Blood and Vigilance, Clarifications?

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Doesn't seem to be much activity in the RPGO forums, and I know a few people here have this product (and Chuck stops by).

I've got some questions about how/why a few things in BnV work.

"Ability Enhancement" - I don't get the point of this ability. You have to stick 4pp into this to get 1d4 points of an ability that fades away within a few rounds. For 4pp in the same Super-Ability you get FOUR permanent points to that ability.

If anything, I'd say making your Super-Ability tiring or triggered would be adding Disadvantages to it. Honestly I'd let somebody do that with a Super-Ability if they wanted something LIKE "Ability Enhancement". Was this a typo or is it just a crappy ability?

Another is making Gadgets and Devices. This was listed as something that was going to be soon added to another issue of BnV, but that doesn't seem to be immediately forthcoming ... would treating Device like a power flaw (like M&M) be workable? I figure it would make a good 2-point Disad for a power.

"Blast- Energy Blast" ... so this means Energy Blast always gets the listed +2 disad? It says: "You must specify the type of energy for resistance ..." etc etc, so I assume all Energy Blasts are then going to have that Disad. But under the Disad it says one of the advantages of Blast is taking something people don't have a resistance to ... which suggests you DON'T have to specify a type of energy for resistance. Or, I guess, we could suggest something like "Ruby Blasty Beam" as the energy type, on the off-chance I, as the rat-bastard DM wanted to create Immune To Ruby Blasty Beam Dude. In that case, do I still have to take the +2 Disad, as that would be a little cheesy.

Of course, common-sense tells me it works like: "If you take a common type of energy, it is a +2 Point Disad to the Energy Blast power". That's not really how it reads, though.

One last thing ... although it isn't listed in the original stuff on power descriptions, I take it that the "Free" descriptor on some of the powers is distinguishing those powers that DON'T require an AP to be spent for their use? I might have missed it, but this doesn't seem to be very clearly explained. In the power description explaination area of the text it says a bunch of stuff about "if the name of the sub-power is close to the name of the base power it doesn't require an AP to activate the power" etc etc.

BUT under the "Control Electricity" power we have "Resist Electricity" and "Electrical Empathy". Each of these has the "Free" descriptor and neither is very powerful (not warranting an AP or Power Stunt, I'd say). Yet under the Power Feat "Immunity To Electricity" one of the pre-reqs is "Resist Electricty Power Stunt" which suggests that "Resist Electricity" costs an AP to activate or a Power Stunt to keep.

Meaning I'm really confused as to what the heck the "Free" means.

Anybody know more than I do about this?

--fje

 

[Vigilance]

Doesn't seem to be much activity in the RPGO forums, and I know a few people here have this product (and Chuck stops by).

I've got some questions about how/why a few things in BnV work.

"Ability Enhancement" - I don't get the point of this ability. You have to stick 4pp into this to get 1d4 points of an ability that fades away within a few rounds. For 4pp in the same Super-Ability you get FOUR permanent points to that ability.

There are a few uses for Ability Enhancement that you wouldn't get from just boosting an ability. For example if someone drains an ability score Ability Enhancement will "heal" the ability in question.

The Brick in my home campaign invested in a little Ability Enhancment (Strength) because he kept running into a villain with a durable Str drain.

I suppose on a strictly min/max basis it isn't quite as good as some other powers, but I have seen it taken. Also not every power has to be something to build your entire character around. At least not imo.

If you don't think being able to recover quickly from a drain is good enough you could always create a new stunt or two, allowing the character to take a feat and extend the range to touch, allowing him to enhance the abilities of others, or a general stunt adding +1 to your ability enhancement roll and max ability enhancement.

Edit: One of the players from my home campaign just looked over my shoulder and added the following: remember that powers are limited like skills (3+level for class powers). So at 1st level a character could take Superhuman Str (4 points) and Ability Enhancement Strength (4 points). When he was "juiced" he would be stronger than anyone of his level.

Another is making Gadgets and Devices. This was listed as something that was going to be soon added to another issue of BnV, but that doesn't seem to be immediately forthcoming ... would treating Device like a power flaw (like M&M) be workable? I figure it would make a good 2-point Disad for a power.

Well the gadgets book, titled Blood and Circuits, and usable for BNV and all other Modern games, allowing you to build armor, vehicles, weapons, headquarters and robots from scratch is currently done

So it might not be *immediately* forthcoming (it still needs to be edited, art, etc.) but it might not be as long as you think

"Blast- Energy Blast" ... so this means Energy Blast always gets the listed +2 disad? It says: "You must specify the type of energy for resistance ..." etc etc, so I assume all Energy Blasts are then going to have that Disad. But under the Disad it says one of the advantages of Blast is taking something people don't have a resistance to ... which suggests you DON'T have to specify a type of energy for resistance. Or, I guess, we could suggest something like "Ruby Blasty Beam" as the energy type, on the off-chance I, as the rat-bastard DM wanted to create Immune To Ruby Blasty Beam Dude. In that case, do I still have to take the +2 Disad, as that would be a little cheesy.

Of course, common-sense tells me it works like: "If you take a common type of energy, it is a +2 Point Disad to the Energy Blast power". That's not really how it reads, though.

It isn't? Read the NAME of the disadvantage grasshopper "Common Special Effect" is the name of the disadvantage. Also the disadvantage goes on to say that one of the advantages of blast is the "ability to choose an exotic energy form".

It sounds pretty clear to me.

Also remember that weather control, fire control, and so forth allow you to take blast-like abilities as stunts. So yes the advantage of just taking blast is that you get to take "ruby red force" as your blast type. Sure sometimes you will run into someone with resistance or immunity (Havoc is immune to Cyke's beams for example) but it should be rare.

One last thing ... although it isn't listed in the original stuff on power descriptions, I take it that the "Free" descriptor on some of the powers is distinguishing those powers that DON'T require an AP to be spent for their use? I might have missed it, but this doesn't seem to be very clearly explained. In the power description explaination area of the text it says a bunch of stuff about "if the name of the sub-power is close to the name of the base power it doesn't require an AP to activate the power" etc etc.

BUT under the "Control Electricity" power we have "Resist Electricity" and "Electrical Empathy". Each of these has the "Free" descriptor and neither is very powerful (not warranting an AP or Power Stunt, I'd say). Yet under the Power Feat "Immunity To Electricity" one of the pre-reqs is "Resist Electricty Power Stunt" which suggests that "Resist Electricity" costs an AP to activate or a Power Stunt to keep.

Meaning I'm really confused as to what the heck the "Free" means.

Anybody know more than I do about this?

--fje

The "free" is the power's activation time. That means you have to be conscious to use it, but you can activate it with a free action anytime during your turn.

Unless a power only has one stunt, or the stunt shares the name of the power, it still costs an AP until you establish the stunt.

Hope this helped and thanks for asking

Chuck

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Ahhh, I think I get it. I assumed that since the ability was "Permanent" it was "Always On" but the "Free" descriptor is there because some sort of 'action' needs to be taken to activate the power using an AP? That sort of how it works?

I didn't really think about that particular use of Ability Enhancement. Does the " ... until the ability returns to normal." mean that the power, as you said, HEALS the Ability Damage?

IE, I get Ability Damaged for 6 pts of Str. I use Ability Enhancement - Strength to pump myself for 8 points of Str. I am now 2 Str stronger than my "Normal" ... two rounds later am I "Normal" again and stop losing Str every round? Or do I lose Str until I'm back where I was when I was drained? (I.E. does this HEAL the Ability Damage or is it a stop-gap?)

Thanks for the clarifications. I'm going to use BnV in a few weeks to run a game and I want to make sure I know what the heck I'm talking about when I explain it to my group.

I didn't realize Blood and Circuits was going to be integratable with BnV. I figured it was more of a "how to build stuff" but it makes sense that would fit in with BnV. I thought there was going to be a BnV supplement that would talk about new Origins and new Powers centered around technology.

Lovin' it, though.

--fje

 

[Vigilance]

Glad I could help

I rule that ability enhancement is "permanent" when a stat is below normal (although you could be drained again like healing). Your example nailed it... if you are drained 6 and gain 8 only the 2 above normal will fade.

On Blood and Circuits- the whole reason we didnt include it in BNV originally was that it occured to us people in any d20M game would want these rules. Of course I then got distracted but hey.

However, in an appendix BNC explains how to use power points to purchase gadgets- so it works both ways. Any d20M character could design a vehicle, make the necessary skill checks, spend the money, and take the time to build a batmobile.

If you're a gadgeteer (like batman) you STILL might want to go that way.

But if you were punisher you'd just pay power points for your buff van, and BNC will show you how to do both.

Chuck

 

[Seuss]

Am I blind??? I see a Power Theft power listed in the Powers Table but have been unable to identify a description. Is there a description available?

Thanks,

Seuss

 

[Vigilance]

Am I blind??? I see a Power Theft power listed in the Powers Table but have been unable to identify a description. Is there a description available?

Thanks,

Seuss

Power Thief was originally going to be a separate power but got turned into a power feat.

it should be one of the power feats under the Power Nullification power. If it's not there, you have version 1.0 of B&V. You should be able to download the updated version from RPGNow.