Hey just a quick Scum and Villainy question so perhaps Stras Acimovic John LeBoeuf-Little or someone else can help me. The Xeno ability explains that you can spend 0-3 stress to do something only members of your race can do. The book then goes on to give examples of 0-2 stress actions but never what a 3 stress alien ability would look like. As 3 stress is considerable I’m assuming it’s an extremely powerful ability but I don’t have any idea what a reasonable approximation of that might be. I’d definitely take examples from pop culture as shorthand.
Essentially just asking for some parameters to determine how far might be too far when it comes to a 3 stress Xeno ability and how it should be governed in game. Does it still enable you to take +1d and +1 effect on an action that still requires a roll? Does it perhaps work like “Leaf on the wind” and give BOTH +1d and +1effect on an action that still requires a roll? Just hoping for some slight clarification to give myself a better idea of what the upper limits of my Xeno abilities should look like.
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I think a 3 stress effect is unlikely to be purely mechanical in nature but will have a sizeable fictional impact.
For example if a player wanted a Xeno who could teleport between Star Systems without a Spaceship, I would definitely rate that as a 3 stress ability, but it’s effect is all in the fiction.
I would problem want to explore this in some detail: What does it look like, what are it’s limitations etc.
Would I require an action roll for this? Only if it was interesting, and I could think of consequences which weren’t going to harm the game.
As for upper limits on Xenos – surely that comes down to individual GMs.
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Declan Feeney I find the idea of an alien that can travel through space unaided by a space ship definitely deserving of at least 3 stress but I would imagine you would need a healthier mix between mechanical and fictional effects. Making one’s character perhaps nearly invisible to the naked eye via their xeno’s chameleon like skin could be something I see as a 3 stress ability that also has mechanical effects. Largely the xeno abilities are there to attempt things a human could never try and 3 stress is the upper limit of that. While I think narratively being able to teleport/phaseshift to different planets is a little hard to justify narratively/perhaps too strong for even a 3 stress ability, I can at least understand how you’d come to that conclusion. I would imagine if you used 3 stress for an ability that still required a roll you would likely get +1d and +1 effect on it.
It should be 0-2. The three was a leftover from the old system when things like kinetics had 1-6 variable costs.
In general we have some examples of what we expect. Xeno adaptations are largely functions of their biology. We don’t really put any limitations on the powers other than what your table agrees to because there are way too many variables, but if you’re concerned, or you want to go beyond maybe look at the magnitude chart.
So the only things that can transmit system to system are jumpgates, or powerful artifacts that require people to give up their lives in order for them to work). In terms of magnitutde that’s way off the chart (maybe a 12 stress power or something) so that might be a bit too much.
Going invisible sounds fine to me (especially if you shimmer if you move too fast, or enemies can use heat sensors or hear you). Your table might have that be a 1 stress power, or 2 stress power and tune it further by duration. Sounds great to me.
Generally this changes your position. Attacking someone invisible is almost certainly worth potency or a better position. The extra push mechanics are generally tied into specific powers.
Hope that helps!
Stras Acimovic Huge help just to know that 3 stress abilities aren’t possible. Plus loved your input on magnitude and mechanics. Thanks so much!