[RPM] Defense/Armour Against Firearms?

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Why? What is the rationale behind that position? Most instances of Bestow a Bonus/Penalty occur with Altered Trait in the Grimoire in order to create an effect beyond that given by Altered Trait. For example, the Gift of Gab (RPM, p. 43) gives Altered Trait (Voice), Bestow a Bonus (+2 Fast-Talk, for a total of an explicitly stated +4 when including the bonus from Voice), and Bestow a Penalty (-2 to opposing rolls to detect that they are lying).

I suppose the generalized position is "Don't use altered traits unless you have to"


The most direct expression of this I've seen is for bestowing a damage boost, where damage boosts are favored over adding innate attacks to things. Its also worth looking the advice on page 5 of the How to Be a Gurps GM: Ritual Path Magic book. (A lot of that book comes from RPM discussions on the forum. I learned little, but I like it because its a wonderful reference and canonization of crunch worked out here).

[AlexanderHowl]

While I am sure that the book helps less experienced GMs, I have been playing GURPS for over thirty years and running GURPS games for over a quarter century, so I doubt that I will ever bother to get it. In general though, the examples from RPM usually only use Bestow Bonus/Penalty if it is more efficient than Altered Trait, if it is stacking with Altered Trait, or impossible to do with Altered Trait.

For example, a practitioner could use Altered Trait to give their guard dog Combat Reflexes and Strangler 4 and Bestow Bonus to give them +5 Bite Damage (Narrow) and +5 to Brawling (Narrow). Now, imagine that your PCs have to go up against a pack of such dogs guarding the base of the enemy (1d+3 cutting damage and Brawling-22, as well as the other bonuses, would make them exceptionally dangerous animals, especially if they are trained to literally go for the throat). Alternatively, imagine a tiger enhanced six ways to Sunday with RPM (give them Stalker 4 and Strangler 4, and a +5 to Bite Damage and +5 to Stealth, to give the players nightmares). A group needs a skilled character with RPM if they want to survive in such a setting.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

While I am sure that the book helps less experienced GMs, I have been playing GURPS for over thirty years and running GURPS games for over a quarter century, so I doubt that I will ever bother to get it. In general though, the examples from RPM usually only use Bestow Bonus/Penalty if it is more efficient than Altered Trait, if it is stacking with Altered Trait, or impossible to do with Altered Trait.

I recommend reading it. Its actually not mostly advice, its at least half crunch, composed of useful rules and rulings that have been floating around the forums a while from Christopher Rice and PK. If you haven't read it, you haven't read several RPM rules (at least not the official versions).

[AlexanderHowl]

This is GURPS, there is no need to really pay attention to any book beyond Basic. Now, I enjoy RPM as it is presented in RPM, with some minor adjustments, so I really do not need another book telling me how I am doing it wrong, despite following the examples in RPM, especially when they have not bothered to incorporate the new 'rules' in an updated version of RPM. If they had, then I might actually care, but I have little patience for 'how to GM' books.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

This is GURPS, there is no need to really pay attention to any book beyond Basic. Now, I enjoy RPM as it is presented in RPM, with some minor adjustments, so I really do not need another book telling me how I am doing it wrong, despite following the examples in RPM, especially when they have not bothered to incorporate the new 'rules' in an updated version of RPM. If they had, then I might actually care, but I have little patience for 'how to GM' books.

It came as one of the books in the $3 bundle kickstarter. I'll admit that I only got the book because it came free bundled with stuff I already wanted, having been less than impressed by the "How to GM" books so far. This is not mostly an advice book. Most of what it adds are new modifiers and options for RPM. It has costs for summoning or controlling individuals or groups, a rule for an alternate bestow a bonus/penalty pricing, and others.



RPM is weird because so much tinkering and theory crafting has been done with it.



On a non-book related route, I try to avoid altered traits in RPM because I find that it usually leads to unnecessary complexity and is open to abuse.

[AlexanderHowl]

In my experience, Altered Traits end up being more intuitive, simpler, and cheaper than Bestow Bonus/Penalty. In does not make much sense to use Bestow Bonus (Broad; +5 Reaction Bonus) for 80 energy when I can use Altered Trait (Charisma 5) for 25 energy to do the same thing.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

In my experience, Altered Traits end up being more intuitive, simpler, and cheaper than Bestow Bonus/Penalty. In does not make much sense to use Bestow Bonus (Broad; +5 Reaction Bonus) for 80 energy when I can use Altered Trait (Charisma 5) for 25 energy to do the same thing.

I can agree with cheaper, and often that's my concern...

Though I've gathered that you and I look for very different things from RPM, and we balance it in very different ways.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

does not make much sense to use Bestow Bonus (Broad; +5 Reaction Bonus) for 80 energy when I can use Altered Trait (Charisma 5) for 25 energy to do the same thing.

I think the problem is how it scales up. "Sense rolls" is an explicit "broad" application on RPM17 and +1 costs 5, the same as buying Per up that amount (same value as charisma too)

That carries forward to +2 but then the cost starts doubling past there and that's where advantages pull ahead since they retain linear pricing.

One reason I could see it being okay for advantages to be cheaper is that they could be cancelled if someone hit you with "Negated Advantage" whereas the 'bestow bonus' is more like a cosmic enhancement that can't be negated by that modifier during the spell's duration (though neutralize: magic would still work)

I could also see treating them like afflictions where 'healing' could remove them, while healing could not remove the bonus.

[Sorenant]

Wouldn't DR up to what's available as equipment be a lesser effect?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Sorenant

Wouldn't DR up to what's available as equipment be a lesser effect?

Wouldn't buying a bulletproof vest be simpler than that? :)