Re: augmented obscenity.

From: David Cake <dave_at_...>
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 02:56:20 +0800

>I agree, and I think this is indeed the fundamental flaw that's at the
>root of most of the instances that have been batted around, both now
>and in the past. It's the old chestnut of "why would I want Extraordinary
>Community Support from my entire clan, when I'd be better off getting
>a few dozen to give me a +1 augment, each?".

        Michael Schwartz did post a rather clever fix mapping multiple augments to the Community Support table. A bit cumbersome in practice, but then again I don't think it is a problem that will come up a lot in play. Convincing a few dozen people to simultaneously augment you is probably an unusual and complex enough situation that a moderately unusual and complex mechanic is appropriate for those of us who care about such things.

[snip sugested mechanic]
>An ideal mechanic would be one that gave a decent bonus where augmented
>and augmenting abilities were comparable, and a lesser one where they
>differ markedly, but _without simply making them less effective across
>the board_.
>
>What about something like this:
>
>resistance = augmented ability + 5*bonus wanted - 20
>
>(minimum of 14, as per usual).
>
>Or some other Kludge Konstant, if 20 is too high/low. This makes
>them more useful at low levels, and less (than at present) at high
>levels. (i.e., no W12 net TNs.) Arguably a fraction of the current
>ability level would retain more of the flavour of the current rule,
>but it'd also make it more arithmetically nuisancesome.
>
>e.g., I want to enhance my 5W CC by +3; resistance is 5W+15-W, to wit
>20. _at_whee. I want to enhance my Bag of Wind (as per my yahoo alias...)
>10W3 by +3; resistance is 5W3.

	Or, for slightly more arithmetic and one less die roll.
	Simple test on
	(augmenting ability + fudge factor) - (augmented ability + 5* bonus)
	About 20 seems right for the fudge factor to me, basically 

its the size of the bonus you think an augmenting ability of equal size should grant, + 10 for a base 50% change. We could make the arithmetic a little easier by making the fudge factor 20 (meaning abilities of equal size grant a +2 50% of the time)

	Which makes it
	augmenting - (augmented + resistance), result bumped up one w.
	Add a simple rule that anytime this turns out to be 20 or 

more (ie initial calculation goes to 0 or more), you can decide not to roll, and we have automatic augments that are roughly the same value as the rolled ones, which removes the incentive for players to roll dice (currently, if augmenting abilities are large, they do have an incentive to roll).

        I too fear a backlash against the arithmetic involved, though. From people who never played Champions, obviously.

	Cheers
		David