Core rules, p. 154. Advantage: I'm Taking You With Me.
"Spend a Hero Point to have all damage that you do this Round increased by the number of Dramatic Wounds you have."
So my player has taken 2 Dramatic Wounds, makes 6 raises & spends a HP. On count 6 he spends 1 raise to deal 3 Wounds (1 for the raise +2 for the advantage). Count 5, he does the same thing, and count 4, etc etc. Over the Round his 6 raises translate into 18 Wounds.
Ok, that's a little overwhelming, but makes more sense in a way than his turning 6 Wounds into 8, because its a 5 point Advantage, it costs a HP, and lasts only 1 round. All agree?
So rather than charging down their enemy with a double-handed axe & dealing massive damage in one hit, it is more like someone repeatedly stabbing their enemy with a small knife and twisting the blade?
The way I see it, there is 3 possible way to read this:
1- Your first example would make sense if it it was written: "Spend a Hero Point to have all SUCCESSFULL ATTACKS that you do this Round increased by the number of Dramatic Wounds you have."
2- The way the rule is written: "Spend a Hero Point to have all damage that you do this Round increased by the number of Dramatic Wounds you have" could be interpreted as that you could add the numbers of dramatic wounds that you have (2 in your example) to the TOTAL damage that you do this round. However it raises the question on how would this be applied if you actually hit more than 1 target.
3- It could even be intrerpreted has meaning that the added damage is ALSO dealt as Dramatic wounds!
So I guess I'd go with option 2 personally, the usual ''house rule to try and not break the game'' that 2nd edition got us used to.
Counter arguement (for the sake of it): in the example I gave, ITYWM more or less turns you into a Duellist for 1 round (in terms of damage dealt). Both are 5 Point advantages; ITYWM also costs a HP & lasts one round.
Does it break game balance & mechanics to use it in the way I describe? Or are we objecting to the appearance of unseemly gamesmanship?
Let's compare it to another advantage.
Body Blow lets you spend a HP to do 2 extra wounds if you're using Brawl and you can use it multiple times on the same action. It costs 3 HP. I think that's better than Bonhumm's option 2, but is cheaper than ITYWM. Logically, then, ITYWM must do something better.
If you feel that the 'Do 1+DW damage per raise' is too powerful, I don't think it would be outside the realms of possibility for you to rule that the extra damage is only caused if the original damage is not prevented.
I like that. So the villain can block with 1 Raise, but if she doesn't then she takes 3 Wounds.
I would allow it as option 1 (the big number of wounds) but only allow it once / scene (I'm not sure if that's already written in as a restriction).
Big huge wound totals. it is a major advantage, it needs to pay off and you are "taking them with you". This is meant for use when you have 3 dramatic and are closing in on that 4th one.
I don't see the original poster's example as overwhelming given
a) this is an expensive Advantage
b) It costs a Hero Point
c) Duelists can practically do the same with the right Manuevers and more.
So yeah, being able to dish out around 3 Wounds each Raise might seem huge.
But realize, that's what Heroes are.
Spectacular.
I agree, after reflection and looking up the ability.
Yeah. Of course, I'm waiting to see what happens when the player who has this Advantage also becomes a Duellist. With Weaponry 4, Leegstra, & 3 Dramatic Wounds, it could look something like:
R6: Slash, spend 1 Raise, do 7 damage
R5: Leegstra's Crash, spend 1 Raise, do 7 damage
R4: Slash, spend 1 Raise, do 7 damage
R3: Riposte, spend 1 Raise, do 7 damage (& protect against 4)
R2: Slash, spend 1 Raise, do 7 damage
R1: Lunge, spend 1 Raise, do 7 damage
That 6 raises becomes more like 54 Wounds. Ouch. Same hero has Hard To Kill, so even if she doesn't parry the villain may not take her down that round. Whereas, if the Villain is Rank 13 or less, he's potentially toast in that one round (unless spending all his time parrying).
Am I getting this wrong, or should we all be investing in the futures market for Guard Brute Squads?
Guy
Your numbers look correct. However, keep in mind during the Round that Hero is going to (hopefully) have other things to spend his/her Raises on. Opportunities, Consequences, and potentially taking damage from the same Villain he's fighting. By the time a Hero has invested in those Ranks/Advantages, they should be encountering Villains with a lot of support or in very dynamic environments.
John
I will also state that Hero is probably as super awesome fighter, but not as well rounded as others.
So he might have trouble for sneaking around, for seduction, for diplomacy, etc.
Not a bad thing, but its how things even out.
As others have said, unless your a Vesten, it's an expensive advantage to take, having the same cost as Duelist Academy, which is generally touted as being one of the most potent advantages in the game simply due to the sheer power that being a Duelist unlocks.
There's also the matter that Dramatic Wounds carry with it the very large risk that a PC could be taken out depending on how many DW the Hero is carrying between combats. And even with Hard to Kill, most combat-centric Villains are going to be able to dish out a fair chunk of damage in their own right, especially if they have access to Duelist Maneuvers as well. A Strength 8 Villain might not last that long agains a sustained onslaught from a PC using I'm Taking You With Me that's carrying 3 Dramatic Wounds, but assuming the Villain is entering the fight fresh, they only need to hit a couple times with Slash to put the PC down, and they're getting at least one bonus die thanks to the PC's second dramatic wound. And a Villain can certainly withstand a Dramatic Wound or two to take the Hero down.
Of course, Guy's example if used against a Villain without access to Duelist manuevers works because the target isn't what this system would consider to be a "serious combatant." Against a Rank 12 Villain with Strength 8 and Influence 4 (thus needing 9 wounds to inflict a single Dramatic Wound) and Duelist Academy, getting 13 dice on their Risk against his sample Leegstra Hero, and you're looking at about 7 Raises on average, and since Villains win ties, this Villain can open with Slash, the perform a Bash to blunt 4 points of the Leegstra Hero's offense, all while having inflicted 5 Wounds, so the Hero better do something to blunt that damage, which means spending Raises and delaying their chance to act even further.
Is the advantage powerful in the right circumstances? Yes, that can't really be argued. Is all--powerful or a game breaker? Nope.
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