Quicksand

[MechaSteve]

I'm running a Heroes Unlimited game for the first time I a long time, and one of my players has the Control Elemental Forces: Earth power.

The Quicksand ability specifically seems to take a lot of combatants completely out of the fight with little effort. There's basically no reason to throw melee oriented opponents at party.

I was wondering if anyone else has had any trouble with this power and how they have handled it?

[The Beast]

Off the top of my head I can think of the following:

Flying opponents
Teleportation
Vibration
Intangibility
Some of the APS powers
Weightlessness
Gravity manipulation
Negate Superpowers
Levitation

[MechaSteve]

Off the top of my head I can think of the following:

Flying opponents
Teleportation
Vibration
Intangibility
Some of the APS powers
Weightlessness
Gravity manipulation
Negate Superpowers
Levitation

Thanks!

I have thought about some of those, but I hate sending in enemies designed to specifically counter a party member.

I was hoping someone might have advise on ways to tweak the power to make it a bit less insta win.

[Orin J.]

on the flipside of thebeast's view goons on overhanging railings, metal flooring, being in a building two or more stories up are useful for the bad guys if a player is getting out of hand. giving them an enemy big enough that sinking doesn't slow them that much is good too.

[MechaSteve]

on the flipside of thebeast's view goons on overhanging railings, metal flooring, being in a building two or more stories up are useful for the bad guys if a player is getting out of hand. giving them an enemy big enough that sinking doesn't slow them that much is good too.

Thanks for the advice. I was hoping to not have to crunch on specific environments. Kind turn it into a situation where the ability either solves the encounter, or does nothing.

[Daniel Stoker]

If you're looking for something else you can always allow a 'blind' dodge to get away from the pit as it's forming? Give them a chance but with negatives to get away/avoid it so it's not killing the power but makes it so it's not an 'insta win'?


Daniel Stoker

[MechaSteve]

If you're looking for something else you can always allow a 'blind' dodge to get away from the pit as it's forming? Give them a chance but with negatives to get away/avoid it so it's not killing the power but makes it so it's not an 'insta win'?


Daniel Stoker

That's kinda what I'm thinking about doing. Maybe requiring an attack roll that can be dodged.

[Yukon]

Maybe instead of an attack roll, treat it as a saving throw. Set a target number you think is fair (12-15?), plus ME bonus or have it go up with levels. The opponent could maybe add PP bonus to saving throw.

[Father Goose]

Many of the powers in HU2 are "insta-win" as written, since they do not require an attack roll, and often have no dodge/save to avoid.
So either you have a power that will allow you to avoid/counter it, you use the environment to circumvent it, or you devise a house rule to make it opposed attack/defense rolls.