Author Topic: Looking to see how other GMs handle this.  (Read 192 times)

hellrazoromega

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 5
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile
Looking to see how other GMs handle this.
« on: August 25, 2014, 04:18:00 pm »
Some abilities let the player choose the effect of an ability. In The Strange for instance the Sinfire Blast let's you choose to do Might damage or a lesser amount of intellect damage that ignores armor. In other cases the abilities are AoE, I can't recall one from Numenera right off the top of my head and I don't have my book handy. Anyway when they make the choice have GM's been allowing the choice to be made per target or that the choice applies to all targets? I house-ruled that in the case of things like Sinfire Blast where you have to pay for each extra target that the choice can be made per target but with most AoEs it is harder to justify that sort of fine target selection and there usually is a single cost rather than a surcharge per target.

Any way it has worked for my games but I was just wondering what others were doing?

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter


Gray Detrick

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 11
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Looking to see how other GMs handle this.
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2014, 08:49:33 pm »
The Onslaught esotery is what you're thinking of from Numenera. I don't yet have my pre-ordered PDFs for The Strange, so I can't comment on Sinfire Blast directly.

The flavor text for Onslaught makes it very much an either/or choice for what type of damage it is. However, it is designed as a single-target ability. But were it to function as an AoE, I would argue that the PC must choose which venue to focus their attacks through, as though they were separate abilities.

Though making any exception to game rules or personal guidelines is a great entrance for a GM Intrusion. You could allow them to manifest multiple facets of an ability like this simultaneously, but perhaps it overloads their mind, or strikes the PCs as well as the target NPCs.

As a player of many MMOs over the years, I can't recall an AoE ability that I've used that isn't a single effect or damage type.

LexStarwalker

  • Administrator
  • Jr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 95
  • Karma: +9/-0
  • Location: Fort Wayne, IN
    • View Profile
    • Starwalker Studios
Re: Looking to see how other GMs handle this.
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2014, 04:29:31 pm »
Yeah I agree with Gray. It's a specific affect for each use of that ability and has the same effect on all targets.