Ability to create water flooded terrain

[Biscuri]

As the title implies, I want to create an ability that can make a certain area flooded.

I'm thinking of having just enough water to make a lightning innate attack with the Area of Effect (Environmental: Conducting Surface -20%) enhancement work in open areas, but in closed spaces would be nice to create a swimmable (at least 1 hex high) "pool" in the room that could be use for underwater movement for the PC while impairing enemies whose abilities don't work well on water.

I'm kinda lost on how to start building that, I was thinking on an Innate Attack or Control with area of effect and persistent, but I don't know which would be best for the amount of water I need or which other enhancements to take to represent the flooded area, any ideas?

[lugaid]

Such a Power would probably start with Create (Water).

[Pursuivant]

Alternately, Control (Weather) if you can summon rainstorms to soak the ground, or Control (Water) if you can attract water to the location you wish to flood.

[Biscuri]

I did some simulations on costs for Control/Create Water and Weather. If all I need is to soak the ground, they're quite affordable.

But if I want to flood at least an hex high pool of 36 hexes, it'd need 85 levels water control/create with persistent enhancement (+40%), which results in a ridiculously high cost of 595CP!

On the other hand, an water based Innate Attack (AoE 4 yards +100%, Persistent +40%) would cover the same area and it's worth just 12CP (and deal 1d damage on top of it), but I would like to confirm if the area would be 1 hex high as well, in my understanding any AoE IA cover entire hexes, side to side, bottom to top, is that correct?

[Christopher R. Rice]

For height in GURPS it's always 4 hexes that it covers. This just sounds like a fluffed area-effect Binding + Symptom with Susceptible to Electricity on it to me.

In GURPS you pay for what it does and that's it.

[Aldric]

Originally Posted by Biscuri

I did some simulations on costs for Control/Create Water and Weather. If all I need is to soak the ground, they're quite affordable.

But if I want to flood at least an hex high pool of 36 hexes, it'd need 85 levels water control/create with persistent enhancement (+40%), which results in a ridiculously high cost of 595CP!

On the other hand, an water based Innate Attack (AoE 4 yards +100%, Persistent +40%) would cover the same area and it's worth just 12CP (and deal 1d damage on top of it), but I would like to confirm if the area would be 1 hex high as well, in my understanding any AoE IA cover entire hexes, side to side, bottom to top, is that correct?

Areas are generally 12' high unless otherwise specified.

You might want to look at wall as well if you really want to fill hexagons with water, but in any case, I doubt it would be a very friendly environment even for characters that can swim, they would still be damaged every second.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Biscuri

But if I want to flood at least an hex high pool of 36 hexes, it'd need 85 levels water control/create with persistent enhancement (+40%), which results in a ridiculously high cost of 595CP!

That's a problem with the rules for non-damaging creations. While there are plenty of clever things you can do with ten thousand gallons of water, it doesn't compare to similar abilities which cost nearly 600 cp.

There should be a -80% limitation for harmless, inexpensive materials created using Create, such as earth or water.

There should also be some sort of log scale for high levels. For example, the ability to produce 10 tons of acid doesn't have many more game effects than the ability to produce 1 ton.

Persistent isn't the modifier you need. Use Extended Duration instead. Unfortunately, that makes the power even more overpriced.

Create 85 (Water - creates approximately 10,000 gallons of water. Enhancements: Extended Duration (Permanent), +150%.) [1963 points]

OTOH, you can create 10k gallons of water every second, which allows you to quickly flood areas, drown foes, collapse buildings, etc. Add the Reduced Fatigue enhancement and you can quickly create lakes or even oceans.

The cheaper way to go is:

Create 3 (Water, Enhancements: Extended Duration (Permanent), +150%; Reduced FP 2, +40%. Limitation: Elemental, -10%.) [42 points].

This allows you to create a bit more than 10 gallons of water per second (1 gallon of water = ~8.5 lbs. Create 3 allows 90 lbs. of matter to be created) without FP costs, which sticks around until some reasonable condition counters it (e.g., the container in which it is held is breached). That allows you to fill a 10k gallon swimming pool in about 17 minutes (or about 34 minutes if you have IQ 10 and miss half you rolls).

Compare that to a Perk which allows you to create about a quart of water per day.

Originally Posted by Biscuri

On the other hand, a water-based Innate Attack (AoE 4 yards +100%, Persistent +40%) would cover the same area and it's worth just 12CP (and deal 1d damage on top of it), but I would like to confirm if the area would be 1 hex high as well, in my understanding any AoE IA cover entire hexes, side to side, bottom to top, is that correct?

Assuming crushing damage, your point cost is correct, but Persistent just means that your attack sticks around for 10 seconds and continues to do damage to anyone who enters the area. Effectively, a big whirlpool that batters anyone in the area and then vanishes.

You'd need Extended Duration (Permanent) (+150%) to create a swimming pool. Add No Blunt Trauma (-20%) and No Wounding (-50%) to make a non-lethal attack. Add No Knockback (-10%) if your attack doesn't shove people around.

If you want a potentially lethal attack, the revised version would look like this:

Innate Attack (Whirlpool, 1d crushing. Enhancements: Area Effect (4 yards), +100%; Extended Duration (Permanent), +150%; Hazard (Drowning), +0%; Persistent, +40%. Limitations: No Blunt Trauma, -20%.) [14 points].

The problem with the Innate Attack is that it doesn't actually create water, nor does it interfere with movement. To get a "slog through water"/boggy ground type attack, you need to use Binding or Affliction (Reduced Move & DX).

[ericthered]

Remember, in regards to create:

If economics are unimportant to the campaign, the GM is free to waive point costs for permanent matter. Alternatively, he can require those with Create to start with Wealth or Independent Income – or a Vow never to use Create to produce wealth

Though If the water is based on the divinity video game series, as I suspect it is*, vanishing after 10 seconds to a minute should be just fine, and if you're actually dying of thirst in a desert you can stunt it or take an alternate ability that gives more long lasting water.

*great game

[whswhs]

It might be simpler if, instead of instead of trying to calculate exact volumes of water, you used a variant of Control. I think that Control Water Table or Control Water Level would be either Occasional or Rare, and would take the Natural Phenomena modifier for +100%. Assuming it was Rare, for 60 points you would get a radius of 0.3 miles (528 yards) and could give +1 or -1 to appropriate rolls; for example, you might give -1 to rolls affected by bad footing.

I might house rule this to say that 10 levels, in addition to giving you a full mile radius and +3 or -3 to various rolls, allowed you to swim or boat.

[Aldric]

Water is not all that expensive to begin with, unless you're on Arrakis I guess. Even a CP or two should let you create enough water for your swimming pool.

Also, Extended Duration is not allowed for Create (Powers p. 94)