IN> Quick catchup on the Month of Content:

[Kelly Pedersen]

On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 11:44 PM, Maurice Lane <moelane_1999 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Basic Celestial Package, GURPS IN 4e (August 3)
> http://moeticae.typepad.com/weblog_licentiae_moeticae/2008/08/basic-celestial.html

Hmm. A good thing to do, but I have some quibbles with the build.

First, Non-Reciprocal Damage doesn't need its own advantage - it's
already an enhancement for Alternate Form. See Powers, p. 75. Also,
the Alternate Form should also have the Absorptive Change enhancement,
at the highest level, to cover vessels disapearing into vessel-space.

Second, I don't think Causes Disturbance is a -15 point disadvantage.
I'd say it's a variant of Supernatural Features, and it's probably
only worth -5 points. Compare to No Body Heat - detection is somewhat
easier (they just have to succeed on their Detect Disturbance roll),
but the category of people who /can/ detect you is much smaller, and
there's no inherent reaction penalty.

Third, Detect Disturbance probably doesn't count as a Common category.
Common categories include things like "supernatural beings", and
disturbance detection is obviously smaller than that, since a
celestial can avoid making it. I'd class Disturbance as an
"occasional" category. Also, the Detect should have the Reflexive
enhancement (Powers, p. 109). This lets it be used more like a normal
sense, and means that a celestial doesn't have to be actively
"scanning" to notice disturbance.

In the celestial form template, I don't think the "Requires 2 Essence"
should be on the Insubstantial advantage. Instead, it should be on the
Alternate Form in the base template. Also, "Requires 2 Essence"
shouldn't be a -20% limitation, in my opinion. I'd say "Costs Essence"
is pretty much equivalent to "Costs FP" - you recover Essence slower,
but you can trade it around and get it from reliquaries and rites
pretty easily. Costing it at -10%/level would be equivalent to "Costs
HP", which I don't think is right at all.
"Requires Will Roll to activate" should also be on the Alternate Form
rather than Insubstantial, as should "Causes Disturbance". "Requires
Will Roll to Activate" is only worth -5%, according to Powers, p. 112.
I wouldn't price "Causes Disturbance" at -30%, either. To me, it seems
like a variant of Nuisance Effect, specifically the "makes you
obvious" version, which is only worth -5%.
The celestial form should probably also have some levels in Obscure
(Vision), with the Defensive and Stealthy enhancements, to cover the
fact that it's difficult for people to see a celestial form, even when
it's out in the open.

Is Essence Control from the original GURPS In Nomine? If so, how does it work?

I think that's it.
-- 
One who never turned his back but marched breast forward,
 Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
 Sleep to wake.
Robert Browning, "Epilogue to Asolando"