Favorite "Cheap" Powers

[g3taso]

I love the megascale teleport, the +240d6 Hand Attack and the other "big gun" abilities people come up with. What about the little guys? You know, the 30 Active Point,  20 or less Real Point powers?   I never hear about them. Frankly, except for the slugfest they are probably "everyday" go-to powers.  

 

Teleportation 10" (20 Active Points); Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4), no Noncombat movement (-1/4)

Here's an excellent example.  It could be magic, stealthy movement, bat-man shenanigans or whatever that gets you where you need to go.

 

Without specifying how "cheap" cheap powers are, what are your favorite low-dollar useful abiltiies you use regularly?

[Lord Liaden]

Perk: Money.

 

"What are your super-powers again?"

 

"I'm rich."

[g3taso]

That's it!   Probably more also (grin), but I gotta admit it's a damned handy power to have....

[Lucius]

 

No Ganging up on Me: (Total: 25 Active Cost, 17 Real Cost) Defense Maneuver I-IV (Real Cost: 10) plus Cannot Be Stunned (15 Active Points); Limited Power Only vs coordinated attacks (-1), Linked (Defense Maneuver; -1/4) (Real Cost: 7)

 

Fast Healing: (Total: 4 Active Cost, 1 Real Cost) Regeneration (1 BODY per Day) (4 Active Points); 6 Charges which Recover every 1 Week (-1 1/4), Requires A Roll (Characteristic roll; Jammed; CON; -1) (Real Cost: 1)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Bargain Basement Palindromedary

[IndianaJoe3]

Life Support: Reduced Need To Sleep (8 hours/week, usually rephrased as 1 hour/night)

[Surrealone]

Eidetic Memory - pay 5 points not to take notes in real life; now it's the GM's problem to remember stuff.

[Cantriped]

I never get to play, so I don't have any abilities I 'use regularly'. However, one of my favorite 'cheap' powers is:

Hearthstone:  Extra-Dimensional Movement (Any Location In The Same Dimension), Zero END (+½) (37 APs); Only To Floating Fixed Locations (-½), OAF (-1), Delayed Re-Use (1 Hour; -1½) plus 1 Floating Fixed Location (5 APs); OAF (-1), Delayed Re-Use (1 Hour; -1½). ​Total Cost:  10 points.

 

Fast Healing: (Total: 4 Active Cost, 1 Real Cost) Regeneration (1 BODY per Day) (4 Active Points); 6 Charges which Recover every 1 Week (-1 1/4), Requires A Roll (Characteristic roll; Jammed; CON; -1) (Real Cost: 1)

That Fast Healing power doesn't function:

Non-Continuous Charges only last one Phase, and that Regeneration Power needs to be active for 1 Day to benefit you. Also having 6 Charges per week, even continuous charges that last the 1 Day necessary to benefit you, aren't enough of a limitation to be worth points considering that power could have only restored 7 BODY otherwise.

[Lucius]

That Fast Healing power doesn't function:

Non-Continuous Charges only last one Phase, and that Regeneration Power needs to be active for 1 Day to benefit you. Also having 6 Charges per week, even continuous charges that last the 1 Day necessary to benefit you, aren't enough of a limitation to be worth points considering that power could have only restored 7 BODY otherwise.

Think again.

 

If a character takes Charges for

Regeneration, the Regeneration period begins

running when he uses a Charge. For example,

if he has Regeneration (2 BODY per Turn) and

uses a Charge on his Phase in Segment 4, he’ll

Regenerate that next Post-Segment 12; if he has

Regeneration (2 BODY per Week), he’ll Regenerate

2 BODY at the end of that week (or, if the

GM prefers, one week from when he uses the

Charge). He cannot use another Charge until he

Regenerates

Also note that the power can "jam." That's not 6 times a week the character regenerates, that's 6 times a week the character may attempt (not necessarily successfully) to regenerate.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says we're talkin' 'bout my reg-g-g-generation

[g3taso]

Eidetic Memory - pay 5 points not to take notes in real life; now it's the GM's problem to remember stuff.

We have an OCD player who keeps a dedicated notebook. Three years of NPCs, plot and so forth.  

[Durzan Malakim]

I've gotten some good usage out of 2d6 of luck. Obviously it's not dependable, but sometimes being lucky is better than being talented.

[Marcus Impudite]

Money: Filthy Rich with a side order of Fringe Benefit: Head Of State.

[Steve]

I've gotten some good usage out of 2d6 of luck. Obviously it's not dependable, but sometimes being lucky is better than being talented.

Luck is an under-rated ability.

[Cantriped]

Think again.

 

That is such a strange and specific exception. So per RAW you could legally buy Regeneration (1 BODY per Day) (4 APs), take 1 Charge (-2), and pay just 1 CP for 4 APs worth of Regeneration without ever actually being limited by the modifier. Obviously this would be a case where the GM would rule 1 Charge wasn't a limitation, but still. Yet more reasons why I prefer CC/FHC to the clusterfuck that was 6th edition; they omit all those ridiculously specific and contradictory exceptions. I suppose it is more accurate then to say that that power wouldn't function in CC/FHC.

 

I didn't comment on the Requires A CON Roll (Jammed) because it's unlikely to come up, anybody cheesing such a power up likely has a stupidly high CON. So their chance of failing is likely 10% or less, and few adventures are going to last long enough to be making multiple rolls or be terribly inconvenienced by the power Jamming.

 

Really though I'd much rather just pay the 4 CP to have regeneration that actually works as advertised (or better yet 8 CP for regeneration per hour, which ensures I am always back to full BODY in a day or two).

[Hyper-Man]

That is such a strange and specific exception. So per RAW you could legally buy Regeneration (1 BODY per Day) (4 APs), take 1 Charge (-2), and pay just 1 CP for 4 APs worth of Regeneration without ever actually being limited by the modifier. Obviously this would be a case where the GM would rule 1 Charge wasn't a limitation, but still. Yet more reasons why I prefer CC/FHC to the clusterfuck that was 6th edition; they omit all those ridiculously specific and contradictory exceptions. I suppose it is more accurate then to say that that power wouldn't function in CC/FHC.

 

I didn't comment on the Requires A CON Roll (Jammed) because it's unlikely to come up, anybody cheesing such a power up likely has a stupidly high CON. So their chance of failing is likely 10% or less, and few adventures are going to last long enough to be making multiple rolls or be terribly inconvenienced by the power Jamming.

 

Really though I'd much rather just pay the 4 CP to have regeneration that actually works as advertised (or better yet 8 CP for regeneration per hour, which ensures I am always back to full BODY in a day or two).

 

I understand the frustration.  I asked Steve a rules question 10 years ago regarding what I still think is a legal and functional build that received a very odd response.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/50410-re-regeneration-ubo-with-differing-modifiers-followup/

and here is the original thread: http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/50375-regeneration-as-a-spell/

 

HM

[Lucius]

Really though I'd much rather just pay the 4 CP to have regeneration that actually works as advertised (or better yet 8 CP for regeneration per hour, which ensures I am always back to full BODY in a day or two).

I didn't write it for Wolverine. I wrote it for heroic level characters who might be hardy barbarians or action/adventure tough guys or otherwise resilient adventurer types who recover from injuries faster than might be realistic but not so fast as to be obviously miraculous or some kind of comic book "mutant."

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says we're not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation

[DasBroot]

30/20 is NOT a little power, in my opinion...

 

Desperate strength:  +30 STR (30 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2) RC 10

 

"It's over Prime."

 

"Never!" *Star Trek hammer blow*

[BoloOfEarth]

For a mage PC in my game, I suggested the following:

 

12   Movement Spells:  Multipower (12 points)

1f       Running +8m (20m total), 0 END (+1/2)

1f       Leaping +16m (20m total), 0 END (+1/2)

1f       Swimming +16m (20m total), 0 END (+1/2)

1f       Flight 12m (1 END)

1f       Teleportation 12m (1 END)

 

An armored heroine's gadget pool includes:

 

(10)  Infrasonic Loudspeaker:  +25 PRE, OIF (-1/2), Usable only for Presence Attacks (-1)

 

In Digital Hero #23, Dave Mattingly had a list of over 50 1-point "Knacks" such as Poker Face (Acting, only to conceal emotions) and Never Forgets a Face (Eidetic Memory, Only to remember faces).

 

Dark Champions (5E) had some great Super-Skills.  I particularly liked I'll Be There in Five Minutes:  Teleportation, Megascale, Extra Time (5 minutes), Must cross intervening space, plus a few other Limitations.  A great "talent" for a cabbie or reporter.

[Matt the Bruins]

Here's a fun one I came up with for my Super Model character to after some advice and tinkering from fellow posters:

 

Turn Every Head: Change Environment, -3 to Normal Sight PER Rolls, Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +3/4), Constant (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/4); Always On (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Only Works On Men (-1), Unified Power (with Striking Appearance; -1/4) (18 Active Points, Real Cost 6)

[dsatow]

My list:

1. Wealth - I've always thought it was too powerful.
2. +30 PRE
3. Extra Limb with variable special effect and ambidexterity
4. Vehicle Power Armor
5. Computer/AI with Skills
6. The mini cosmic Power pool
7. The all Body Barrier
8. Mind Control - Start a Haymaker (which most bricks like to do).

[g3taso]

+2 Overall (20 Active Points)

 

Only To Offset Penalties (­1)

[Surrealone]

2pt Skill Levels with EGO Roll are another favourite, here -- specifically to represent a low-EGO character who is adept at hyper-focusing what willpower s/he has at any given moment in time.

[dsatow]

I just thought of a super twiddly power.  I would never inflict this on a player, but it does seem to be overly effective given how rare impenetrable flash defense is.

 

Sight Group Flash 2d6, Penetrating (+1/2), Constant (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Area Of Effect Accurate (1m Radius; +1/2) (30 Active Points)

[Cantriped]

Penetrating doesn't work for Flash, and this is explicitly mentioned as being the case (see CC 112). Penetrating only applies to effects that are based on the total result of the Effect Roll (such as the STUN of a Normal Attack, or the BODY of a Killing Attack), not effects which are based on counting Normal Damage BODY (such as the BODY of a Normal Attack, or the Duration of a Flash).

[g3taso]

Neat idea though.

[JmOz]

Need to plug it...some day I will be publishing a book full of 30 AP 15RP gadgets....