Affliction - debuffing attributes total cost?

[Maz]

I always found Affliction a weird ability, or rather the way Modifiers are calculated often doesn't match what I feel makes sense due to the base ability only costing 10 pts.

I might have misunderstood something, so help me out here.

So this might sound munckiny but it's for an NPC and I know I'm usually the one to always say "don't stats out powers for NPCs exactly", but in this case the PC's might be able to learn the same ability so I want to make it consistent (and balanced).


It's an affliction to debuff Will so further will-targeting attacks becomes easier.

Affliction - 10 pts (total cost after modifiers = 21,5 pts)
Attribute penalty (Will): +5% (this isn't in the book, but since IQ would reduce both IQ, Will and Per at 10% I put will only at 5%)
Malediction: +100%
Resist based on Will instead of HT: +20%.
Cost FP - 2 FP: -10%
Total modifiers = 115%


So I assume the above is correct. My problem is I initially wanted it to be an attack that you could use multiple times on a target. That's the Cumulative modifier at +400%.
However it is MUCH cheaper to simply say that the attack reduce Will by -20 for (+5%*20 = +100%)


Is this really true?


How would you change it up so it would be cheaper to make an attack where you had to use it multiple time to reduce the Will o the target, instead of simply buying a "one-big-penalty" attack from the start?

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Maz

Attribute penalty (Will): +5% (this isn't in the book, but since IQ would reduce both IQ, Will and Per at 10% I put will only at 5%)

I think that's technically legal, since -1 to Will is a -5 points disadvantage, so you could do it via the "Disadvantage" enhancement.

I'm not even sure why Attribute Penalty got priced separately at basically half the cost lowered IQ/DX (10 instead of 20) and HT/ST (5 in stead of 10) would be be.

Originally Posted by Maz

I initially wanted it to be an attack that you could use multiple times on a target. That's the Cumulative modifier at +400%.
However it is MUCH cheaper to simply say that the attack reduce Will by -20 for (+5%*20 = +100%) Is this really true?

Yeah, it's weird. Might be interesting for Cumulative to be valued as a multiple based on the value of other enhancements you choose instead of a flat cost.

Originally Posted by Maz

How would you change it up so it would be cheaper to make an attack where you had to use it multiple time to reduce the Will o the target, instead of simply buying a "one-big-penalty" attack from the start?

Innate Attack with Symptoms. Price a -1 to will at the 1/3 and 1/2 and 2/3 intervals.

[ericthered]

Yes, your math is correct by Rules As Written.



The price of the cumulative modifier makes much more sense when you show it alongside beneficial afflictions. +1 cumulative DX costs as much as +3 DX, which feels about right.



Beneficial afflictions generally cost 10 times as much as their disadvantageous counterparts. As a GM I'd happily decrease the cumulative modifier to +40% for disadvantageous afflictions only. Though I'd probably actually make it +50% because of pentaphilia.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by ericthered

The price of the cumulative modifier makes much more sense when you show it alongside beneficial afflictions. +1 cumulative DX costs as much as +3 DX, which feels about right.

+1 to DX is worth 20 points and a +200% enhancement
+3 to DX is worth 60 points and a +600% enhancement

I see what you mean.

What if we just applied the +400% to the underlying enhancement (an "enhanced enhancement"?) which would quintuple its cost?

[Maz]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Beneficial afflictions generally cost 10 times as much as their disadvantageous counterparts. As a GM I'd happily decrease the cumulative modifier to +40% for disadvantageous afflictions only. Though I'd probably actually make it +50% because of pentaphilia.

I like this. Gonna play with it a bit and see if it makes sense. Thanks!

And I don't mind it being 40% :)