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06:32
So, I'm still figuring out how Fate works with supers, using the advice from Venture City Stories.
Here's a mid-level super villain I've made:

*Bouncer*
Mover, Not Shaker
+4 Physique
+3 Athletics
+2 Fight
+1 Notice
Can use physique as defense against kinetic attacks, +2 to Physique for kinetic applications, ???
Drawback: No Sense of Touch
...apparently mark-up doesn't work with copy-pasting
why's that here :O
@Magician multiline stuff doesn't get to use markup
oh, right, so that Brian doesn't see
@JonathanHobbs I don't anticipate needing to do this often, and BESW is kind enough to let others in :)
This guy's idea is that he can manipulate momentum and the way his body responds to it. He lives in the world of simplified physics you use when you're learning about movement. If he hits you, he transfers everything to you. If he gets hit, he can just... bounce.
I anticipate his MO would be to start by jumping off a roof to Create Advantage of Momentum, using Physique, and spend that on Athletics or Fight, as appropriate.
Sounds fun. What's your challenge?
(And keep in mind I've never actually run a supers game in Fate.)
I'm wondering if I'm modelling this right, basically.
Also, I need a third power stunt.
Can you normally not use Physique to defend against kinetic attacks?
06:39
Normally, you use it to withstand, I dunno, being run over by a car. He can withstand bullets or punches.
And, hopefully, succeed with style due to his massive +6 and get a boost.
There's a Physique stunt in Core: "Take the Blow. You can use Physique to defend against Fight attacks made with fists or blunt instruments, though you always take 1 shift of stress on a tie."
Gotcha. Okay.
How about a stunt for shunting kinetic energy? When he defends against a kinetic attack with style, he can (must?) automatically inflict 2 stress on a nearby character.
@Magician You could leave it blank and fill it in when you decide there's something super cool you want him to do.
Another potential scenario I see is a henchman shooting him with a gun, as an excuse for Bouncer to again use Physique to Create the Momentum advantage.
@BESW Ah, so instead of a generic boost it's a 2-shift hit? I think that works.
Oh! Hey! There's that Riposte stunt someone brought up earlier today.
@JonathanHobbs True, but I'm not yet confident enough in my understanding of Fate to improv such things.
06:45
@BESW As a variety on this: whenever he defends against a direct melee attack, he gets an automatic attack on whoever attacked him. This being: all the force they tried to dish out on him just bounced back on them.
@JonathanHobbs Whenever he defends with style, perhaps.
It's still a bit more powerful than the 2-shift shunt, but probably moderated by the auto-hit of the shunt.
Actually, given his lackluster fight I think 2-shift auto-hit is better, no?
Possibly; context is king.
Also I'm very loathe to introduce additional out-of-turn dice-rolling as a regular thing in any system.
But that's personal taste.
@Magician Does this guy have a collateral damage effect?
Oh, yeah. Him jumping around and stuff ought to cause a lot of damage to his surroundings, it sounds like.
He doesn't absorb any impact, so whereas if I jump off onto concrete, I absorb most of the damage, in his case, the concrete would go "OH NO WHAT IS AAAAUUGH"
07:00
I mean, as an NPC it's probably not a useful thing to have, but I'm curious.
Well, his extra effects would definitely be forced movement and extra movement.
....hm.
Okay, this is pure speculation/brainstorming, but bear with me.
I'm not yet sure just how much detail NPCs require. There's also the weird thing that's somewhat inherent to superheroes, I think, where someone's power level is a very important thing, but doesn't necessarily make them important to the story.
Whereas that's synonymous in Fate.
When he takes a consequence, he can immediately make a physical attack using that consequence's shift value instead of his normal skill modifier.
@Magician Yeah, NPC detail levle is... probably just gonna take some trial and error to get used to, in the end. But I suggest you use numbers rather than fancier stunts to give low-plot high-power supers the right feel.
So if you've got a guy who you want to be powerful but not important, you use all his stunt slots to just give flat bonuses to certain rolls.
Or just give him high skills, because who cares. Superman flies by, all his physical skills are at +8, bit woop.
07:11
Right.
I guess since I'm having fun making up Bouncer's power and how it'd work, we can put spotlight on him for a session, without him being integral to the Plot. Or, rather, his powers become a side-plot, effectively.
That's fair.
@BESW Interesting. Not sure it works for him, though, as his general idea is that kinetic stuff doesn't hurt him (thus no consequences), whereas other stuff he wouldn't be able to bounce at the attacker.
Fair enough. But remember that consequences don't have to be physical damage.
True. I think I'm hesitant to give out consequences, which is clearly wrong.
07:17
He could be Humiliated in front of his girlfriend.
07:29
Well now. Brian has requested they fight these guys:
Seeing as I have to go meet with them in 2 minutes, here's the ultra-quick statblock:
Thunder Robot
Conquering Robot of the 50s.
Ancient Tech
+5 Shoot
+4 Physique
+3 Fight
+2 Notice
+1 Athletics
Grabbing hands: +2 to grabbing things
It's missing something, though, to make them stand out. Or does it? Do "monsters" need much mechanical variety, or are aspects taking care of that?
I've also noticed I'm putting a lot of points into Physique of robots. Which, I guess, is justifiable.
@Magician Vulnerable to Zee-Rust: Thunder Robots have Armor:2 against all physical attacks that aren't made by weapons which wouldn't be out of place in Lost in Space or Flash Gordon.
Hmm. We're not using weapons & armor in general. Is it reasonable to still use it for specific stunts?
It would significantly alter the nature of the fight.
Less impactful would be to say that all Zee-Rust weapons have weapon:2 against the Thunder Robots.
Hmmmm. Well. Given that it's a supers game and we have a Human Torch-like character, I don't think giving them Armor is right.
Supers are kind of meant to punch out robots, not craft weapons, unless it's an uber-robot of robotness.
Yar. I'm not really in the zone right now for your game's tone.
(Or for that picture.)
07:36
On the other hand, if they (and other robots) had Armor, I wouldn't need to give them high Physique and stunts to justify using it for defense.
Yeah, should have started with the tone. After the game, perhaps. Got to run, thanks for your suggestions!
ttfn

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