Author Topic: inhuman reflexes?  (Read 3513 times)

Offline nadia.skylark

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 874
    • View Profile
inhuman reflexes?
« on: December 08, 2016, 05:43:47 PM »
So, I was just reading my copy of Paranet Papers, and I noticed that one of the characters had "inhuman reflexes" on their character sheet, but I couldn't find an official description of the power? Is it there and I just missed it, or is it in one of the other books, or online, or what?

Offline Taran

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 9863
    • View Profile
    • Chip
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2016, 06:01:03 PM »
I don't have the book but could it be a misprint?   Inhuman Speed?

Look at the description and see what they are dodging at.  Sometimes they give a description like "Superb Defenses". 

If they have an athletics of Great, then they'd have a dodge of Superb with inhuman speed.

Offline nadia.skylark

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 874
    • View Profile
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2016, 06:56:32 PM »
Quote
I don't have the book but could it be a misprint?   Inhuman Speed?

Re-reading it, this seems likely, especially since it's right under Superhuman Strength.

Quote
Look at the description and see what they are dodging at.  Sometimes they give a description like "Superb Defenses". 

The description mentions that he has "Legendary Initiative." Would that make sense for inhuman speed?

Offline Taran

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 9863
    • View Profile
    • Chip
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2016, 06:59:03 PM »
Inhuman speed gives +4 initiative. 

Legendary is +8 I think. 
So is his  athletics at 4?
« Last Edit: December 08, 2016, 07:02:04 PM by Taran »

Offline nadia.skylark

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 874
    • View Profile
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2016, 10:31:03 PM »
Quote
So is his  athletics at 4?

Yes.

On a related note, has anyone designed an "inhuman reflexes"-type power? Harry mentions in the books that supernatural beings like vampires don't miss when aiming guns (among other things) which seems like it should be a power rather than a skill, but I can't figure out how to create one that doesn't feel unbalanced.

Offline Taran

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 9863
    • View Profile
    • Chip
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2016, 12:27:06 AM »
There's an building block 'dexterity' power on the Wiki.   I'm not a big fan but here is a link.

https://dfrpg-resources.wikispaces.com/Speed

Scroll down and the three levels of dexterity are there.

Offline blackstaff67

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 490
    • View Profile
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2016, 05:14:33 AM »
Yes.

On a related note, has anyone designed an "inhuman reflexes"-type power? Harry mentions in the books that supernatural beings like vampires don't miss when aiming guns (among other things) which seems like it should be a power rather than a skill, but I can't figure out how to create one that doesn't feel unbalanced.
Seems to me that Thomas and Lara just happen to be very good with firearms--which makes sense, given that they don't have natural weaponry of the Reds or Blacks while normally lacking all but very basic ritual magic.  That leaves our trio of physical combat (Fists, Weapons, Guns) as the final argument (though it's much better to let the cat's paws handle things).
My Purity score: 37.2.  Sad.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12405
    • View Profile
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2016, 05:19:30 AM »
In general, it's best to handle this kind of thing through skill ratings and Aspects. If you're good with a gun you get good Guns, whether your abilities come from magic or from practice or both.

Anyway...would I be right in guessing that this is about Nothing, from page 358? If so, I'm confident that they meant Supernatural Strength and Inhuman Speed. On a related note, he should have Epic Initiative because his Alertness is Good, not Great.

Offline nadia.skylark

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 874
    • View Profile
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2016, 03:21:49 PM »
Quote
Seems to me that Thomas and Lara just happen to be very good with firearms--which makes sense, given that they don't have natural weaponry of the Reds or Blacks while normally lacking all but very basic ritual magic.  That leaves our trio of physical combat (Fists, Weapons, Guns) as the final argument (though it's much better to let the cat's paws handle things).

Harry also pegs Kincaid as something supernatural after watching him shoot red court vampires in Death Masks because he doesn't miss, saying that no matter how good a mortal is they'll still miss sometimes.

Harry also mentions in Small Favor that Thomas doesn't practice shooting, which he would need to do if he wanted to be really good without some sort of supernatural help.

Offline Taran

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 9863
    • View Profile
    • Chip
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2016, 03:25:04 PM »
Quote
nyway...would I be right in guessing that this is about Nothing, from page 358? If so, I'm confident that they meant Supernatural Strength and Inhuman Speed. On a related note, he should have Epic Initiative because his Alertness is Good, not Great.

Right, alertness not athletics.   My mistake.

Offline nadia.skylark

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 874
    • View Profile
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2016, 11:45:40 PM »
Quote
Right, alertness not athletics.   My mistake.

Ah. Alertness makes much more sense. So the Legendary Initiative is just another typo.

Offline Nepene

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 143
    • View Profile
Re: inhuman reflexes?
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2016, 10:59:15 AM »
For reasons of in game balance inhuman speed doesn't make you better at aiming, but it probably does in the Dresdenverse. Someone who can think a hundred times faster than a human is better at aiming. So, in the books, Thomas probably has a +2 to guns.

I suppose one way you could easily model this, in a way that would again break game balance, is to have a stunt that let you shoot with athletics.