Iczer wrote:The Oh So Amazing Nate wrote:taalismn wrote:Got a feeling I'm missing something with this one so I'm putting up for peer review, possible revision...
Metallisize(Major)
“I foiled you because you look absolutely STUNNING in silver!”
Range: Self, or 50 ft per level of experience
Effects:
This is the ability to project and spray a cold metallic vapor that can be used to coat and layer other objects.
*Spray----The superbeing can deliberately spray the metal vapor into exposed eyes, nose, respiratory tracts, and other organs, clogging and blinding them, or into sensitive electronics(coating a microphone and rendering it useless or plugging a power socket, for example). Against organics, this causes the victim to lose initiative, HALF actions/attacks per melee, and bonuses to strike/parry/dodge for 1d4 melees while they clear their eyes or cough/choke out the offending material.
*Cloud---This produces an airborne cloud of metallic droplets that can be used to defuse energy attacks, especially lasers(do only 1/4 damage shooting through the cloud). Depending on local wind conditions, the cloud remains airborne for 1d4 melees, and covers about 10 ft in area. Inhaling the vapor cloud does 2d4 damage per melee to the lungs.
*Bronze---This lays down a thin layer of paint-like metallic particles that give the object a metallic gleam. Lasers do 25% less damage against a bronzed target.
*Metal Leaf---This creates the equivalent of thin metal foil or gold leaf that’s flexible and lightweight. It’s too thin to offer much protection against physical attacks like punches, kicks, clubs, and bullets, but it does provide some protection against energy weapons and strikes (effectively serves as an A.R. 12). Lasers will do HALF damage against a target so covered.
*Plate---This lays down thicker, heavier, layers. The superbeing can layer a victim such that they are trapped, but still able to breath(add 25 lbs of weight and accumulative -2 to initiative, dodge, strike, parry, and roll, and -2d4 to Speed per melee of continual plate-covering), or can encase them in an airtight suffocating casing of metal(only 1d6 melees of air). The plates have 100 SDC/1d4 MDC per melee spent forming them, and can be pried off, but with considerable effort.
Producing armor with this takes three times as long, as the superbeing takes care to shape the forming plates and allow for movement.
Duration: Metal lasts 1 hour per level of experience
Saves: None
HOLY CRAP!
I'm pretty sure I just figured out the most EVIL use for this power ever. To see visual results look up Thermite on youtube. i sincerely apologize to all moderators if I have violated ANYTHING with the info contained in this reply. If required please feel free to edit/delete this post. Just don't ban me.
Using the Spray portion of this power I think you can do the below listed action. I wouldn't try the cloud variation as the results could be an explosion that wipes out ..well everyone who's not completely immune to fire/heat or any type of damage whatsoever.
Did you know that if you coated someone with powdered Iron oxide (rust) and powdered Aluminum (at an 8:1 ratio by weight) that the victim is now covered in THERMITE!! Apply the right heat souce (magnesium does it nicely..anyone got a 4th of July sparkler handy?) and you've got a victim that burns at 2500 degree's Farenheit
and can only be put out by smothering with sand! Oh did I also mention that they're throwing off sparks of molten iron?
This power gets 5 out of 5 Badasses!!
Well done.. Well done.
PS using scientific fact I think I may have legally and legitimately munchkin-ized the living crap out of this power. Yay for me
PPS The two substances must be well mixed, not layered..so unless you can do two diff attacks at the same time (one from each hand)..I'm not sure it would work. So maybe the cloud is the way to go. Spray them both into the same area so that they're mixed, have the victim walk through the cloud (coating themselves), lite them up an then run like hell.
Dang I may have just nerfed my own idea.
Iczer, your thoughts?
Any other science minded types want to chime in?
from a
balance point of view I would rule it too unruly and lacking in fine manipulation to work as you describe. that handwaves a lot. If I had to, I'd keep the damage low (sure, thermite should be fatal. Shotguns should also be fatal, but 4-6D6 hardly bothers a superhuman.
From a
design point of view, the power can incapacitate mildly (normal spray) incapaciate moderately (plate laying) or severely (the incapacitate option). all three are done with equal finesse, which seems redundant within the power framework. there needs to be some utility purpose or variation in effort between the three effects. in the same vein, the power has the ability to bronze a target or metal leaf them. one is merely a weaker version of the other and should technically be either differentiated or rolled into one subpower.
Armour production takes three times as long, but we have no time stipulation within the power (does it take 3 actions?) also, we have no suggested armour stats for when someone does this.
No saving throw. Instantly incapacitate your enemies without a saving throw seems.... a bit skewed. a dodge should be at least mentioned. and if theres a dodge roll, a strike roll needs to be mentioned.
From a
science point of view (and I'm not sure if I've been excluded or not from the 'Science minded type' classification) I'd caution against said reactions.
* Thermite reactions are very unstable. you set the target on fire, then the floor catches then...well you are playing with very hot fire.
* They are also bright. a small torch using thermite necessitates the use of protective goggles. I would hate to see what sort of dmagaing UV gets thrown off by a man sized torch of thermite
* I'll restate; sounds like there would need to have some fine tuning issues. an incorrect mixture could result in no net effect or a significantly reduced one.
* the obvious other issue could be when someone shoots through the thermite cloud, particularilly with an energy attack.
You asked. and it is nice to be asked BTW.
Batts
ok..you've made some very good points
Lot of finesse required to get the correct mixture (very unlikely to get it right..unless there were some way to boost perception..so they new exactly how much was going out) But still very very tricky
Damage low! This is a fire that melts through steel!
"Although the reactants are stable at room temperature, they burn with an extremely intense exothermic reaction when they are heated to ignition temperature. The products emerge as liquids due to the high temperatures reached (up to 2,500 °C (
4,530 °F) with iron(III) oxide)—although the actual temperature reached depends on how quickly heat can escape to the surrounding environment.
Thermite contains its own supply of oxygen and does not require any external source of air. Consequently, it cannot be smothered and may ignite in any environment, given sufficient initial heat. It will burn well while wet and cannot be easily extinguished with water, although enough water will remove heat and stop the reaction"*So you decide to have the APS water guy put you out? Or jump in a large body of water? Then THIS HAPPENS "Small amounts of water will boil before reaching the reaction. Although thermite is used for welding underwater, in a haphazard ignition of thermite underwater, the molten iron produced will extract oxygen from water and generate hydrogen gas in a single-replacement reaction. This gas may, in turn, burn by combining with oxygen in the air. Mixing water with thermite or pouring water onto burning thermite can cause a steam explosion, spraying hot fragments in all directions."*
Not only do you suffocate the aps water dude by sucking all the O2 out of him, but you're releasing hydrogen gas which, in the presence of oxygen and all that super hot molten iron you're spraying, is very explosive. What fun!
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite
Sure Shotguns are lethal when shooting slugs or at close range, but people survive getting hit by shotguns all the time. I think THIs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPAYZMzG ... re=related would severely "bother a superhuman" (you did hear them say 3x hotter than molten lava right? I don't know the damage of Lava (I'm guessing mdc?) but 3x hotter!!. I dunno anyone who'd shrug that off.
Unstable..No argument there. Villain on fire. check. Floor on fire. rats. Rats on fire. yep them to. Building engulfed in flames. oh yeah. Everything that burns/melts/vaporizes below, at, or near 4,530 degrees F in SERIOUS trouble. You better bet your dice they are!.
a "cloud" of aerosol-ized thermite particles would exploded Violently if the correct ignition point were met.
Iczer/Batts (whoever you really are),
Thank you for your reply as I value your expertise. After reviewing your input and reconsidering mine..Here is what I would alter with the power in regards to thermite production.
Add a volume control ability at a higher level (if you're leafing, bronzing, or armoring you've got to know how much is enough right?)
Allow for the creation of alloys/mixtures at a very high level. (Bronze = Copper + Tin, Brass = Copper+Zinc, Thermite = Iron oxide (rust)+Alluminum oxide etc etc..)
(I know that Thermite isn't an alloy, it's a physical mixture, but you get the idea of what I'm trying to say.)
The character can now create these and other materials but it takes all of their attacks (full concentration to get the right proportions),
a knowledge of basic chemistry, and an Iq check (gotta know what you're making).
To use the thermite they have to pass an ME and Alignment check in addition to all the others. Are they able to live with/let themselves do what is about to happen? Everything that can be burnt burns violently, as for living things, if it can't get away it's either burnt up or has severe visual damage and burns.
Once all checks are passed and the round has passed with the character completing his mental analysis of what he/she is going to do, they can now use the alloy ability for (gm's call 1 round 2,3? I don't know what's appropriate here). Once the time limit i passed, they're back to metallizing folks with pure elemental metals.
My thought for that last part was the Supernova power in APS Fire. It's the heavy hitter of the ability, the one for all the marbles. Need your fort reinforced with Stainless Steel plating? Let Steve work himself up for a bit and then we'll take a crack at it. What? figure out a way to get at the crazed looney in the new indestructo-tank. Give me a bit and a 4th of july sparkler and I've got it covered.
Thoughts?