Bay 12 Games Forum

yeah, right until all the eldtrich abominations summoned by the pills fuse together and start assimilating the galaxy

As in an unauthorized radio signal? How does that screw up CCTVs? I mean, I suppose (get @GWG to verify) that may fuck with radio communications, but I don't see how cameras are affected, unless of course, said cameras have some sort of radio dependency.

Actually remote controle the thing to drive? Can#t do that...unless we are far enough in the future for that to work.

This is sounding less like hacking and more like Hollywood magic with a dash of that Watch Dogs stuff.

Well, there is the thing of the on-board computer having no wireless access. Oh wait, Some cars have built in GPS (which needs to update somehow or bring up the location.) which means wireless hacking.

Which is, like, a majority of hacking. Well, except for the really shitty city planning, but my point still stands. It's way easier to exploit backdoors than actually crack passwords and things like that.

well, just putting it out there to the future GM

Quote from: GreatWyrmGold on May 30, 2014, 03:55:17 pm

Quote from: PyroDesu on May 30, 2014, 01:24:12 pm

I prefer to not infer IC from OOC.

That was OOC? I would have considered piecewise's posts to typically be IC.

Most of what he does outside turns (and some stuff in turns, like posting 'You sure you wanna do that, man?'), I consider to be OOC, since he's talking to the player.

Focusing on this because it needs a bit more context, the only time she did manage to do it she passed out. And that was for a fairy. Not nearly as useful as you think it is. And the drawings take up massive amounts of energy for her to make since she is basically making something out of nothing. Although she can animate them in the pictures for less but... it's still a picture.

By the way, say we work out a good system here, would you guys be resetting the whole thing? Or would you want to keep certain things as they are (characters, settings, ...).

I prefer to not infer IC from OOC.

I had a thought a few hours ago about having a system for how fantabulous magical powers work - their power level is inversely proportional to how known and understood they are by other people. So if you leave witnesses, show off and, gods forbid, start making a name for yourself, well, you'd find your abilities plummet over time. And if you try to team up with someone else, you must make damn sure they never find out any of your secrets if you want to keep blasting things and doing impressive (if obscure) acts of heroism and/or villainy.

suggestions for the fiddling?

Alright sounds like a bad case of dragon ball z syndrome. Somewhat inevitable in high power, long running games but here's what I'd do to reign it in.

1. If them using their powers to easily bypass mundane non-combat challenges is a problem, then take the powers away. There are a variety of ways to do that, the simplest of which is just saying "Nah bro, thats unbalanced, knock that shit off."  Alternatively give them some reason not to want to use their powers. It's magical girl shit right? Big aspect of those shows is the fact that they often have to maintain an ordinary social or school/family life while keeping their powers a secret. So make it that, in order to use their powers, they have to be very obviously transformed or that their use is extremely obvious in some other way. Make being seen using powers VERY bad for them, either in character or for the player by having their spirit effect their magic power, so becoming depressed from being socially ostracized as a magic weirdo would ruin their capacity to fight. Alternatively alternatively, make it so that they can only transform/use their powers when allowed to by an outside force. The generic "Cute animal sidekick that gave them the powers" sorta thing you see in all of those shows. Maybe he has to be around for them to do it. Because then you basically have a choke chain to pull if they're getting out of hand.  Alternatively alternatively alternatively, create situations where their powers wouldn't help. A situation where they can't magic their way out.

2.Now, the powers. These are the steps I would take. First, Scale back and narrow focus. I saw someone in that list that could turn drawings into living 3d things. That power right there? TREMENDOUSLY OP in the right hands. You don't even have to think about it very hard. So the first thing ya do is you force limits onto how it can be used. For instance, maybe force it so that the character as what amounts to a magic pen and drawing pad. The drawings only come to life when those specific items are used. And make drawing take a reasonable amount of time. Should take them at least a couple minutes to draw something, It shouldn't just be "I draw a tiger and use it to attack!" that shit should take a while. Force them to plan ahead and then do things they don't plan for. Give them Hard, Specific limits to how their powers work. The more broad and potentially op the power, the more limiting factors you need to attach to it.

Second, set up a preplanned power scale by which you can judge their magic actions and take away mana based on it. In Apotheosis I have a "force" chart which sets out the different level of power. Of course my system actually runs in reverse. You simply pay mana into an action and the mana is then rolled to see how much it effects the action. Ie, mana usage determines action force, rather then action force determining mana  use. But the principle is the same. You set up a table with levels of energy which should be expended depending on the "difficulty" of the action and then use that table to determine mana usage. If I were you I'd set it up via the degree to which it effects the world/the amount of force it produces/ matter it creates. Ie, a power that creates one, normal metal sword is fairly low energy use. But creating 20 adamantium swords should be herculean levels of effort.


Do these suggestions make sense to you?

Back on subject, making reckless use of super powers affect other players is a good balance lesson to take from ER.  Making things take time is another good one- see my character's ability in Special People.  Sure, I could summon a huge cannon that could shoot the head off a giant robot.  But it took three turns to summon and was still immobile and fragile, and ammo was a separate summon prone to failure.  Which is another balancer- if something is really strong, make it less reliable.  "Okay you can shoot a gout of flame from your hand reliably, but you can also summon a dragon to belch a massive fireball... but he doesn't listen every time."  Or make things once per encounter/day/ever powers.

EDIT: Oh, and on the balancing thing, I have no idea about how that system in RotMG works. But if this is a system that uses rolls to determine stuff, then you simply have to balance two factors: versatility (how many figurative doors are opened by their ability) and what kind of bonuses to rolls those abilities provide. The bonuses are graded based on how likely they are to be useful. So if this is one of those systems where dexterity is rolled for initiative, accuracy and dodging for example, then you should obviously penalise dexterity bonuses more than other kinds of bonuses.