Alright, so maybe Devastating itself isn’t all that interesting. It’s a direct Damage boost, no strings attached. However, inside the Boon, there is one very fun Advancement that deserves exploring: ______ Stopper.
As written, ______ Stopper gives Penetrating on any attacks where the target’s Armor meets a specific criteria, such as magical. What’s the line though? Well, that’s a bit blurry, and can be campaign dependent, as the GM should be watching for things that are too rare to be useful. Having a Magic Stopper would do no good in a non-magical world. Contrast that with a campaign set in the Summerlands and Magic Stopper might be too broad and need to be split up into:
- Natural Magic, for inherently magical defenses
- Arcane Magic, for spells and wards
- Other variations appropriate to the setting.
A campaign set in a cyberpunk world might have:
- Soft Armor, to represent things like bulletproof vests and motorcycle jackets
- Rigid Armor, combat armor and other high tech layered defenses
- Integrated Armor, for cybernetics respectively.
Now, let’s get weird.
______ Stopper specifies a type of Defense. Some overlooked options might be:
- Guard Stopper, which applies whenever the Target takes an Active Defense.
- Riposte Stopper applying to any attack where the Target attempts to Interrupt your Attack.
Is that weird though? I said let’s get weird!
- Fool Stopper, which applies to any target that has attacked the character, but has not yet done Damage.
But Dave, that’s not a type of Defense! Well, yes and no. Fool Stopper doesn’t care about the foe’s Defense, it cares about the character’s. As soon as the hero, or villain, gets hit they lose the ability to Penetrate the foe’s Armor, said differently it’s a matter of the character’s own Defenses and how long they can maintain them. Now, that may be bending the wording, but it can add some very fun options and new play styles. Let’s look at a few more options in this vein:
- Break Stopper, which applies once the character, not their Target, is at or below 0 Stamina.
- Life Stopper, for foes with 0 or lower Stamina
When creating an ______ Stopper, the GM should make sure that the Advancement is adding a play option that is fun, but doesn’t ruin the narrative. There should be clear times it applies, and more importantly, times it does not apply. However, beyond that, there are a ton of options and ways to apply ______ Stopper.
Examples
.50 Anti-Armor Rifle 10
- Parent Attribute: Intelligence
- Primary Role: Offense
Reduced Detection MA
Ranged MA
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Total Devastation, Vehicle Armor Stopper) MA4
(S) Long Range 7
Limited Uses
Limitation: Recoil: Characters must spend an action to brace themselves before firing or suffer a -20 Penalty to Attack.
Limited: Reduced Detection only applies if the shooter is hidden and firing from Medium Range or longer
Cost: 12 + 6 + 6 + 24 + 9 – 3 – 3 – 3 = 48/Gear(8) = MA6
What may look like an oversized hunting rifle, this gun fires a massive .50 caliber rifle round. It is designed to punch through tanks, and other armored vehicles. While it is effective on virtually anything, the round is so larger it tends to blow through smaller targets.
The Dragon’s Tooth 13
- Parent attribute: Dexterity
- Primary Role: Offense
Alternate Source: Fire MA
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Fool Stopper) MA3
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Extra Stamina TY
Cost: 15 + 6 + 18 + 6 + 3 = 48 / Gear (8) = MA6
This Romanian Kilij (curved saber) was forged for Vald Tepes himself, or as he is perhaps better known, Dracula. The skilled general used his blade to dance through the lines of his foes, cutting down the opposing army and setting their vessels of war ablaze.
Vibroblade 10
- Parent Attribute: Strength or Dexterity
- Primary Role: Offense
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Rigid Armor Stopper) MA3
Defended By: Quickness MA
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Painful MA
(S) Power Strike 4
Limited: Defense only against Melee Attacks
Limited: Painful only on Active Defense
Using a generator contained within the hilt, once activated the blade oscillates thousands of times per second. However, the movements are so minor and fast that they are invisible to the human eye. One tell tale sign of a vibroblade is the hum it makes once active.
Cost: 12 + 18 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 – 3 – 3 = 48/Gear(8) = MA6
