How To Build Extra Defense Advantage

[coronatiger]

How would you build an advantage that grants you an extra active defense at a fixed skill level, even if you're unconscious? If this extra defense fails, you will be allowed to try a regular defense as long as you're aware of the attack. If relevant, the extra defense is a block.

[Aldric]

First two things that come to my mind is gifting everyone that attacks you with unreliable, notnsure how easy itwould be to do. Or actually stat whatever is doing the blocking as an ally.

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

How would you build an advantage that grants you an extra active defense at a fixed skill level, even if you're unconscious? If this extra defense fails, you will be allowed to try a regular defense as long as you're aware of the attack. If relevant, the extra defense is a block.

*what happen if you all-out attack or are otherwise unable to take an active defense ?
*what happen if you are concentrating/ready-ing/otherwise involved in a an action that could be disrupted by taking an active defense ?
*what happen if you are conscious but unaware of the attack ?

[Dingle]

Is there a "requires roll" limitation that you could apply to DR, and then take enough DR with the limitation to block whatever attacks you expect to face?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

How would you build an advantage that grants you an extra active defense at a fixed skill level, even if you're unconscious? If this extra defense fails, you will be allowed to try a regular defense as long as you're aware of the attack. If relevant, the extra defense is a block.

This is Altered Time Rate with the Defensive modifier from Dungeon Fantasy 19, p. 29.

[Donny Brook]

Maybe:

(1) An always present, very specifically built Ally, like a semi-sapient invisible flying shield.

(2) An innate attack with Wall and Reflexive limited to Power blocks.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

an advantage that grants you an extra active defense at a fixed skill level, even if you're unconscious?

If this extra defense fails, you will be allowed to try a regular defense as long as you're aware of the attack.

It sounds like what you're talking about is similar to the benefit that a couple enchantments from GURPS Magic can provide wizards, like getting a weapon to do sacrificial parries for you (pg 63's Dancing Weapon combined with pg 64's Defending Weapon) or getting a shield to do Sacrificial Blocks for you (M67's Dancing Shield)

Originally Posted by Dingle

Is there a "requires roll" limitation that you could apply to DR, and then take enough DR with the limitation to block whatever attacks you expect to face?

Having a 'requires roll' links it to one your attributes which means it won't be a fixed level, so "Unreliable" might be a closer fit.

The FP cost to attempt "requires roll" or "unreliable" abilities after a failure seems like it's voluntary rather than mandatory which creates a conceptual problem for "I want to spend FP to block attacks while unconscious".

Personally I think the FP cost should be automatic and if it's an always-on ability you should get switchable + "only while conscious" which could then allow you to switch off the automatic FP-sucking. Otherwise it should just bring you down to 3 FP and shut off.

The 3 FP thing is kinda weird though, I'd rather it have no bottom limit and be able to harm/kill users. You can do that with "costs fatigue" after all, right?

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

This is Altered Time Rate with the Defensive modifier from Dungeon Fantasy 19, p. 29.

Your 2nd maneuver each second being All-Out Defense doesn't let you defend yourself while unconscious, plus it's based on your skill levels and not a fixed level.

I had thought that normally with ATR if someone interrupted your first maneuver with a Wait then you would only enjoy the defenses provided by that maneuver, with the AOD benefits only kicking in after you conclude that maneuver and switch to the 2nd maneuver...

Some talk about this in 2007 http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=23060

Regarding the "special benefit" built into this modifier, if you were to have that as a standalone enhancement, how much do you think "can make an extra retreat and extra blocking spell" would be worth?

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

An always present, very specifically built Ally, like a semi-sapient invisible flying shield.

This seems likely to be the most cost-effective method (at least so long as the attacks you need to defend against aren't extremely powerful), although that's because most abilities that can be replicated by having an Always Available Ally tend to have that as the most cost-effective method of getting them. Note the Ally will need pretty solid abilities to reliably detect attacks you are unaware of (probably Doesn't Sleep, 360-degree vision, and high Per at a minimum; augmenting this with Danger Sense may be worthwhile). It's probably a Sacrificial Dodge (unless you can equip the Ally with an appropriate shield for a Sacrificial Block), and you'll want your Ally to have a sizable DR+(HP/IT:DR) to absorb attacks. I think Sacrificial Dodge is typically only usable once per round with the appropriate Perk, even when you don't need to Step to get into position, so I could see cause to replace the Sacrificial Dodge Perk with an Advantage worth [5] to let the Ally use Sacrificial Dodge as much as needed in a round (honestly, that's probably overcharging - perhaps [3] would be more appropriate?). If not going the Ally route, I'd go with something based on Altered Time Rate and upgrade the character's Dodge to Cosmic. I may try to build something when I get home to my books.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Varyon

It's probably a Sacrificial Dodge (unless you can equip the Ally with an appropriate shield for a Sacrificial Block), and you'll want your Ally to have a sizable DR+(HP/IT:DR) to absorb attacks. I think Sacrificial Dodge is typically only usable once per round with the appropriate Perk.

I'm not aware of needing a perk to do Sacrificial Dodge, seems to be one of the basic rules (B375)

Using All-Out Defense I think it's been brought up that you could use SD to sort of fudge sacrificial blocks/parries in that if you make yourself the new target you could then use your 2nd defense to actually defend yourself.

Blocking or parrying for others standalone (you're not the originally target) seems possible only through perks which allow you to target those "behind" or "beside" you.

I'd speculate that "beside" is intended to mean only the side of the arm holding the weapon unless you had Extra Flexible or Double-Jointed : it would be strange if you could defend allies in a position where you couldn't defend against attacks from that direction.

As far as "behind", I can't help but wonder if there's some flexibility about that for those with 360 vision...

Shield Wall Training (MA51) allows it for shields, I would assume only as far away as you could Shield Bash (Reach 1 for most)

Sacrificial Parry (PU2p7) allows it for parries, up to the range of your weapon's reach (which is why I speculate reach 1 for shields)

There's also Teamwork (MA52) which instead of defending allies "beside" you (like the above two) instead (bullet point 4/4) sacrifices a defense (EITHER a block or a parry) to protect those BEHIND you.

Teamwork has the advantage of not needing to specialize by weapon, but has the drawback of not being universal or instant: everyone needs the perk and spend a "Ready" to "form up".

Defending those behind you requires that a long or missile weapon passes through your hex too, so it's not going to help if that's not the case.

One thing I wonder about is if you have less of an obvious "facing" if the conccept of "behind" is sort of flexible.

For example: let's say your ally is in front of you (not behind) and a foe behind you uses his reach 2 spear to stab through your hex (but not through you, he's avoiding you) to try and stab your ally.

It's clear why you shouldn't normally be able to protect your ally: you can't normally even protect YOURSELF from that, it's a surprise attack.

But what if you had 360 vision and Extra Flexible arms where parrying attacks from the rear is easy? If front/back don't matter anymore for your personal defenses, should they matter for who you can defend using Teamwork?

[naloth]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

How would you build an advantage that grants you an extra active defense at a fixed skill level, even if you're unconscious? If this extra defense fails, you will be allowed to try a regular defense as long as you're aware of the attack. If relevant, the extra defense is a block.

Cosmic defenses (Power Ups: Advantages) might fit what you're looking for. It works against attacks you're unaware of, but not when you're totally unconscious.

I also built a super villain that named Shimmer that had traveled with an obscure 5 field around him that was stealthy and limited to only affecting attack rolls. It effectively gave a -5 to hit him directly with anything that relied on vision. Of course that didn't help against Area attacks or maledictions, which left him with a rather short career.