08-17-2020, 05:26 PM | #1 | ||||
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
This discussion popped up in the thread Rules you ignore/alter. Simply put, there were different ideas about how noticeable DR ought to be. Things got a bit heated and very confusing, so I'm only going to quote the first few posts:
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08-17-2020, 05:41 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
My thoughts are that it's obvious if it's part of a recognizable racial/species template - the DR or an alligator or rhinoceros or lizardman is plain to see, because it's part of the template. However, additional DR by default is only obvious once you've been struck - a human (or creature that easily passes for human, like a Kryptonian, say) with DR, or an alligator with extra DR, is normally indistinguishable from one without, although upon being struck by an attack the creature's enhanced resilience is clear. Low/No Signature makes it so the enhanced resilience isn't clear even when the character is struck, be it because the wound becomes a grazing one, misses outright, looks like it's every bit as damaging as it should be (but the target is less affected than they should be), or whatever.
That said, of course, if I played in a game where DR was available for purchase, I'd be certain to ask what approach the GM was going with, to make certain I actually built the character I wanted, and built it correctly.
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08-17-2020, 05:45 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
I read it as usually inobvious by appearance but obvious by effect,unless No Signature is added. At that point attacks that bounce can be construded as a minor graze.
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08-17-2020, 05:49 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South Dakota, USA
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
Going into the previously linked thread, operating under the "You get what you pay for" principle, I assumed that DR which wasn't perceptible would cost more than DR that is not, because it seems advantageous to me. Especially after the above Kromm quote, though, it is apparent that baseline DR isn't supposed to be disadvantageous,either, except for stuff like making it harder for an beneficial affliction to take.
Now I realize that campaign style and the specifics of the setting most definitely matter. I still think RAW, whatever it is, is also confusing. XP I also think that, by default, DR by default should have some visible indicator (maybe to other senses as well). I'm not saying that DR like Ben "The Thing" Grimm is what you get if you don't take Low Signature or No Signature, just that if you want DR in the style of Clark Kent (Superman), you will need No Signature. No, I'm still not quite sure exactly where the middle ground is. Except then you get some of the things mentioned already in this discussion; what about when DR is supposed to be so subtle you can't even tell it is blocking damage? I also am confused by how you handle realistic DR. Well, I guess not; maybe a template for an alligator as "Visible" as a Limitation on its scales? A tortoise on its shell?
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :) Last edited by Otaku; 08-17-2020 at 05:53 PM. |
08-17-2020, 06:04 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
RAW quite simply does not say how visible most passive advantages are, unless the advantage has a nuisance effect or temporary disadvantage, and there are no standard disadvantages for "You look like you can do X" unless the result is a reaction adjustment.
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08-17-2020, 06:48 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
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To my knowledge, none of this RAW, and may not even be RAI, but I think it makes the most sense.
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08-17-2020, 07:38 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
For what it's worth, this came up with sample characters for Monster Hunters. The characters were created by the author of Monster Hunters and in discussion I recall that he considered DR to be at default fairly obvious (he had one character with and one without the No Signature enhancement.) As I recall he saw this as a genre rule and that in a traditional Supers genre DR wouldn't be obvious by default. So there's that.
In general, there are a lot of genre specific rules that simply aren't formally stated anywhere. I'm not sure you can say there are official rules for a lot of these things. |
08-17-2020, 08:27 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Mar 2016
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
I'll repeat my stance that DR can be either visible or invisible, and either one is only worth points if the genre rules or GM say so. In Monster Hunters, Low/No Signature is required, in Supers both visible and invisible forms of DR lack visibility modifiers, and Sorcery gives DR the Visible limitation. So I think the books back up my viewpoint.
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08-17-2020, 08:53 PM | #9 |
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
Put me int he "depends on the genre" camp with ericthered. Though, I am having trouble seeing how sufficiently high DR wouldn't be noticeable... a few DR, say anything that is less than 1/5 the damage dealt might easily go unnoticed. And only a few DR, like 2 at most, would also go unnoticed even in a completely realistic game (especially if it were Tough Skin).
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08-17-2020, 09:00 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Damage Resistance: How Noticeable Is It By Default
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(I can't find any place in Sorcery where Visible is applied to DR.)
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Tags |
damage resistance, low signature, no signature, visible |
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