Invisibility is broken!

Games Discussion Feng Shui
1

The shtick as presented in Glimpse of the Abyss seems too powerful (even given it's double cost). I would nerf it to the point where it stops working entirely against anyone you attack, or anyone who detected you (for the rest of the sequence). Anyone who didn't detect you, but who has a good idea where you are ("Clyde just swung at empty air and something went Thwack...") could attack you at a -4 penalty.

2

I might allow it to be used as powerful as presented in the book in general non-combat situations, such as walking down a street in the presence of numerous unnamed innocent bystanders.

3

Yet another possibility would be having attacks turn-off the shtick...

4

Sorry, I should check this forum more frequently... but yeah, you can blame Invisibility on me. I wrote it into my adventure, but I should probably have playtested it a lot more. I wanted to add that power to the game, but I wasn't quite sure what the best mechanics would be.

When it did come up during playtesting, I think I let the PCs roll Perception checks as a 1-shot action. The -4 penalty I modeled after the penalty for total darkness.

I should probably have made the ability more costly to use (maybe a 3-shot action to activate every sequence?), and maybe knocked the TN down closer to where most Perception scores are.

Any ideas on what might have worked better?

5

I think the last idea I had made some sense as far as game balance was concerned; instead of having it off at the top of every scene or sequence, have it turn off at the start of any attack. The problem could be that this isn't perhaps as cinematic as an invisible attacker. I would allow PCs to have the revised shtick, and somne GMC monsters to use the original. Some minor points:

  1. Wave scanners; I would clarify whether they detect invisible (and would still be penalized), or whether invisibility is simply wasted on someone with one (I was planning on the latter).
  2. Someone with invisibility could elect to have certain people see them as a -2 stunt, for example, an invisible critter normally is detected on 15, if it is using the stunt, this becomes 13. I don't know if this is cinematic in chinese action, but it works nicely in J-horror.
6

That sounds pretty good.