Hi everyone, this topic is to discuss the rules for Damage Barriers and Immaterial beings.

My problem with Anima system is that almost everyone in Gaia has potential to damage energy (regardless of class, you may ALWAYS build a Level 1 character capable of Damaging Energy through presence extrusion/aura extension). Personally I find this pretty annoying both because the Immaterial special rule seems completely pointless and because basically any Level1 character with Str3, presence extrusion, and enough time can dig a tunnel in a fortress, which is simply ridiculous.

I'm thinking about modifying this stuff a bit.

As for Damage Barriers, I've decided to rule it like Energy Damaging Effects reduce the maximum value of a Damage Barrier to 200. This means that fortresses and stuff like that will ALWAYS require the equivalent damage of a well placed cannonball to be taken down. On the other hand, since characters might sum-up Damage Barriers to absurd levels (even over 400-500), this rule prevents them from becoming absolutely impervious to damage (at most they become impervious to most purely physical damage).

As for Immaterials, I believe I will rule "different Immaterial values" as is for elegibility in D&D. Since both quality bonus and presence extrusion are based on Presence. I belive 5 "elegibility" levels will be designed for Immaterial beings which can be damaged by different "Presence Values". Nemesis extrusion has the same effect of presence extrusion (and also affects weapons/armors used by the character) on these behalf.

Immaterial 1 (common spectres) requires at least Presence 50 Energy Damaging Effects to be damaged.

Immaterial 2 (powerful spectreal undead or lesser immaterial demons/elementals) requires at least Presence 100 Energy Damaging Effects to be damaged.

Immaterial 3 (high level demons/elementals, very powerful spectres) requires at least Presence 150 Energy Damaging Effects to be damaged.

Immaterial 4 (lesser gods and beings with similar powers) requires at least Presence 200 Energy Damaging Effects to be damaged.

Immaterial 5 (greater gods or the like) requires at least Presence 250 Energy Damaging Effects to be damaged.

Both (energy affecting) Spells and Psychic Powers have a Presence equal to that of the caster, which can be doubled by presence extrusion (or nemesis extrusion).

What do you think of all this?

Elric of Melniboné said:

I dislike this as presented, but I do agree with the base assertion, and these are a good starting point. Here is what I suggest:

1. The rule on using Energy Damage Effect reduce the maximum value of a damage barrier to 200 means a Damage Barrior of 40-200 is completely immune. This also makes characters from level 1-6 or 8 with 120 or 180 damage barriers basically nearly invulnerable. I would suggest, if you want it to work like this, to have Energy Damaging Effects cut a damage barrier in half. So a Barrior of 120 would be 60, and 200 would be 100. Even with a Damage Barrior of 500 you would only have 250. This way a level 1 can destroy a castle, (if they can Damage Energy and use a Two Handed Axe with 11 STR [100 weapon + 40 STR for 140 Base]) but it is unlikely. And they can't be nigh immortal with a damage barrier of 180.

2. Your idea of creating "Immarerial Levels" might work, but I think you should make it Presence+(5*Gnosis), or something like that. That way a Player Character at level 5 (Presence 50) and Natura 10 (Gnosis 10, standard PC suggestion) would be able to harm an Immaterial 2 (50+[10*5]=100). It also makes creatures with 25 or 30 Gnosis instantly be able to get past Immaterial 2 or 3, and 5 a lot easier, as that they are "higher beings".

If you use this idea I suggest making Wizards and Psychics gain a +50 from Presence Extrusion instead of double.

Your imput are really interesting and I sincerely thank you for participating this thread with such constructive post.

As for Damage Barrier i will have to see how it works actually "in game". I belive a Level6 character will have a really hard time having a Damage Barrier of 180 or so...as for a castle, it should be taken down only by a damage output equivalent to that of a cannon-ball. I should probably test in a set of different situations both my and your version of this. What is sure is that as things stand Damage Barriers are ridiculously weak and there is no reason why people ever even built fortresses, anyway.

As for the elegibility over immaterials, taking Gnosis into account is a VERY good point...so I'll study your formula and reason over it!

You have a point, and I want to change Damage Barriers as wall, but they are a very difficult thing to change. Weaken them too much and they become useless. Strengthen them and they become godly. Within the context of the world Damage Barriors make sense as they are, as that only one in ten or twenty thousand people can overcome them. However those 9,999 other people who cannot overcome them are seldom important to a campaign.

I have not worked too hard on Damage Barriors myself because it has yet to become a problem in my game. I do see it being a possible problem at some point though. Good luck finding a good solution

The problem is that the ability to touch the energy is too important: you can use it against intangible beings, spells and people with special immunities.

It's too important, and if you haven't it, you are dead.

Because there are something that or you are able to fight, or you are dead.

So, for example, my players choose always energy in place of cryokinesis for this.

The second most important power to have is see the invisibility.

This is a problem of game design.