When the stars are right.

Discuss rule quandaries, supplements, or anything else OVA related here.

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Malancthon
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Malancthon »

In this case, Infamous is less about how widely know they are, but how big of a threat they are revealed to be when people start finding out about them.
Clay
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Clay »

Roswynn d'Cannith wrote: That would be awesomesauce! And yeah, if you elaborated a little on your Uniques to specify how to use them and how not to they'd be more palatable even for little ol' moi

XOXO
Rosie-
Okay. This is going to be a really in depth, technical answer. It may take some time to digest all of this valuable info, so you may want to set aside a few hours.





…You should use Unique Ability when you want to.

:D

Okay, seriously, basic rule of thumb is this: First try to take an existing Ability, tweak the text, and give it a new name. Transformation can work pretty much as-is for battle suit. Magic can be all kind of things, from element-bending a la Avatar to THE FORCE.

When that doesn’t work, then use Unique Ability. I would still try to model it on existing Abilities if possible, but don’t feel you have to be a slave to the book as written.

Finally, don’t be afraid to use Unique Ability as an abstract indicator of usefulness. Miho’s Quick Calculator is not meant to be anything you’d rank from 1 to 5. It’s just a minor quirk that might prove a little useful now and again. There is no such thing as a Quick Calculator +5.
Malancthon
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Malancthon »

Clay wrote:
Roswynn d'Cannith wrote: That would be awesomesauce! And yeah, if you elaborated a little on your Uniques to specify how to use them and how not to they'd be more palatable even for little ol' moi

XOXO
Rosie-
Okay. This is going to be a really in depth, technical answer. It may take some time to digest all of this valuable info, so you may want to set aside a few hours.





…You should use Unique Ability when you want to.
This is something Rosie and I are discussing over, and when the appropriate use of the Monstrous Abilities would be.

The 'fear' is that by making something available means that people are going to be quick to use and abuse the abilities just because they can.

But not all campaigns are about Magic, or about Samurai, or about Mecha, or about Deicide. Clay says it best right here (yep, again taking words out of your mouth; but honestly, this might be My favorite post you've made)
Clay wrote:1) There is a hidden cost in OVA, and that’s “plausibility.” It’s reasonable to give a lumbering beast Combat Expert, but giving it Agile implies a very different creature altogether. The “best" Ability is not always the most appropriate one.

4) Building on point 1, OVA is a narrative game. Objectively there are A LOT of Abilities that are notably “worse” than others. Stuff like Cute! and Heightened Sense certainly have their place, but if we’re being honest will probably never be used as often as Agile. But that’s not the point. Sometimes you just want a character to be cute!
So some (most) times, the Monstrous abilities are not plausible. And in those cases, it should be be not used.

Elderich Abominations? Plausible. Use it.
Yotsuba? Not plausible. Use it. Er, don't use it.
Clay wrote:Magic can be all kind of things, from element-bending a la Avatar to THE FORCE.
I have been tinkering with some SW:TFA ideas in OVA, and I actually have been using Magic renamed as the Force.
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Sabersonic »

Okay, after reading and replying to all the posts upon the thread topic in hand, I think I have a more refined version of my Elderich Abomination template, though for consistency sake let's go for one with and without Monsterous Scale to give people an option and to see if I got the scaled thing correctly. Far as I figure, Attack isn't applicable but I could be wrong.
Elderich Abomination – Lovecraftian-Type
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An ancient, unfathomable being beyond the scope of mortal understanding; to the point that the mere sight of them is enough to induce madness into the minds of all but the strongest of souls. Even then it would not last long under prolong exposure. To battle them is an exercise in futility and to go against them is to go against the very forces of nature itself, though there is nothing natural to these beings within the realm of the corporeal or ethereal. They are nigh timeless, infinite, and have the patience that equals their near immortal lifespan. Even in defeat, it is not certain that it will end their monitions, but rather a pause in the greater scheme of a cosmos onto which they are the apex species in the same scale as a human is as apex onto worms.

They cannot speak the tongues of mortal languages, but with their psionic abilities, there is no need. Their psycho-manipulative touch is able to reach what they need into the depths of any mortals soul, though often enough at the cost of the poor victims sanity if they are not made into thralls of these elderich abominations. Thralls that are easily made legion to further their alien stratagems, heedless of the casualties it would cause the “lower” species. They see themselves as above the petty concerns of mortals, and they would be justified in that they are the closest a being could get to become divine in their own grotesque, impossible visage. This breeds arrogance and overconfidence, but it is not without warrant for they existed before mortal species and will more than likely continue to exist long after the last have returned to the dust from whence they came.

(-5 Points)
HEALTH: 1000
ENDURANCE: 1000
TV: 40 (45 Scaled)
DX[END] - Attack
  • 25[0] - “Touch of Madness” (Continued Effect; No Gesture; Stunning; Will Attack. No Damage; Requirement, Psychic)
Level - Ability
  • +2 - Armored *
  • +2 - Intimidating*
  • +3 - Minions
  • +3 - Monstrous Durability
  • +3 - Monstrous Vigor
  • +3 - Monstrous Yield
  • +2 - Psychic*
  • +3 - Smart*
Level - Weakness
  • -3 - Arrogant
  • -3 - Awkward Size (Large)
  • -3 - Bizarre Appearance “Elderich Abomination”
  • -3 - Emotionless “Elderich Abomination”
  • -3 - Infamous “Elderich Abomination”
  • -2 - Mute
  • -3 - Overconfident
  • -3 - Rude
  • -3 - Stubborn
* Indicates that Character Ability/ies are of higher value than human norm, thus applicable for Scaled Advantage
-------------------------
(0 Points)
HEALTH: 100
ENDURANCE: 100
TV: 25 (30 Scaled)
DX[END] - Attack
  • 2[0] - “Touch of Madness” (Continued Effect; No Gesture; Stunning; Will Attack. No Damage; Requirement, Psychic)
Level - Ability
  • +5 - Armored*
  • +1 - Attack*
  • +2 - Intimidating*
  • +3 - Minions
  • +2 - Psychic*
  • +3 - Smart*
  • +5 - Tough
  • +5 - Vigorous
Level - Weakness
  • -3 - Arrogant
  • -3 - Awkward Size (Large)
  • -3 - Bizarre Appearance “Elderich Abomination”
  • -3 - Emotionless “Elderich Abomination”
  • -3 - Infamous “Elderich Abomination”
  • -2 - Mute
  • -3 - Overconfident
  • -3 - Rude
  • -3 - Stubborn
* Indicates that Character Ability/ies are of higher value than human norm, thus applicable for Scaled Advantage
Well, that should be enough of a contrast between the two philosophies. So then, how far off was I now?
Last edited by Sabersonic on Wed May 04, 2016 6:45 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Malancthon
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Malancthon »

I think we should have clarified this at the beginning, but your use of the word Elderich is a portmanteau of Elder (gods) and Eldritch, right? Because the usual term is Eldritch Abominations.

I'm confused by why many of the attributes in the revised "Monstous" version are so much lower now. Armored? Intimidating? Psychic? I don't see a reason why they were lowered.

The "book-legal" version's Health and Endurance at 140 each don't add up. The maximum for those two is 100. If you were trying to add Scale to them, then it'd be 160 for them. But per the book, you shouldn't use Scale on Abilities like Tough since that makes things wonky, instead suggesting using Scale for Armor or other similar effects.

Still no levels of Smart?

Honestly, I think you got it closer to right with the first draft, except swapping the Unique Ability: Longevity with Smart. Your other Unique: Fluency could probably also be dropped, since Smart with Psychic would probably cover that gamut.
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Sabersonic »

The reason why those attributes are lowered is simple really: They gain the Scaled Advantage when faced with standard, human adventurers so they don't need to be that tall when dealing with other beings on par with their own power and whatnots.

As for 140 for both Health and Endurance, well characters have a default value on both to be 40 with Tough/Frail and Vigorous/Languid altering that value and since +5 in those categories is a 100, it was a simple matter of adding a hundred to forty.

As for Fluency and Smart, yeah, that sounds a bit of a redundancy with the latter since I was trying to convey the fact that the basic Elderich Abomination, though mute to mortal tongues, are able to speak said languages within the mindscape of that unfortunate individual.
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Though he may have his flaws and faults, he was a husband and a father without equal. May the Angels welcome and accept him with open arms.

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Malancthon
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Malancthon »

Sabersonic wrote:As for 140 for both Health and Endurance, well characters have a default value on both to be 40 with Tough/Frail and Vigorous/Languid altering that value and since +5 in those categories is a 100, it was a simple matter of adding a hundred to forty.
Level 5 of Tough/Vigorous adds 60 to Health/Endurance.
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Sabersonic »

*Looks at Book* Oh, there it is. Guess I got the totals mixed up.

Wouldn't be the first time to be honest..... :roll:
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Re: When the stars are right.

Post by Sabersonic »

Clay wrote:While you can apply Scale to both Strong and Attack, I would probably stick to one scale bonus per roll.
Oh? So one CAN give the Scale Advantage to Attack. Makes sense since size difference can actually deliver more damage compared to same sized opponents on occasion.

Certainly something I'll keep in mind in my other campaign and future designs :twisted:
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Though he may have his flaws and faults, he was a husband and a father without equal. May the Angels welcome and accept him with open arms.

Rest in Peace, Dad
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