Mage Wards - Do I need Triggers on Defensive Powers with Charges?

[Harkkon]

Hello All,

I am making an NPC Super Mage villain for my campaign and I want to give him Mage Wards. Specifically Mental Defense and Power Defense with 4 charges each. The concept is he resets his spell wards in the morning. Once they have been used 4 times they don't work any more until they are reset the following morning. So do I need to but the Trigger advantage on these Mage Wards for them go off when attacked with a Mental or Adjustment power or can I just assume the first 4 (X2) attacks of the day set the wards off.

Thanks for any input.

Harkkon

[ghost-angel]

You will need Trigger as adding Charges to a Power makes it an Instant Power.

Either the mage can attempt to Abort to active the now Instant Defense; or have a Trigger on the Power so they go off when needed.

[CalumX]

I don't see anything in the rules that says adding Charges to a Constant power makes it Instant.

What it does say, is that a charge lasts, at most, one Phase. (if you want longer, you need continuing charges).

So, I think this would work fine with 4 charges.

[Tasha]

6e1 pg 369 Continuing Charges "Charges normally last for, at most a character's Phase."

Not quite instant, but close enough. That's why there is the Continuing Charges Option for charges so you can have them work longer. Though this power doesn't need Continuing charges.

With the Charges, I would say that it does require a Trigger that automatically resets. If the Wards use a charge as soon as they absorb a spell you might also get a slight limitation as well seeing as it would normally last for a full phase (ie one charge would protect the Mage till the Mage's next phase, no matter how many attacks hit the ward). So it might be worth a 1/4 limit depending on how common drains and mental powers are in the campaign (no limit if both powers are rare, perhaps higher if the powers are very common)

Tasha

[Sean Waters]

Hmm. Sometimes what can LOOK like the right tool isn't. I have some pretty major issues with 'charges' because they try to do too much - they include a number of limitations but also some advantages (like not costing END automatically).

Also I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that a trigger activated by <an opponent making a successful roll to hit> is frowned upon.

Rather than use a trigger, or, for that matter, charges, what we have here, if I'm getting it, is mental and power defence that only works four times a day.

Well:

Spell Wards Mental Defence 20 points (20 active)
Stops working after four attacks, can not be reactivated until next day (-1)
10 Real

and the same thing for Power Defence.

This way the defences are always on until attacked.

Now the value of 'only works 4 times' may well depend on how common mental and power attacks are in the game you are playing, but even if they are uncommon I'd imagine that you'd get at least -1/4, which would cost 16 points, or -1/2 which would cost 13 points - both cheaper than 4 charges + a trigger:

Mental Defense (20 points total), Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action to reset; +3/4) (35 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1) 35 active 17 real

HERO has so many options that you often think all the bases must be covered but that ain't necessarily so - I use 'Limited Power' more than any other limitation.