04-06-2017, 12:26 PM | #1 | |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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[Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
I tried a search of the forum, but the first 50 threads didn't seem to be what I'm looking for. The Feverish Defense rule as written on page 357 of the basic set:
Quote:
Question 1: Can you spend this fatigue point more than once per round (between your turns for the sticklers), to bolster more than one of your active defenses?The part of the definition that tells you that you can spend 1 FP to get a +2 to a single active defense roll is unclear to me. I get that when you spend 1 FP, a single defense gets a +2 bonus, but it doesn't say you can only spend 1 FP in a round. If I have a fencer that only has a -2 per additional parry, and he is trying to parry four incoming attacks, the first one is at no penalty. The second one is at -2, and he could spend a point of fatigue to make his second parry as likely as the first. Can he spend another point of fatigue on the third parry to reduce its penalty to -2 from -4? Can he spend two fatigue to reduce the penalty from -4 to 0? And how about on the fourth incoming attack? The part in parentheses seems to imply at least that you CAN use the feverish defense to help with additional defenses. I understand the word "single" in the definition to be making sure the reader understands that 1 FP doesn't improve all your defenses that round. And no part of the definition mentions spending more fatigue for even more of a bonus. So I'm not sure. Anyone have thoughts on this? Last edited by kdtipa; 04-06-2017 at 12:27 PM. Reason: typo correction |
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04-06-2017, 12:37 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
To clarify what I would guess...
Question 1: I would guess that "yes", you can choose to tire yourself out faster, and give a +2 to more than one defense in a round.I'm not sure I can explain why I think that way. And I'm definitely open to understanding other interpretations. I just figured I'd share what I was thinking. |
04-06-2017, 12:59 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
According to the Basic Set (p. B357), you spend the FP "before you make your attack or defense roll." (Emphasis in original). I read that as saying the FP expenditure for defenses isn't tied to your turn order - it happens just as you defend, you don't need to declare it on your turn or something. And there's nothing saying that you can't do so more than once, so I assume you can. So the answer to your first question is, yes, if you have the FP, you can spend it on each defense you make to boost it.
For the second question, it's a bit less clear from the text, but I'd say that no, you can't normally spend more than 1 FP on the Extra Effort in Combat options. However, I'd probably allow an Unusual Background, "Godlike Physical Effort", that replicated the rules for Godlike Extra Effort in Powers (p. 161) for physical feats - essentially, allowing you to spend extra FP and multiplying the Extra Effort bonus by the number of FP spent. I'd eyeball the Unusual Background cost at 5 points for one specific Extra Effort option, or 10 points for all such options. |
04-06-2017, 01:12 PM | #4 | ||
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Medford, MA
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
Pedant: Not between your turns...because there is no between your turns. Your turn starts when you choose a maneuver and ends when you choose a new maneuver...there is never a moment when you are not "in a turn"...this is important.
So, MA131 says of Extra Effort: Quote:
oFAQ on Extra Effort here: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-3.html#SS3.4.1.2 Says: Quote:
As for Question 2? No way. |
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04-06-2017, 07:50 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
I am entertained that you gave citation and reference to other sources to back up the answer to the first question, and then just said "no" for the second question. :)
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04-07-2017, 02:31 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Dec 2015
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
I would encourage you to run a session under your interpretation of the rules and then decide whether you would like to keep them in play. Personally I dislike Extra Effort but understand its purpose in giving PC's and skilled opponents a little bit of Plot Armour -- too much Plot Armour is boring though and no offense meant, but I would not in a million years use your interpretations myself.
What I imagine that you will see with 2 is players deciding to always pump their defenses to 12-ish unless they are absolutely sure that they can tank the shot. Feints, Ripostes, Deceptive Attacks and multiple attacks become slightly less effective at tearing down their defenses and critical hits slightly more. Effects that bypass Active Defenses (Spells, surprise etc.) are more required if you want a challenge. Combat is most interesting when there is some risk involved, and I think that you will lose a lot of that. With 1, I don't know why you'd want to give multiple uses/turn. I have always used the interpretation that you get one defense option on one of your defenses, per turn. 'Retreating Feverish and/or Acrobatic Dodge' has been the bane of my existence but at least I have the comfort there that the player is burning all of their defense boosts for the turn if they opt for that. The Cleric might feel a bit miffed if the Wizard with Recover Energy-20, Lend Energy and some Paut is more useful in post-combat healing than them, too. :-) Expy Last edited by Expy; 04-07-2017 at 02:40 AM. |
04-07-2017, 05:47 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
Quote:
But if you are using the Godlike Extra Effort and/or Trading Fatigue for Skill rules (Powers 161), allowing multiple FP for multiple effect might make a reasonable houserule in the same vein. But the same "Handle with care!" definitely applies in that case. |
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04-07-2017, 07:59 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Snoopy's basement
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
My interpretation of the relevant rules results in answers:
1. No. It says you can spend 1 FP for +2 on a single defense. Not anything else. 2. No. See above. |
04-07-2017, 08:24 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Australia WA
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
Way I see it, you're about right.
1) you can spend FP per defence for that +2, you just got to declare and spend the FP before rolling. Nothing seems to specify any limit on using it once per turn, only that you need to spend FP. 2) No, I wouldn't let a player spend extra FP to avoid an attack in the same way I wouldn't let one spend more than 1 FP to increase the damage from a Mighty Blow, the results would be completely bizarre. Also, pretty sure it says something more like "spend 1 FP for a +2" rather than "Gain a +2 to defence for every 1 FP spent." |
04-07-2017, 08:53 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: [Rules] Feverish Defense Clarification
Quote:
That Mighty Blows and Flurry of Blows cost per attack enhanced is part of the text on BS357. There's no analogous text for Feverish Defense, and nothing in Basic or the FAQ quote tells you that you can use your one option repeatedly. To be fair, though, there's nothing in either of those places that says you can't either.
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I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident. |
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