managing power levels

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

Moderators: Clay, Jade

Post Reply
jonn254
Shelled Plebeian
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 7:27 am

managing power levels

Post by jonn254 »

Hello all I'm new around here so I hope I'm posting in the right spot.

I'm a long time GM for my homegroup and have run a lot of different ttrpgs in recent time I did a one shot of OVA, it from a GM stand point was a mess with rampant power level issues and insanity,
Which is fine for a once off.

Now comes to the big issue my players (6 total) are collectively requesting we continue to use OVA.
I've agreed to start running it on a regular basis and have started setting up the world but I'm still faced with the issue of balancing the party to make the game more controllable.
The Book mentions several ways to manage power levels but I'm unsure on whats the best to take.
Ideally I am hoping for one that makes the party collectively above average in such a way that a normal person would wish for the abilities.

In your experience what is a good power ceiling?
Malancthon
Exalted Amphibian
Posts: 279
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2015 4:55 pm

Re: managing power levels

Post by Malancthon »

Do you mean, like how one character could have +33 in Abilities and -36 in Weaknesses while another character could have +12 in Abilities and -8 in Weaknesses, and since both fit in the Base Zero rules, they are both legal characters?

That is something I've scratched My head over before. My solution has been to start characters with +15 in Abilities, with a starting cap of no higher than level 3 in Abilities, then recommend -10 in Weaknesses (although with Base Zero, the characters could have anywhere between -10 to -20 in Weaknesses). In effect, the Power Ceiling rule as described in the book, including using the 15 as suggested.

+15/-10 has worked for Me as a standard with making 'heroic' or dynamic characters while still having room to grow or for there to be "bigger fish" to challenge characters with.

For more "normal" characters, like John McClain instead of Captain America, I found +10/-5 works well. I had discussed an idea in a game where we started as normal people using the +10/-5 stats, then getting a package of +5/-5 Abilities and Weaknesses for our super powers. I liked the idea, unfortunately the game died before it started.
jonn254
Shelled Plebeian
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2018 7:27 am

Re: managing power levels

Post by jonn254 »

I think I'll be going with what you recommended as a power ceiling, I really like the idea of letting my player grow the powers they like the most.
+15/-10 should give them plenty of room to be awesome without the crazy bonuses I had to deal with before.

It always suck with a campaign dies so i feel you on that, this OVA one is meant to replace one that ended in a total party wipe. Aiming for it to be a paranormal investigation based one though many of the player characters are/will be paranormal in nature.
Malancthon
Exalted Amphibian
Posts: 279
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2015 4:55 pm

Re: managing power levels

Post by Malancthon »

Sounds good! I am a fan of "container" Abilities, like Transformation and Vehicle. At the moment, I am advocating Gear to work the same way. This will help give players a boost in power without always needing that power and keeping their general power level manageable.

Keep an eye on combo Abilities (Agile+Combat Expert, Evasive+Quick, Attack+Strong), as someone could try to be cheeky and have 3s in them for a super attack or defense roll. With any luck, only having 15 points to spend should deter them, but I would suggest allowing maybe one combo to total +4 (Agile 2 and Combat Expert 2 or Evasive 3 and Quick 1, for example). Combos for a total of +2 or + 3 are perfectly acceptable. The DX I would be less concerned about, since Strong is more situational, and it can be helpful for game flow if combat moves faster.
Post Reply