Charge main cannons!

[braincraft]

How would you go about constructing an attack that you have to charge in advance, but doesn't prevent you from taking other actions or using other attack powers while it's charging?

And what if you wanted to make it dangerous, harmful, or inconvenient to hold the finished charge for too long, so that you couldn't just charge it an hour in advance and use it right off the bat when the fight starts?

The specific power I'm trying to construct is a blaster cannon that takes a few segments/phases to charge up, but allows the use of other weapons in the meanwhile, and will damage the capacitors if forced to hold the charge for too long, so you have to charge it and use it, or dissipate the charge, which wastes power, possibly, but also means you'd have to charge the cannon again if you changed your mind about wanting to use it, therefore forcing the user and the target to worry about timing.

I think I explained it all wrong.

[Snarf]

Having to charge up something, but being able to use other stuff in the meantime, is Extra Time. I think being able to hold onto a prepared charge is the Delayed Effect advantage. Having a charge start to damage the weapon would be something new. Maybe it could be a Side Effect.

[SirViss]

I think Snarf is on the right track. There is no time limit on the Delayed Effect advantage, so I would put a Side Effect that takes effect after a certain amount of time.

I don't know how complicated you wnat to make this cannon, but the side effect could be gradual, or happen all at once (like the weapon burns-out, and doesn't function again until repaired).

Just an idea...

[Snarf]

Maybe you could have the weapon slowly dispel itself. You would somehow have to connect it to the charge up.

Or if you wanted it to be more exciting, you could have the side effect be a massive explosion that's powerful enough to destroy the gun.

[caris]

Originally posted by braincraft
The specific power I'm trying to construct is a blaster cannon that takes a few segments/phases to charge up, but allows the use of other weapons in the meanwhile, and will damage the capacitors if forced to hold the charge for too long, so you have to charge it and use it, or dissipate the charge, which wastes power, possibly, but also means you'd have to charge the cannon again if you changed your mind about wanting to use it, therefore forcing the user and the target to worry about timing.

I think I explained it all wrong.

I’m assuming that you don’t just want to hand wave the whole building aspect of the power, or just apply a custom lim and go with it.

The way I would do it is to build the cannon, and determine its END requirement. Put a limitation on the power that says it can only be used at full END cost. I might consider putting a significant END multiplier on the power since I’m going to want this to be cheaper than the straight power. Next I would buy and END Reserve for the power that was just large enough for exactly one shot, and put a minor side effect limitation on the power to represent a gradually building attack that will damage the focus over time. (Even if you end up with an END cost of 5, pay for an END of 10, but only give the reserve 5 END.) The Side Effect would only occur when the Reserve had more than 0 End in it. Next you can buy a large REC that you prorate over the time you want for the full recharge to take, as per the GM option on 5th ed page 103. You would also want to define that the REC has to be “turned on”, and that it doesn’t just automatically start when the Reserve is at less than full capacity. Alternatively, you could build a Standard Effect Continous Aid to do the same thing. The Aid may serve you even better, since you could apply the fade to show that it can’t “hold” a charge.

The big problem here is that it could end up costing more built this way than it would if you built the power for just normal use without the construct.

Edit to add: I did not use the Extra Time Lim, because the character charging the cannon would not be allowed to make an attack while it is charging.

[Jeff]

Originally posted by braincraft
How would you go about constructing an attack that you have to charge in advance, but doesn't prevent you from taking other actions or using other attack powers while it's charging?

And what if you wanted to make it dangerous, harmful, or inconvenient to hold the finished charge for too long, so that you couldn't just charge it an hour in advance and use it right off the bat when the fight starts?

The specific power I'm trying to construct is a blaster cannon that takes a few segments/phases to charge up, but allows the use of other weapons in the meanwhile, and will damage the capacitors if forced to hold the charge for too long, so you have to charge it and use it, or dissipate the charge, which wastes power, possibly, but also means you'd have to charge the cannon again if you changed your mind about wanting to use it, therefore forcing the user and the target to worry about timing.

I think I explained it all wrong.

It can't be the only way, but one option might be to treat this as how Real Weapon plays out for a science-fiction energy weapon of this sort. It strikes me as analagous to the miscellaneous problems with slugthrowers or actual blades that that limitation sums up for them.

[Snarf]

Edit to add: I did not use the Extra Time Lim, because the character charging the cannon would not be allowed to make an attack while it is charging.
Don't rule it out too quickly. Extra Time normally allows you to take other actions during the charge up. If it prevents you from taking other actions, then that's an additional -1/4.

[VictorVonDoom]

Never watch Gundam Wing Before? There the main Barge cannon takes a couple of minutes to recharge...
In Star Wars it takes shorter but that is for cinematic purposes...

[caris]

Originally posted by Snarf
Don't rule it out too quickly. Extra Time normally allows you to take other actions during the charge up. If it prevents you from taking other actions, then that's an additional -1/4.

Unless the action you are attempting is an attack action, which firing the cannon would be. Under that situation, you may not take further attack actions until the attack goes off. Being able to attack was specifically mentioned as one of the options wanted left available. Presumably, the GM is not waiving that requirement for this construct.


Originally posted by braincraft
How would you go about constructing an attack that you have to charge in advance, but doesn't prevent you from taking other actions or using other attack powers while it's charging?

[tmutant]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
Never watch Gundam Wing Before? There the main Barge cannon takes a couple of minutes to recharge...
In Star Wars it takes shorter but that is for cinematic purposes...

There's also the Wave-Motion Gun in "StarBlazers" a.k.a. Spacecruiser Yamato.

[Yamo]

Just use Limited Power. Something like "Must Charge Up For X Full Phases Before Each Shot; -1/2)".

Use Side Effects for the consequences of holding the charge too long.

[Snarf]

Here's the endurance reserve form of the charge up:

Big Gun: EB 12d6, (AP 60); OAF (-1), (RC 30).
plus Endurance Reserve (10 END), (AP 1); Side Effect (15 AP Dispel with standard effect, whenever power is used, -1/2), (RC 1)
plus Endurance Reserve (6 REC), (AP 6); (RC 6). Total Cost: 37.

Whenever the Endurance Reserve is activated, either charging or holding a charge, a slow acting dispel would be building up. Play with the numbers to make the side effect have some point savings.

Here's the Extra Time form:

Big Gun: EB 12d6, Delayed Effect (up to campaign limit[one charge per device I guess], +1/4), (AP 75); Charges (15, -0), OAF (-1), Extra Time (1 Turn, can make other attacks, -3/4), Side Effect (15 AP Dispel, occurs whenever the charge is held, -1/4), (RC 25).

A player would require GM permission for this power to allow other attacks to be made during charge-up. In my write-up, I halved the limitation as the price for allowing other attacks to be made, but there is no precedent for this, so you would probably want to do that differently.

It's normal for a conditional side effect to reduce the limitation value by 1/4, but I decided holding a charge as a condition for the side effect would not modify it, because it's pretty bad. This is another thing that would require GM permission.

Change the dispel to a slow buildup to explosion for more excitement.

Or, as Yamo mentioned, you could just use Limited Power if no existing limitations fit to your satisfaction.

[Blue Angel]

Originally posted by Snarf
Here's the endurance reserve form of the charge up:

Big Gun: EB 12d6, (AP 60); OAF (-1), (RC 30).
plus Endurance Reserve (10 END), (AP 1); Side Effect (15 AP Dispel with standard effect, whenever power is used, -1/2), (RC 1)
plus Endurance Reserve (6 REC), (AP 6); (RC 6). Total Cost: 37.

Whenever the Endurance Reserve is activated, either charging or holding a charge, a slow acting dispel would be building up. Play with the numbers to make the side effect have some point savings.

Here's the Extra Time form:

Big Gun: EB 12d6, Delayed Effect (up to campaign limit[one charge per device I guess], +1/4), (AP 75); Charges (15, -0), OAF (-1), Extra Time (1 Turn, can make other attacks, -3/4), Side Effect (15 AP Dispel, occurs whenever the charge is held, -1/4), (RC 25).

A player would require GM permission for this power to allow other attacks to be made during charge-up. In my write-up, I halved the limitation as the price for allowing other attacks to be made, but there is no precedent for this, so you would probably want to do that differently.

It's normal for a conditional side effect to reduce the limitation value by 1/4, but I decided holding a charge as a condition for the side effect would not modify it, because it's pretty bad. This is another thing that would require GM permission.

Change the dispel to a slow buildup to explosion for more excitement.

Or, as Yamo mentioned, you could just use Limited Power if no existing limitations fit to your satisfaction.

Looks great. Except that dispel side effect should be a drain EB with a long recovery time to simulate the weakening of the capacitors.