Since Vosper will probably miss anyway, maybe she should make that first attack, then you guys can flank her and attack from behind on the same phase (26)?

Sounds like a plan to me.

Does Backlash have to choose to intercept an attack before the outcome or only after someone is hit?

I would think he'd have to choose before I roll to hit... hope so, otherwise there's little point...

I'll say this much, even though he is near Usurper he is definitely more focused on Poco than anyone else. That being said if he chooses to intercept an attack you would still roll to hit, just that if he takes the attack it hits him unless it is a 1 in which case it goes 50/50 (and unless the roll is a total botch).

If you all surround Usurper she is much more likely to present flank or rear to someone *other* than Poco. What Backlash does remains to be seen at this point. Remember too that anyone who was Evading/Parrying last turn that hasn't acted yet is still considered to be doing so until their first action comes up.

We have to wait and see what Nightmare does because he may want to get in on the pack attack and I don't want to have to retconn things. That being said Onyx *did* hit and Vosper unfortunately didn't but she did give Onyx flanking. Usurper is still focusing on Poco. I will wait for Nightmare's action to update.

You might notice I didn't mention those powers, but yeah those also ... uh, do stuff.
:D

As for focussing on Usurper, that was more of a 'roleplaying' thing -- if you value your mind over all else, and someone overpowers it and makes you betray your friends, that might cause an unreasonable dislike.

But in a fight, no one needs to stick to that plan.  As you said, Mind Control costs 20PR per shot & isn't guaranteed to work every time.  (But when Mind Control does work, you wind up getting pulped by your teammate, or pulping your teammate -- both of which sorta suck.)

So Inhuman is still evading from round one until he gets to act in 15.

@ The Inhuman -- yeah, buddy!  We slow guys get THAT one advantage.

Just making sure the rules had not changed. Thanks

Oh, no idea whether those rules have changed.
:)

In reply to Oscillator (msg # 984):

Not wanting to confuse anyone, I was just clarifying.

Thanks

@ The Inhuman -- eh?  What do you mean?



@ Nightmare -- that was worth 8PR, no?  :D

Hadn't seen you use your namesake power(s) yet.  YAY
Can't think of a more deserving target.   :)
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Mon 14 Apr 2014.

There's a reason for that. I'm getting very tired and sleepy, myself.

Will update as soon as I can, had a few things to discuss with Nightmare in PM about what he just did. Also, am back to work so I don't have lots of time to do involved posts until much later.

I may have to retconn this entire combat or maybe at least take off the additional power damage from Mindwrack's attack. She is a villain I rolled up randomly a LONG time ago and I gave her that as a psionic power. It didn't seem overly powerful, at least compared to how much power it costs to use it.

I am finding I am having a hell of a time judging what is an appropriate challenge for the group. This *shouldn't* be as hard as it seems to be. Yes their combined level total is higher than the team's but only by a few levels but there are 5 to your 7. I makes me wonder if V&V is just a game I can't GM because I am just struggling to match power levels. I want things to be a challenge but I don't want to stomp all over the group either.

I don't know, it is just very discouraging to me the way this is all playing out. Some of it is the dice but I think some of it is my incompetence as a V&V GM. I feel pretty bummed out and I will admit a part of me wants to throw in the towel on the game. It just feels like too many people are just not having fun...

(BTW, this thread is 16 posts away from 1000 and I won't be looking at it again until tomorrow AM so please be mindful to not post-bomb this thread. I don't want the thread self-destructing like the game seems to be.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:20, Tue 15 Apr 2014.

I'm sorry if my grousing added in any way to your frustration.  I have never had an issue with you as GM, it's the dice server making Vosper seemed cursed that kills me. ;)

@ Sword of Damocles --
a) haven't noticed game self destructing
b) not gonna "post bomb", but I do have a tendency to post a lot (in many games) & don't plan to change right now
c) re: any power that is fairly 'open', ie Psionic Power, Mutant Power, Chemical Power, Absorption, Body Power, Magic Spells, Poison, Special Weapons (hmmmm... did I miss anything?  oh yeah, extras that you can add onto Spec Weaps, Animal Plant Powers, Armor) -- can potentially throw everything (ie game balance) out of whack.  Psi powers or 'area affect powers' also are challenging for game balance.
d) this game seems pretty good to me.

and lastly

e) if you think players will win and your villain team will lose, you may be in for a surprise.  I ran a game and had a fight of 2 baddies vs 6 heroes.  Baddies basically destroyed ... and then I fudged a lot until the heroes got the upper hand.  Discovered that certain powers -- invisibility and absorb strength, weather control and invulnerability -- paired far better than I'd predicted.  ** If you look at the villains in the book, they're often weenies (ie lots of Height Whatever A).**   So, this leads me to think that, despite comics --> heroes can't beat evenly matched villains & if the villains have more power (ie Galactus / Thanos / Collector / Watcher etc) ... forget about it...

Anyway, don't give up hope.  Our group has heart -- even if we lose.  Maybe we change our name to The Underdogs & get pushed back to USA's 'C Team' or something, but we are still roleplaying amazingly well and giving this all a good try.

Can't blame the dice roller.  Can't blame the GM.  Can't blame the heroes.
And def don't blame the overposting Oscillator!!!

Just accept fate:  sometimes life provides a hand of aces, and sometimes it gives a hand that can't beat a pair of twos.

Don't you dare retcon! How am I gonna play out the whole 'hero gets beaten to a bloody pulp but refuses to quit' trope if you turn down the villainy. Heck, some of my favorite published characters are regularly beaten.

As long as the power cost of that attack is 50 or so now worries. ;)

I am going to at least give back everyone who failed the Int save the additional power damage. Seeing it in action it is too much for an area attack, even with a save mechanice in place. Maybe I will adjust the power so that the power damage can happen with a single target and just the base damage for an area effect. So the initial damage will stay but the other effect will be gone. Nightmare, you can still consider yourself to be beaten, you will just have a bit more power.

The dice roller *really* doesn't help at all. I actually think Vosper is a pretty cool character and is potentially pretty potent in combat (only Poco has higher to-hit bonuses with HTH by +1) but the dice roller utterly hates her. It has been pretty mean to the group in general it seems.

Additional power damage for those who failed the save has been returned and I adjusted Mindwrack's Psistorm power. I do still need KO rolls for Oscillator, Poco, and Vosper (6%, 4%, and 7% chances respectively).

Did you record Onyx's hit on Usurper? It was not clear to me that you did based on the post you put up. Just want to make sure my 13 point plink gets added in.

In reply to Onyx (msg # 996):



From the IC thread.

Sorry. I apparently forgot how to read. Thank you.

No worries man....it would have been even worse if I didn't break it up from the wall of text it was originally.

And as this thread is almost at 1000 posts I am going to close it and open a new OOC thread...