Blood on the Streets Questions

[Anxt]

Ah, I thought so, seems rather OP the way it has been played up until now (the option 1 part)

 

[DrDuckman]

A quick question on Cybernetics that I need to resolve before my next game:

I know bionic limbs etc dont count towards the credit limit of a unit if they are used to heal, but do they count towards it's cost, when picked for a battle?

For example. A Street Judge can't normally pick advanced bionic arms, since are not in his allowance, but he could get them if his arms are torn apart. Does that mean he now costs 400 points when it comes to choosing him to participate in matches, like equipment does?

If so, that seems a bit steep, no? Even with someone like a holocaust judge, that would increase his cost by 50%, not really worth it for +1 melee etc.

Also, another quick question, about the Vatican Judge's Cofession Mode shots. After you hit a target with your first shot, in your second shot, is it an opposed roll, the Judge;s shoot against the target's will? Or does the target simply do a will check? There is a massive difference in efficiency there.

 

[chaoschild]

Yes, cybernetics count towards the total cost of the model. And yes, they're damned expensive. But bear in mind that cybernetic limbs can effectively ignore any further injuries as well so they are worth it.

The second roll with confession mode is an opposed roll, it's just like a regular attack roll except the target uses will instead of agility.

 

[Chip]

OK! Just want to make sure that we're reading Tempest of Fire wrong, because it CAN'T be how we've interpreted it.

The way we've got it at the moment is that a Psi-Judge on a Lawbringer can autopilot forward 20" and use 2 Special Actions. On the next turn, the Lawbringer can autopilot another 20" and the psi judge can drop the marker anywhere on a 4x4 table and instantly obliterate every minion within a foot diameter - even low level heroes aren't safe, because they'll take another Hit before they can activate.

Clearly this is wrong, so how do we play it properly? :\

 

[chaoschild]

You are playing it right, it is that good. Couple of things to bear in mind though.

A Psi-Judge has to be at least level 4 in order to use this power (assuming they don't put talents into anything apart from the Pyrokine tree) which hopefully means that the opposition is a similar level and the heroes should survive losing a couple of hits.

If a Psi-Judge is intending to use this power it limits the number of psi points they have available for minor details like Ectoplasmic Shield, Foresight or any other powers.

The Psi-Judge needs line of sight to the target point at the point its declared (before the special actions are used), just like any other power.

If the Psi-Judge declares they're using 2 actions on Tempest and you don't spend your next phase either spreading out, blowing away the Judge or disrupting them with a battle of wills, then you deserve everything you get.

 

[Chip]

You are playing it right, it is that good. Couple of things to bear in mind though.

OK, I'll deal with each of these in order...

A Psi-Judge has to be at least level 4 in order to use this power (assuming they don't put talents into anything apart from the Pyrokine tree) which hopefully means that the opposition is a similar level and the heroes should survive losing a couple of hits.

The Judge player has at LEAST a few games on all of us, seeing as almost all of us got several members killed in our first game. A few of us have caught up, but I know that I'm lounging around with all but, like, two of my heroes around the level 2-3 mark. And this still doesn't help minions.

If a Psi-Judge is intending to use this power it limits the number of psi points they have available for minor details like Ectoplasmic Shield, Foresight or any other powers.

This one I will concede. Of course, as of Level 5, it's Special Action [Shroud of Death*], 3 Special Actions [Tempest of Fire] anyway, then survivability is irrelevant.

The Psi-Judge needs line of sight to the target point at the point its declared (before the special actions are used), just like any other power.

This one I... Didn't know. Awesome, that should help.

If the Psi-Judge declares they're using 2 actions on Tempest and you don't spend your next phase either spreading out, blowing away the Judge or disrupting them with a battle of wills, then you deserve everything you get.

I'm gonna admit that this part is probably my fault - I took Citi-Def and, apparently, Spit Guns with Crackshot can't scratch armour. Still, everyone in the campaign is having real problems taking out Judges at range to the point that we're looking at an epidemic of werewolf Lone Vigilantes** and katana-wielding Gorillas. I, myself, went for martial artist Jaegers who haven't been tested against Judges yet, but I have high hopes. None of which will help against a bike that moved 20" and can't be hit at all. Oh, and only one of us has access to Psykers themselves that won't be level 3 TOPS (Grud bless you, merc Lone Vigilantes...), so Battle of Wills is no solution.

*Seriously. Don't get me started on drokkin' Shroud of Death. Our campaign seems to have found the Necronomicon online...
**Between this outbreak and the damn Necromancer Judges, I'm fairly certain I've stumbled into William Hinds Block...

 

[DrDuckman]

Hi, I am the Judge player mentioned. I am slightly inclined to agree that the judges in this game are a bit... over the top? Once you figure out how to stay out of melee range, there is little that can actually threaten you, since Lawgivers simply overpower everything else. The arrest rule is interesting, but it does not seem enough to stop them.

But to the subject in hand. I am to understand then that the Pyro needs to declare his firestorm target when he spends his 2 first special actions, and the target must be in range when he starts right? Is the LoS restriction still on, however? The spell specifically states "place the marker anywhere in range". And do you have to devlare the position you are aiming at on the first turn?

In addition, how does it interact if you have the target in range (and LoS, if necessary), but then you move out of range with autopilot before you exectute the last special action? What if you move and you are still in range?

What's more, how does declaring and LoS work with Psychoteleportation? Do you need to have LoS to the target and declare where you are teleporting, when you start casting?

Finally, how do powers like this interact with the fact that you need to aim at the ground? The psychic technically cant see the floor of a higher level building... can he cast Tempest to it, or does he always need to be on equal or higher ground to the target location to cast there?

PS.... yeaaah, Shroud of Death is... it really should not work after the first death, until reactivated. Either that, or it should cost you PSI every time it saves you. As it stands, it's incredibly easy to make someone neigh immortal, and if the enemy does not have psi users of his own, there is nothing much they can do. See werewolf lone vigilante with shroud of death, Ectoplasmic shield, Foresight, and an energy shield.... +4 agility, 12 armor, and essentially a 9+ save on level 4. Eventually +7agility, 12 armor and a 9+ save. That's out of cover. More if he gets the Acrobat skills. Basically unkillable unless you have pyro/telepath powers.