Maximising Touch spells, "I know Kung Fu..." |
Maximising Touch spells, "I know Kung Fu..." |
Mar 25 2005, 12:43 PM
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#1
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,133 Joined: 3-October 04 Member No.: 6,722 |
I was idly fiddling with characters today (God bless the NSRCG) and whilst messing with a physmage I remembered something that I don't normally think of.
Spells like Death Touch and Stun Touch require, naturally, touching the target. A touch must, by definition, be an Unarmed Combat attack. As far as I can tell, there is therefore no reason why that "touch" can't be a smackdown from the attacking mage. Suddenly my habit of picking up decent hand to hand skills for even my normal mages seems a much better idea. A physmage specialising in martial arts on the physad side becomes a terrifying thing to behold. Am I right? Wrong? So far off the page I couldn't see it on a clear day with Vision Mag 3? |
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Mar 25 2005, 12:56 PM
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#2
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
It's not a bad one-two punch, but I'm not sure if it's strictly rules legal since both casting a spell and engaging in full-on melee combat are Complex Actions. I certainly do remember there's some sort of TN bonus if all you're out to do is touch someone (and that that sort of touch is allowed, even if a balls-out damaging attack isn't).
And, well, being able to mix it up a little isn't a bad thing. Have your Bruce Lee physmage dude barely graze a few people with touch-effect spells, and then go crazy and kung fu 'em once they've got a few TN mods. It'll cut down on his Drain and look cool. |
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Mar 25 2005, 01:46 PM
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#3
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
You can't touch this... :eek: |
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Mar 25 2005, 01:58 PM
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#4
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
No Hammer Time for you!
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Mar 25 2005, 02:35 PM
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#5
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Also be careful, by making an Unarmed Combat test, the opponent may end up dealing damage to your PC instead.
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Mar 25 2005, 02:30 PM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 351 Joined: 17-February 05 Member No.: 7,093 |
As an added bonus, if your enemy wins the melee role and hits you instead, the touch requirement is still met and they still get zapped!
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Mar 25 2005, 02:37 PM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,133 Joined: 3-October 04 Member No.: 6,722 |
N ow there's a defence... "I just cast a touch-based spell. Still wanna punch me out?"
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Mar 25 2005, 02:53 PM
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#8
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Unfortunately, that is not the way the books resolve touch range spells mechanically. The caster needs to succeed in the unarmed combat test, not the defender. |
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Mar 25 2005, 03:06 PM
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#9
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,073 Joined: 23-August 04 Member No.: 6,587 |
Even logically if your opponent is armed and hits you back he has not touched you, his weapon has.
Edward |
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Mar 25 2005, 03:06 PM
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#10
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Technomancer Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,638 Joined: 2-October 02 From: Champaign, IL Member No.: 3,374 |
I did this once and the GM allowed the character to design spells at the beginning of the game, too, so I remade all those low-level wizard spells from that other game, too: chilling touch, burning hands, shocking grasp, etc. Called them elemental manipulations, too, so the secondary effects would kick in, too. Drain sucked, but after I got Centering it wasn't too bad.
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Mar 25 2005, 06:30 PM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 351 Joined: 17-February 05 Member No.: 7,093 |
Ahem:
Emphasis mine. |
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Mar 25 2005, 07:00 PM
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#12
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,754 Joined: 9-July 04 From: Modesto, CA Member No.: 6,465 |
SR3.178 about Range for spells, mentions that "since you only need to touch a target you get a -1 TN". So reading that, it looks like if you intend to issue an ass whoopin' you would resolve as normal, otherwise you get a -1 TN for the purposes of touching only (no melee damage).
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Mar 25 2005, 06:55 PM
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#13
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Sounds good.
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Mar 26 2005, 12:20 AM
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#14
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
True. Must have been brain dead to post that. |
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Mar 26 2005, 12:28 AM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 351 Joined: 17-February 05 Member No.: 7,093 |
S'okay, every bookninja has their offdays.
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Mar 26 2005, 01:03 AM
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#16
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
That overrides SR3 which states:
And while MitS may overrule it, I defiantly houerule it straight back again. |
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Mar 26 2005, 01:20 AM
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#17
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,088 Joined: 8-October 04 From: Dallas, TX Member No.: 6,734 |
Heresy! |
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Mar 26 2005, 03:16 AM
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#18
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
The real fun of Touch Based spells is social situations. Say you have to extract an unwilling corp exec during an office party. The standard approach (blow it up with an assault cannon) may not work too well.
Instead put on a three piece suit and strut around like you belong, exchange business cards with your target, and shake his hand. Bam! 6D stun and he doesn't even hit the ground. You carry him to the door. "looks like my firend has has too much to drink. I'm going to call him a cab." There needs to be a spell that makes people drunk. |
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Mar 26 2005, 03:22 AM
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#19
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
I think one could describe the effects of Confusion or Chaos as such, though I kinda sorta thought they had an intoxicate health spell. |
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Mar 26 2005, 05:07 AM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 560 Joined: 21-December 04 Member No.: 6,893 |
I think a "drunkeness" spell is highly appropriate. There are already a few "buzz" style spells out there (the original UB book has one, if I'm not mistaken) and "Boozify" is only another type of high, so to speak. It's a really useful spell, too; make it powerful enough, and the person will have no memory of what happened for an hour before and three afterwards. Elves would also be at a terriffic disadvantage, while Trolls will be almost unaffected due to their absurdly high mass. (The amount of alcohol needed to make a Troll tipsy may kill an Elf.)
The issue of Drain is easy enough; make it equal to the drain of an equivalent Stun spell but make it slightly higher to reflect the other side effects, etc. |
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Mar 26 2005, 06:23 AM
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#21
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
As K-10 said, there is already a Health spell called Intoxication in canon.
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Mar 26 2005, 07:30 AM
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#22
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
It has some hard numbers as I recall, but it's strong! Same modifiers apply as a chaos spell! +1/force/successes.
Cast at a low force at.. say... a social party for an extraction... Someone that's already been drinking may not catch on, but that +2 you do will be a killer. Plus, since the force is still low, it's harder to spot (just don't have the shaman cast it). |
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