Binding - Decreased ST over time.

[stroess]

Hi,

I was wondering how I would duplicate Binding with the ST slowly getting lower over time. For instance, if I encase someone in really strong Ice, then leave the area, it should slowly melt. Therefore, over time, it should get thinner and easier to break out of.

Does anyone know how I could simulate this?

Thanks!

Stroess

[the_matrix_walker]

I think I would use the rules for dissipating attacks. Add the Dissipation Limitation, and change yards to seconds. So you divide the ST of your bind by the time in seconds between the present and the time of the attack. This is going to go fast, but it's a 50% Limitation. I would then let you add Reduced Time to half the time factor and make the Bind ST hold out longer.

[Bruno]

I'd use Extended Duration myself... It seems more intuitive.

[the_matrix_walker]

Extended Duration... Even better, good one Bruno. You approve of the temporal adaption of Dissipation then?

[vierasmarius]

Let's see how the numbers add up for this. With Dissipation -50% a ST 10 Binding will drop to 1 after 10 seconds; depending on how it's rounded it may vanish after that, or linger for a few more seconds. With Extended Duration 1 +20% (so total of -30%) it'll last for 30 seconds; with ED 2 +40% (total -10%) it'll last 100 seconds. Further levels of ED would be a net enhancement, so I'd just make it a Nuisance Effect if it dissipates more slowly than that.

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

Let's see how the numbers add up for this. With Dissipation -50% a ST 10 Binding will drop to 1 after 10 seconds; depending on how it's rounded it may vanish after that, or linger for a few more seconds. With Extended Duration 1 +20% (so total of -30%) it'll last for 30 seconds; with ED 2 +40% (total -10%) it'll last 100 seconds. Further levels of ED would be a net enhancement, so I'd just make it a Nuisance Effect if it dissipates more slowly than that.

Yeah, that works for me, how about you stroess?

[B9anders]

It looks like a pretty bad deal, considering it goes:

-10% dissipates in 100 seconds
-0% permanent

I'd look at how, for the purposes of applying this limitation, to make the permanence of Binding into a fixed duration.

Power-Ups 4 gives us a good idea. Assuming Binding is an affliction, thus using minutes as a duration, that has simply been enhanced with extended duration to the tune of 150%, then applying 'fixed duration'.

Then Binding, with this "non-permanent, fixed duration, +0%" comes out at around 300 hours duration.

Then simply apply the Reduced Duration limitation from Psionic Powers to this number.

[B9anders]

Originally Posted by stroess

Hi,

I was wondering how I would duplicate Binding with the ST slowly getting lower over time. For instance, if I encase someone in really strong Ice, then leave the area, it should slowly melt. Therefore, over time, it should get thinner and easier to break out of.

Does anyone know how I could simulate this?

Thanks!

Stroess

If you've Elemental as part of your power modifier, I'd say it is implied this will happen anyway. It might be a pretty long time though. I don't know how long it takes for a condensed solid block of ice to melt in a temperate climate.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by B9anders

If you've Elemental as part of your power modifier, I'd say it is implied this will happen anyway. It might be a pretty long time though. I don't know how long it takes for a condensed solid block of ice to melt in a temperate climate.

This is something I didn't have time to bring up last night. Ice doesn't melt all the time, only when the temperature is above freezing, and it melts at different rates depending on the temperature, wind, and how well insulated the person inside is.

OTOH, if you encase someone in a solid block of ice and they're not wearing arctic survival gear, they're going to die of hypothermia before they melt free, unless they're in a sauna or something.

So realism may be bad on both fronts, for your average super hero.


Binding is a little odd in that it (by default) can't be cancelled and doesn't wear off. If you use an engulfing constricting Binding, you can't stop your Bigby's Crushing Hand from squeezing someone once they surrender - it Just Keeps Going until they escape, or until someone breaks it off of them. It seems to take a Switchable, +10% type enhancement to be able to turn it off voluntarily (I've asked about it before on the forum and that was the consensus) and of course there's no Duration.

Technically, going from an infinite Duration to a limited one is an infinite reduction in utility, but in practice I don't think it's quite that bad. I like the base idea of the Dissipation based build, although I think it should reduce to minutes, not seconds, and adjust from there with Reduced Duration and Extended Duration to taste, with the note on capping at a -5% Nuisance.

A fixed Duration is different and seems less disadvantageous - with dissipating levels it gets easier and easier to break free (or be broken free) which means the victim might break free early (or be rescued early). An absolute Duration doesn't give you that chance if you couldn't beat the Binding to begin with (I had 25-ish levels of a binding that only took damage from light and heat/fire based attacks and zapped a burglar with it - that's really difficult to escape for a regular person unless his friends have a cutting torch or something...)

[B9anders]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I like the base idea of the Dissipation based build, although I think it should reduce to minutes, not seconds, and adjust from there with Reduced Duration and Extended Duration to taste, with the note on capping at a -5% Nuisance.

A fixed Duration is different and seems less disadvantageous - with dissipating levels it gets easier and easier to break free (or be broken free) which means the victim might break free early (or be rescued early).

That's a good point. Keeping with the Dissipation idea then, I'd also use minutes for dissipating, and apply Extended Duration as a -20% limitation on the limitation, instead of an enhancement on Binding itself. So fledging it out, it goes like this as a levelled limitation:

Dissipates Over Time, -10%/lvl.
Your Binding dissipates over time. Divide the ST of your Binding by the number of dissipation time intervals elapsed. The dissipation interval is determined by the level of this limitation:
-10% --- 15 hours
-20% --- 5 hours
-30% --- 1.5 hours
-30% --- 30 minutes
-40% --- 3 minutes
-50% --- 1 minute
-60% --- 20 seconds
-70% --- 2 seconds
-80% --- 1 second