Multipower Allocation - Persistent?

[Hugh Neilson]

The rules tell me I can allocate my Multipower reserve as a Zero Phase Action, generally no more than once per phase. However, the rules don't seem to explicitly note whether, once allocated, the points stay allocated.

 

I'm pretty sure if I allocate the reserves to a persistent power (say, resistant defenses), those defenses stick around until I reallocate the points. However, would those defenses remain available if I am knocked out, or if I go to sleep? Can my character have a "default slot" that the points remain allocated to until I change them, or does the reserve sit idle, assigned to no powers until I choose to assign them?

 

For example, he could not allocate reserve points to a Teleportation slot at the beginning of his Phase, make a Half Move with Teleportation, then re-allocate points to his Blast slot and attack with the Blast — having allocated his reserve points once already at the beginning of his Phase, he cannot change that allocation until his next Phase (or unless he Aborts to do so in a later Segment).

This brings another question, with a more obvious answer, to the fore. Having Teleported last phase, so the points are allocated to that slot, could this same character then Teleport a half move in his next phase, reallocate the points to his Blast slot and then attack (he is now only re-allocating once), or does the initial choice to allocate the points to Teleport again this phase count as his one allocation for the phase? The latter seems reasonable, and also suggests points don't remain allocated indefinitely.

 

Assuming the reserve does remain allocated until changed, could a character apply Non-Persistent to the reserve (but not the slots) so the points revert to an "unused" stated (dropping the allocation from Persistent to Constant)? Similarly, if the reserve is nonpersistent by default, could the character apply Persistent to the reserve (but not the slots) so the points remain allocated, but the underlying powers retain their standard duration?

 

I'm starting to think the answer is that the reserve itself is not a "power", so it is neither activated nor deactivated, and the points remain wherever allocated, at least by default (which is the same as a Variable Power Pool). However, I can see the case for both approaches. Is there an official answer?

[Steve Long]

There’s always an official answer.

 

1.  The Multipower reserve points allocated to a slot remain allocated to that slot until changed. They don’t “reset to zero,” “fade away,” or “turn off” — until the character changes them, they continue to allocate to that slot. They may not be of any use (you can’t fire a Blast in your sleep ), but there they stay.

 

2.  When a character uses a slot, that counts as “allocating points to it” for rules purposes, even if he didn’t actively re-assign reserve points to it. So in your example, when the character Teleports, he has in effect allocated points to his Teleportation slot, and thus cannot change it to Blast.

 

3.  With the GM’s permission a character could take Nonpersistent as a Limitation for a Multipower reserve, with the two of them defining at what point the Multipower resets to a completely unallocated reserve unless the character does something. However, unless their definition is likely to actually hinder the character on a regular basis, at most that Limitation’s worth -0.

 

As always, the GM is free to change any of these rules if doing so suits his own personal views or the nature of his campaign.