zombietots wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 5:40 am
Am I to assume you don't get your Armor?
Greetings and Salutations. I have no idea what you're talking about here.
zombietots wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 5:40 am
I was under the impression you lose the parry, dodge or entangle.
Okay, so we sound more or less in agreement on this part.
zombietots wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 5:40 am
I also stated that it could be one whole round as the cut off, not all 13 actions over several rounds.
Yes, you did include that as one of your alternatives. Not the only option you included, but definitely one of them.
zombietots wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 5:40 am
I have to disagree on fights takes a while IRL. Fire fights and H-to-H are usually less than 5 minutes unless it's a full-on battle or boxing and wrestling even then they have time limits. (The Boxing and wrestling)
Don't assume I meant a 1st level character either.
Well, let's run some numbers. I'll start with a fairly small party of only 3 players and 1 GM. Since we're discussing an Arch Fiend, I'll leave it as the only opponent. I'll provide an average of 5 attacks per character (which is a low level party, and probably still being a bit conservative, as 4 is a typical starting base from HtH and Boxing and various O.C.C. can add them up more). That's 20 attacks per melee round.
For combat to be over in 5 minutes, each person can only average 15 seconds to declare their action, roll their dice, have an opponent defend (when applicable), roll damage dice (when applicable), and do any math involved (including deducting damage from their character and/or armor.
I've never experienced a group speed RPG like that before, but I suppose it could be interesting to see. If each action only averaged 2 minutes, then we'd be up to 40 minutes for 1 melee round.
If we expand the group to 5 players, up them to 6 attacks, and figure they'd average 3 minutes per action, still leave it at only 1 NPC enemy, we're at an hour and a half for a single round (and to be done in under 5 minutes everyone would average less than 10 seconds an action).
Now, it's possible the party is either annihilating everything they encounter in a single action or two, or getting decimated in only 1 or 2 actions, but that sounds like an issue that has nothing to do with Horror Factor.
zombietots wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 5:40 am
Now if you're fine with it, that great. I'm sure most people are. I'm not knocking you or the game. I just think it's a tiny bit weak for something that terrifies you.
Well, a lot will also do with if you limit Horror Factor to only be certain types of opponents. Instead of, you know, large sections of the game.
"Every bandit you encountered has had a Big Bore shotgun. But you rolles poorly this time, so you're stuck in a stupor for the next 15 seconds because you've never seen anything as terrifying as a Big Bore shotgun."
"You've been traveling side by side with the Dog Boy with wolf traits. But now a Wolfen attacks you and you rolled poorly, so the sight of a bipedal wolf is the most frightening thing you've ever seen before!"
I'm more opposed to making something so arbitrary even more impactful. Can it be done differently? Sure. Maybe it's done well, don't know. But that's also why I started taking the rule in a vacuum (absent of all your other house rules), I wouldn't ever use it. Farewell and safe journeys.
Edit:: And Horror Factor works both ways. So, facing a rule like that, would probably just try to convince the others to all play characters with a Horror Factor. Troll (HF 10) who can cast magic (for the level 2 spell Fear which provides a HF of 16), maybe the level 1 spell Thunderclap just in case). Maybe someone else can play a Necromancer. If in Rifts, try to acquire a Big Bore. Basically, just layer on the HF. With a multitude of rolls, most opponents will eventually fail. "So three of us failed, but the Arch Fiend failed one of its six rolls, so it's in a stupor too. Two of us saved, so we have about 10 free attacks to just unload on the Arch Fiend while it drools on itself."
I'm not generally an adversarial player, but also not afraid demonstrate why I think a rule doesn't work very well.