I am running a GURPS Infinite Worlds campaign and in the not-so-distant future the players are going to be meeting face-to-face for the first time the major nemesis in this story arc.

His powers derive from a profound understanding of mathematics.  In other words, he is a mathemagician.  I haven't actually stated him up fully yet because so far he has just been a plot device.

But I'm wondering, in the final show down, what sorts of things could one do to defeat the power of mathematics?  How could the players shut down his powers to defeat him?  I'm looking for some cool things that the players would be able to do to take him out that don't involve just die rolling.

For example, they could present him with a mathematical quandry to stall him or stun him, etc.  

Also, if love overcomes hate and water overcomes fire, what overcomes mathematics?  ....Emotion?  ....Zen?  ....What?

Don't get hung up on the system mechanics of GURPS.  I'm looking for fluff ideas.  I'll figure out (or hand wave away) the mechanics later.

Also, what kinds of cool way can you think of that he could use mathematics as a power source?  I'm imagining him using long division as a binding technique, for one.  I will prepare a few math problems and if his power hits I will hand the player a pencil and a paper with the problem and their character is "bound" until the player can solve the problem.  

I want to make this guy scary in a non-mechanical way.  I want him to hit the characters with stuff that, while not really so powerful, will still make the players think, "God damn it!"

If mathematics represent logic and rational reason, then the opposite would seem, to me, irrational and illogical, or nonsensical.

Quote from: Serious PaulIf mathematics represent logic and rational reason, then the opposite would seem, to me, irrational and illogical, or nonsensical.

Trick him into dividing by zero.

!i!

Ask him the last digit of pi...

Quote from: Serious PaulIf mathematics represent logic and rational reason, then the opposite would seem, to me, irrational and illogical, or nonsensical.

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaTrick him into dividing by zero.

Quote from: James J SkachAsk him the last digit of pi...

Yeah, this is the kind of stuff I'm after

What about ways that the villan can use math to his advantage?

Quote from: EnlightenedWhat about ways that the villan can use math to his advantage?

Keep the PCs out of melee range by use of Xeno's Paradox.

Quote from: jrientsKeep the PCs out of melee range by use of Xeno's Paradox.

Goggled and noted

You've just given the BBEG a paradox gun


Speaking of guns, one of the characters is big on guns.  I think another thing I will do is keep track of all the bullets that he fires in the encounter (should it turn to combat) and when he gets hit with the Probablity Unraveling Power I will ask him how many shots he has fired so far.  If he guesses incorrectly high he has to dodge vs the differnce in bullets.  If he guesses incorrectly low the other players have to deal with the difference in bullets.  If he guesses exactly right the returning bullets miss everyone.

After that he will start counting bullets, I'm sure.  But the next time he gets hit with the Power the question will instead be how many bullets have struck true.

Does he wear a star-shaped badge (blue enamel with gold backing) for mathematical excellence?

Watch the Doctor Who episode Logopolis. It's about a planet of people so good at math they can rewrite reality.

Then hope your players find a way to give him a math problem he can solve, but that will take 10 seconds longer than he's got, because his starship is about to slam into the Earth.

Quote from: James McMurrayDoes he wear a star-shaped badge (blue enamel with gold backing) for mathematical excellence?

What is that a reference to?

Quote from: James McMurrayWatch the Doctor Who episode Logopolis.

I'll goggle it. Thanks.

Quote from: EnlightenedI am running a GURPS Infinite Worlds campaign and in the not-so-distant future the players are going to be meeting face-to-face for the first time the major nemesis in this story arc.

His powers derive from a profound understanding of mathematics.  In other words, he is a mathemagician.  I haven't actually stated him up fully yet because so far he has just been a plot device.

But I'm wondering, in the final show down, what sorts of things could one do to defeat the power of mathematics?  How could the players shut down his powers to defeat him?  I'm looking for some cool things that the players would be able to do to take him out that don't involve just die rolling.

For example, they could present him with a mathematical quandry to stall him or stun him, etc.  

Also, if love overcomes hate and water overcomes fire, what overcomes mathematics?  ....Emotion?  ....Zen?  ....What?

Don't get hung up on the system mechanics of GURPS.  I'm looking for fluff ideas.  I'll figure out (or hand wave away) the mechanics later.

Also, what kinds of cool way can you think of that he could use mathematics as a power source?  I'm imagining him using long division as a binding technique, for one.  I will prepare a few math problems and if his power hits I will hand the player a pencil and a paper with the problem and their character is "bound" until the player can solve the problem.  

I want to make this guy scary in a non-mechanical way.  I want him to hit the characters with stuff that, while not really so powerful, will still make the players think, "God damn it!"

I would look to android and robots in books or films for help with this (maybe Data from STtNG).  

He could be extremely good at ranged combat as his mind would instantly process things like distance, movement, wind, etc.  The same goes even for melee/unarmed combat as he could instantly calculate by the way a character moves what the next probable strike would be and how best to defend it.  Some kind of berserker might be able to defeat him as his actions will be mostly unpredictable.  In fact, any situation where the characters do the unpredictable should give them an advantage.  

I would say raw creativity could overcome mathematics.  Abstract art, that sort of thing.  Not sure how an Art Power would work in the game.  

Anything that defies the laws of physics would probably rock his world, at least until he had time to assimilate what had happened.  

Getting hit with some sort of LSD drug or other psychedelic could throw off his ability to reason.  

Wish I could be of more help.  

Pete

Quote from: pspahnWish I could be of more help.  

Pete

You've been a great help.  Your post is FULL of good ideas.

Abstract art...
Unpredicability...
LSD...

....And from your post I've just had a great idea.  Far-realms monsters and Cthulhu type stuff could totally screw him up.  And there just happens to be a Cthulhu mythos expert in the group of characters!

Quote from: jrientsKeep the PCs out of melee range by use of Xeno's Paradox.

Just...brilliant....

I love you, man.

Quote from: James J SkachJust...brilliant....

I love you, man.

I have now read what the Xeno's paradox is.....and now I get why that's a brilliant joke.

Quote from: pspahnI would say raw creativity could overcome mathematics.  Abstract art, that sort of thing.

Even more powerful than Abstract Art, hit him upside the head with Dada!

Quote from: EnlightenedI have now read what the Xeno's paradox is.....and now I get why that's a brilliant joke.

This is all, really, sounding rather a bit like Dungeons & Discourse.

!i!

Quote from: EnlightenedBut I'm wondering, in the final show down, what sorts of things could one do to defeat the power of mathematics?  How could the players shut down his powers to defeat him?  I'm looking for some cool things that the players would be able to do to take him out that don't involve just die rolling.

If you wanted something a bit deep you could use Kurt godel's incompleteness theorem against his mathemagic to nullify it. Though this might require that you do a bit of research into the matter ( like wikipediaing the subject).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel's_incompleteness_theorems

"Examples of undecidable statements" is the section in the wikipedia article you may want to read, as it is the clearest explanation of this abstruse mathematical theorem.