How Would You Stat Powers Burning Out the Body

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Superfanboy
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How Would You Stat Powers Burning Out the Body

Post by Superfanboy »

I want to have a character who basically destroys his physical body when using his power, especially at the higher end. Paradigmatic cases are Bison and Apocalypse, both require strong (preferably energy manipulator) host bodies over time as the full use of their power, and the occasional actually difficult fight, basically burns them from the inside out. Apocalypse must periodically enter his regeneration chamber and chill out, while Bison uses his psycho drive to repower and heal (and this is in itself actually destroying him physically and mentally).

So, on the Effect side we'd need a Possession power with various limitations (neither of these guys can just take over your mind on the fly), as well as whatever telekinesis or kickboxing powers it grants, but how would you write up gradual destruction by use (especially high rank and extra effort use) of power? They don't exactly take damage - the psycho drive actually heals and invigorates Bison - but at some point they'll basically have a heart attack and spontaneously combust if they keep it up, and become energy psychic ghosts.
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Davies
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Re: How Would You Stat Powers Burning Out the Body

Post by Davies »

First of all, no it's not possession. Since this should NEVER happen to a PC, it's a Plot Device effect, and doesn't need to be have stats. You can just give whatever NPC gets saddled with this situation whatever altered stats you think are appropriate.

Likewise, the degenerative effects are just a complication.
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Superfanboy
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Re: How Would You Stat Powers Burning Out the Body

Post by Superfanboy »

Davies wrote: Wed Jul 13, 2022 8:18 pm It's a complication.
That I get but I'm trying to find a clean mechanical way of phrasing it. Say, something like "if so-and-so uses X powers at Y levels he must make a DC20 Stamina check or take (various conditions leading to incapacitation), incurable except by Possession of a new host or regeneration in the Lazarus Pyramid.

The actual character I'm working on this for is a would be conqueror, and criminal Mastermind as a means to an end. He is significantly more powerful than the PCs but if they run him through a ringer they stand a chance of crippling him temporarily, which leads to the possibility of defeating him. So I need a clear break point, which is high enough so that most of the time he's just kidney punching the opposition like Brock Lesnar vs a frail eight year old, but when he actually has to exert himself on the higher end of his power it starts to catch up with him.

The long term implications of needing a new body don't need rules, that's macguffin stuff, just the implications in a situation where he's over exerting himself. Extra Effort with his powers is an automatic trigger, and maybe a progressively increasing difficulty as he uses the upper limits of his power. I've got the general idea down but I am more used to M&M3E where flaws are built kind of like GURPS (I do like the change to making them XP sources instead).
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Davies
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Re: How Would You Stat Powers Burning Out the Body

Post by Davies »

Superfanboy wrote: Wed Jul 13, 2022 8:31 pm That I get but I'm trying to find a clean mechanical way of phrasing it. Say, something like "if so-and-so uses X powers at Y levels he must make a DC20 Stamina check or take (various conditions leading to incapacitation), incurable except by Possession of a new host or regeneration in the Lazarus Pyramid.
Okay, just no. That's not how complications work. They activate whenever the GM says they do, and have whatever effects the GM says they do. If you're designing an NPC with these qualities, you don't have to come up with elaborate mathematical descriptions of how it works. You just say, "that's how it works" and move on.

Doing it the other way just makes unnecessary work for yourself.

EDIT: That said, giving a character various traits with a Side Effect worth -2 points per rank (and so always present while the trait is active) that inflicts a condition on them is a perfectly valid design choice.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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