Gf's character idea most min/maxed ever lol

[BumblingBear]

In the game I am working on starting, I asked my gf what character she would want to play if she could make it to games.

After much discussion, she decided she may want to play a girl who through mystic-scientific testing that she volunteered for in order to make money, wakes up 3 months later with no memory of the prior 3 months, and the ability to turn into an 8 foot tall ... housecat.

At first I thought it sounded cute and a little goofy... but omfg... wow.

Her character will have no weaknesses (since she plans on taking high alertness and investigation in her human form).  If she plays this character, I plan on compelling the hell out of her lack of control over her powers, and the size of the animal she turns into...

But wow.  We've discussed on the boards how min/maxed a shapeshifter can be, but when you add the monstrous size power into the mix...

She could easily have a +10 or +12 to strength from powers.  She could just maneuver a bad guy to have him pinned to the ground (rolling strength) and then just absorb all the damage while her team mates kill him with ease.

::shakes head::

What is kind of cool, though - is that with at least a few PCs that powerful, I will be able to throw really nasty stuff at the group and not see them drop like flies.  Hopefully.  ::evil grin::

[stabbald]

Would you mind posting the build for this character?

Another thing, does 8 foot tall meet the requirements for hulking size? I always assumed you have to be in excess of 10 foot at least for that.

[ways and means]

Would you mind posting the build for this character?

Another thing, does 8 foot tall meet the requirements for hulking size? I always assumed you have to be in excess of 10 foot at least for that.

This is an 8ft tall cat we are talking about here I would say that is one huking big cat who probably is that tall without standing on her hind legs which means she will also probably be about 3-4 (9-12ft) meters in length.  I didn't think that hulking size gave a bonus to grapple though or does she have strength powers.

[stabbald]

This is an 8ft tall cat we are talking about here I would say that is one huking big cat who probably is that tall without standing on her hind legs which means she will also probably be about 3-4 (9-12ft) meters in length.  I didn't think that hulking size gave a bonus to grapple though or does she have strength powers.

Oh yes, hadn't thought of it that way.

[Belial666]

[-1] Beast Change
[-2] Hulking Size and Claws modified by Human Form
[-4] Supernatural Strength
[-1] Nimble  (no defense penalty by Hulking Size)
[-1] Supernatural Toughness (catch is poison)

Probably attacks and defends at superb (+5) skill with weapon 6, effective Might +13 for breaking/lifting, +9 for grappling. Armor 2 and ten stress boxes. That's what she could have for max shapeshifting effectiveness - this build allows her to be human-sized human, cat-sized cat, giant-sized human and giant-sized cat, depending on what combination of forms she uses. Not weak, but not really broken either.


Possible weaknesses for the character include the following;

1) Poison (or whatever her catch is). Duh.
2) Social encounters demanding Presence, Rapport and Empathy.
3) Encounters with, say, a White Court vampire. She can go ahead and grapple with him if she wants - that only means autosuccess in his touch attack. 
4) Encounters in places where she cannot change (too small room, corridor) or does not want to change (i.e. in the middle of crowded street)
5) Wizards. Wizards can counter anything with enough preparation.

[crusher_bob]

How are you getting +9 to grapple?  If we assume a starting base might of superb, you get +2 for supernatural strength, but I don't see any other bonuses.

[Belial666]

Hmm. I thought Hulking Size gave a +2 bonus to some Might rolls but I am away from my books at the moment.

[Tsunami]

Hmm. I thought Hulking Size gave a +2 bonus to some Might rolls but I am away from my books at the moment.

It does, to lift and break, not to grapple.

[ways and means]

This may not be the right place for it but I do have a more min-maxed build than giant cat for grappling.

Slade Kemp (submerged)
-1 Shape Change (Cthulhu Form)
+1 Human Form
-6 Mythic Strength
-1 Made of Tentacles (might): +2 to grapple see OW p77
-2 Inhuman Toughness
+0 Catch (Swords of the Cross)
-1 Body Eater (reskinned blood drinker)
+1 Feeding Dependancy


This character build has a +10 grapple mod which is the max you can get it and is ever so slightly silly.

[EdgeOfDreams]

She could easily have a +10 or +12 to strength from powers.  She could just maneuver a bad guy to have him pinned to the ground (rolling strength) and then just absorb all the damage while her team mates kill him with ease.

Make sure you pay attention to which bonuses are for Might in general versus Might only for lift/bend/break versus Might only for grapple.  It makes a big difference.

Secondly, yes, a grappling strategy is pretty strong, but you can still have issues with lack of range.  A gunman two or three zones away gets an extra round at least before you can close with him.  A flying creature with a breath weapon might never come into range at all.  And as someone mentioned above, there's certain creatures, like the White Court, that you *really* don't want to be grappling in the first place.

[ways and means]

I allways treat the +1,2,3 with the might powers for grapple as a general bonus to the might score like the speed powers for athletics because it makes sense that would be the case. Though interestingly once you have someone in a grapple you could argue that a perfectly valid attack would be breaking someone in two which could mean that the +12 to the roll would count. 

[Tedronai]

a perfectly valid attack would be breaking someone in two which could mean that the +12 to the roll would count. 

(bolding added)
No.

Supreme Lifting. Whenever lifting or breaking
inanimate things, you gain a +12 to your
Might score.

(again, bolding added)

[BumblingBear]

Ah.  I stand corrected.

I have not actually put the concept down on paper yet.

However, consider this.  That might score to lift or break things could be used by my ruling to smash vehicles or destroy weapons.

As it is, I believe that with hulking size, claws, and the -4 strength power, she will have a weapon: 8 attack for fists.

I don't have the book in front of me so I'm not sure about the numbers, but I know it's a nasty, nasty attack.

The funny thing?  She wants to have an aspect that makes her cowardly so she can be compelled to run away from conflict... lol

[Richard_Chilton]

There are some nice "human cats" in the GURPS Technomancer book.  They have a nice take on human non-humans (a bit like Shadowrun's) in that book that could be incorporated into a Dresden Files game. 

Richard

[EdgeOfDreams]

As it is, I believe that with hulking size, claws, and the -4 strength power, she will have a weapon: 8 attack for fists.

I'm not sure, but I don't think Hulking Size increases your damage output.  I could be mistaken, though.

Also, there's a good reason why I rarely, if ever, let a player take Supernatural or Mythic level anything, and if I do, that should be their ONLY strength/speed/tough/recover power.  Having multiple Supernatural level boosts is *extremely* powerful.

If she was running Inhuman Toughness and Inhuman strength instead of Supernatural, she'd be less directly powerful, but have more fatepoints to throw around on stunts or shoring up bad rolls.