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Old 06-22-2021, 06:55 AM   #31
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

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Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
As payload is linear whereas lifting ST is quadratic, if your goal is merely maximizing payload, you want to spend half as many points on payload as you spend on lifting ST (counting from 0).
You could also allow for Lifting ST with Payload Only (which I mark at -80%), which would make things a bit more complex to work out the most efficient build. When I was dealing with this for my Zombie Powered Armor - where I discovered I had so much Payload that simply boosting ST outright actually saved points, due to the reduction in how much Payload was needed. Rather than work out an equation, I opted to just brute force the solution - using a spreadsheet, I basically worked out how much Payload I needed without any "Payload ST," then added Payload ST at +1 at a time to see where the minimum cost was. In that case, because I was starting from ST 7 armor, it turned out the optimal point was Payload ST 19 [8] and Payload 7 [7]. I feel I should note here that I didn't have that armor capable of supporting the character's full weight - I instead had it supporting her full volume (Payload has rules for how much volume each pound of Payload can hold - in this case, a typical ~2.5 cf human would require 50 lb of Payload), and effectively reducing her weight some in the process. That's because I had the character and armor working together (it basically mimicked her movements, using a modified Teamwork Perk), rather than the character piloting the armor (where the armor is doing everything). This "working together" bit is also why having only ST 7 was still worthwhile - ST 7 has BL 9.8, and adding this to the BL of the character results in a +2 to ST for a decent range of ST's (depending on how you round). That's not great for something called "powered armor," of course, but it's useful for your mage to go from ST 10 to effective ST 12 (also, one could justify treating the character as 50 lb less encumbered, thanks to the Payload; that means the character would have to carry somewhere around 80 lb to reach Light Encumbrance, making it easier for the mage to wear the armor in the first place).

I'll note the low ST was essentially due to the limitations of RPM, specifically fitting the whole thing into a Lesser Create Undead + Lesser Control Undead ritual while keeping her in otherwise roughly-normal armor. Using more leather and bone for a dedicated suit and/or tossing on some Strengthen Undead and some Greater effects will result in much more powerful armor (but end up with a much greater energy cost), and of course other magic systems should be able to create more impressive powered armors.
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Old 06-22-2021, 08:32 AM   #32
ericthered
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

This is gurps, so you can build most anything. The question is what the stats are, how much does the item cost, how do you balance it against other characters, and how it effects world-building. Occasionally you want to build it using other systems, like standard magic or powers.



But mostly you just do make power armor available.



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Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
Not necessarily. The magitech fabrials in The Stormlight Archives are moderately common (they're mostly in the hands of the very wealthy) but not very powerful, but Shardblades and Shardplate - the latter of which is outright magical powered armor - are extremely rare, irreproducible artifacts.

Though to be fair, shardplate is an intentionally combat-warping feature of the setting. If you where to run on Roshar and someone asked for shard-plate, you'd need the other characters to either have incredible magic powers, far superior dexterity and skill to the shardbearer, or to be operating in a sphere of gameplay other than combat.
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Old 06-22-2021, 09:25 AM   #33
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

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Though to be fair, shardplate is an intentionally combat-warping feature of the setting. If you where to run on Roshar and someone asked for shard-plate, you'd need the other characters to either have incredible magic powers, far superior dexterity and skill to the shardbearer, or to be operating in a sphere of gameplay other than combat.
In theory you could have the others serve as combat support characters for the Shardbearer, provided the other players find it acceptable to have characters who are markedly less powerful. Considering the Shardbearer is canonically going to be the primary target of the enemy, this could actually work out fairly well for the party. Were I running a campaign on Roshar, I'd be inclined to set it a bit prior to the current time period (no Surgebinders, aside from the Honorblades and Skybreakers at least, but that's NPC material), and have Shards be off-limits at character creation - if someone wants Plate and/or Blade, they'll have to actually acquire such in play, and that's no mean feat.
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Old 06-22-2021, 10:41 AM   #34
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

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You could also allow for Lifting ST with Payload Only (which I mark at -80%), which would make things a bit more complex to work out the most efficient build.
Actually, it doesn't. It remains half the points, it's just that because you're buying cheaper lifting ST the number of points you're halving is smaller.
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Old 06-22-2021, 05:59 PM   #35
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

If I wanted strap-on armor that makes you a super-knight I'd just bend the rules a bit on what can be enchanted with which enchantment and allow you to buff ST or Levitate or Blur armor to give it the cool effect you want.

If you want a more robust and gritty power armor I'd build SM+1 golems with a cockpit complete with armor penetration, then a "rod" of some sort to control the golem and some enchanted wear that allows you to shift your perception and effectively turn it into a TL 3 powersuit.
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Old 06-22-2021, 07:55 PM   #36
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

You should be able to get away with building an Ally (with IQ 0) and taking the Puppet advantage, plus Possession with the "Parasitic, -60%" and the "Puppets Only, -30%" limitations.

Might not be the most cost effective way of doing it, but it allows you to basically build your own Ally-Mecha, completely replacing your physical stats with theirs rather than buying up ST and whatnot.
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Old 06-23-2021, 08:27 AM   #37
Polkageist
 
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

Magic power armor that comes as an advantage just shouts magical anime transition scene into wearing it.
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Old 06-23-2021, 08:33 AM   #38
Varyon
 
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

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Magic power armor that comes as an advantage just shouts magical anime transition scene into wearing it.
That would be a build based on Alternate Form, but I certainly do endorse this interpretation.
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Old 06-23-2021, 08:45 AM   #39
ericthered
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

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Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
Actually, it doesn't. It remains half the points, it's just that because you're buying cheaper lifting ST the number of points you're halving is smaller.
I mean, it does make it a little more complicated, if only because 3/5th's is a more complicated number than 3.



For those wondering what the exact equations are:


lifting ST cost is 3:
payload: spend [points to spend+ ST*3]/3
Lifting ST: spend [points to spend + ST*3]*2/3 - ST*3
*spend everything on payload if points to spend are less than ST*3/2



lifting ST cost is 0.6

payload: spend [points to spend+ ST*0.6]/3
Lifting ST: spend [points to spend + ST*0.6]*2/3 - ST*0.6
*spend everything on payload if points to spend are less than ST*0.6/2



Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
In theory you could have the others serve as combat support characters for the Shardbearer, provided the other players find it acceptable to have characters who are markedly less powerful. Considering the Shardbearer is canonically going to be the primary target of the enemy, this could actually work out fairly well for the party. Were I running a campaign on Roshar, I'd be inclined to set it a bit prior to the current time period (no Surgebinders, aside from the Honorblades and Skybreakers at least, but that's NPC material), and have Shards be off-limits at character creation - if someone wants Plate and/or Blade, they'll have to actually acquire such in play, and that's no mean feat.
You might play below shard-plate tier play, as you suggested. You might play a political game in which you've got a king, a shardbearer, a general, and an behind-the-scenes diplomatic individual who knows how to write. You might play a game with surge-binding in play, in which case the shardbearer doesn't have huge power compared to the others.



There are lots of ways to slice it up, but you do have to slice it up, unlike a setting in which its just one more enchanted item.
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Old 06-23-2021, 09:47 AM   #40
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Default Re: Fantasy powered armor

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You might play below shard-plate tier play, as you suggested. You might play a political game in which you've got a king, a shardbearer, a general, and an behind-the-scenes diplomatic individual who knows how to write. You might play a game with surge-binding in play, in which case the shardbearer doesn't have huge power compared to the others.

There are lots of ways to slice it up, but you do have to slice it up, unlike a setting in which its just one more enchanted item.
I think I see what you were getting at now. Yes, in a setting where powerful magical artifacts are rare, having magical powered armor is going to be a pretty Big Deal. Of course, that's really just saying "In a setting where powerful magical artifacts are rare, having a powerful magical artifact is going to be a pretty Big Deal." If you want your powerful magical artifact to essentially be just another piece of equipment, you've got to be in a setting where powerful magical artifacts are common enough to just be pieces of equipment.
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