Damage shield staying on

[Chaosliege]

Steve, forgive me if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find it in the FAQ or another post here.

In order to aply the Damge Shield advantage the power must be bought as continuous or 0 END/Persistant. In my case, I wanted the power to be 0 END so it was cheaper to add the Persistant advantage rather than Continuous. But I want the character to have to actively control the power, so if he's knocked out, the power shuts of. I could put Concentration/required throughout use of constant power at -1/2, but that isn't the effect I'm looking for. Could I put a limitation on the power that defines this? If so, would -1/4 be the apropriate limitation value?

Thanks

[Steve Long]

First, there’s an unspoken assumption in your question that I should address. You mention applying Damage Shield to a Persistent Power. The rule as written doesn’t mention Persistent; it says only that the power must be Constant (either inherently, or because Continuous has been applied). As the text on 5E 165 notes regarding Persistent, GMs should be wary of Persistent Attack Powers, due to the potential game balance problems they pose. The one relevant published example I can think of offhand, Feuermacher’s “Fiery Form” power, has both Continuous and Persistent. Therefore, as a default rule, if a character wants to have a Persistent Damage Shield, he still has to make it Continuous if the power’s not inherently Constant. However, the GM may waive this rule if he thinks doing so won’t cause game balance problems.

Now, moving on to your question, it seems to me that the solution is that you should make the power Constant (Continuous), not Persistent. What you’re describing is the way a Constant power works, not the way a Persistent power works. Applying Persistent simply because “it’s cheaper” and then trying to back-door your way to a Constant-like effect really isn’t proper. Just apply Continuous.