Help with an Aura of Courage

[khorboth]

I am working on an aura of courage for a character and have found that I've never actually made a similar power before. I'm not sure I have it done in the best way, so I'd appreciate some feedback. What I'm looking for is the ability to inspire courage in those around me through rousing speeches on the battlefield. What I have is:

Aura of Courage:
Affliction 1(Advantage [Fearlessness 3], +60%; Area Effect 8 yards, +150%; Aura, +80%, Melee Attack: Cannot Parry, -5%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; Selective Area, +20%; Sense-Based, +150%) [53]

The point value seem a little high, but I don't see what I'm missing. Perhaps someone who has made them before can help. Or maybe there's a resource somewhere that my search-fu is too weak to find. If it comes out more affordable, I may work up other inspirations. Or maybe just use alternate abilities.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by khorboth

What I have is:

Aura of Courage:
Affliction 1(Advantage [Fearlessness 3], +60%; Area Effect 8 yards, +150%; Aura, +80%, Melee Attack: Cannot Parry, -5%; Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; Selective Area, +20%; Sense-Based, +150%) [53]

Taking the -5% for Cannot Parry is prohibited for auras, and you can replace 'Sense' with 'Hearing'.

Originally Posted by khorboth

The point value seem a little high, but I don't see what I'm missing.

You can save points by taking "Reduced Duration" so that your speeches don't last as long, I guess?

[Donny Brook]

IDHMBWM, but shouldn't Sense Based be the Limitation variation? On the other hand, don't you want Malediction so the targets can waive their resistance roll?

Arguably also you should have a time-taking Limitation. And an Accesiblity Limitation for needing to speak.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

IDHMBWM, but shouldn't Sense Based be the Limitation variation? On the other hand, don't you want Malediction so the targets can waive their resistance roll?

Arguably also you should have a time-taking Limitation. And an Accesiblity Limitation for needing to speak.

Maybe it could just be built off Rapier Wit since it can take Affliction modifiers in GURPS Fantasy.

[Varyon]

Aura is a poor fit - while this may literally be an "aura," it's not something that only affects those who touch you (which is what Aura does). Instead, take Emanation, which makes the area effect centered on you. That's for if you basically shout and everyone within range gets affected (sort of like the Barbarian's Shouts in Diablo II/III). If you have to continuously speak/sing/whatever, give Affliction Fixed Duration +0%, which sets it to a 3-minute duration. You can then take Reduced Duration x1/180 -40% to make it last a single second, requiring you to continuously use it each round (if it's used as a free action, you'll need to give it Takes Less Time +50%*, or if it takes a turn at first but is a free action to maintain Persistent +40%). That would require characters to roll to be affected each turn; something like "Stays On" (where those affected don't need to roll each turn once they've made their roll**) I'd eyeball at +5%.

If your ability instead requires you to give a rousing speech, after which all within range get the buff for some amount of time, alter the duration to taste and give it enough levels of Takes Extra Time - or even Immediate Preparation Required (works like Preparation Required, but you have to use the ability as soon as preparation is complete and it gives twice the discount) - to match how long the speech is. Optionally, give it Requires Skill Roll (-5% for Easy skills, -10% for otherwise), with the skill set as appropriate to the way your character does their speeches (Leadership, Public Speaking, even Fast Talk or Sex Appeal could work, particularly in funny campaigns).

As for pricing, a way to typically reduce the price of any Affliction - but check with your GM first! - is to ignore the existence of Affliction. Instead, take a Crushing Innate Attack with Side Effect, No Blunt Trauma, No Knockback, and No Wounding. For reference, Innate Attack 2d cr (Area Effect 8 yards +150%; Selective Area +20%; Sense-Based, Hearing +150%; Side Effect: Fearlessness 3 +110%; Emanation -20%; No Blunt Trauma -20%; No Knockback -10%; No Wounding -50%) [43] and Affliction (Advantage: Fearlessness +60%; Area Effect 8 yards +150%; Selective Area +20%; Sense-Based, Hearing +150%; Emanation -20%) [46] function very similarly, but while the latter is always at HT+0, the former has the penalty (or bonus for a beneficial affliction**) determined by the roll of 2d; a roll of 2-3 means HT-1 (HT+1), a roll of 4-5 means HT-2 (HT+2), and so forth, to a maximum roll of 12 meaning HT-6 (HT+6). As both have a base cost of [10], any other modifiers (Reduced Duration, Persistent, Takes Less Time, etc) affect the price of each equally.

*Takes Less Time is normally forbidden for attack powers (including Affliction), as it would theoretically let you spam it an infinite number of times on your turn. I think a +50% Enhancement - the lowest level of Cosmic, "Adds Utility" - and limiting the character to one use per turn would probably be fair. Of course, considering Persistent is a full +40%, a higher value might be appropriate; I don't think Cheating +150% is really called for, given the limitations here, but splitting the difference for +100% might not be too bad.
**For beneficial Afflictions, instead of characters rolling to resist, they roll to have the Affliction go into play. Instead of having to fail an HT-x roll, they must succeed at an HT+x roll.

EDIT: Something else that occurs to me is that you may be inclined to make this affect anyone who can hear you, rather than just anyone who can hear and is within a set range. For that, I'd suggest setting a decibel level for the sounds you make, and using the Hearing Distance (from the tables in Basic Set, High Tech, and Powers: Enhanced Senses). For reference, a shout is 90 decibels (8 yards), a loud conversation is 80 decibels (4 yards), a typical conversation is 60 decibels (1 yards), a quiet conversation is 50 decibels (1.5 feet), and a whisper is 30 decibels (4.5 inches). Set your Area Effect based on this (which implies the quietest available would be 50 decibels, 2 yards, which I suppose would be a conversation with slightly-raised voices), and note the target must succeed at a Hearing check to be affected (at -1 per doubling of range, +1 per halving of range); this is a +0% modifier (it averages out to characters typically hearing you at the normal range for the level of Area Effect you purchased).

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

IDHMBWM, but shouldn't Sense Based be the Limitation variation?

The Advantage version of Sense-Based bypasses DR, which is appropriate here if the character wants to affect allies who are wearing armor.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

IDHMBWM, but shouldn't Sense Based be the Limitation variation?

Yes, you should either have an area with limited sense-based, or you should just use sense based and anyone who can hear you gets the bonus, regardless of how far they are from you.

Arguably also you should have a time-taking Limitation. And an Accesiblity Limitation for needing to speak.

Maybe on the time. I think its supposed to just work. Accessibility limitation for speaking is a good thought.

Inspire: Affliction 1(Advantage [Fearlessness 3], +60%; ; Aura, +80%, Melee Attack: Melee Attack: Reach C, -30%; Selective +20%; Sense-Based, +150%, accessibility: must speak -10%) [37]


One quirk of Gurps Afflictions is that you pay the same amount of points to deliver any affliction, and you pay the same amount of points to have that affliction delivered. This is somewhat unfortunate for certain builds, and wide ranging builds delivering small bonuses is one of them. Of course, there are reasons why this is so, namely to cut down on complexity and avoid other more game-wrecking quirks.

[zoncxs]

pyramid article #3/19
Aura Of Power

The difference from what you have and what the article has is that the article makes the ability a malediction, reduced duration only for when the target leaves the area, and a few other things. Also it starts at Fearlessness 1, and each level increases this by one. So the first level cost 29pts and only has a range of 2 yard radius.

[khorboth]

Thank you all very much. I think this gives me what I was looking for. Sounds like malediction for sure. I'll have to look in more detail once I have the program properly open again.