Post by tikiman on Jun 26, 2014 14:23:26 GMT
This is where I think games like Mutants & Masterminds got things right. By incorporating rules specifically for Minions (or baseline agents in this case), I've found the game to be more dynamic and emulates comics a bit better. I've quoted the rules below for Minions and Takedown from the M&M3e Hero's Handbook as an example of what I'm talking about. Looking at the Hero rules, I think the next Champions game I run is going to have a Takedown Talent that works in a similar fashion. The basic idea behind it will be if you do enough damage to stun an agent, you actual take them out of the combat and may then make a free attack against another within range of the last one. Just like the M&M version, your Takedown ends when you fail a roll, run out of legal combat movement or run out of legal targets.
Minions
Minions are minor characters subject to special rules in combat, and generally easier to defeat than normal characters. Villains often employ hordes of minions against heroes. The following rules apply to minions:
• Minions cannot score critical hits against non-minions.
• Non-minions can make attack checks against minions as routine checks.
• If a minion fails a resistance check, the minion suffers the worst degree of the effect. So a minion failing a Damage resistance check, for example, is incapacitated, regardless of the degree of failure.
• Certain traits (like the Takedown advantage) are more effective against or specifically target minions.
Takedown
If you render a minion incapacitated with an attack, you get an immediate extra attack as a free action against another minion within range and adjacent to the previous target’s location. The extra attack is with the same attack and bonus as the first. You can continue using this advantage until you miss or there are no more minions within range of your attack or your last target.
A second rank in this advantage allows you to attack non-adjacent minion targets, moving between attacks if necessary to do so. You cannot move more than your total speed in the round, regardless of the number of attacks you make. You stop attacking once you miss, run out of movement, or there are no more minions within range of your attack.
Minions are minor characters subject to special rules in combat, and generally easier to defeat than normal characters. Villains often employ hordes of minions against heroes. The following rules apply to minions:
• Minions cannot score critical hits against non-minions.
• Non-minions can make attack checks against minions as routine checks.
• If a minion fails a resistance check, the minion suffers the worst degree of the effect. So a minion failing a Damage resistance check, for example, is incapacitated, regardless of the degree of failure.
• Certain traits (like the Takedown advantage) are more effective against or specifically target minions.
Takedown
If you render a minion incapacitated with an attack, you get an immediate extra attack as a free action against another minion within range and adjacent to the previous target’s location. The extra attack is with the same attack and bonus as the first. You can continue using this advantage until you miss or there are no more minions within range of your attack or your last target.
A second rank in this advantage allows you to attack non-adjacent minion targets, moving between attacks if necessary to do so. You cannot move more than your total speed in the round, regardless of the number of attacks you make. You stop attacking once you miss, run out of movement, or there are no more minions within range of your attack.
This is actually one of the things I dislike about M&M and other modern games. I feel that if the GM wants the thugs/mooks/minions/whatever to be incompetent and easy to take out of a fight, the GM should just make them incompetent and easy to take out of a fight. No special rules needed. It seems to stem from the "storytelling game" philosophy where the GM and players are afraid of dice rolls giving an unexpected outcome, which is diametrically the opposite of my preferred game style.