How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

[Doc]

Hi, I'm new here and this is my first post. I don't have a lot of Hero System experience, neither. I'm presently trying to build my fisrt item, but it doesn't fit well in any categories given in the Source Book. How would you build it?

 

The machine I have in mind is a kind of "Death ray" canon that takes it energy from a living captive in it. It cannot function without one.

 

My first idea was to give it a line zone of effect killing attack that takes it power from an endurance reserve. This endurance reserve has limitations that makes it impossible to do Recovery by itself. The only way to resplenish it is to use the weapon's Drain endurance power against a captured target. END drained form the target are transfered to the END reserve. Finally, the machine has some entangle to keep its captive in quiet well in place.

 

Any other idea, suggestions or contructive critics?

 

This item fits more in a Star Hero or Champion setting, but could probably be adapted to other genres.

 

Thank you very much, have fun.

[Comic]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

It sounds like you have it about right:

 

1: Attack power built as weapon.

2: Imprisonment built as entangle. (I've also done this using Transformation to tranform the target into an END Reserve; saves on parts 3 & 4.)

3: End Reserve for weapon.

4: Transfer prisoner END to END Reserve.

5: Life Support for prisoner (optional, unless you want the weapon to work in extremes).

[ghost-angel]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

Alternate Build:

 

Entangle to hold the human battery in place.

Death Ray Attack Power built w. 0END; Focus: Living Person Trapped In Cage

Life Suck Attack Power built w. 0END; Focus: Living Person Trapp In Cage; Indirect (bypasses cage); Linked- Death Ray

 

The "endurance" simply becomes a special effect, little bit cleaner. You could base the Dice in the Death Ray on the amount of Body the poor battery has to give.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

If you are never planning to have a PC in the death ray, or operating it, I'd just treat the poor victim as an expendible focus. You only need the more complicated builds if the PCs are going to have to deal with it directly (if you just want to break someone out you can take the DEF/BODY from the active points of the death ray, like any other focus).

[Doc]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

Thank guys.

 

And what do you think about this one? It's kinda like the contrary of the first.

 

It's a robot who can serve as a battery (energy reserve) for space ships. How should I build this? I first thought about Aid (4d6 END, usable by others only, costs END), but I would it be better to build this only as a power reserve?

 

Thank you very much.

[Sean Waters]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

Assuming that space ships usually use END batteries Aid END, possibly coupled (or replaced by) Aid REC could work nicely.

[gmurie]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

The way it's written it sounds kind of like an Immobile OAF with difficult to obtain charges. The charges being people. Just specify that you have to have the victim tied up or unconscious to stick them in the weapon. No need to fart about with extraneous bits like building transfers or entangles into it.

 

Of course, as I've written that, the charge/person would get used up by the weapon. Either drained into a coma or killed outright. If you're the GM you can just handwave it.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

Thank guys.

 

And what do you think about this one? It's kinda like the contrary of the first.

 

It's a robot who can serve as a battery (energy reserve) for space ships. How should I build this? I first thought about Aid (4d6 END, usable by others only, costs END), but I would it be better to build this only as a power reserve?

 

Thank you very much.

 

Hmm. I think that this would involve the design of the spaceships as much as the robots.

 

I like the idea of the robot being potential NPC (or even PC) material to make it SFX of a power reserve.

 

I think that I would purchase the spaceship with END reserve and its own REC but pay for the reserve to also draw from external sources (such as robots).

 

When the robot is plugged in then the robots END and REC will be utilisable by the ship. As such I would make each robot purchase the perk - spaceship battery unit (possibly just 5 points).

 

 

Doc

[Doc]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

The way it's written it sounds kind of like an Immobile OAF with difficult to obtain charges. The charges being people. Just specify that you have to have the victim tied up or unconscious to stick them in the weapon. No need to fart about with extraneous bits like building transfers or entangles into it.

 

Of course, as I've written that, the charge/person would get used up by the weapon. Either drained into a coma or killed outright. If you're the GM you can just handwave it.

 

 

 

Well, the reason why I didn't just do it this way is that there is a special NPC I plan to put in there for the players to rescue. If death just comes automatically, well, it's kinda missed for suspense and plot and all those things...

 

Now, to frankly give you the entirety of my diabolical game plot, I had planned to put a limitation on the death ray machine, so it can only drain END form the robot batteries to fire. The characters will be "in possession" of the first prototype of spaceship battery androids and they'll discover that there are multiple other uses to it (namely, a daeth ray that can destroye the Federation Space Forces' Headquarter). Tada!

 

Now that you know everything, I'm compeled to make you all silent...

[Sidume]

Re: How would you build this sci-fi machine/weapon?

 

Spaceships & Rayguns - cheap!

 

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