04-03-2019, 12:19 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
Hi all. I'm trying to create a breath weapon attack for a small dragon that is a bit like spitting a glob of burning napalm. The dragon would be the size of a large cat or small dog (not a toy dog). The default stats for an innate attack include a 1/2d range of 10 yards, and a max range of 100 yards. But for a glob of burning napalm-like-substance, the damage has nothing to do with kinetic energy that reduces over distance traveled.
My next step was looking at the reduced range limitation. My goal was to get the range of the attack to 5 yards with no 1/2d range. But it specifically says in the rules you can't reduce max range separate from 1/2d range. I'm a GM that usually just invokes GM privilege and makes a call, but I'm wondering what the right way to do this would be with the actual rules. As things stand, I'm likely to ignore the stipulation that you can't reduce max range on its own and do something like... 1/2d 10 & max range 100 apply reduced range with divisor 2 for -10% cost 1/2d 5 & max range 50 apply reduced range with divisor 10, but only on max range for -15% 1/2d 5 & max range 5 total limitation value: -25% |
04-03-2019, 12:26 PM | #2 |
Join Date: May 2007
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
I think the canonical method is to take Increased Range at half cost to increase Half Damage Range only (per Basic p.105) until it matches maximum range (and then increase or reduce the combined range as normal, if desired).
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04-03-2019, 12:28 PM | #3 |
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ellicott City, MD
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
Increase Range (1/2d Only) is right there on Basic, p106. Just up your 1/2d to equal Max, and you have effectively removed the 1/2d. Then, you can increase/decrease max range to whatever you want.
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04-03-2019, 12:45 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
That's counter-intuitive. Well... let's see...
1/2d 10 yards & max 100 yards increased range x10 applied to 1/2d for +30% 1/2d 100 yards & max 100 yards reduced range /10 applied to both for -30% 1/2d 10 yards & max 10 yards net cost change: 0 range changes: none for 1/2d and 1/10 for max If I make up an additional level of reduced range to change that last step... reduced range /20 applied to both for -40% 1/2d 5 yards & max 5 yards net cost change: -10% range changes: half for 1/2d and 1/20 for max Rules as written don't give me a way to get to a 5 yard range that has no 1/2d, and if I make up that 4th level of reduced range, it's a -10% limitation to reduce range from 100 yards to 5 yards. That seems off. On the hex map, I picked 5 yards because the little dragon would have to move a fair amount more to position themselves to use it. A 10 yard range will cover a big chunk of the map and that's not what I'm looking for. And it does seem to me to be worth a lot more than 10% to drop from causing some damage at 100 yards (or full damage to 10 yards) to causing full damage at 5 yards. |
04-03-2019, 12:50 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
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net cost change: -25% range changes: half and max range brought to 5 yards. That's the price I got with my ignoring of the "no reducing only max range". |
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04-03-2019, 04:46 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Snoopy's basement
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
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04-03-2019, 08:30 PM | #7 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2018
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
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You can find "Range is actually 5 yards" defined as a form of Nuisance Effect on top of a maxed-out Reduced Range 3. It's on page 36 of GURPS Psionic Powers, and is another -10% just like you guessed. I believe the "5 yards" assumes a minimum of 100 yards to start though, reducing from 10 or more to 5. If it was some other ability with a shorter range (9 or less) then I don't think reducing to 5 would be worth as much. |
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04-04-2019, 04:42 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
That sounds more like a jet to me.
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04-04-2019, 06:59 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
There are some ways to justify having a 1/2D for such an attack, if you want one. Air resistance can cause the glob to shed mass as it travels, so there's less stuff to burn once you reach the target. If the attack isn't Cyclic, that means the fuel doesn't last long, so it may well burn up a sizable fraction of it en route to the target.
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04-04-2019, 07:15 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern New Hampshire
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Re: Innate Attack with No Half Damage Range
I planned on it being cyclic. A little ball of napalm that burns for three seconds.
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Tags |
1/2d, innate attack, nuisance effect, range is actually 5 yards, reduced range |
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