I was browsing the Rules Question forum and stumbled across this post: http://www.herogames.com/forums/show...&threadid=6080
Steve didnt go into it too much, but the above question indicates a general misunderstanding of the Powers rules, which I thought I would try to clear up for you.
No BS answer: Its rarely worthwhile pointswize to put limitations on a multipower slot, particularly ultra slots, unless you are dealling with a very high AP MPP. The primary reason to do so is as Steve indicated to corectly model the game effect of the power constructs SFX and the flavor of the character. You'll also save a few points, but the savings will be much reduced because you are already getting a huge point break buying the powers in a MPP as it is.
Aside from that, you seem to misunderstand how Modifiers function.
You have Base Cost. This is how much the base effect of the power costs. If you have no Advantages this is also the Active Points, and if you have no modifiers at all its also the Real Cost. Thus an 8d6 EB has a Base Cost of 40; it is approximately as powerful as any other 40 point power in theory.
Base Cost * Advantages = Active Points. Active Points indicate the true magnitude of a power taking into account extra bennies that make the Power better than a version of the power bought on the same Base Cost. Thus an 8d6 AP EB is 60 AP and is better than just an 8d6 EB, and equivalent to a 12d6 EB.
What this means is that in a MPP, if you want more dice, apply less Advantages. The classic example is 3 otherwise identical slots, one bought 0 END, another 1/2 END, and the last with no advantages at all defined as the same actual attack power, but tunable to either be more powerful (but tiring) or less powerful (but effortless).
Active Points / Limitations= Real Cost. This is the adjusted cost in character points taking into account any modifiers which make the power less effect, less useful, less reliable, etc. It has nothing to do with the strength of the Power; it only has to do with the cost of the power. Think of it as a REBATE for damaged goods and you'll be on track. Frex, if you go to the store to buy a TV, but the only one theyve got left that you like is the floor model -- (unless you are a sucker) you'll pay less for the floor model because it has been used, doesnt have a box, is missing the instructions, whatever; its less good than a new-in-the-box TV, and thus you pay less for it.
You seem to be approaching Power Construction from the Real Cost perspective wherein if you are going to spend X real points then X * Limitations = AP / Advantages = Base Cost possible, which is a valid technique if you have a set number of points you can spend and want to get the most bang for the buck, but doesnt work so well for powers bought through Power Frameworks. For starters, Limitations are a point rebate, and so are Frameworks, and for seconders all 3 Frameworks have built in controls to prevent egregious abuse. The main check & balance for MPPs and one of the checks for VPPs is that the max AP possible in each slot equals the size of the Pool. The only way to make a slot more powerful (ie higher AP) once it has hit the cap is to raise the MPP Pool size first, and then pay to upgrade the slot(s). So you get a big upfront benefit from the MPP, but it is a little costly and more complicated to upgrade it later.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks