Originally Posted by Kromm
(Post 1486384)
The salient difference is that metabolic hazards such as disease and poison cause injury (direct HP loss), while destructive energy such as blows and fire causes damage (an abstract number that, after considering DR, might lead to HP loss). The fact that the latter must deal with DR is at the heart of the matter . . . there's no fair price for infinite DR, whether you call it "immunity to damage" or something else. Allowing it kills offense, and with it dramatic tension in combat, as few GMs would allow infinite damage to match. And while it's fun to speak in terms of infinite limited DR, most DR reduces all true damage – any force that could in theory degrade all matter, living or otherwise – because putting material (or, in a magical or superscience setting, an energy barrier) in the way attenuates said force. Permitting infinite DR vs. one thing would be followed in about five seconds by players generalizing it to infinite DR vs. all things: "Well, if Immunity to Fire costs 30 points, and Limited, Fire is -40% on DR, then Immunity to Damage should cost 50 points or this game sucks." And from there you can say goodbye to pleasant gaming.
Thus, I'd stand by the design decision not to allow total invulnerability per se. I don't think it has a useful place in a balanced, friendly RPG. Immunity to metabolic threats isn't in the same boat, because metabolic threats aren't primary combat threats (let's be honest: combat is primarily about big doses of kinetic energy occasionally changed up with big doses of electromagnetic energy). And as has been said, you can't infect or poison a rock, so immunity to a metabolic danger actually corresponds to something that's necessary to describe a plausible world, where invulnerability doesn't. GURPS is ultimately built on realism, remember.
All of that said, invulnerability is achievable if you know the game system. Take Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) or a high level of Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction), either with Limited, Fire, -40%, and add a good level of Regeneration limited with Fire Only (probably worth -60% like Radiation Only); now you'll take just 1-2 HP from fire and heal it instantly. Or use the 328-point Insubstantiality-based build on p. 119 of Powers; you can get the cost down by adding Limited, Fire, -40%. Cost is hundreds of points, but that is what it is – it isn't fair in, say, fantasy for some wizard to have to spend three turns and 18 FP to build up a Fireball, make a roll to hit, pray you don't make your Dodge, and then have that do nothing for a mere 30-40 points. It costs far more than that just to have the Magery 6, FP or Energy Reserve 18+, spell, Innate Attack skill, etc. . . . and while he has other tricks, so do you, as you can also avoid harm from every other fire hazard in the game.
Honestly, though, for a playable race, DR 10 (Limited, Fire, -40%) [30] is fair. It means that most ordinary flame (1d-3 to 1d-1; see p. B433) and burning fuel (1d-1 to 1d; see p. B411 and DF 1, p. 28) can't hurt you. It means that even furnaces and the initial flare of the hottest burning fuel (3d), can't hurt you on average. High-powered magic can hurt you . . . but then, Deathtouch can explicitly hurt undead, too, and they have Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]. It's the essence of magic to break nature's rules.
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