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Help with a character Concept: 6e + Firing Squad => Best Melee

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markelphoenix

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« on: <06-24-20/0858:03> »
So, Firing Squad added a lot to the Str and Melee route, was curious what the hypothetical most lethal build as far as raw  DV would be? Any flavor of Close Combat (unarmed, blade, etc.) Hell, throw melee exotics into mix if it is hypothetical best.

Hobbes

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« Reply #1 on: <06-24-20/0948:39> »
Troll, Precision Strikes Martial arts, Monowhip.  Highest base DV.

Adepts can add levels of Critical Strike.  Mundanes can add Muscle Replacement.

Mind you "Monowhip" and a reasonable dice pool is all you'll need vs 90% of opponents.  But if double digit DV is the goal, Troll, Precision Strikes, Monowhip.   

markelphoenix

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« Reply #2 on: <06-24-20/1141:05> »
Troll, Precision Strikes Martial arts, Monowhip.  Highest base DV.

Adepts can add levels of Critical Strike.  Mundanes can add Muscle Replacement.

Mind you "Monowhip" and a reasonable dice pool is all you'll need vs 90% of opponents.  But if double digit DV is the goal, Troll, Precision Strikes, Monowhip.   

Think it'd be handy to handle spirits, in a generic way that works for other mobs as well.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #3 on: <06-24-20/1339:28> »
Whenever I see threads like this, all I can think is:

"Never build anything you wouldn't want the GM to use against you."
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Hobbes

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« Reply #4 on: <06-24-20/1431:37> »
Mundane attacks with a high enough DV will work "fine" on Force 4 on down.  Force 5 or 6, still leak a bit through.  Force 7+ you'll occasionally do a box.  Force 9+, nope, just nope.

You want to handle spirits, play an Adept with a Weapon Focus or Killing Hands.

And please note, high DV isn't the most mechanically effective.  I was answering the "...raw DV..." question.

IMO most effective is likely a Metahuman burn out Adept with +4 Agility from Muscle Toner, Bone Augmentation, maxed out Close Combat skill, and PP spent on Increased Reflexes, Killing Hands, and Critical Strike.  You can hit... 8? DV with Martial Arts and such with an Unarmed attack.  (Iron Hands, Kick, Flying Kick...)   And you can go anywhere with this, and punch out Immunity to Normal Weapons, and get a high dice pool to increase your DV.  And keep adding levels of Critical Strike as you advance.

But then I value "go anywhere" over a few points of raw DV, as long as you're still able to one shot a majority of opponents.  And Adepts eventually win at raw DV because of Critical Strike, just takes a while.

Attributes A, Resources/Metatype B/C (whichever), Magic D, Skills E.  Elf is my personal preference for the Agility, but really anything but a human for the higher Metahuman Priority.

Lormyr

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« Reply #5 on: <06-25-20/0700:08> »
Whenever I see threads like this, all I can think is:

"Never build anything you wouldn't want the GM to use against you."

Some folks have different thresholds of character loss. If you are a person that gets very attached to characters and/or gets upset when they die I think this is good advice.

I still fully plan to build a grenade jockey for Missions, because I am a single minded man on a mission until those things get errata'd. If I die to grenades in response, no big. I have unlimited character ideas. Only thing I care about is rule adjudication that is either fair to the rules as written, or something that was discussed as an alteration to those rules before hand. That's one thing I've always enjoyed about organized play.
"TL:DR 6e's reduction of meaningful choices is akin to forcing everyone to wear training wheels. Now it's just becomes a bunch of toddlers riding around on tricycles they can't fall off of." - Adzling

Tecumseh

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« Reply #6 on: <06-26-20/1519:54> »
IMO most effective is likely a Metahuman burn out Adept with +4 Agility from Muscle Toner, Bone Augmentation, maxed out Close Combat skill, and PP spent on Increased Reflexes, Killing Hands, and Critical Strike.  You can hit... 8? DV with Martial Arts and such with an Unarmed attack.  (Iron Hands, Kick, Flying Kick...)   And you can go anywhere with this, and punch out Immunity to Normal Weapons, and get a high dice pool to increase your DV.  And keep adding levels of Critical Strike as you advance.

Hey, I built the same one! I thought it was a secret. Leave it to Hobbes to sniff it out.

Shinobi Killfist

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« Reply #7 on: <07-02-20/1648:51> »
Whenever I see threads like this, all I can think is:

"Never build anything you wouldn't want the GM to use against you."

If the GM wants to get you the GM will get you.

TrollwrestlerKing

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« Reply #8 on: <07-07-20/1042:26> »
What about Troll or Ork Grappler:
Tackle dmg is Body.  So if I have bone density+critical strike+sangre martial arts  you could also reach 10+dv .  Ofc you need turns to tackle, more str. to get the tackle and enemy has chance to get out with martial arts/edge stuff.

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #9 on: <07-07-20/1111:43> »
Note that Bone Lacing/Bone Density doesn't actually give you an augmented bonus to Body, it only gives bonus dice to Body tests for the purpose of resisting damage.


Although:
1) the extra mass imparted by these augmentations should warrant consideration for the circumstantial Edge in on the Tackle attack roll

2) since it's NOT an augmented bonus, that means it stacks with +4 Body from other sources that ARE augmented bonuses! (example, Increase Attribute)
« Last Edit: <07-07-20/1113:35> by Stainless Steel Devil Rat »
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

Sir Ludwig

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« Reply #10 on: <07-07-20/1427:41> »
Devil Rat,

Thanks for pointing the Bone Lacing/Bone Density out.  I had missed that. 

Best,
SL
Si vis pacem, para bellum

markelphoenix

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« Reply #11 on: <07-08-20/1145:30> »
Whenever I see threads like this, all I can think is:

"Never build anything you wouldn't want the GM to use against you."

If the GM wants to get you the GM will get you.

GM: "As you exit the Stuffer Shack you have the misfortune of running into a group of Aztech HTR unit, a dragon, and 3 vampires. Roll initiative....."
Players: "That doesn't make sense...."
GM: "Should of thought of that before having a dice pool above 12!"

Lormyr

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« Reply #12 on: <07-08-20/1216:15> »
Whenever I see threads like this, all I can think is:

"Never build anything you wouldn't want the GM to use against you."

If the GM wants to get you the GM will get you.

GM: "As you exit the Stuffer Shack you have the misfortune of running into a group of Aztech HTR unit, a dragon, and 3 vampires. Roll initiative....."
Players: "That doesn't make sense...."
GM: "Should of thought of that before having a dice pool above 12!"

A pre-game discussion of expectations is the way to handle this properly.

If you do not have such a discussion prior to game, and a player min-maxes, and the GM responds with escalation, you have a bad GM. Period.
"TL:DR 6e's reduction of meaningful choices is akin to forcing everyone to wear training wheels. Now it's just becomes a bunch of toddlers riding around on tricycles they can't fall off of." - Adzling

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #13 on: <07-08-20/1244:16> »
Exactly.

But also:

If you build to a certain standard, you shouldn't be expecting to face challenges built for a lower standard.  You don't see level 15s fighting 4 hit point goblins in That Other Game (tm), so neither should you expect gutter punk encounters if you're throwing 20+ dice.  Sure, cyber ninja vampires filling in for gutter punks in gutter punk-appropriate encounters is bad GMing, but if cyber ninja vampires are what you're powerful enough to fight then that's what you should be getting ;)
« Last Edit: <07-08-20/1250:01> by Stainless Steel Devil Rat »
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

markelphoenix

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« Reply #14 on: <07-08-20/1958:33> »
Exactly.

But also:

If you build to a certain standard, you shouldn't be expecting to face challenges built for a lower standard.  You don't see level 15s fighting 4 hit point goblins in That Other Game (tm), so neither should you expect gutter punk encounters if you're throwing 20+ dice.  Sure, cyber ninja vampires filling in for gutter punks in gutter punk-appropriate encounters is bad GMing, but if cyber ninja vampires are what you're powerful enough to fight then that's what you should be getting ;)

As long as the 'Run pays out commenserate with the risk, I agree. If the reward don't scale, why would someone with that kind of proficiency opt in for the run in first place?