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[Dynaes]

I have a new mentalist in my party, and she has the Psychic Consumption disadvantage.  I have two questions on this:

• Can the damage from PC cause a critical?
• If yes to the above, does it always target the head?  10% LP to crit?

I can see reason why those things might be, but it would be a pretty powerful disadvantage if so.  It is a 2-pointer, so cancer/blindness is the comparison.  How would you guys run it?

[Tarrant12]

I don't use criticals with it in my games. Granted no one takes it in my games any more. Our resident psychic fumbled and consumed himself to death.

[Sharpandpointies]

I have a new mentalist in my party, and she has the Psychic Consumption disadvantage.  I have two questions on this:

• Can the damage from PC cause a critical?
• If yes to the above, does it always target the head?  10% LP to crit?

I can see reason why those things might be, but it would be a pretty powerful disadvantage if so.  It is a 2-pointer, so cancer/blindness is the comparison.  How would you guys run it?

I wouldn't give it crits, just life points.  It's a pretty scary disadvantage as it is. 

If one were feeling extra-nasty, one could make it Sacrifice damage, but I wouldn't. 

[wizuriel]

personally I don't see any reason why it wouldn't crit. Having it automatically target the head though seems a tad over kill.

[Dynaes]

personally I don't see any reason why it wouldn't crit. Having it automatically target the head though seems a tad over kill.

I agree, I think.  I mostly asked that to prompt discussion.  I think the crit system generally doesn't care where damage comes from, it's an issue of relatively major damage has a chance to have serious or permanent effects.  I guess the issue of it targeting the head comes from not seeing a reason why your arm would be amputated (or even incapacitated) from being crit by this.  Maybe still require a 50% LP to crit, but it can't be located anywhere but the head.  I would also consider allowing a psychic resist rather than a physical resist against this kind of crit, but I'd have to crunch the numbers more to be sure.

[Vrenash]

I'd say it could cause criticals, but I think it could be explained to target anywhere.  Psychic Consumption, as I see it, is what happens when the rippling matrices of the psychic grow out of harmony so their new vibrations begin to consume the psychic in their new resonance.  Even though the psychic power originates from the mind, the threads themselves are what would consume the psychic, and they could travel across the psychic's body to consume portions of their flesh and bone.

[alphawhelp]

I believe criticals are only caused by attacks, not by life point loss by any other means. (i.e. a life point sacrifice Ki disadvantage doesn't cause a crit)

[Lizbeth]

I believe criticals are only caused by attacks, not by life point loss by any other means. (i.e. a life point sacrifice Ki disadvantage doesn't cause a crit)

I agree with this.

[Dynaes]

Thanks for the opinions, all.  I'm going to dig back into the core book and see if I can find specific language that crits come from attacks.  If that's the case, then it's pretty clear cut.  Appreciate the discussion.