A Couple of How to Questions

[Mutant for Hire]

Here are a couple of devices that I'd like to build under HERO powers.

One of them is an AI with a failsafe mechanism against hostile takeover. Essentially, if the AI's loyalty circuits are subverted, the system is designed to shut down, or at least to shut down the higher brain functions.

In short, the AI has a Psych Lim. If any sort of reprogramming is done (Mental Transform of the Psych Lim), the INT and EGO of the AI go to zero until the Psych Lim comes back. I'm thinking of just purchasing the INT/EGO with an advantage (technically it's a Limitation, but since it actually provides a benefit, I think it needs to count as a new type of advantage) that makes it dependent on the existance of the Psych Lim. Is this a valid idea, and if so what would the size of the bonus be?

The second one is for a wizard's artifact. It's a pair of stones. While the wizard has one stone, any spell that they cast can manifest at the site of the other stone. I don't want to boost the basic spells of the wizard, as this is to be an Indepenent artifact and if they lose the stones, so does the power.

[mudpyr8]

1. Psych lim. Pair it with a Physcial Limitation that's triggered when the Psych lim is subverted. it's a disadvantage because he is shutdown and can't act at all.

2. Use the sample Gate power but add the limitation "Only to cast spells through". Alternatively you could build the stones as some sort of Indirect Naked Advantage with a +1/2 Advantage to apply to all Magic Spells with the limitation of Only to the other Stone.

[Keneton]

Build the AI with a triggerd multiform that does not have the EGO stat. Trigger is when a breakout roll is failed. :)

[Dust Raven]

1. Psych lim. Pair it with a Physcial Limitation that's triggered when the Psych lim is subverted. it's a disadvantage because he is shutdown and can't act at all.
That's pretty much how I'd do it, though I'd only go with the Physical Limitation: Shuts Down If Reprogrammed Without Meeting Specific Protocols (infrequently, fully). I'd state it like that because I'd assume the owner the AI is loyal to is allowed to reprogram or otherwise modify it. Should someone successfully mimic the owner, they might succeed in doing as they please.

Alternately, if the "loyalty circiuts" are a special hardware that can't be modified, so that even the owner can't change them (an interesting fail safe, and great for adventures where the AI disagrees with the owner on something important), it could just be if critieria for loyalty in the circuits are not met, and could be phrased like that. The actual demenor of the AI can actually be hostile toward the owner or whover it's wired to be loyal to, but can't betray them or it shuts down.


2. Use the sample Gate power but add the limitation "Only to cast spells through". Alternatively you could build the stones as some sort of Indirect Naked Advantage with a +1/2 Advantage to apply to all Magic Spells with the limitation of Only to the other Stone.
Personally, I'd just knock it off as a plot device, since it's Independent. The Gate rules would work if you still wanted a mechanic the characters could interact with (Dispel, enhance, etc).

[Champsguy]

The stones? Stretching, megascaled, does not cross intervening space.