 orcs waiting to ambush him, then I would allow him to get a Tingle.

Spider-Man would I say has Danger Sense (if not Prec), with Reliability so he only fails on 17 or 18.

[martinl]

AFAICT, danger sense is plot armor against traditional "dungeon" traps, plus active defenses against surprise attacks.

Like combat reflexes, it is possibly too good for 15 points. Unlike combat reflexes, it fits badly with standard RPG conventions.

IMO.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Hannes665

Spider-Man would I say has Danger Sense (if not Prec), with Reliability so he only fails on 17 or 18.

I agree, it Franklin Richards in his Tattletale days is an example of Precognition. He got ghost images of event. (Saved him for a sneak snowball attack from Jack Power once)

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by Bruno

In cases where the Player is initiating the dangerous action (reaching out for the cursed dagger with the Deathtouch spell linked to it, about to step on the concealed pit, pulling the lever that opens the sluicegates and floods the room) a successful Danger Sense roll lets the player abort.
"As you reach for the dagger, you feel a horrible sickening lurch in your stomach.".

So for 15 points a PC can check for all the tricks and traps in a dungeon. I think this advantage is way too powerful for it's price. It essentially ruins all of the tricks and traps and allows a PC with it to undemine any thinking or contemplation about what to do with items found.