Jump to content

Multipower


Marvelfan007

Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...

Special powers need GM's permission to be put into a Multipower in part because a Multipower is very versatile and meant to represent a specific mechanism, and some powers either make no sense in a Multipower for that character, or are potentially game unbalancing. But then, special powers need GM's permission anyway, and a GM has final say on the build allowed in any campaign too, so it's not a big deal.

 

Would you allow Regeneration and RKA (gun) in the same Multipower, for example?

 

They share no common special effect for most character concepts (except perhaps a character like 'Gun Moll' who literally sweats bullets and can pull a gun out of her own flesh that instantly forms a barrel, trigger, stock etc.)  So sure, the special case of Gun Moll might have a reasonable special effect for those two powers in the same Multipower. But she'd have no reason to also have Telepathy in the pool. And while Gun Moll might be a robot who Takes No Stun, there's no reason to allow Takes No Stun into the Multipower at all. Either you do, or you don't take stun from attacks.

 

Likewise, because Frameworks give structural advantage, they aren't intended to be combined to stack structural advantage, as that's getting advantages for points spent from the same source, a form of double-dipping. Also, you can't stack two different powers in the same Framework to get a larger power than the total of the Framework reserve: two 30-point EB's in a 30-pt reserve can't be added together to make a single 60-pt attack from it, as the reserve limit is meant to reflect the overall power of the powers it contains. Likewise, two attacks from different pools can't stack that way either, and there are specific rules about powers that adjust pools, all for the sake of balancing the math and fairness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's not a Utility Belt!

 

This is a Utility Belt

from - http://www.herocentral.net/get/files/premium/Bruce+Wayne+6e+400.HTML

 

46 The Utility Belt: Variable Power Pool (Gadget Pool), 30 base + 30 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (2 or more slots with a combined Real Cost of 30 Real Points can be active at any one time; +1/2), No Skill Roll Required (+1) (67 Active Points); Limited Class of Powers (Gadgets) Operates like a Multipower with a Dozen or so different slots ALL with the Extra Time (Half Phase) to Activate Limitation (The specific set of slots carried at any one time can be swapped out at the Batcave; -1/2); all slots Restrainable (Must be able to reach individual compartments; -1/2), IIF (The Belt is IIF (worn) Individual active slots are IIF at a minimum but can be OAF, OIF or IAF (in hand); -1/4)
[Notes: This is just a small sampling of what is typically carried.  For inspiration to create more slots see the example Utility Belt Multipower in the Hero System Equipment Guide (6e) on pages 186-187.]
0 1) Batarangs: Blast 6d6 (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Beam (-1/4), 2 clips of 6 Recoverable Charges (-0) Real Cost: 10
[Notes: Up to 8d6 with Batarang Fu Basic Shot.] - END=[6 rc]
0 2) Taser Knuckles: Hand-To-Hand Attack (vs. Energy Defense) +6d6 (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4), 4 clips of 8 Charges (-0) Real Cost: 13 [Notes: Up to 12d6 with Bat Fu Martial Strike.] - END=[8]
0 3) Flash Pellets: Sight Group Flash 4d6, Area Of Effect (32m Radius Explosion; +1/2) (30 Active Points); IAF (-1/2), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), 16 Charges (-0) Real Cost: 13 - END=[16]
0 4) Batlines: Swinging 30m, x4 Noncombat (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), 4 clips of 12 Recoverable Charges (+1/2) Real Cost: 12 - END=[12 rc]
0 5) Bat Bolas: Entangle 2d6, 4 PD/4 ED (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), 2 clips of 6 Recoverable Charges (-0) Real Cost: 12 - END=[6 rc]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, if the Regeneration was based on nanite technology and the gun was the means of introducing those nanites into someone that needed to be healed. :P

 

Crazy power I saw once, 1d6 RKA & 3d6 Heal, Roulette Bullet. There were some advantages/limitations added so you couldn't get the healing without being fully vulnerable to the RKA. Roll a six and three ones, not happy times. Roll a one and three sixes, happy indeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

How to build a multipower?

 

Let's start with an example I'm working on for my 200 AP Teen Hero who can put on a suit of armor to become a 400 AP Super Infiltrator:

 

15 Multipower Pool 40 AP Linked to Mind Scan (-1/2) Requires A Power Roll (-1/2) Side Effects (Massive Change Environment If Roll Failed; -1/2) Unified Power (-1/4)

 1 u Desolid “Magnetic Resonance Adjustment” [4]

 1 u Ego Attack 4d6 “Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Overload” [4]

 1 u Telepathy 8d6 Language Based (-1/2) Read Only (-1/2) “Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Interpretation” [4]

 1 u TK 20 STR Fine Work Affects Magnetic Objects Only (-1/2) “Magnetic Manipulation” [4]

 1 z Density Increase 40 STR -16m KB +8 PD/ED, 8 Levels Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) OIF Peril Suit (-1/2) “Electrostriction” [4]

 1 z EB 8d6 OIF Peril Suit (-1/2) “Electromagnetic Bolt” [4]

 

Start by choosing all the powers you want in the Multipower Pool, and decide the right level for them.

 

Teen Heroes are limited to 40 AP attacks, with rare exceptions, and all powers are meant to be heavily limited or difficult to use in some way. Since Magneceptor (the name the character goes by in super school) is a highly skilled-based character with electromagnetic powers and inventive uses for them -- think Magneto Jr. merged with Tony Stark Jr. -- the limitations Requires a Roll and Side Effects seem to fit.

 

Also, since he's pretty new to his developing powers and they pretty much all come from his single electromagnetic affinity, they're further limited by Unified Power, as those powers outside his Multipower can be adversely affected, and pretty severely, too when the Multipower is drained or otherwise adversely affected, plus every 10 points of any Unified Power adds to the difficulty of the skill roll. As a final way to restrict the character, he has a No Range Mind Scan with a special effect of an immense electromagnetic field centered on himself that his powers only work within while he maintains.

 

This brings the cost of the Multipower down, but every power in it suffers these limitations. Because of the special effects, it makes sense to even more narrowly restrict the Telepathy as a skill at reading brain scans related to electromagnetic senses, so Magneceptor is more limited than an ordinary psychic with psionic special effects.

 

Two of his powers, the signature abilities of Magneceptor's infiltrator alter-ego, the villainous Perul, lightning-like bolts and superdense electrostriction to anchor and amplify his body's strength, are only available in the Peril Suit, a menacing and huge looming winged carapace assembled and controlled by magnetism. The Perul powers in the Multipower share special effect and are closely related to the other powers, but are even more restricted because they only work in the OIF.

 

These powers all share the same point cost -- 40 AP -- but some have different Real point costs.

 

Then decide how variable the powers will be. Magneceptor is relatively new to his powers, and the powers in the Multipower are already very broad (covering attack, body modification, defense, and mental), so it is both more sensible for the powers to be 'ultra' slots (signified by 'u' or 'z' for Magneceptor and Perul's powers) and fairer balance. Variable slots could allow much more flexibility in game play eventually, so Perul could have his DI partially active while making smaller Ego Attacks, for example. In the long run, the character may spend points on that change, to reflect improving skill and control over his powers.

 

That's pretty much all there is to Multipowers.

 

As a GM, I'd emphasize that powers should be related in the same Multipower, because there is so much benefit to being able to get so many powers all together at this discount, and most attacks cannot be used at the same time in any case, so this is a fair restriction. However, the relationship could be as little as 'Utility Belt', with the relationship of the powers being that they are all OAF Fragile devices built by the character's own technologist contacts that fit in pouches on a belt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, i have a hard time understanding multipower myself.

 

I don't really know how to create one, and do they really all have to be related powers?

 

There are two general uses for multi-powers

------------------

 

1. the action economy multi-power

his multi-power is usually used to hold several different varieties of attack powers.  As you can really only use one sort of attack power at once, you really shouldn't be buying all your different attack powers separately.

 

Example:

Armor guy has a whole lot of different guns, chainsaws, grenade launchers, and so on strapped to his armor.  This means that he should have several different choices of what to shoot at you with.  So we make him a multipower with several 'ultra' (or 'fixed', which I think is the more current term) slots with attack powers with different advantages and/or limitations on them.

 

The power pool of the multi-power is generally only enough to run one power at the time.

 

So specifically, something like:

60 point multipower

grenade launcher: 8d6 blast with AOE

chainsaw: 4d6 HKA

Sonic disabler 6d6 blast, NND hearing flash defense

ec

 

----------------

 

2. Unified power pool muli-power

 

This multipower setup is usually used to represent powers that draw all draw their energy from a single source, and there isn't enough energy to run every power at maximum at once.

 

Example: telekinesis guy uses his TK to attack things at range, provide telekinetic force fields, and fly.  But if, for example, he's running both a force field and attacking at once, he doesn't reall have enough power to fly left over.

 

The power pool for this multi-power is usually pretty big, as it's supposed to be able to provide points for several PC power level things at once.

And because you are going to be running things at different levels of points, the powers all have to be 'multi' or 'variable' slots.

 

So specifically, something like:

110 point multipower

60 point blast

60 point force field

60 points of flight

 

So, for example, you can run 50 points of blast, 50 points of force field, and 10 points of fight all at once.

 

So why doesn't this multi-power have 100 points of blast, after all, that would only cost a few character points more?

That's because the maximum number of active points in a power is still limited by your campaign limits.  you are 'allowed'  to have a 110 point pool multi-power in a 60 active point limit game, but you can't have powers in your multi-power that are over 60 points.

 

-------------------

 

Next, you'll notice that a multi-power is a large number of slots looks a lot like a varible point power pool.  In fact, a VPP might turn out to be cheaper. 

 

The  point at which you should swap out your multi-power for a VPP is somewhere around 8 or so slots.

 

Note that VPPS should probably be written on your character sheet more like an infinite multi-power, with several different options on what you could do with your VVP already figured out ahead of time.  This saves everyone a lot of headaches at the table, as you aren't busy figuring out the math for the powers you want to fit into your VPP which they are waiting for your turn to be done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Multipower

Multi Slots (Limits Charactet to Active Points to Multiple Powers)

vs

Ultra Slots (Limits Character to One Power at a time.

 

Limitations applied to Multipower Active Points

vs

Limitations applied to Individual Powers

 

 

More later

 

 

QM

An Ultra slot does not limit you to one power at a time. Ultra slot powers just take their full points from the pool no matter what level of effect you use them at. So, being limited to one power at a time would be an effect of how you built the specific powers and the size of the pool.

 

Side note for anyone confused: QM references Multi and Ultra slots which is 5E (and earlier). 6E refers to these as Variable and Fixed slots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, i have a hard time understanding multipower myself.

 

I don't really know how to create one, and do they really all have to be related powers?

 

A disclaimer -- I still play 5th edition, so things might have changed a bit in 6th.

 

A Multipower is a Power Framework, or a particular way to buy Powers.  It isn't a Power in and of itself.  A Multipower itself does nothing.  It is a way of purchasing Powers at a (potentially) reduced cost, by limiting the way they are used.  For instance:

 

Suppose I have Captain Fallout, a superhero who was bathed in radiation in a lab accident, who can now fly, project a force field, and shoot blasts of energy from his hands.  I decide that I want Captain Fallout to have 20" of Flight, a 20/20 Force Field, and a 12D6 Energy Blast.  If I want Captain Fallout to be able to use all these powers at the same time, then there's probably not much reason for me to give him a Multipower.  I should just buy his 3 different Powers separately, at full price (40 points, 40 points, and 60 points, respectively).

 

However, let's say that Captain Fallout has two different levels of attack with his radiation blast.  The first is a 12D6 Flash vs Sight -- he emits a blinding blast of light.  The second is a hard radiation attack -- 12D6 Energy Blast.  If I buy those two Powers separately, then Captain Fallout can shoot you with both those abilities at the same time.  In fact, other than the Endurance cost, there's little reason for him to not do that.  Well I don't want him to operate that way, I want him to shoot one or the other.  That's when a Multipower is best.  First, I buy my Multipower pool, which is at least the cost of the most expensive power in the framework.  In this case, we are using two different 60 point powers.  So it's 60 points for the Multipower.  Then, I buy the individual slots.  I'll take a 12D6 Flash and a 12D6 Energy Blast.  When I pick the slots, I decide whether they'll be Multi slots or Ultra slots.  If it's a Multi slot, then I can pick how much of the power I use (up to the full amount) each time I use it.  If it's an Ultra slot, then the amount I use is selected when I purchase it, and it uses up that amount of the Framework every time.  Multi slots cost 1 for every 5 points, Ultra slots cost 1 for every 10.

 

So Captain Fallout buys a 60 point Multipower.  I want him to be able to mix and match his attacks.  So I may want him to be able to throw a 12D6 Energy Blast one phase, and then next phase he throws an 8D6 Energy Blast and a 4D6 Flash.  And then the phase after that, he throws a 6D6 Energy Blast and a 6D6 Flash.  So I buy two Mutli slots, one for the EB and one for the Flash.  So the cost will be -- 60 points for the pool that the two Powers share, plus 12 points for the Energy Blast slot, and 12 points for the Flash slot.  So in total, I'm spending (60+12+12) 84 points.  For those 84 points, I can shoot a 12D6 Energy Blast, a 12D6 Flash, or any combination of the two, adding up to 60 total points.  If I just wanted to use just Energy Blast or Flash, no combination of them allowed, I could make them Ultra slots.  Then it would cost 60 points for the pool, +6 for the Energy Blast slot and +6 for the Flash slot.  But then I can't mix and match them.

 

You can buy a larger "pool" of points than any one Power in the Multipower.  So I could have an 80 point pool, with say 4 different 40 point powers.  I could use any combination of them, up to 80 points.  So let's say I've got:

 

Ghost Powers Multipower -- 80 points

--Desolidification -- 40 points from the pool -- Ultra slot -- 4 points cost

--20/20 Force Field "ghostly form" -- 40 points from the pool -- Ultra slot --  4 points cost

--20" Flight "ghostly hovering" -- 40 points from the pool -- Ultra slot -- 4 points cost

--8D6 Energy Blast "ghostly touch", No Range (-1/2) -- 40 points from the pool -- Ultra slot -- 3 points cost

 

In this instance, you've got 4 separate powers, and you can use any two of them at one time.  The idea is that your attack (the Energy Blast) isn't really usable at the same time as your Desolidification, since you can't attack anyone when you are Desolid anyway (without the +2 "affects real world" advantage, which you don't have).  So you're only really going to use one of them at a time.  So you'll probably use your Desolid and your Flight together, so you can float around and fly through walls.  Or... if you're really worried that some jerk Ghostbusters are going to show up with an Affects Desolid attack, you can have a 20/20 Force Field up at the same time as your Desolid, but then you can't fly.  Or... you can fly and use your ghostly touch Energy Blast, but then you don't have a Force Field and you aren't Desolid.  Or... you can use your Energy Blast and your Force Field but you can't fly.  Note in the above example, the Energy Blast has a limitation on it, reducing its cost.  Since only the Energy Blast has this limitation, only the slot gets the cost break.  For the Multipower pool to get the cost break as well, every slot in it has to have the same limitation.  So if your ghost powers all Cost x2 Endurance (-1/2 limitation), then the cost of the pool would be 53 points, and the slots costs would be 3, 3, 3, and 2, respectively (2 points because the EB still has the No Range lim, for a total of -1).

 

A Multipower does NOT require a tight set of effects.  It doesn't have to be "ghost powers" or "radiation powers" or anything like that.  It is usually in good taste for them to have a similar theme, but isn't strictly necessary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for your reply and help.

 

So, I have a character in mind that has the ability of matter manipulation from the old DC Heroes RPG.

 

In short, it allows him to arrange pre existing matter into any real world object he wants, a lot like Firestorm the Nuclear Man.

 

BUT the difference is, he can create both complex electronic technology and simple tech nology, such as ox carts and wagons. He can not create items that are fictional found in works of fiction. Silver or copper in contact with his skin will negate the use of his power but he will be able to use his power again when the silve and or copper is no longer in contact with his skin. The maximum amount of matter he can create at a time is ten cubic feet of matter.

 

Would that work as a multipower? Or would it be better off as the power of Transform?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...