Minimum Duration

[Threnody]

For your consideration, a new Limitation:

Minimum Duration: This Limitation can only be taken on Powers that are Constant/Continuous or Persistant (whether that's routine for the Power or due to an Advantage: note that routinely Constant/Persistant Powers made Instant by a Lim don't qualify); Always On and Inherent Powers don't qualify. Also, the Power must cost END.

A Power with this Lim has to be left on for a minimum length of time whenever it's used. It can be left on for longer if the player wants to. If the Power is turned off, the "clock resets" and the whole minimum duration applies the next time the Power is used.



Duration period Value
5 Minutes -1/4
20 Minutes -1/2
1 Hour -3/4
6 Hours -1
1 Day -1 1/4
1 Week -1 1/2
1 Month -1 3/4
etc.

[Hugh Neilson]

So if I have a power that has to stay on for at least 20 minutes, I get a -1 limitation, but if I can never shut it off, I get a -1/2 limitation. Does this make logical sense?

What happens if the character runs out of END during the minimum duration? Does it stay on and draw from STUN? What if he's KO'd to -100 STUN? Can it draw enough power to kill him? That may justify some extra limitation, but only if the power does cost END.

[ghost-angel]

So if I have a power that has to stay on for at least 20 minutes, I get a -1 limitation, but if I can never shut it off, I get a -1/2 limitation. Does this make logical sense?

What happens if the character runs out of END during the minimum duration? Does it stay on and draw from STUN? What if he's KO'd to -100 STUN? Can it draw enough power to kill him? That may justify some extra limitation, but only if the power does cost END.
To be fair, Always On requires Persisnent+0END.

This seems to be part of powers that require END. I can almost see it being worth more since you are "locked into" spending the END on the Power until the duration is over.

a good solid END Drain will make you hate life when you start burning into STUN.

[Robyn]

To be fair, Always On requires Persisnent+0END.

This seems to be part of powers that require END. I can almost see it being worth more since you are "locked into" spending the END on the Power until the duration is over.

a good solid END Drain will make you hate life when you start burning into STUN.

I can also see it being done on a Shapechange where the character has a speech in 10 minutes, and sees a bunch of thugs beating someone up in the hallway just outside. He knows that he could take them out in a minute if he switched to his superhero form, and he wants to do it quietly without a fuss so nothing messes up the big moment he's been waiting for, but if he uses his regular form, he won't be able to switch back until he's much too late for his speech.

[Dust Raven]

The main problem I'd have with something like this is what happens if the character is Stunned or KOed before the minimum duration? What if the character runs out of both END and STUN before the minimum duration?

What I'm seeing here is an interesting application of the Uncontrolled Advantage, which allows a character to spend a pool of END up front and the Power runs off that regardless of the condition of the character. Perhaps an Uncontrolled Power may have a Limitation that forces a minimum pool of END to be spent each time it starts, creating a minimum duration. The only thing this wouldn't do is allow the character to keep putting additional END into it in smaller amounts after it's started (at least by default; I allow characters with Uncontrolled Powers to add END to the pool as long as the Power's effects are within range, usually HTH, as a 0 Phase Action, so in my games it would work exactly like the above Minimum Duration Limitation is described). As for values forit, the above look good.

[Hugh Neilson]

I can also see it being done on a Shapechange where the character has a speech in 10 minutes, and sees a bunch of thugs beating someone up in the hallway just outside. He knows that he could take them out in a minute if he switched to his superhero form, and he wants to do it quietly without a fuss so nothing messes up the big moment he's been waiting for, but if he uses his regular form, he won't be able to switch back until he's much too late for his speech.

Presumably, he received disadvantage points from his Secret ID. Why should his powers, that take a while to shut down, cost less than the Thing's armor, which can't be shut down at all and makes him always look strange?

Can I buy my Armor "Nonpersistent, must stay up for 5 minutes" and get it for half price? I'll buy my +20/+20 Force Field 0 END (+1/2), Must maintain for 6 hours (-1 1/2) and pay 24 points. That's much cheaper than buying 0 END, Persistent, Always On for 53 (and I haven't even considered making it stay on for a period much higher up the time charts).

I am assuming that, if you Must maintain it, you can't shut it off by getting stunned or KO'd, however.

[Threnody]

Howdy! Thanks for the posts back.

I changed the chart up yonder; it starts at 5 minutes instead of 1 Turn. I think that works better.

Looking the rules over, I don't see any way to have a Persistant Power cost END. Looky page 69 fer instance. If anyone knows how to do it, tell me. Otherways I'm gonna remove the refs to Persistant from my first post in a couple days.

Someone with this'll burn up STUN when he runs outen END. I don't know if there's a rule for running outen STUN too.

If someone with this is Stunned or KO'd he keeps spending END (or STUN). If'n he's still Stunned/KO'd when the Minimum Duration runs out, the Power'll switch off automagically.

Keep 'em coming folks. ;)

[Hugh Neilson]

Looking the rules over, I don't see any way to have a Persistant Power cost END. Looky page 69 fer instance. If anyone knows how to do it, tell me. Otherways I'm gonna remove the refs to Persistant from my first post in a couple days.

Well, you could buy Uncontrolled. You pump as much END as you want into the power up front, and it stays up until it runs out. That's effectively eprsistent. Actually, your limitation seems like a variant of Uncontrolled in that the power will stay up for a fixed period of time, and takes its END over that period, rather than all up front.

A continuous charge can cost END, can't it? Continuing charges are effectively persistent, though I don't know that it would stay up if you stop feeding it END.


If someone with this is Stunned or KO'd he keeps spending END (or STUN). If'n he's still Stunned/KO'd when the Minimum Duration runs out, the Power'll switch off automagically.

Sounds like a potential Advantage here - the power stays up, even if I'm stunned or KO'd. So I don't need to worry about my force field dropping, and my teammates don't have to defend my poor fragile form if I'm KO'd. The cost, however, is that I won't recover from KO any time soon (doesn't change my recovering from being Stunned, though).