[Powers] The sound of agony... [Archive] - Wizards Community

[Powers] The sound of agony... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The Vorpal Tribble
05-18-07, 10:17 AM Acute Hearing
Psychometabolism
Level: Psion/wilder 4, psychic warrior 4
Display: Auditory
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Duration: 1/min. level (D)
Power Points: 7
You enhance your hearing to superhuman levels, allowing you to detect the faintest sounds. You gain a +30 bonus on listen checks. This grants you blindsight out to 120 feet and blindsense another 60 feet beyond that. A silence spell negates acute hearing in its area.
While acute hearing is in effect you take a -10 penalty to saves against deafness from loud noises. As well, sonic damage deals an additional 1 point of non-lethal damage per hit die against you.
Augment: If you spend 4 additional power points the duration of this power increases to 1 hour/level.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Telekinetic Eviscerate
Psychokinesis
Level: Psion/wilder 8
Display: Auditory
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial; see text
Power Resistance: No
Power Points: 15

With a focused blow of telekinesis you deliver a precise thrust or slash to a vital portion of your target. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. If the victim fails their saving throw they instantly die. If the target succeeds on its save, it takes 5d6 damage.

Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be killed by this power though still take 5d6 damage.

Alternatively the manifester may choose not to kill their victim, but instead cut off a limb, such as an arm, leg, stinger or tentacle. The target does not die, but it takes the appropriate penalties from losing the limb as well as 5d6 damage.

Augment: For every two additional powers points you spend, this power's damage increases by 1d6.
InkBlot
05-18-07, 12:10 PM I realy like TK Eviscerate. It's always nice to have more TK powers, and Eviscerate just oozes cool (like Cranial Deluge or Cloud Mind).

Just a couple points I would change;
1) The power should have the [force] descriptor. Mostly for verisimiltude. The [force] descriptor would have limited mechanical application for this power, since it's not like ghosts have organs.

2) The power should be based on hit points, like microcosm or power word kill. The augment would increase the HP limit and the secondary damage at the same time.

Accute Hearing I would do very differently.
Acute Hearing
Psychometabolism
Level: Psion/wilder 1, psychic warrior 1
Display: Auditory
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal; see text
Duration: 1/min. level (D)
Power Points: 1
You enhance your hearing to superhuman levels, allowing you to detect the faintest sounds. You gain a +10 bonus on listen checks.

While acute hearing is in effect you take a -4 penalty on saves against sonic power, spells, and effects, and on saves against deafness from loud noises.

Augment: You can manifest this power in one or both of the following ways.

1. If you spend 4 additional power points the duration of this power increases to 1 hour/level.

2. For every additional power point you spend, the bonus to listen checks increases by +5. If you spend 6 power points on this augment (gaining a total +40 to listen checks), it also grants you blindsight out to 20 feet and blindsense another 20 feet beyond that. A silence spell negates your blindsense and blindsight in its area.
I made it a 1st level power, since increasing your hearing seems like it should be a very simple and basic psychometabolic trick.

Since it's 1st level power, I lowered the bonus and added an augment to increase it and to gain blindsense/sight.

I lowered the range of the blindsight/sense, so as to not step on the toes of touchsight.

I lowered the save penalty. -10 was too much. -10 makes saves against sound-based-attacks practically impossible, rather than just difficult.

I took out the extra damage from sonic attacks. First of all, sonic attacks don't target your ears. They shake you apart from the inside. They vibrate your bones into dust. Having sensative ears might make it more painful, but wouldn't realy increase the damage.

The "+1 damage per HD" thing was obtusely stated. Is it +1 damage per the HD of the person with accute hearing, or is it +1 damage per the HD of the person making the sonic attack? I was going to change this to sonic vulnerability (50% extra damage from sonic attacks), but that too seemed too much to represent vulnerable ears.
Ishindri
05-18-07, 03:04 PM You've got Sylar on the brain, don't you, Vorpal Tribble? (Not literally, I hope :P)

I like the powers, especially Telekinetic Eviscerate. Maybe add something to let it be used against objects as well, in a different fashion?
CrimsonDeath
05-18-07, 05:23 PM As well, sonic damage deals an additional 1 point of non-lethal damage per hit die against you.
Per hit die of what? The manifester? Because that would be pretty nasty, as few HP as the typical Psion has... Maybe it should be an extra 1 nonlethal damage per damage die? That way, the extra damage is proportional to the power of the attack, rather than the power of the victim.
Diplominator
05-18-07, 11:48 PM Does the head count as a limb?

*ponders*
Ra-Tiel
05-19-07, 04:50 AM I personally like InkBlot's version of AH better. Seems to me to better merge the style of psionics.

However, TKE is really cool but looks pretty weak on paper. I mean, it's level 8, requires an attack roll, and gives the target a save? Additionally, it has no save DC augment, and barring stuff like Overchannel or Wild Surge, it can - pre-epic - inflict at most 7d6 points of damage on a successful save (and that at a cost of 19PPs).

Additionally, I'd remove the "cut off limb" stuff. This reeks of "called shots" and is prone to bring nothing but misery and arguing to the table, as DnD is not suited to handle these sorts of attack without massive adhoc-ing on the DM's part.
InkBlot
05-19-07, 01:00 PM Thanks, Ra-Tiel.

I didn't notice that TK Eviscerate required a ranged touch attack. I agree that it should go. First of all, getting rid of the attack roll will make things run smoother at the gametable. Second, none of the othe TK powers require a ranged touch attack to affect a target (TK Thrust requires a roll to hit the guy you're Thrusting things at, but that guy isn't the target of the power). Third, all the things Ra-Tiel said.

TK Eviscerate's de-limb option isn't so bad. It's easier to figure out what would happen from losing a limb than it is to figure out what would happen from losing an eye or an ear. However, it may help to include a small example list of limbs and penalties.

E.G.:

Limbs are large structures which protrude from the main trunk of the creature's body, and include many organs and tissues. A foot is not a limb. A leg is.

Leg - The target takes a -4 penalty to Balance checks, and checks to resist Bullrush and Trip attempts. Bipedal creatures are reduced to 1/4 speed on land. Creatures missing all their legs can crawl 5 feet as a move action.

Arm - The target takes a -4 penalty to checks normaly performed with all it's hands, such as Climb checks and Grapple checks.

Tail - The target takes a -4 penalty to Balance checks.

Penalties for limb loss stack. Limb loss may render the target completely unable to perform certain actions; A creature missing a wing can't fly, and a creature missing it's tail can't perform a Tail Slap, et cetera. Some limbs may combine penalties from above, or impose penalties not listed. For example, a tentacle may count as both a leg and an arm.
Ra-Tiel
05-19-07, 01:41 PM [...] TK Eviscerate's de-limb option isn't so bad. It's easier to figure out what would happen from losing a limb than it is to figure out what would happen from losing an eye or an ear. However, it may help to include a small example list of limbs and penalties. [...]
In my opinion it is. While it may be relatively easy for humanoid creatures, it generally becomes worse for other physiologies. What rulesstick is the DM supposed to measure by to get the penalties for

a beholder loosing an eyestalk?
a monstrous centipede loosing a leg?
a kraken loosing a tentacle?
a marilith loosing an arm?
and so on, and so forth

Also, dismembering severly breaks the abstraction layer of hit points. As we can all guess, loosing a leg or an arm is a life-threatening injury. So, how do we then explain that cutting off a storm giant's leg only deals ~17 points of damage which is only ~8.5% of the giant's total HP? :thinks:
InkBlot
05-19-07, 02:07 PM * a beholder loosing an eyestalk?
An eyestalk isn't a limb in my book. But obviously it would lose access to one of it's eye-beams.

* a monstrous centipede loosing a leg?
It would take -4 penalty to Balance checks, and checks to resist Bullrush and Trip attempts. IIRC, centipedes either get a huge bonus to these checks or are considered unable to fail them – so the penalty doesn't realy do much to the centipede, but the penalty is still there.

* a kraken loosing a tentacle?
I mentioned tentacles. A tentacle counts as both a leg and an arm. -4 Balance, Trip, Bullrush, Grapple (a drop in a bucket), Climb.

* a marilith loosing an arm?
She takes a -4 penalty to checks normaly performed with all her hands, such as Climb checks and Grapple checks.

* and so on, and so forth
DM fiat, using "-4 to this and that" as a guideline.

What if there were a clause stating "Your DM is free to come up with alternate penalties, or disallow this use of the power. In the later case you can still describe this power as dismembering, as losing a limb can certainly be fatal"?

I realize that this use of the power has problems with the abstract nature of hitpoints, but hitpoints are flexible enough to work here too. Hitpoints represent vitality (blood loss, broken bones, shock, fatigue) as much as they do physical mass.

Dismembering would kill by blood loss. The heart would quickly pump all the creature's blood out of it's now-open arteries. I agree that 5d6 damage isn't enough to represent this. 10d6 might be better. Maybe flat x/level (like Harm), or Con damage, or xd6 damage each round until the target gets healed. Whatever it is, the first part of the power should also deal the same damage on a failed save.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Vorpal Tribble 05-18-07, 10:17 AM	Acute Hearing Psychometabolism Level: Psion/wilder 4, psychic warrior 4 Display: Auditory Manifesting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal; see text Duration: 1/min. level (D) Power Points: 7 You enhance your hearing to superhuman levels, allowing you to detect the faintest sounds. You gain a +30 bonus on listen checks. This grants you blindsight out to 120 feet and blindsense another 60 feet beyond that. A silence spell negates acute hearing in its area. While acute hearing is in effect you take a -10 penalty to saves against deafness from loud noises. As well, sonic damage deals an additional 1 point of non-lethal damage per hit die against you. Augment: If you spend 4 additional power points the duration of this power increases to 1 hour/level. -=-=-=-=-=- Telekinetic Eviscerate Psychokinesis Level: Psion/wilder 8 Display: Auditory Manifesting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target: One living creature Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Fortitude partial; see text Power Resistance: No Power Points: 15 With a focused blow of telekinesis you deliver a precise thrust or slash to a vital portion of your target. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. If the victim fails their saving throw they instantly die. If the target succeeds on its save, it takes 5d6 damage. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be killed by this power though still take 5d6 damage. Alternatively the manifester may choose not to kill their victim, but instead cut off a limb, such as an arm, leg, stinger or tentacle. The target does not die, but it takes the appropriate penalties from losing the limb as well as 5d6 damage. Augment: For every two additional powers points you spend, this power's damage increases by 1d6.
InkBlot 05-18-07, 12:10 PM	I realy like TK Eviscerate. It's always nice to have more TK powers, and Eviscerate just oozes cool (like Cranial Deluge or Cloud Mind). Just a couple points I would change; 1) The power should have the [force] descriptor. Mostly for verisimiltude. The [force] descriptor would have limited mechanical application for this power, since it's not like ghosts have organs. 2) The power should be based on hit points, like microcosm or power word kill. The augment would increase the HP limit and the secondary damage at the same time. Accute Hearing I would do very differently. Acute Hearing Psychometabolism Level: Psion/wilder 1, psychic warrior 1 Display: Auditory Manifesting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal; see text Duration: 1/min. level (D) Power Points: 1 You enhance your hearing to superhuman levels, allowing you to detect the faintest sounds. You gain a +10 bonus on listen checks. While acute hearing is in effect you take a -4 penalty on saves against sonic power, spells, and effects, and on saves against deafness from loud noises. Augment: You can manifest this power in one or both of the following ways. 1. If you spend 4 additional power points the duration of this power increases to 1 hour/level. 2. For every additional power point you spend, the bonus to listen checks increases by +5. If you spend 6 power points on this augment (gaining a total +40 to listen checks), it also grants you blindsight out to 20 feet and blindsense another 20 feet beyond that. A silence spell negates your blindsense and blindsight in its area. I made it a 1st level power, since increasing your hearing seems like it should be a very simple and basic psychometabolic trick. Since it's 1st level power, I lowered the bonus and added an augment to increase it and to gain blindsense/sight. I lowered the range of the blindsight/sense, so as to not step on the toes of touchsight. I lowered the save penalty. -10 was too much. -10 makes saves against sound-based-attacks practically impossible, rather than just difficult. I took out the extra damage from sonic attacks. First of all, sonic attacks don't target your ears. They shake you apart from the inside. They vibrate your bones into dust. Having sensative ears might make it more painful, but wouldn't realy increase the damage. The "+1 damage per HD" thing was obtusely stated. Is it +1 damage per the HD of the person with accute hearing, or is it +1 damage per the HD of the person making the sonic attack? I was going to change this to sonic vulnerability (50% extra damage from sonic attacks), but that too seemed too much to represent vulnerable ears.
Ishindri 05-18-07, 03:04 PM	You've got Sylar on the brain, don't you, Vorpal Tribble? (Not literally, I hope :P) I like the powers, especially Telekinetic Eviscerate. Maybe add something to let it be used against objects as well, in a different fashion?
CrimsonDeath 05-18-07, 05:23 PM	As well, sonic damage deals an additional 1 point of non-lethal damage per hit die against you. Per hit die of what? The manifester? Because that would be pretty nasty, as few HP as the typical Psion has... Maybe it should be an extra 1 nonlethal damage per damage die? That way, the extra damage is proportional to the power of the attack, rather than the power of the victim.
Diplominator 05-18-07, 11:48 PM	Does the head count as a limb? ponders
Ra-Tiel 05-19-07, 04:50 AM	I personally like InkBlot's version of AH better. Seems to me to better merge the style of psionics. However, TKE is really cool but looks pretty weak on paper. I mean, it's level 8, requires an attack roll, and gives the target a save? Additionally, it has no save DC augment, and barring stuff like Overchannel or Wild Surge, it can - pre-epic - inflict at most 7d6 points of damage on a successful save (and that at a cost of 19PPs). Additionally, I'd remove the "cut off limb" stuff. This reeks of "called shots" and is prone to bring nothing but misery and arguing to the table, as DnD is not suited to handle these sorts of attack without massive adhoc-ing on the DM's part.
InkBlot 05-19-07, 01:00 PM	Thanks, Ra-Tiel. I didn't notice that TK Eviscerate required a ranged touch attack. I agree that it should go. First of all, getting rid of the attack roll will make things run smoother at the gametable. Second, none of the othe TK powers require a ranged touch attack to affect a target (TK Thrust requires a roll to hit the guy you're Thrusting things at, but that guy isn't the target of the power). Third, all the things Ra-Tiel said. TK Eviscerate's de-limb option isn't so bad. It's easier to figure out what would happen from losing a limb than it is to figure out what would happen from losing an eye or an ear. However, it may help to include a small example list of limbs and penalties. E.G.: Limbs are large structures which protrude from the main trunk of the creature's body, and include many organs and tissues. A foot is not a limb. A leg is. Leg - The target takes a -4 penalty to Balance checks, and checks to resist Bullrush and Trip attempts. Bipedal creatures are reduced to 1/4 speed on land. Creatures missing all their legs can crawl 5 feet as a move action. Arm - The target takes a -4 penalty to checks normaly performed with all it's hands, such as Climb checks and Grapple checks. Tail - The target takes a -4 penalty to Balance checks. Penalties for limb loss stack. Limb loss may render the target completely unable to perform certain actions; A creature missing a wing can't fly, and a creature missing it's tail can't perform a Tail Slap, et cetera. Some limbs may combine penalties from above, or impose penalties not listed. For example, a tentacle may count as both a leg and an arm.
Ra-Tiel 05-19-07, 01:41 PM	[...] TK Eviscerate's de-limb option isn't so bad. It's easier to figure out what would happen from losing a limb than it is to figure out what would happen from losing an eye or an ear. However, it may help to include a small example list of limbs and penalties. [...] In my opinion it is. While it may be relatively easy for humanoid creatures, it generally becomes worse for other physiologies. What rulesstick is the DM supposed to measure by to get the penalties for a beholder loosing an eyestalk? a monstrous centipede loosing a leg? a kraken loosing a tentacle? a marilith loosing an arm? and so on, and so forth Also, dismembering severly breaks the abstraction layer of hit points. As we can all guess, loosing a leg or an arm is a life-threatening injury. So, how do we then explain that cutting off a storm giant's leg only deals ~17 points of damage which is only ~8.5% of the giant's total HP? :thinks:
InkBlot 05-19-07, 02:07 PM	* a beholder loosing an eyestalk? An eyestalk isn't a limb in my book. But obviously it would lose access to one of it's eye-beams. * a monstrous centipede loosing a leg? It would take -4 penalty to Balance checks, and checks to resist Bullrush and Trip attempts. IIRC, centipedes either get a huge bonus to these checks or are considered unable to fail them – so the penalty doesn't realy do much to the centipede, but the penalty is still there. * a kraken loosing a tentacle? I mentioned tentacles. A tentacle counts as both a leg and an arm. -4 Balance, Trip, Bullrush, Grapple (a drop in a bucket), Climb. * a marilith loosing an arm? She takes a -4 penalty to checks normaly performed with all her hands, such as Climb checks and Grapple checks. * and so on, and so forth DM fiat, using "-4 to this and that" as a guideline. What if there were a clause stating "Your DM is free to come up with alternate penalties, or disallow this use of the power. In the later case you can still describe this power as dismembering, as losing a limb can certainly be fatal"? I realize that this use of the power has problems with the abstract nature of hitpoints, but hitpoints are flexible enough to work here too. Hitpoints represent vitality (blood loss, broken bones, shock, fatigue) as much as they do physical mass. Dismembering would kill by blood loss. The heart would quickly pump all the creature's blood out of it's now-open arteries. I agree that 5d6 damage isn't enough to represent this. 10d6 might be better. Maybe flat x/level (like Harm), or Con damage, or xd6 damage each round until the target gets healed. Whatever it is, the first part of the power should also deal the same damage on a failed save.