Re: Power Packages & Cost (Re: [BNW] The Hacker)

[Davy Krieger <dvk22@drexel.edu>]

>Sure, but the apparent problem is that while, say, a Gunner can match a
>Sneak (by having an inherent +5 Shooting, and buy +5 Stealth and a pair of
>night-vission goggles), the Sneak doesn't match the Gunner because even if
>the Sneak takes +5 Shooting, he doesn't get +5 to initiative, and he has
the
>light-weakness quirk.

Well, actually its a radar sense, which is better than night vision goggles.
Here's how I use this trick in combat... throw some smoke grenades around.
This gives me a natural ability to sneak around, impairs the vision of
everyone else, and allows me to see perfectly given the radar-sense trick.
If I stand still, I get an additional +10 to Stealth, can see perfectly in
the smoke filled environs, and can blast away at targets of opportunity that
have almost no chance of detecting me.
>
>Or to put it another way...yes, the Sneak has a skill-boost that is useful
>in combat, but he has only a very limited ability (via the appropriate
>Trick) to make use of Stealth in a way that a non-Sneak character can do.

A non-sneak character can't stand in plain sight and not be notice.
A Sneak requires no cover, no concealment... just the will to not be seen.
>
>
>So actually, a better arguement is that the Sneak is better in non-combat
>situations.  However, again, he is only superior by one success over a
>non-Sneak (and his one current Stealth-oriented Trick is a little better -
I
>don't have it here in front of me).

"in plain sight" allows a +10 to be Stealth with an extra success on a
stealth roll, so long as someone isn't looking right at you when you
disappear.
>
>*shrug* The real problem to me is simply that the package seems
>underpowered.  Either it should be +10 _with_ the Quirk, or +5 _without_
the
>Quirk.  We're told in the rulebook that Quirks should be used to _balance
>out_ a more powerful Power Package (page 172).  Does anyone really think
>that +5 Stealth + Nightvision was really so powerful (compared to, say,
>Blaster or Speedster or Bouncer, which have _no_ Quirks) that Sneak
required
>a Quirk?

Well, as a sneak, of course, i'm all for no-quirks. On the other hand, I get
to wear sunglasses all the time, which is cool in and of itself.

The Spirit of '76