Catch Calculation & Catch Ideas

[Holocron.Coder]

I could've sworn I'd seen this around here somewhere, but I can't seem to find it at the moment.

Say I have a character with the following supernatural abilities:

-2 Inhuman Toughness
-2 Inhuman Recovery

Both require The Catch. Since the powers total to -4, does that mean the catch can provide a total bonus of -3? Or is it only -1 (bringing each of the powers down to -1 individually, not in total).

[luminos]

The catch applies to all toughness powers, and as long as the aggregate cost of the toughness powers is -1, the catch gives full discount.

So in your example, the character can have a +3 catch.  You can see several examples of this in the book in the stat blocks.

[CMEast]

The catch can be worth up to +3 (well it can be more than that but you won't get the benefit of it) as it's the combined refresh of the toughness powers that is counted. So a character with those powers and a +3 catch would only pay -1 refresh.

Bah, beat me to it!

[Holocron.Coder]

Alright, that is what I had thought, but my DM wanted to be certain before we continued  

So, that done, I'm trying to figure out an appropriate Catch for an inhuman created by a government facility to combat the supernatural. He has all 4 of the inhuman abilities (strength, toughness, speed, recovery), along with skills in guns. He's escaped from the government and they had the idea to 'program' a weakness into him that they would know and could exploit that his original assignments (supernatural beings) wouldn't be as likely to know or utilize.

Four thoughts about it:
1) Catch is mortals
2) Catch is non-supernaturals (distinct, in that it discludes wizards, weres, etc)
3) Catch is some metal the government would have access to easily, but not the rest of the world. I.E. Plutonium, etc
4) Catch is some other metal that's just too expensive for everyday use and is a bit out there as a weapon type. I.E. Platinum, etc

Any other suggestions for an appropriate catch for that character?

[Retsej]

Thanks.  I do like being certain!

[luminos]

Would you kindly show me some more examples of these catches? 

[ballplayer72]

Hows about reverse catchs?        Make a holy type or "good" character. (spirit of inspiration. that kind of thing)  someone who is intrinsically helpful to mortals. 

Make their catch "unholy stuff" (the reverse of demons) , or "true apathy" or "true despair" or something like that.

Take the catchs that exist, flip them and stick them on something.

[Holocron.Coder]

Luminos: I'm not sure I follow you.

Ballplayer72: That makes sense for a character... but not so much the character as I've described him here:

So, that done, I'm trying to figure out an appropriate Catch for an inhuman created by a government facility to combat the supernatural. He has all 4 of the inhuman abilities (strength, toughness, speed, recovery), along with skills in guns. He's escaped from the government and they had the idea to 'program' a weakness into him that they would know and could exploit that his original assignments (supernatural beings) wouldn't be as likely to know or utilize.

Four thoughts about it:
1) Catch is mortals
2) Catch is non-supernaturals (distinct, in that it discludes wizards, weres, etc)
3) Catch is some metal the government would have access to easily, but not the rest of the world. I.E. Plutonium, etc
4) Catch is some other metal that's just too expensive for everyday use and is a bit out there as a weapon type. I.E. Platinum, etc

Any other suggestions for an appropriate catch for that character?

[CMEast]

Perhaps the government used black magic or demon blood to create their super soldier program and so his catch is holy items, give him an aspect to match like 'unholy beginnings' or 'born of black magic' and use it to cause him problems with true believers, holy warriors and general do-gooders.

Is the government agency still operating? Is he following orders or did he escape? Or did it close down due to budget cuts? Or did it tear itself apart as it gradually twisted in to a corrupt, power-hungry sect; fueled by black magic and assasination? Perhaps it was destroyed by an enemy, supernatural or international, and your character is seeking revenge/answers? Are there others like him and, if so, are they trying to find each other? Did they turn evil too?

Oooo fun

[ballplayer72]

Luminos: I'm not sure I follow you.

Ballplayer72: That makes sense for a character... but not so much the character as I've described him here:

yeah it was just a general thought.


For your character why not make it a specific, fictional compound that only the lab that made him would have access to.   Anti Supersoldier serum or something.

[Holocron.Coder]

Perhaps the government used black magic or demon blood to create their super soldier program and so his catch is holy items, give him an aspect to match like 'unholy beginnings' or 'born of black magic' and use it to cause him problems with true believers, holy warriors and general do-gooders.

Is the government agency still operating? Is he following orders or did he escape? Or did it close down due to budget cuts? Or did it tear itself apart as it gradually twisted in to a corrupt, power-hungry sect; fueled by black magic and assasination? Perhaps it was destroyed by an enemy, supernatural or international, and your character is seeking revenge/answers? Are there others like him and, if so, are they trying to find each other? Did they turn evil too?

Oooo fun

That does indeed sound fun Currently, I have him as escaped from the government, to include more potential antagonists for the characters. They're still pursuing him, though dunno if it's for capture or termination. Up to the DM

yeah it was just a general thought.

For your character why not make it a specific, fictional compound that only the lab that made him would have access to.   Anti Supersoldier serum or something.

Eh, potentially just a bit too vague and macguffin-ium

[wyvern]

Well, this really depends a lot on how much of a catch value you want.  For example, "odd materials" such as you describe would be a +2 catch - technically anyone can get, say, depleted uranium bullets (though they're largely illegal if you're not military and several countries have banned their use even if you are military), but it's not researchable without knowledge of your specific character.

If you go with a specific fictional compound, that'd be a +1 catch - it's accessible (and known!) to a fair sized group of government agents that are after you, but nobody else has it.

Or, as CMEast suggests, your catch could be based on what power sources they used for their super soldier program.  This is one of two ways you could possibly get a +3 catch (accessible to anyone & researchable - for example, the fey vulnerability to iron/steel would fit here); the other being if, for some bizarre reason, your catch could be found in publicly accessible documents (if anyone thought to look in the right place).

For example, suppose they used oriental-style necromancy to bind the spirits of the dead to your character; you'd be vulnerable to jade weaponry, and - assuming there's some obvious physical or metaphysical mark on you from that - someone with a high enough lore skill could just know that's your weakness; that'd be a full +3 catch.  On the other hand, if they'd have to look at you with the Sight and *then* go do some research, it'd be only a +2.  And if it has to be jade consecrated by a true believer in buddhism, that's a +1 catch (at best, maybe +0 depending on your GM).

[Holocron.Coder]

Currently, I'm going for a +3 catch. I had a few ideas before, mostly along the lines of Special Material, common (+2) and Difficult Research (+1).

I didn't plan for any particular "power source", so to speak, that would make the character as he is. Simple, ol' fashioned Marvel-esque "government experiment". I.E., likely some chemical formula, gene manipulation, maybe a bit of magic tossed in... but with the goal of making him strong against supernatural threats. So, a weakness that's easily perceivable by those he would be fighting is out (such as Sight to see metaphysical signs, or sensing said signs, etc). So I was thinking of something that could be accomplished more by a mundane character, but isn't something that you'd think of quickly. So, it could be a direct Catch, in that only mortals can wound him, but that seems a bit broad. So perhaps something vaguely technological, that most supernatural beings wouldn't think of. So far, all I've come up with is one of several rare or unusual metals, or the suggestion of a direct 'anti-superhuman' formula, which probably wouldn't net a +3 due to its obscurity and rarity.

[Leatherneck]

Currently, I'm going for a +3 catch. I had a few ideas before, mostly along the lines of Special Material, common (+2) and Difficult Research (+1).

My take you are going adding too much value (mathematically) for your Catch.  The Difficult to Research would reduce the value of the Catch, not increase.  So, it would become a +1 Catch, not +3.

[Leatherneck]

The catch can be worth up to +3 (well it can be more than that but you won't get the benefit of it)

So, what would “Carbon Based” be of value for a Catch?