Ok, so throughout this entire fight I've been debating with myself about whether or not Arthur's electrocution ability is overpowered. I still haven't been able to decide if he won because that's the case, or if it was just because he's a tier 5. I thought that limiting his ranged ability to requiring something conductive would make the ability kosher, but now I'm not entirely sure given how easy it was to win. In light of that, I open the question to the rest of you.
Does Arty's ability need rebalancing in order to tone down his electrocution ability?
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He'd know when his sword hit something conductive. He'd be able to feel the current in Adrian's body.
As soon as his blade touched Adrian's flesh, Arthur released a torrent of current through the ionized air it was composed of and straight into the other man, enough power to burn every nerve in his body to cinders in an instant. There was no reason to hold back now, and he wanted this over with. What power remained to him in the wake of the attack was sent coursing through his own body, reinforcing it against the oncoming orb of hell energy should the demon-prince's death not end that offensive.
a) Laura Kinney (I wrote this character in the previous iteration of All-Star Marvel, and would really like to continue with her story)
b) Bruce Banner
c) Black Panther
b) Bruce Banner
c) Black Panther
Well... That escalated quickly.
First off, I feel I should apologize. When this whole thing started I made some assumptions about the writer based on what I'd seen of the character (namely that you'd done RP combat before and had an idea of general etiquette), and for that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let an assumption like that color the way I approached the issue. A veteran throwing the etiquette to the wind is a completely different scenario than a newcomer just not knowing how things are usually done.
Secondly, a clarification. The only reason I was objecting to most of the things Herriman did was because you consistently had him trying to match Mifune's speed, when he already had (off the top of my head) more than half a dozen other ways to approach the situation that wouldn't require him to become as fast as a purely speed based character. Herriman doesn't need to be anywhere near as fast as Mifune in order to beat him, so when you kept consistently trying to add the advantage of speed to all the other advantages Herriman has (and could use to great effect), it started to tick me off. Maybe you just didn't see the potential in all his other abilities, but when a character who already matches or exceeds his opponent in power uses a move (that wasn't in the approved CS) that makes his weakest ability just as good as the opponents strongest ability, without any drawbacks whatsoever, I tend to cry foul.
Thirdly, If this is your first foray into the arena it is admirable that you picked up so quickly on the mechanics of charging an ability (though for future reference, there should be at least some small hint that the charge is continuing in each consecutive post, and the rules for combining charging and other attacks tend to vary from GM to GM, so that would be something to bring up with Light), and that you balance (most of) his magic and mutation abilities so well in spite of the lack of limitations in the CS. It's just that in an arena setting, more often than not if your opponent CAN do something, they WILL do that thing when backed into a corner, even if it's something they originally would have considered overpowered. Maybe we're all just cynical around here, but in a competitive environment the benefit of the doubt tends to get abused, so we're all a little hesitant to give it.
Fourth, I think the reason you feel you're having so much trouble against Mifune is that you're trying to match his strengths instead of capitalizing on your own. If you keep trying to out-speed him, you WILL lose. Speed is his thing. It's what he's best at, and trying to match it in addition to all Herriman's other abilities is pretty much the very definition of powergaming, but you don't need to even come close to matching it in order to beat him.
Fifth (and this one's for Drall), Dag does have a point about how you avoided his attack. If you're in midair, you don't have the leverage you'd need to alter your trajectory like that (at the very least, you'd have slammed into Herriman's chest), or spin around to attack like you did. After everything we've been going through, you should know better than that. However, since the attack itself was of a PGing nature, my advice to both of you is to just take things where they stand and move on (unless you both want to edit both posts).
And the sixth and final point, I like the new description of the magical abilities. One thing to keep in mind though is that because he's a jack of all trades, he shouldn't be able to match the capabilities of someone who's a specialist in a particular area. Krix, for instance, specializes in fire and earth manipulation, so he should be able to create a hotter fireball than what Herriman could summon, and Mifune should be able to move much faster (since he is even more specialized with just speed) than Herriman using a speed-enhancing aura. This isn't something that needs to be added to the CS (unless Light says otherwise, but I doubt he will), but just keep it in mind when you're trying to go toe to toe with another character's specialization. Since Herriman is very much a jack of all trades, more often than not he'll end up the loser in that kind of contest. The way you make up for it though is his sheer adaptability. He's the kind of character that forces you to out-think, out-maneuver, or out-wit your opponent instead of straight up overpowering them (unless they do something stupid like Priroda's suicide charge).
P.S. I don't think you should get rid of the teleporting. It makes sense due to the god he serves, and all it needs to avoid being overpowered is a couple limits. For instance, if you removed his ability to see this world while he's phased out (so he's just as blind to the world as the world is to him), and his ability to carry momentum over through the shift (and it was understood that he couldn't ever phase one solid object inside another), I think it would be fine in the context of this RP.
Disclaimer: Everything in this post regarding what is and isn't allowed in this RP is contingent upon Light agreeing with it. :P
First off, I feel I should apologize. When this whole thing started I made some assumptions about the writer based on what I'd seen of the character (namely that you'd done RP combat before and had an idea of general etiquette), and for that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let an assumption like that color the way I approached the issue. A veteran throwing the etiquette to the wind is a completely different scenario than a newcomer just not knowing how things are usually done.
Secondly, a clarification. The only reason I was objecting to most of the things Herriman did was because you consistently had him trying to match Mifune's speed, when he already had (off the top of my head) more than half a dozen other ways to approach the situation that wouldn't require him to become as fast as a purely speed based character. Herriman doesn't need to be anywhere near as fast as Mifune in order to beat him, so when you kept consistently trying to add the advantage of speed to all the other advantages Herriman has (and could use to great effect), it started to tick me off. Maybe you just didn't see the potential in all his other abilities, but when a character who already matches or exceeds his opponent in power uses a move (that wasn't in the approved CS) that makes his weakest ability just as good as the opponents strongest ability, without any drawbacks whatsoever, I tend to cry foul.
Thirdly, If this is your first foray into the arena it is admirable that you picked up so quickly on the mechanics of charging an ability (though for future reference, there should be at least some small hint that the charge is continuing in each consecutive post, and the rules for combining charging and other attacks tend to vary from GM to GM, so that would be something to bring up with Light), and that you balance (most of) his magic and mutation abilities so well in spite of the lack of limitations in the CS. It's just that in an arena setting, more often than not if your opponent CAN do something, they WILL do that thing when backed into a corner, even if it's something they originally would have considered overpowered. Maybe we're all just cynical around here, but in a competitive environment the benefit of the doubt tends to get abused, so we're all a little hesitant to give it.
Fourth, I think the reason you feel you're having so much trouble against Mifune is that you're trying to match his strengths instead of capitalizing on your own. If you keep trying to out-speed him, you WILL lose. Speed is his thing. It's what he's best at, and trying to match it in addition to all Herriman's other abilities is pretty much the very definition of powergaming, but you don't need to even come close to matching it in order to beat him.
Fifth (and this one's for Drall), Dag does have a point about how you avoided his attack. If you're in midair, you don't have the leverage you'd need to alter your trajectory like that (at the very least, you'd have slammed into Herriman's chest), or spin around to attack like you did. After everything we've been going through, you should know better than that. However, since the attack itself was of a PGing nature, my advice to both of you is to just take things where they stand and move on (unless you both want to edit both posts).
And the sixth and final point, I like the new description of the magical abilities. One thing to keep in mind though is that because he's a jack of all trades, he shouldn't be able to match the capabilities of someone who's a specialist in a particular area. Krix, for instance, specializes in fire and earth manipulation, so he should be able to create a hotter fireball than what Herriman could summon, and Mifune should be able to move much faster (since he is even more specialized with just speed) than Herriman using a speed-enhancing aura. This isn't something that needs to be added to the CS (unless Light says otherwise, but I doubt he will), but just keep it in mind when you're trying to go toe to toe with another character's specialization. Since Herriman is very much a jack of all trades, more often than not he'll end up the loser in that kind of contest. The way you make up for it though is his sheer adaptability. He's the kind of character that forces you to out-think, out-maneuver, or out-wit your opponent instead of straight up overpowering them (unless they do something stupid like Priroda's suicide charge).
P.S. I don't think you should get rid of the teleporting. It makes sense due to the god he serves, and all it needs to avoid being overpowered is a couple limits. For instance, if you removed his ability to see this world while he's phased out (so he's just as blind to the world as the world is to him), and his ability to carry momentum over through the shift (and it was understood that he couldn't ever phase one solid object inside another), I think it would be fine in the context of this RP.
Disclaimer: Everything in this post regarding what is and isn't allowed in this RP is contingent upon Light agreeing with it. :P
In an arena setting such as this, where the writing is inherently competitive in nature, writers are generally held to a higher standard of detail than they would be in non-competitive writing. Imagine how much more smoothly this entire exchange would be going if he details of his phasing ability had been outlined previously? Using details in your character sheets and posts is not a way of babying your opponents, it's a way of avoiding unnecessary OOC debates like the one we're engaged in right now. Not only did you fail to specify how the power worked, you also failed to give it even a single specific mention in your CS, apparently expecting us to infer that because your diety is a god of the multiverse his champion automatically possesses the ability to shift himself into a shadow universe of the one this RP takes place in. The only information we had was that Herriman "ceased", then un-ceased half a second later at the mid-point of mifune's leap. That's all. Everything else has to be assumed because you never once even outlined how the ability worked.
To put it another way, how would you take it if you had an opponent who came in (and this opponent is already a good deal more powerful than your character) and started using a power that was never even mentioned in his CS? Then, when he doesn't like the way you countered his attack, he proceeds to elaborate on the details of his power, many of which remove your only advantages. Not only is he completely undetectable in this transition state, but he can still see you perfectly! And that's not all, because he's also now even faster than you are in this shadow world (rendering your only advantage completely moot) and can set up completely undodgeable attacks on a whim!
Do you see where I'm coming from with this? Teleporting through alternate dimensions is one thing, but being able to shift there and remain completely untouchable and undetectable while taking your time to set up a perfect attack against an opponent who can never see it coming (especially when said opponent is normally a couple dozen times faster than you are) is quite another.
To put it another way, how would you take it if you had an opponent who came in (and this opponent is already a good deal more powerful than your character) and started using a power that was never even mentioned in his CS? Then, when he doesn't like the way you countered his attack, he proceeds to elaborate on the details of his power, many of which remove your only advantages. Not only is he completely undetectable in this transition state, but he can still see you perfectly! And that's not all, because he's also now even faster than you are in this shadow world (rendering your only advantage completely moot) and can set up completely undodgeable attacks on a whim!
Do you see where I'm coming from with this? Teleporting through alternate dimensions is one thing, but being able to shift there and remain completely untouchable and undetectable while taking your time to set up a perfect attack against an opponent who can never see it coming (especially when said opponent is normally a couple dozen times faster than you are) is quite another.
Personally, I'd like to take on the strength extreme solo.
Drall has a point Dag. It doesn't matter how fast your eyes can track if the neural signal can't make it to the brain in enough time for the brain to translate the signal into visual data before the sword hits. Unless you also altered his entire nervous system and brain structure, the eyes wouldn't help.
Grnmachine: I love that character. Being a fan of archery, I've considered making my own based on the ability several times. A couple things that stand out as potentially needing some clarification though are his arrow abilities. Specifically the fact that they're absolutes. In a traditional arena environment, you'd need to phrase them so that they aren't auto-effects when they strike. If you're fighting someone with ice powers, for instance, and you use the freeze arrow, they probably won't get immobilized if it hits them, even though you say that it absolutely will do that. I'm not sure if Light will require any clarification, but in my experience the more detail the better, as it allows your opponent to respond properly to the attacks.
Grnmachine: I love that character. Being a fan of archery, I've considered making my own based on the ability several times. A couple things that stand out as potentially needing some clarification though are his arrow abilities. Specifically the fact that they're absolutes. In a traditional arena environment, you'd need to phrase them so that they aren't auto-effects when they strike. If you're fighting someone with ice powers, for instance, and you use the freeze arrow, they probably won't get immobilized if it hits them, even though you say that it absolutely will do that. I'm not sure if Light will require any clarification, but in my experience the more detail the better, as it allows your opponent to respond properly to the attacks.
There's also the issue of timing. Realistically (that is, taking his speed into account) Mifune would be long done with the second leap by the time Herriman reappeared half a second after phasing out. Let's say Mifune can travel at least 500 mph, as I did earlier when trying to work out just how fast he'd have to move to appear invisible to a human eye. If that's the case, he could travel over 350 feet in the time it took Herriman to phase back in. That would put Herriman in front of Mifune and facing away when he re-appears.
I also have a question. Can Herriman still see when he's in this nonexistent phase state? If so, how?
I also have a question. Can Herriman still see when he's in this nonexistent phase state? If so, how?
The moment Adrian's wings spread, Arthur added his own gust to the already powerful pull the chain had exerted, sucking all the air Adrian meant to backpedal with straight toward and past himself (away from Adrian), leaving nothing but a vacuum that would pull the demon-child in even faster than the chain would have. The blow that would follow was the same as before, though this time delivered with more speed to account for the increase in the predicted forward velocity of his opponent.
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