Super power punch?? Not so super

[Iczer]

For those who have used and perused PU2, could I direct you to the above power. I've been looking at it, and I'm finding that it's barely worth a minor slot much less a full blown major power.

It takes one action. That action is the only one you get all round. It must be called at the beginning of the melee, and the character basically spends the rest of the round looking pretty dumb after he takes it.

It does as much damage as all your other punches would. Not more, and thankfully not less. But if you successfully struck a target every time you swing then you would do exactly the same damage.

Worse, it penalises defence, halving parry and dodge totals for the rest of the round.

And then it gives a warning about being an unbalancing power at the end.

The Only real use of this power is that it allows you to do all your damage in one action, which is good if time is a factor. which may put a villian down. Or it may just be parried or dodged. It is also usefull to justify a low strength guy punching through steel girders. but otherwsie this is what qualifies for a major power? Hmmm..

What do you think?

Batts

[NMI]

Normally though for me (this might be more of a house rule then a official rule), is that whenever an attack or action costs more then 1 attack (power punch, super energy blast, etc...), then when the book says counts as 2 attacks (or 3 or 4 etc...), then it will take a moment or two to "wind" or "charge" up. ie.. with power punch you would have to wait til your second turn/ action to release/ deliver the special attack. Super Power Punch would be no diffrent in my game.

[Guest]

eh, i wouldnt require a wind up, the penalties afterwards justify it to me...

but imagine if you used it with say, a N&SS MA that had critical from behind...

BOOM! DEBO!

[Cardiac]

Yeah - I'm not too impressed with the power either, at least in the standard rules. Now if HU had a Damage Resistance system instead of the crappy AR rules they still use, THEN the power would be more meaningful.

For example; in a DR system a person's individual punches or even regular power punches might not be enough to damage something. However, combine all your damage into one attack and then maybe you could.

Then again, if you use the Penetration Value rules in Palladium, you could add in the rule that the Super Power Punch adds something like +2 to the power punch's PV. IIRC, normal strength PPs have PV 1, Extraordinary PPs have PV 5, Superhuman PPs have PV 7 and Supernatural PPs have PV 9. So when you do a Super Power Punch, you can pentrate and damage tougher materials by adding +2 or something to the base value.

[Carmen]

Its an okay Power that Keven came up with, but I too think it should be a Minor, unless your hero has a P.S. over 30 or so, then maybe its a Major.

[Carmen]

So true, but his name is on that section, but I do like the directed force power.

[Iczer]

I disagree, it's one hell of a power. Let's take two characters, both do 3d6+10 damage on a punch and have 5 attacks. On average both characters will do around 102 damage in a melee but one has Super Power Punch. Let's say they're confronted by a door with 100 SDC. The guy who lacks Super Power Punch will still destroy the door within a melee, but the guy with Super Power Punch has already bashed a hole through the door and walked through it.

Not really. The guy with super power punch can't do anything after a punch until next melee. including walking through the hole he just made of the door. The guy without it CAN, especially if it only takes 4 of his five attacks.

Batts

[Cardiac]

I disagree, it's one hell of a power. Let's take two characters, both do 3d6+10 damage on a punch and have 5 attacks. On average both characters will do around 102 damage in a melee but one has Super Power Punch. Let's say they're confronted by a door with 100 SDC. The guy who lacks Super Power Punch will still destroy the door within a melee, but the guy with Super Power Punch has already bashed a hole through the door and walked through it.

Not really. The guy with super power punch can't do anything after a punch until next melee. including walking through the hole he just made of the door. The guy without it CAN, especially if it only takes 4 of his five attacks.

Batts

No he can't ATTACK. If he can parry or dodge he can put one foot in front of the other.

*AHEM* To quote Super Power Punch - Limitations, Penalties & Dangers #5:

The character uses up all of his attacks in that one, single punch! He has no other actions/attacks for the rest of that melee round and can do nothing else. Not run, not step to the side, not make a call on his cell phone, nothng!

You apparently punch, and then stand there for the next 10 seconds like a dunce - marvelling the big hole you just put in whatever it is you hit I guess. You can parry and dodge (I suppose you duck) - but at half your bonuses. Ergo...the power sucks.

[NMI]

I disagree, it's one hell of a power. Let's take two characters, both do 3d6+10 damage on a punch and have 5 attacks. On average both characters will do around 102 damage in a melee but one has Super Power Punch. Let's say they're confronted by a door with 100 SDC. The guy who lacks Super Power Punch will still destroy the door within a melee, but the guy with Super Power Punch has already bashed a hole through the door and walked through it.

Not really. The guy with super power punch can't do anything after a punch until next melee. including walking through the hole he just made of the door. The guy without it CAN, especially if it only takes 4 of his five attacks.

Batts

No he can't ATTACK. If he can parry or dodge he can put one foot in front of the other.

*AHEM* To quote Super Power Punch - Limitations, Penalties & Dangers #5:

The character uses up all of his attacks in that one, single punch! He has no other actions/attacks for the rest of that melee round and can do nothing else. Not run, not step to the side, not make a call on his cell phone, nothng!

You apparently punch, and then stand there for the next 10 seconds like a dunce - marvelling the big hole you just put in whatever it is you hit I guess. You can parry and dodge (I suppose you duck) - but at half your bonuses. Ergo...the power sucks.

Hence the reason I explain the "delay" involved in special attacks like this as "wind up" moments. Using my above explained method takes care of the "delay".

[Cardiac]

Hence the reason I explain the "delay" involved in special attacks like this as "wind up" moments. Using my above explained method takes care of the "delay".

Whether the attack comes at the beginning of the round or at the end - it doesn't matter - the SPP character is still just standing there either winding up (and can do nothing but that) or standing there drooling after the punch.

Maybe if they changed the power so that if the character can REGULATE the number of attacks - it would fit in nicely with the existing power punch rules.

For example - a hero with 6 attacks and this power can choose to sacrifice anywhere from 2 to all 6 of his attacks to perform a power punch, multiplying the damage by the number of attacks sacrificed.

At least then there is room enough to allow the SPP caracter at least an action or two if he so chooses, while still allowing him access to the supposed "full power" of this ability.

I still maintain that the power should have more of a benefit than a straight damage multiplier though. Take a character with 6 attacks and punch damage of 1D4+4; either he can punch 6 times doing a total of 6D4+24 (it's not all-or-nothing, has 6 chances to crit and can defend himself normally during the melee) or he can use this power and do the same 6D4+24 (all or nothing and with reduced abiltiy to defend yourself after that one attack).

I don't know....it seems more like a martial arts power or kata out of Ninjas and Superspies rather than a "Superpower".

[Ed-Zero]

Maybe if they changed the power so that if the character can REGULATE the number of attacks - it would fit in nicely with the existing power punch rules.

You can regulate the number of attacks, if I read what everyone here has said (I don't have the book) - You have 6 attacks, you attack twice normally, leaving you with 4 left, then wouldn't you be able to use your power? That a kind of regulation, just takes longer.