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Nerve Strike

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terror13

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« on: <05-08-20/1745:40> »
How can you resist nerve strike, or ability damage?
« Last Edit: <05-08-20/2155:14> by terror13 »

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #1 on: <05-08-20/1810:10> »
EDIT: For future reference, it's helpful to include references so people have context to what you're talking about.  Especially which edition your rules discussion pertains to, since we're almost at a year now since 5th was the "current" edition...

Well, I have to say looking at the text it certainly looks like the people you've been arguing with before coming here are probably correct.  It does indeed say that it is resolved like a regular melee attack:

Quote from: Nerve Strike: Street Grimoire, pg. 173
To use this power, the adept must first declare his intention
to employ it and then make a normal melee attack.

So, yes the attack is resolved in the same way as a regular melee attack other than the added requirement of having to "call it" a Nerve Strike before you see the roll.  However, I'm going to have to disagree with your characterization that it "does agility or reaction damage instead of stun or physical".  The exact text is as follows:

Quote
If successful, the adept may choose to reduce his opponent’s
Agility or Reaction (attacker’s choice) by 1 per
net hit instead of inflicting Physical or Stun damage.

Because it says "instead of inflicting Physical or Stun damage", that means you are NOT inflicting Physical or Stun damage.  No P/S damage, no soak.  The concept of a soakless attack isn't unprecidented... mechanically this is very much like a Direct Combat Spell:   you get the resistance test, and if you failed it you skip the soak and just suffer the effect based on net hits.  Nerve Strike is simply working the exact same way.

Since a large part of your opinion seems to be rooted in the presumed OP-ness of this, let me attempt to address that in several ways.

1) Consider how many hits you need to paralyze someone. 3 is "average" in a stat, and therefore you need to not only successfully hit someone you need to have done it with 3 net hits.  On an average punkazoid.  Sure, a specialist can probably achieve that and one shot Paul Blarts and what not.  Is that OP? I'd submit that a purpose built close combat shadowrunner should obliterate a Paul Blart anyway, so this isn't out of line with other melee options.  Indeed far less "I win Button"y than lots of things I could suggest as alternatives.

2) Flip the assumption on its ear.  Ok, lets think about what would happen if you DID get Soak. The "DV" is 1 per net hit.  Um, you're going to need to score an AMAZING number of net hits before some schmo in a basic Armored Jacket can't even just buy the hits to soak that attack away. 12 dice would be enough to ignore a nerve strike with three net hits by buying hits on the soak! You think it's OP to have no soak?  Consider how useless it'd be if there was a soak.

3) No, noone's going to be 2 shotting Lowfyr with Nerve Strike.  In chargen or after. Not if he's actually rolling to avoid being hit.  You're not going to get that many net hits on him with his reach and whatnot.

Now, with regards to trying to hit someone inside battle armor and whatnot: the rules do bother to invoke "GM discretion" by saying drones and whatnot are immune.  So, sure.  GM can say you flatly can't use the power on this target, or you suffer some kind of penalty because his nerve clusters are all armored (why would they go UNARMORED?) and so on.  But that falls under Rule Zero, and shouldn't need to be explicitly reiterated.  Also consider the flipside, however.  The player paid for this ability.  If it never works, that's not very fun.
« Last Edit: <05-08-20/1844:09> 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.

Jareth Valar

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« Reply #2 on: <05-09-20/1304:16> »
If you want to add a resistance to it (not recommending you do, but if you fell it needs one), just like SSDR mentioned, it's rather analogous to Direct Damage Spells.

You could always allow the individual attacked to roll the attribute that is targeted and reduce successes that way, just like Direct Damage Spells do with Willpower/Body.