New Mechanic: Lightning Speed

[schir1964]

Lightning Speed (Talent)
This talent allows a character to do a specific non-combat task much faster than normal.


For every point spent, the character can perform the selected type of task one step faster on the Time Chart.
Actions requiring "1 segment" can be performed with a ½-phase action.
Faster actions (a step faster than "1 segment") can be performed with 0-phase action.

Restrictions


It must be something the character is normally capable of, either as a common human ability or as a Power.
Lightning Speed cannot duplicate any existing Power, Talent, Advantage, or Adder (such as non-combat movement multipliers).
The GM may choose to cap the level of any build for their campaign.

Cost: 1 Point Per Step Down The Time Chart

Sample Builds


Lightning Calculator (3 Points, x100 Speed): The character can perform mathematical operations quickly in his head that normally would require a long time with paper and pencil.
Instant Change (Zero Phase Action)

Simple Costume (3 Points, Zero Phase): 1 Turn Normally
Normal Clothing (4 Points, Zero Phase): 1 Minute Normally
Complex Body Armor (5 Points, Zero Phase): 5 Minutes Normally


Cramming (3 Points, 6 Hours): The character acquires Familiarity (8-) with any non-combat skill through several hours of study. This requires access to a library or teacher. Unless character points are spent to make a leaned skill permanent, it will be lost once the character starts cramming for another skill. (1 Month Normally)
Data Search (4 Points, 5 Minutes): The character can quickly sift through vast amounts of data, in a library or on a computer database, looking for specific information. (1 Day Normally)
Rapid Rearrange (4 Points, 1 Phase): The character can rapidly move objects around in his close vicinity. All the affected objects must be within a half move of the character, he must be able to lift them with Casual Strength, and they must not actively resist being moved (no skill/combat roll normally required). (5 Minutes Normally)

Concept By: Klaus Mogensen
Posted here for easy reference.

- Christopher Mullins

[Vulcan]

Can we apply it to REC to take Regneration out of healing? Even at 5x the cost it would be worth it to not hear the '5E Regen sucks' crowd complain.:D

[Sociotard]

This sounds like rapid. Only not quite as powerful. 3 points for 10 times as fast vs. 1 point for 1 increment down the time chart? How much of a factor is the average on the time chart.
5 turns in a minute
5 one minute periods in five minutes
4 five minute periods in twenty minutes
3 twenty minute periods in one hour
6 hours in a six hour period
4 six-hour periods in a day
7 days in a week
4.36 weeks in a month
3 months in a season
4 seasons in a year.

So on average each increment is a factor of 4.5, so 3 points of your "lightning speed" varient equal a factor of 4.5^3=91.13, which is . . . wow I was wrong. Your method is actually much more powerful than "rapid".

whether that's good or bad, you decide.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Suggestion for an additional restriction: The GM may rule that given tasks require a certain minimum amount of time to perform, or a minimum time to perform in certain conditions, regardless of the amount of Lightning Speed purchased. (Or to word it differently, the GM may cap the amount of Lightning Speed that can be purchased for a given task.)

For example, based on your Data Search example, computers have maximum speeds at which data can be input (keyboard buffers, etc.), and still have a minimum amount of time for the systems involved to find and return the data, etc.

It's a common sense thing, but I think noting it explicitly as a restriction would just make it clear that you can't just pay "x" points and thereby do the impossible, unless it suits the campaign/GM to allow it. :)

[ghost-angel]

The only problem I have is that this explicitly goes against how Talents are currently created: With Powers.

Seems the Rapid Modifier could use some expansion instead.

[schir1964]

I've notified Klaus so he can answer the questions posed here. I've added the GM Cap restriction that Derek suggested.

- Christopher Mullins

[Klaus Mogensen]

Can we apply it to REC to take Regneration out of healing? Even at 5x the cost it would be worth it to not hear the '5E Regen sucks' crowd complain.:D
I'm thinking it could replace the current version of Regeneration.

- Klaus

[Hugh Neilson]

I think this probably needs a gradation of cost if it's to be applied beyond the initial suggestion. I think the initial suggestion is excellent. An ability that essentially allows, at a reasonable cost, mundane tasks to be sped up. This is a common ability in source material, whether it be a Speedster cleaning up a house in seconds, a Sci Fi genius computing hyperspace coordinates in his head, a modern adventure hacker who can break any system in under a minute or a fantasy thief who can open a lock in seconds.

But when applied to other effects, such as healing, it is much more powerful. I like a starting point of 1 point for mundane tasks with no material combat effect. If it's to have more complex and powerful implications, it should cost more. That could be Regeneration, our Speedster removing the weapons from every VIPER agent in the house in a single phase, that genius calculating the frequency of the enemy's shields and bypassing them, our hacker removing the villain's control of his Death Ray Satellite or that fantasy thief who slips behind an opponent for a surprise attack in seconds.

[schir1964]

I think this probably needs a gradation of cost if it's to be applied beyond the initial suggestion. I think the initial suggestion is excellent. An ability that essentially allows, at a reasonable cost, mundane tasks to be sped up. This is a common ability in source material, whether it be a Speedster cleaning up a house in seconds, a Sci Fi genius computing hyperspace coordinates in his head, a modern adventure hacker who can break any system in under a minute or a fantasy thief who can open a lock in seconds.

But when applied to other effects, such as healing, it is much more powerful. I like a starting point of 1 point for mundane tasks with no material combat effect. If it's to have more complex and powerful implications, it should cost more. That could be Regeneration, our Speedster removing the weapons from every VIPER agent in the house in a single phase, that genius calculating the frequency of the enemy's shields and bypassing them, our hacker removing the villain's control of his Death Ray Satellite or that fantasy thief who slips behind an opponent for a surprise attack in seconds.
Perhaps the following:

Combat Tasks: 5 Points Per Step Down The Time Chart

- Christopher Mullins

[Klaus Mogensen]

Can we apply it to REC to take Regneration out of healing? Even at 5x the cost it would be worth it to not hear the '5E Regen sucks' crowd complain.:D
The standard version says 'task' and 'non-combat only', either of which would leave Regeneration out.

However, we could extend the concept to include unconscious actions like sleeping and regenerating. For 3 points, you would only need to sleep ~7 minutes a day (compare this to the 5-point "need not sleep, eat or excrete" life support item).

If Regeneration it capped at once a minute, it would cease to become a combat ability. 7 points to recover BODY once per minute doesn't seem terribly overpowered to me. It won't prevent you from getting killed unless you get involved in a lot of battles between getting healed.

- Klaus

[Klaus Mogensen]

Perhaps the following:

Combat Tasks: 5 Points Per Step Down The Time Chart
I would hesistate allowing that. Could this include STUN recovery? If it includes BODY recovery, why not?

And what about combat actions that normally require a half phase - could you do those as a 0-phase action for 5 points? Can full-phase actions like recovering from being stunned become ½-phase actions for 5 points?

I think this opens a very big can of worms. It will require very careful thinking to implement, not to mention a very big 'STOP' sign.

- Klaus

[schir1964]

I would hesistate allowing that. Could this include STUN recovery? If it includes BODY recovery, why not?

And what about combat actions that normally require a half phase - could you do those as a 0-phase action for 5 points? Can full-phase actions like recovering from being stunned become ½-phase actions for 5 points?

I think this opens a very big can of worms. It will require very careful thinking to implement, not to mention a very big 'STOP' sign.

- Klaus
I was only suggesting a cost value.
If there needs to be restrictions and a Stop Sign attributed to it, so be it.

- Christopher Mullins

[Hugh Neilson]

I would hesistate allowing that. Could this include STUN recovery? If it includes BODY recovery, why not?

And what about combat actions that normally require a half phase - could you do those as a 0-phase action for 5 points? Can full-phase actions like recovering from being stunned become ½-phase actions for 5 points?

I think this opens a very big can of worms. It will require very careful thinking to implement, not to mention a very big 'STOP' sign.

I think this is a mechanic best left to actions which will have no, or at best a very minor, impact on combat, much like base level Change Environment, with even less combat impact as its cost would justify. Expanding its role beyond this seeks to apply the mechanic beyond its mandate and, as Klaus points out, carries very broad implications which must be seriously considered.

If you buy Recovery down to 1/segment, does this not only mean you recover once per segment in combat, but that it overrides the "-75 STUN - you're at GM's option" rule, preventing any effective means of keeping a character down? Sure, we can impose restrictions like "does not work on STUN recovery" or "a minute is the lowest possible increment", but the former creates a system fraught with exceptions and the latter either does the same or removes many of the uses of the mechanic as much of what has already been described WOULD be accomplished in less than a minute.

[schir1964]

I tend to agree with Hugh. As a mechanic I would leave it as non-combat tasks only.

- Christopher Mullins

[Vulcan]

The standard version says 'task' and 'non-combat only', either of which would leave Regeneration out.

However, we could extend the concept to include unconscious actions like sleeping and regenerating. For 3 points, you would only need to sleep ~7 minutes a day (compare this to the 5-point "need not sleep, eat or excrete" life support item).

If Regeneration it capped at once a minute, it would cease to become a combat ability. 7 points to recover BODY once per minute doesn't seem terribly overpowered to me. It won't prevent you from getting killed unless you get involved in a lot of battles between getting healed.

- Klaus

True, I suppose the GM would have to decide whether or not to allow REC in BODY/turn based on whatever campaign restrictions he has in mind. I was just looking at it from the point of view of the REC 30 regenerating Brick concept for Champions.

[CTaylor]

I like what I see so far, and of all the "new power" ideas, this is one of the best concepts. It would cover both of the ugh powers of 5th edition - regen and instant change - and would make a lot of speedster tricks a lot easier to build.

Change Environment is probably the best model for this: it can have a minor impact on combat at most, but should be primarily non-combat busywork or activity. I'd include healing in that, since this seems tailor made for regeneration and healing technically isn't a combat ability.

All that's lacking is a good conceptual definition of the power that helps people build and define the limits of what it can and cannot do.

[ghost-angel]

If this concept were to go any further... I would model it off of the Increase Re-Use Time Advantage and start to unify/expand existing Mechanics instead of overloading the system with new ones.

[Sean Waters]

Presumably the way we could do 'speed tasks' at present is with a change environment, so you can reorganise your CD collection, type a 200 page manuscript and paint a portrait of Auntie Ethel in, well, however long it takes you to activate your change environment power.

Obviously it would have no combat applications (well, maybe very minor and incidental ones) and requires a bit of free thinking.

A 'speed up what normally takes a while' power seems fraught witht he possibility of misunderstanding though. Sure you could use it for a form of instant change, and you could use it for a form of regeneration as well as paining Auntie Ethel, but that does seem like you are building something that is a collection of special cases rather than a unified power. I can change my clothes so fast you can't see me do it, so why can't I do other things so fast you can't see me do it, like hit you upside the head (whatever that means)?

That's rhetorical, the last bit.

[Vulcan]

I would say that unless the 'sped-up' capability was invisible, then you can be seen to be doing it, and doing it faster. After all, how many comic book characters have to run for the restroom to change - even the ones with instant change - to prevent someone from seeing it?

Perhaps 'Invisible' on Lighning Speed makes you look like you're not moving any faster. Which would be appropriate for luck-type searching applications - "I just happen to pick up the right book, and it opens to the right page" kinda things.

[Sean Waters]

I would say that unless the 'sped-up' capability was invisible, then you can be seen to be doing it, and doing it faster. After all, how many comic book characters have to run for the restroom to change - even the ones with instant change - to prevent someone from seeing it?

Perhaps 'Invisible' on Lighning Speed makes you look like you're not moving any faster. Which would be appropriate for luck-type searching applications - "I just happen to pick up the right book, and it opens to the right page" kinda things.


This is a good point - we probably should not be building powers that cater to a specific sfx, but rather general abilities we can assign sfx to.