Detect Correct Answer

[nyakki]

I'm creating an amulet that can be asked 1 question per day and give the correct answer. It's like a magical Google (that searches a reliable internet, that is). It can only answer questions that could only be obtained through normal research (although normal research could take days, weeks, or even months).

 

This is what I've done:

 

Answer Amulet: Detect A Large Class Of Things 18- (no Sense Group), Discriminatory (22 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), Extra Time (1 Turn, -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Incantations (Ask question; -1/4), Limited Power: Answer questions that could only normally be retrieved through research; -1/4)

 

How would you build it?

[Lucius]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

Much as you have. It resembles the basic builds for the Talents Lightning Calculator and Universal Translator.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

House of the Palindromedary

[Sean Waters]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

You could also do it as a 'General Knowledge' skill with a good few extra levels, and that would probably be cheaper. Well, it would be cheaper.

 

I am not very keen on the 'detect' approach, stylistically (obviously not on a cost basis as I am suggesting something cheaper), although I can 'see' some merit in it, it seems a it like using Detect Truth as a form of telepathy with no defences: again, not a cost issue, just using something different where there is already mechanism in place.

 

Of course it depends what the power is supposed to do: if this is a magical oracle thing, can it know secrets? Can it know (for example) the location of something that is lost? Both of those things could ARGUABLY be detected by a combination of research and inference, but it seems that you are bypassing the fun part of many games if you allow that - getting the players to work out the clues.

 

As a GM tool it would be splendid (and the 1 charges should prevent it being overly useful), but I think you need to define ahead of time what the practical limitations on it are.

 

If you are determined to go with a detect then you are at least going to need range, otherwise it can only answer questions about things it is in contact with.

[psyber624]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

While you could certainly get such an amulet to work by using handwavium as a power source for it if your the GM, RAW that is not likely to work. Detects normally function like a form of "sense" and knowing the answer to a question doesnt really fit well in that concept.

 

I would build it as a small VPP only spendable on knowledge skills. When you used the amulet it would slot the vpp with a relevant skill to obtain the knowledge. This also serves to include your limitation of only information available through research, as a knowledge skill would never be able to provide you with information that didn't fall into this category.

 

 

Here is the writeup i would create:

 

Answer Amulet: Variable Power Pool. 10 pt Pool Cost (10 pts), 10 pt Control (5 pts,No Skill Roll Required: +1, Knowledge Skills Only, -2: 3 pt control Cost) : 13 Pts: (OAF -1), (1 Charge -2) Final RC: 3 pts

 

with this you can buy a 19- roll with any knowledge skill.

 

Example of Use:

 

"Amulet, Amulet on my Neck, who is the most powerful in all of Heck?" VPP Slot: KS: People in Heck, 19-. Roll: 15 "Mistress you are quite powerful it's true, but the Hero SNOW WHITEOUT is more powerful than you!"

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

Personally, I wouldn't build it as a Detect. Detect is a Sense, and Senses give characters information about events that exist -- however unrealistically -- in the space-time continuum to at least some degree. A "correct answer" isn't really an external event, so as a GM, I would rule that you couldn't Sense it.

 

I'd build the ability as KS: Everything (40-). That lets you take massive penalties for using a general KS on a specific subject, the -10 Extraordinary Skill penalty, and so on, and still succeed on any roll but an 18.

[Arc Esu]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

I'm also not a fan of using the Detect. If you wanted "Detect Correct Answer" to mean "Of the three answers I've researched, which one is right?" I might be more ok with it. I prefer Derek's solution of KS: Everything (or maybe KS: Researchable Knowledge), but instead of buying it to 40, I would buy it to 25 or 30, then also buy Skill levels with the limitation "only to offset the time modifier." Since everything the amulet tells you is supposed to be researchable, these levels will counteract the time penalty that you would take for skipping the research. In other words, if it would normally take a week to research a particular question and you're looking for an instant answer, that would normally be a -24 penalty (Week to Day, Day to 6 Hours, 6 Hours to 1 Hour, 1 Hour to 20 Minutes, 20 Minutes to 5 Minutes, 5 minutes to 1 Minute, 1 Minute to 1 Turn, 1 Turn to 1 Phase), so buy +24 to the skill with the limitation rather than buying a crazy high skill.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

The 5e online USPD used Detect as a super-hunch kind of power, so it's not without precedence, at the very least. That said, I do think I like the KS: Everything approach better.

[Cancer]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

Of course, the very similar Crib Notes power has to be built as an IAF rather than an OAF.

[nyakki]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

Great suggestions everyone. I was struggling with Detect - making it a KS works much better to what I have in mind. I don't think it will be unbalanced since it's only Normal Research Knowledge and the GM is the final ruling on if that knowledge is something that could be obtained through research.

 

Example: Two doors - one leads to certain death and the other to freedom - asking "Which door leads to freedom?" would probably yield no answer (and waste my charge). If I asked "What is the best way to determine if a door leads to certain death?" GM might give me door hinge shapes, styles of knobs, air flow patterns through the door frame, etc. which may or may not be useful in the situation.

[psyber624]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

Of course it all depends on how you rig it up. If the Two doors had the guys from the movie "labyrinth" your Answer Amulet could easily tell the player how to solve such a riddle (or one done in similar fashion).

[griffinman01]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

Of course it all depends on how you rig it up. If the Two doors had the guys from the movie "labyrinth" your Answer Amulet could easily tell the player how to solve such a riddle (or one done in similar fashion).

 

I guess the main sticking point is whether it detects knowledge (what's the correct way to neutralize this pool of acid) versus truth (the labyrinth example you gave). The first one would cause the user to think a bit about the situation and give him some information to help him solve a problem on his own while the second one would flat out give him the answer. The first one sounds like an interesting ability but the second one would be a terrible idea. Could you imagine walking into a murder mystery and asking the amulet who the killer is? It spoils the campaign. But the idea of asking the amulet how much force would it take to crush a man (ie determine who physically could cause a specific wound) then it would be a more interesting tool that requires a bit of reasoning on the part of the player as well as some creative thinking (which I think should be rewarded).

[nyakki]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

I guess the main sticking point is whether it detects knowledge (what's the correct way to neutralize this pool of acid) versus truth (the labyrinth example you gave). The first one would cause the user to think a bit about the situation and give him some information to help him solve a problem on his own while the second one would flat out give him the answer. The first one sounds like an interesting ability but the second one would be a terrible idea. Could you imagine walking into a murder mystery and asking the amulet who the killer is? It spoils the campaign. But the idea of asking the amulet how much force would it take to crush a man (ie determine who physically could cause a specific wound) then it would be a more interesting tool that requires a bit of reasoning on the part of the player as well as some creative thinking (which I think should be rewarded).

 

The first one (about the neutralize this pool of acid) is what I want.

That's why I was thinking the limitation that it must be something that could normally be researched (without actually sitting down with the book for a week and researching).

[griffinman01]

Re: Detect Correct Answer

 

The first one (about the neutralize this pool of acid) is what I want.

That's why I was thinking the limitation that it must be something that could normally be researched (without actually sitting down with the book for a week and researching).

 

If that's the case then I would probably do it as a KS: Everything as was mentioned before since you're looking for facts and information. Put enough points into it where you'll reasonably succeed every time it's used and then put some stiff limitations (charges that take a day to recover (or something similar), Focus, etc).