Friday, November 4, 2016

Powers: (Inspired by) Diglett

Open mouth with one tooth.
Diglett is a tiny, but fast and powerful mole with earthy attacks. Let's see what moves he has.

Arena Trap

This ability makes it hard for enemies to flee from a battle, and has to do with making it hard to move around on the ground. This is an emanation affliction that reduces the basic move of those that get close to diglett.
Affliction 1 (Will; Accessibility, May only be used on a potential target as they enter the area, -10%; Area Effect, 8 yards, +150%; Emanation, -20%; Environmental, Only those touching the ground, -20%; Disadvantage, Basic Move-4, +20%; Fixed Duration, 3 minutes, +0%; Malediction 1, +100%; Reflexive, +40%; Selective Area, +20%; Terminal Condition, Get Out of range of the area effect, -20%)[36]
If a "foe" enters range, he immediately rolls a quick contest of wills, failure means his speed is reduced for 3 minutes, or until he escapes the area.

Sand Force

This is increased power talent in the specific case that you are in a sandstorm.
My Favorite Power Talent (Environmental, in a sandstorm only, -50%)[2.5/level]
This example I assume the version is a sorcery power talent limited to earth and similar colleges.

Mud-Slap

A weak attack, but with the nice benefit that one can lower an opponent's accuracy. This is an affliction of the Non-Combatant anti-talent, with perhaps a limitation that it doesn't affect parries or blocks. The affliction then is:
Non-Combatant (Doesn't affect parry or block, -20%; Magical, -10%)[-10]
The ability then would look like this:

Mud-Slap

Keywords: Missile, Obvious

Full Cost: 53 points for level 1, 1 point per additional level.
Casting Roll: none, use innate attack.
Range: 100 yards
Duration: 3 minutes
The "caster" flings mud blinding the opponent slightly, lowering accuracy. This effect is cumulative. This attack always does 1d damage, but additional levels increase the amount of levels of anti-talent applied. Because the mud is a glob, a blocking defense is allowed, but not a parry. This does not affect targets that don't use eyes to fight.
Statistics: Crushing Attack 1 (Blockable, -5%; Increased 1/2D, +15%; Sorcery, -15%) [5] Plus
Affliction 1(Follow-Up; Cumulative, +400%; Disadvantage, Non-Combatant, +10%; Magical, -10%; Sensory, Visual, -20%)[48]

Notes: Wow, it's dirt cheap to add tons of levels to this which can make it super powerful. The only weakness is you have to do damage to make it work, and 1d crushing makes that difficult.

Bulldoze

Stomp about and hurt everyone nearby, lowering speed. Diglett has a ton of area effect attacks, huh?

Keywords: Area (Leveled), Obvious

Full Cost: 39 points for level 1, 15 point per additional level.
Casting Roll: none.
Range: 2 yard radius, doubling each level
Duration: 3 minutes.
The "caster" creates a small earthquake that makes moving more difficult, lowering Basic Move by 1 for all struck by it, this only affects those touching the ground. The affliction is not cumulative.
Statistics: Crushing Attack 6d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Emanation, -20%; Environmental, Must touch the ground, -20%; Sorcery, -15%) [29] +
Affliction 1(Follow-Up, +0%; Disadvantage, Move-1, +5%; Fixed Duration, 3 minutes, +0%; Magical, -10%)[10]
Notes: owing to this not being cumulative, it probably doesn't activate often due to the passive arena trap ability. You might want to add the cumulative modifier to the affliction for +400%, or 40 more points for Bulldoze (Improved). The cost of additional levels are not impacted if you do this.

Sucker Punch

In pokemon, this is an attack that does extra damage to an attacker right before they use an attack, that fails if the attacker doesn't do an attack. This is an application of the Stop Hit maneuver from Martial Arts, p. 108. Besides that, it might also include:
Striking ST (Favorite Attack Only, -60%; Only on a Stop-Hit, -20%)[1/level]
Up to 8 levels are appropriate.


Mud Bomb

This is mud-slap, but stronger. This costs 63 points instead for level 1, and each attack does 3d damage. All other rules are the same.

Earth Power

Causes an explosion underneath an attacker, that lowers their special defense as well. I'll interpret Special Defense as will because most "special attacks" are maledictions resisted by will.

Earth Power

Keywords: Missile, Leveled

Full Cost: Base cost 50 points plus 8 points/level
Casting Roll: none, use innate attack.
Range: 100 yards
Duration: 3 Minutes
The "caster" causes the earth to erupt at the feet of the defender. The odd angle penalizes dodge defenses, and further, those that take damage have their will reduced as well. The attack behaves as an explosion that can splash those nearby. This attack reduces will by 2, and is cumulative.
Statistics: Crushing Attack 1 (Environmental, Must touch the ground, -20%; Explosive 1, +50%; Increased 1/2D, +15%; Overhead, Technically, underneath, +30%; Sorcery, -15%) [8] +
Affliction (Cumulative, +400%; Disadvantage, Will-2, +10%; Fixed Duration, 3 minutes, +0%; Follow-Up, +0%; Magical, -10%)[50]
Notes: A maximum level of 4 is recommended for 79 points. Two small alternatives to consider are a variety with Explosion 2 instead which makes each level cost 10.5 points each, or Explosion 3 which makes each level cost 13 each.

Fissure

This attack instantly defeats an enemy. The flavor text says this is because the earth swallows up an opponent, so we could make this an entombment type attack, except I think there is literally already an attack called entombment, so I'll go for a mechanically based ability that renders a foe unconscious.

Fissure

Keywords: Missile, Leveled, Obvious

Full Cost: 41.5 points/level
Casting Roll: none, use innate attack.
Range: 100 yards
Duration: 3 Minutes
The "caster" shakes the earth to such terrifying effect the opponent immediately faints. This takes place as a contest of wills. The target faints for at least three minutes. Additional levels
Statistics: Affliction 1 (Will; Environmental, Must touch the ground, -20%; Fixed Duration, 3 minutes, +0%; Incapacitation, Unconsciousness, +200%; Malediction 2, +150%; Sorcery, -15%)[42]
Notes: One level is quite enough. In fact, this move is very inaccurate in the pokemon games and might benefit from something like unreliable or inaccurate.

Other Thoughts and Conclusion

Diglett has a bunch of earthy attacks, area effect moves, and stuff that takes into advantage his tremendous speed. I think I like the idea of making attacks lower will when and where they would lower special defense in Pokemon. Though, it kinda has a double whammy effect because decreasing will means both attacks and defenses are inhibited. Maybe +1 to the offensive/defensive half is 3 points, and -1 is -3 points? Sounds about right to me! I think it's a little less finicky than mucking with talents. The only sticky business is that you nominally can't use a power to boost itself. Maybe it's a setting switch if anyone ever makes a Pokemon GURPS, that in this one setting you may spend turns increasing will and then use the improved will to do maledictions more easily.

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