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The name is a work in progress, and this is a concept I've been working on for ... longer than I'd like to admit for something so simple in practice... First; the modifier itself.
Synergy (25 Essence PER RANK)
Two abilities that use the same Effect do not combine, you simply use the greater value. If both effects have the Synergy modifier, you may combine their ranks, up to your rank cap. An effect may only synergize with one other effect with this Modifier. This Modifier can be taken multiple times. A number of effects can be synergized equal to the number of Synergy modifiers on each effect. (Synergy 75 PER RANK on three Damage effects would allow all three to combine, for example.)
Fusion Special: if two creatures have effects with the Synergy modifier fuse, these effects synergize normally.
Synergy cannot be applied to Non-Standard effects, Adaptation or any effect with only one rank.
For example, take the following two abilities:
Natural Armor
Protection 1 (100)
-- Ongoing (100)
Creature X's hide is tougher than normal skin, allowing it to absorb more damage than normal.
Agile Movement
Agility 2 (200)
Protection 2 (200)
-- Limited (-100) (Limited to "predictable" attacks)
Creature X is very agile in every movement it makes, and it uses this to avoid attacks that it can see coming. While it cannot avoid that which "appears" on it, invisible attacks, or attacks from a stealthed target, it can use its agility to avoid taking the full force of a blade or slow-moving projectiles. (Just an example, I'm bad at actually writing moves.)
In this case, Agile Movements would completely overlap Natural Armor. Where Natural Armor is "absorbing" more damage, Agile Movements avoids it by moving out of the way. If both were to have the Synergy, Creature X would have Protection 3 against specific types of attacks, but only protection 1 against everything else. It can allow "static" effects, and "temporary" or "situational" effects to work together instead of overlapping (as I've been told they do.)
As for the inspiration behind this;
1. I've overlooked MANY character ideas that use sort of compounding items/abilities/natural affinities that I'd have to deal with overlapping or just lumping all of it into one effect and using the "Limited" modifier or something. If you had two of the same effect active at the same time, you simply used the better option. Usually, your "ongoing" would be overlapped by the "temporary," meaning you'd have to buy the effect again, just more.
2. The rise of Fusion really brought this back to the forefront of my mind because fusing is fundamentally flawed. If Creature X has a good defense, and creature Y has the slightly better defense, you don't FUSE defense, you just... overlap. Two creatures become the "best of both worlds" at the cost of "action economy." Even in a purely RP scenario... why? Creature X has climb but Creature Y doesn't so you just... fuse so you both get up the cliff? The effect just feels like expensive fodder.
3. In reality, things should work together. Big muscles + big hammer = swinging hammer a bit harder. Shield + Armor = easier to absorb damage and create glancing blows. Olympian Sprinter + Haste spell = MOAR SPED! Limiting an effect to "Only once" despite the combination not matching your level cap is honestly a difficult pill to swallow.
4. The most recent situation I've come across is using a "Transformation" that specifically enhances the character's already pronounced strength. It was instead moved to the character (not the transformation) with the Limited (only half effected without transformation) caveat... and I did a 50/50 divide because I didn't want a simple strength ability to be excessively wordy and systematic. Thus, like Synergy, Transformations cannot even "boost" just "overlap."
Synergy (25 Essence PER RANK)
Two abilities that use the same Effect do not combine, you simply use the greater value. If both effects have the Synergy modifier, you may combine their ranks, up to your rank cap. An effect may only synergize with one other effect with this Modifier. This Modifier can be taken multiple times. A number of effects can be synergized equal to the number of Synergy modifiers on each effect. (Synergy 75 PER RANK on three Damage effects would allow all three to combine, for example.)
Fusion Special: if two creatures have effects with the Synergy modifier fuse, these effects synergize normally.
Synergy cannot be applied to Non-Standard effects, Adaptation or any effect with only one rank.
For example, take the following two abilities:
Natural Armor
Protection 1 (100)
-- Ongoing (100)
Creature X's hide is tougher than normal skin, allowing it to absorb more damage than normal.
Agile Movement
Agility 2 (200)
Protection 2 (200)
-- Limited (-100) (Limited to "predictable" attacks)
Creature X is very agile in every movement it makes, and it uses this to avoid attacks that it can see coming. While it cannot avoid that which "appears" on it, invisible attacks, or attacks from a stealthed target, it can use its agility to avoid taking the full force of a blade or slow-moving projectiles. (Just an example, I'm bad at actually writing moves.)
In this case, Agile Movements would completely overlap Natural Armor. Where Natural Armor is "absorbing" more damage, Agile Movements avoids it by moving out of the way. If both were to have the Synergy, Creature X would have Protection 3 against specific types of attacks, but only protection 1 against everything else. It can allow "static" effects, and "temporary" or "situational" effects to work together instead of overlapping (as I've been told they do.)
As for the inspiration behind this;
1. I've overlooked MANY character ideas that use sort of compounding items/abilities/natural affinities that I'd have to deal with overlapping or just lumping all of it into one effect and using the "Limited" modifier or something. If you had two of the same effect active at the same time, you simply used the better option. Usually, your "ongoing" would be overlapped by the "temporary," meaning you'd have to buy the effect again, just more.
2. The rise of Fusion really brought this back to the forefront of my mind because fusing is fundamentally flawed. If Creature X has a good defense, and creature Y has the slightly better defense, you don't FUSE defense, you just... overlap. Two creatures become the "best of both worlds" at the cost of "action economy." Even in a purely RP scenario... why? Creature X has climb but Creature Y doesn't so you just... fuse so you both get up the cliff? The effect just feels like expensive fodder.
3. In reality, things should work together. Big muscles + big hammer = swinging hammer a bit harder. Shield + Armor = easier to absorb damage and create glancing blows. Olympian Sprinter + Haste spell = MOAR SPED! Limiting an effect to "Only once" despite the combination not matching your level cap is honestly a difficult pill to swallow.
4. The most recent situation I've come across is using a "Transformation" that specifically enhances the character's already pronounced strength. It was instead moved to the character (not the transformation) with the Limited (only half effected without transformation) caveat... and I did a 50/50 divide because I didn't want a simple strength ability to be excessively wordy and systematic. Thus, like Synergy, Transformations cannot even "boost" just "overlap."