Stone Gargoyle wrote:taalismn wrote:Stone Gargoyle wrote:[]I'm just glad that post included bacon. But seriously, with all the powers we've written over the years you would think we would have it down to a science by now!
Well, we haven't touched on the infinite depths of stupidity as the basis of power yet.
I am pretty sure I did Stupefication as a minor power already. What exactly are you looking for in a stupid power?
Something along the lines of the following, that would reward PCs for low IQs, while making high IQs vulnerable. Sort of reverse-Darwin Awards.
I may have outsmarted myself on this one by making it overly complicated, but properly applying Stupidity takes BRAINS:
Soul-Searing Stupidity(Major) “The Stupid...IT BURNS!!!!!” This insidious power rewards stupidity by targeting intelligence. By being of low intelligence and performing acts of incredible Stupidity(we’re not talking A-Team Murdock crazy here, we’re talking Pee-Wee Herman levels of idiocy, Stupidity with a capital ‘S’), the superbeing can send those who know better into mental coniptions and convulsions.
The sequence of events when this power comes into play is as follows: rather than roll to Strike, the superbeing deploying the power must roll OVER their IQ to see if they consider the action to be plausible(from their viewpoint); rolling UNDER their IQ means that their few brain cells actually came up with a reasonable objection, and the superbeing just wasted an action on a fizzled plan. If they make it, they see no problems with their intended action and go right ahead. This is why having a low IQ in conjunction with this power is a really good idea. Note that this is the quick and dirty way of resolving this; it takes some real brains to come up with truly STUPID stunts, but GMs are encouraged to reward players who actually do go to the effort of coming up with awesomely braindead and cringe-worthy schemes(like attacking the Invincible Gork with a balloon sword or asking the Green Avenger if she’d like to go out on a date chainsawing a forest). The Stupid act CANNOT be anything damaging or effectual to anybody else(except, potentially, the superbeing himself), though it may involve an abuse of other superpowers. Ideally, though, the Stupid action should not Darwin the superbeing out of action(or existence).
Now the victims. Anybody within line of sight of the Stupid action must roll on a D20 and OVER their IQ; a successful roll over means that they don’t quite appreciate the stunning Stupidity(or caught only a portion of it out of the corner of their eyes) they’ve just witnessed and are safe. GMs: if using Perception rolls in your game, you may wish to give characters a chance to roll to see if they see it in the first place.
For those who fail and roll UNDER their IQ(and please note that those with IQs of 20 or better AUTOMATICALLY get nailed by this attack), the effect is gobsmacked SHOCK at seeing something so incredibly dumb as to defy belief. The effect is to be stunned; -10 to strike, parry, dodge, and roll, -2 APMs, and -20% to all skill attempts.
Victims so struck can make a second, more conventional, saving roll versus insanity. A successful save means that they’re able to tear their eyes away and pull some of their sanity out of the fire after only one melee. A failed save means they just can’t look away from the mental trainwreck happening before their eyes, and are adversely affected for 1+1d4 melees afterwards in lingering shock(REALLY intelligent characters may be foaming at the mouth, tearing at their hair, and trying to keep their eyes clenched shut in disbelief).
Effects are cumulative, so it’s possible for the superbeing to park themselves next to potential victims and effectively temporarily lobotomize them as long as the former keep performing acts of Stupidity in open sight of the latter.
Note that the range of this power is line of sight( so, yes, it is possible to drop EagleMan with his super vision from high altitude); however, television and video systems(including bionic vision) protect against the effects, since television seems to have an inherent numbing effect on stupidity presented through it, so the full shock value fails to manifest. Nor do recordings of the Stupid have any detrimental effects. Purely AUDITORY acts of Stupidity do not have any detrimental effect aside from momentary consternation, gasps of disbelief, or groaning resignation from listeners.
It should be noted that the superbeing possessing Soul-Searing Stupidity isn’t necessarily lacking in the capability of taking care of themselves; they aren’t crippled by this power, and can still dress, feed, clean, and make themselves understood with regards to basic needs. In most respects, they are perfectly normal. However, when it comes to common sense in more sophisticated actions and interactions, is when they shine in a negative light.
Other Bonuses:
*Immunity to Stupidity-based Attacks---The superbeing is immune to the Soul-Searing Stupidity power, and will see nothing really wrong with similar acts of monumental stupidity. In fact, if shown recordings of their own actions later, they will be unmoved by them, even on an unsuccessful ME save.
*Resistance to Mind Control---The superbeing is +7 to save versus Mind Control of ANY type; psychics can go mad hunting for something to latch on to, and even professional brainwashers have trouble working with what seems to be nothing.
*Immunity to Possession--- The superbeing is immune to possession by dint of radiating such Stupidity that any right-minded possessing entity stays well away.