[UA] Epideiromancy

[Maksim Stseglov]

I have asked :

>3) Question about Epideiromancy. Is it really worth it trying to
>get minor charges? If I cut myself up big time I’ll get 23 points
>of damage at worst (roll 00 => 10+10+3 for a match) and I can then
>split it into 10 minor charges that I would need to lose 30 wound
>points for on their own. Am I missing out something here?

Greg Stolze said :

>Oh yes.  To get a significant charge, you take the damage AS
>ROLLED. You roll a 77, that's 77 points of damage and time to make
>a new character.

Gareth Hanrahan said :

>Given a choice between making a whole load of little minor cuts
>over a few days, and stabbing myself in the thigh, I'd pick the
>former. Yeah, sure, grabbing the siggy's faster and theoretically
>more efficient, but it also hurts a hell of a lot more and leaves the 
>fleshworker vulnerable.


OK. This is the response I had on that question. This leaves me rather 
baffled.

1) I thought that the rulebook example stated that if you roll a 47 while 
trying to get a significant charge, you receive 4 + 7 = eleven points of 
damage. I have looked at errata on Atlas website but could not find anything 
about Epideiromancy there.

Now, if we follow Greg’s ruling and treat this damage as firearms damage 
with no flip-flops and no damage cap, we can expect an average of 60.8 
damage and (100-Body) chance of death every time you cut yourself up.

This is nasty. Real nasty. Even if you do not die, chances are you’ll need 
serious medical help – and that means bye-bye charge.

If we are to believe the damage is taken as hand-to-hand, the average is 
11.3 damage – way too low for my liking. If I were playing an epideiromancer 
under such rules, upon taking a serious gunshot, I would probably still risk 
it and cut myself up with the intention to divide my siggy into 10 minors 
and heal my gunshot wound with magic healing.

2) Another question I have. Would you allow an epideiromancer to use first 
aid on himself after cutting himself up? Magical healing is, of course, 
straight out, but what about first aid kits and suchlike? The notes in 
PoMoMa on fleshworkers gaining charges seem to indicate so.

Plus, there is something very weird and post-modern about someone who calmly 
cuts himself up with a sterilised surgeon knife and then proceeds to 
sanitize the wound against infection. ;-)

Now, I have decided to see whether this would seriously unbalance 
epideiromancer into making him able to recharge like mad. I have created a 
doctor obsessed with flesh, called him Anthony and gave him high Body, Mind 
and Soul. First is for wound points, second is for Paramedic skill, third is 
for Epideiromancy.

The good doctor had 70 wound points, 50% Paramedic skill and 50% Judo skill.

Not sure how bad I rolled but three game-months later (considering that good 
doctor would have enough sense to heal completely before he cut himself 
again) he was able to gain 8 significant charges and increase both his Speed 
and wound points by 15 points – Speed went from 45 to 60, while his wound 
points reached 85.

With that, I declared him to be the ultimate combat munchkin and sent him 
off against a lowly punk with a knife. Who promptly kicked the shit out of 
him – well, made him lose 40 wound points.

I did not even dare attempt sending him against Cage, the original combat 
munchkin.

So it seems to me that even with all the improvements to your body and 
physical stats that this school allows you, an obsessed shooter or martial 
artist will still beat you. Good game balance!

Ok, that’s my thoughts on the subject. YMMV.

Maksim.
***
CCGs : First, there was MtG. Then there was Pokemon. Now it is time for 
“Unknown Munchkins”!

“OK, my Epideiromancer spends three wound points to gain a significant 
charge and taps to cast Body Like A Still Pond. The act of gaining a charge 
and casting a spell in white area will be enough to raise the Claws-O-Tiger 
meter by three and push it over ten in total, starting riots all across the 
board.”


_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.


_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.uchicago.edu
http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua