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Old 08-21-2019, 03:00 PM   #11
Refplace
 
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

Quote:
Originally Posted by PIELIKEI View Post
Is there a place where defense is defined? I'm probably wrong but I thought that my abilities would be counted as defenses? There really isn't much attacking you can do with the 10DR Malediction or a force wall that deals no damage so I kinda just assumed they counted. Feel free to correct me on this.
Sorry I misunderstood.
As Power Blocks or Parries yes Reflexive is pretty much required for most abilities as they take a Ready Maneuver to use normally.
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Old 08-21-2019, 03:01 PM   #12
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

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Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
I think you misunderstand Reflexive.
Its a modifier (GURPS Powers, p109) for defenses not attacks.
Basically it lets you activate a defense as a Free Action instead of taking a Ready or Concentrate maneuver. Its later applied to sensory powers as well so a Detect (for example) can turn itself on to alert you of something.
If it were applied to an attack it would still require an attack to use, just be available faster.
If you had an attack limited with 'takes extra time' (which for example took 1 ready + attack to launch a binding) then you couldn't normally use something like Power Parry, I think...

But if you used "Temporary Enhancements" to get Reduced Time (or Reflexive, which includes 1 level of that) then it should be temporarily as easy to use as a non-limited attack, allowing power parries to be done with it.

I don't know if Reflexive would do anything in addition to that though. It appears to let DR turn on if you're asleep or something (at a penalty) so I could see it allowing you to make power parries at a penalty towards attacks you're not aware of too.

Instead of being +40% and having 1 level of reduced time (+20%) built into it, I think I'd prefer to separate that and have whatever Reflexive does OTHER than lessen activation time (which AFAIk is just the ability to turn on without voluntary input, an unconscious defense) by just 20%.

This would make it a little more flexible for stuff which doesn't need its activation time reduced, such as stuff which are already free actions, or stuff using rules which allow 1-attack abilities to be used as an active defense, such as Power Parry.

If not allowing that, I guess the closest you could get would be taking TET1:-10% + Reflexive+40% for a net +30%
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Old 08-21-2019, 03:37 PM   #13
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

Another possibility would use Link. For example, you could link a reflexive Detect (Hostility) with an Affliction that causes Ecstasy, allowing you to disable a hostile attacker before they even attack. Another possibility would be to link a reflexive Detect (Hostility) to an Innate Attack that produces a Wall. For example:

Detect (Hostility; Cosmic, No die roll required, +100%; Link, +10%; Reflexive, +40%; Reliable +10, +50%) [30] plus Small Piercing Attack 15d (Area Effect, 16 yards, +200%; Link, +10%; Persistent, +40%; Selective Effect, +20%; Switchable, +10%; Wall, Rigid, +60%) [198].

The result is an attack that automatically activates whenever its linked ability detects Hostility but is capable of being switched into an active roll. When it is switched on, it forms a 48 square yard shape as determined by its user, with each square yard with a DR 45 and HP 7, that last for 10 seconds.
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Old 08-21-2019, 05:06 PM   #14
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Another possibility would use Link. For example, you could link a reflexive Detect (Hostility) with
PU4p11 "Modifying Other Characteristics" has an example for linking 2 senses together of "if he hears something, he doesn't have to make a second roll to see it".

That's kinda strange because usually it just means something along the lines of being able to freely activate them in the higher of their two activation times rather than the sum of them.

If a passed hearing means automatic sight, then what other success rolls could be ignored through a link?

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
an Affliction that causes Ecstasy, allowing you to disable a hostile attacker before they even attack.
Using "Link" to combine an attack advantage with a non-attack advantage is something I can't recall an example for, on the other hand. Particular a non-attack advantage which is passive and doesn't have an activation time.

1 Ready + 1 Ready = 1 Ready for linked non-attack advantages and 1 Attack + 1 Attack = 1 Attack for linked attack advantages is the most basic form of link.

For attack + non-attack you might also think of that as maneuver+maneuver. "Attack" and "Ready" both have 1 step so they're compatible enough, but if you get into realms like All-Out Attack it begins to get questionable: you can normally not go up to 1/2 your move when taking a Ready, so should you be able to do an AOA and still activate a "Ready" ability? Same concern with Concentrate, which is also limited to 1 step (like Ready) and not higher amounts like attacks.

If you've linked things that take different second-length to activate, I would think you would use the greater of the two. Such as if one attack took 2 maneuvers to use and another took 1, using them linked should take 2 rather than 3, but not 1?

Or perhaps on the 1st second you launch the quick attack and that counts as 1 second of prep towards the other longer attack which launches the next second?

So even if you had sense (free) and attack (1 sec) linked, wouldn't it still cost you an attack to react? Attacks can't be reduced to 0-time free actions.

If that's the case, should the link do something else like avoid needing to make an attack roll and have the sense roll count as the attack roll, similar to a hearing success counting as an automatic sight success?

[QUOTE=AlexanderHowl;2280556]
Another possibility would be to link a reflexive Detect (Hostility) to an Innate Attack that produces a Wall. For example:

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Detect (Hostility; Cosmic, No die roll required, +100%; Link, +10%; Reflexive, +40%; Reliable +10, +50%) [30] plus Small Piercing Attack 15d (Area Effect, 16 yards, +200%; Link, +10%; Persistent, +40%; Selective Effect, +20%; Switchable, +10%; Wall, Rigid, +60%) [198].

The result is an attack that automatically activates whenever its linked ability detects Hostility but is capable of being switched into an active roll. When it is switched on, it forms a 48 square yard shape as determined by its user, with each square yard with a DR 45 and HP 7, that last for 10 seconds.
Are there any examples of Switchable being used to turn off the effects of persistent attacks? I thought Switchable was about turning off the ability to attack. Stopping the effects of an already-launched attack sounds like "Cancellation", which is for Affliction. It's also worth +10% so it wouldn't affect the cost, it's just semantics.

Mechanically though, for it to work you basically have to aim a 'cancellation beam' at the target to halt the effect. I think mages/sorcerers have a version of this with "No Die Roll Required" and infinite skill/range since they don't have to roll to cancel their Afflictions/Spells.
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Old 08-21-2019, 06:06 PM   #15
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

Sorry, I meant Selectivity.
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Old 08-21-2019, 07:20 PM   #16
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Sorry, I meant Selectivity.
Instead of what, Selective Effect?

If you're using that to turn off the "Link" enhancement, that's pretty much the same as taking Link +20% except you also could turn off other enhancements if you wanted...

From that angle, I actually don't know why anyone would take Link+20 if they could take Link+10 Selectivity+10...
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Old 08-22-2019, 05:36 AM   #17
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

No, instead of Switchable (which is inappropriate for an Innate Attack). Selective Area lets you choose who to effect with the wall. Yes, I agree about Link.
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Old 08-23-2019, 10:47 PM   #18
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Switchable (which is inappropriate for an Innate Attack).
If Burning Attack (Melee Attack -15%) is "a 4-yard flame whip extends from your body" then "Switchable" sounds like what you'd need to make it go away, sort of like Switchable Body Parts.

For non-melee, maybe there should be a similar indication that you have the ability to shoot fireballs, like a glowing hand/throat, which would also go away with Switchable?
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Old 08-24-2019, 07:40 AM   #19
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

You can always turn off a Melee Attack unless you have Always On. Switchable is for abilities that are automatically always on (Body Parts, Invisibility, etc.).
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Old 08-24-2019, 10:55 AM   #20
Aldric
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Default Re: [Powers] Multiple Reflexive During Combat

Would Always On work if you actually had that 4y flame whip hanging from your arm all the time ?
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