DR with Absorption abuse?

[MindWanderer]

It looks like having just a couple of points of DR with the Absorption feature allows someone to heal themselves (HP and/or FP) fully, albeit slowly, by having a weak ally punch them a few times. Am I missing a reason why this shouldn't work? I'm new to GURPS--does it have a "Bag of Rats" rule?

[Bruno]

In this case, that obvious use is factored into the cost of the Absorption enhancement - to a lesser extent having your friend punch you until you have a full pool for allocating to other traits is as well, but that's arguably a bit overpriced.

Rev. P. Kitty, one of the editors, has a completely unofficial house-rule rewrite of Absorption on his website which I quite like, and seems to be generally popular on the forum here with folks who've had to deal with Absorption - but really the healing isn't the big problem with Absorption as written.

[MindWanderer]

Hmm... Kitty's reading of the rules differs greatly from how I read Absorption.

First, I don't see why it isn't cumulative. Absorb 5 points of damage, and, say, raise a 5/level advantage by a level, emptying your pool. Then take another 5 damage and raise the advantage another level. That could potentially justify the cost.

Second, I thought the +80% version (raise one predetermined trait) could be used for FP or for HP--you just choose "Restoring FP" as the one allowed trait. And I'm not sure that's overpriced for characters who can spend their FP to power their abilities.

[starslayer]

pretty sure the 'one predefined trait' from +80% does not have 'or restore HP' as part of it. So you select 'restore HP' and it restores HP, if you select 'restore FP' then you can't restore HP.

That said I find the 'restore HP' version very useful and often give it to characters who 'like to take a beating' without going so far as masochism (though a masochist with this might never stop burning there hand with a lighter or other strange behaviour).

[Celti]

It's abusable, but what if that weak ally gets a critical hit and bypasses your DR? There's enough risk there that nobody in my group will be trying that again after the dice (interpreted in-game as the character's patron deity punishing him for abusing his gifts) ended up splitting open one character's ribcage.

[Anthony]

I have never seen absorption work well as a game mechanic in any game that offered it. I've sort of decided that the optimal way to handle absorption is just 'limited power: can only be used after being hit with (X)' on whatever powers are granted via absorption.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by MindWanderer

It looks like having just a couple of points of DR with the Absorption feature allows someone to heal themselves (HP and/or FP) fully, albeit slowly, by having a weak ally punch them a few times. Am I missing a reason why this shouldn't work? I'm new to GURPS--does it have a "Bag of Rats" rule?

Sounds fully within the rules to me.

And you'll want more than a couple of points of DR w/ Absorption. Damage is still rolled and you'll wish to be concerned about critical hits as well.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by MindWanderer

Hmm... Kitty's reading of the rules differs greatly from how I read Absorption.

First, I don't see why it isn't cumulative. Absorb 5 points of damage, and, say, raise a 5/level advantage by a level, emptying your pool. Then take another 5 damage and raise the advantage another level. That could potentially justify the cost.

I can't find where he says it isn't cumulative - however if you only have Absorbtion 5, you can only store 5 points ever at one time - allocated or not. And they bleed out at 1/second, so your first turn afterwards the fifth point falls off, and now you don't have enough to have your 5 point advantage.

Originally Posted by MindWanderer

Second, I thought the +80% version (raise one predetermined trait) could be used for FP or for HP--you just choose "Restoring FP" as the one allowed trait. And I'm not sure that's overpriced for characters who can spend their FP to power their abilities.

+80% on DR is 4 points. It takes 3 levels of DR with Absorbtion to produce the 3 character points to restore one FP - so that's 12 points to restore one FP.

For 12 points, I can have 4 more FP available all the time which makes me more resistant to fatigue attacks and less likely to become exhausted.

For HP, you only need 2 levels of DR with Absorbtion, so that's 8 points - also enough for 4 HP AND you get your crippling and death thresholds reduced as well as pushed closer to one of the HP breakpoints where your healing is improved.

[vicky_molokh]

Now I wonder if Absorption with Reflexive is a useful build for plugging holes in IT:DR, or otherwise providing defence against high-frequency low-damage attacks.

[Lamech]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Now I wonder if Absorption with Reflexive is a useful build for plugging holes in IT:DR, or otherwise providing defence against high-frequency low-damage attacks.

Pretty sure it is. A three point attack comes in adds a two absorbed points, inflicts a point of damage, and then heals a point of damage. Effectivly grants cosmic on the cheap.