Charges and powers with lingering effects

[eepjr24]

If you buy a barrier, by default, it sticks around until destroyed, dismissed or the GM says it disappears (6e1, p170):

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A Barrier, once created, is a physical object that remains in existence until destroyed by attacks, the passage of time, or other factors.

Summon also has its own rules for how long it lingers (6e1, p289):

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If the Summoned being ever wins the EGO Roll Versus EGO Roll Contest, the Summoner loses control of it permanently (he can no longer make rolls to control the being). It may flee, attack, return from whence it came, or do whatever else it wishes.

And summon addresses Charges tangentially on 6e1, 291:

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If, for example, a character has a spell that Summons four imps, and the spell has eight Charges, he can only have four imps in existence at once, regardless of how many Charges he uses or has left.

 

These seem to be contradicted by the Charges text (6e1, 367):

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Each Charge normally only lasts for one Phase. Therefore Charges of, say, Change Environment or other Constant Powers aren’t very useful (but see Charges Options, below, regarding Continuing Charges).

 

My guess here is that the intent of the wording above is to lay out the general case for Constant or Persistent powers and not powers that are Instant and have lingering effects such as Barrier, Entangle, Mind Control and Summon? Am I correct on that?

 

- E

[Hugh Neilson]

As I read it, "charges" on Summon means you Summon your four Imps.  That cost a charge.  They stick around as any Summon normally would.  Ditto for a Barrier, or an Entangle, or a Mind Control.

 

Just like a Blast, Drain, Flash or RKA. 

 

Each charge is an activation of the power.  It then has its normal effects.  The Entangle, or Mind Control, or Barrier do not fade away at the end of the phase.  They stick around like any other use of a "fire and forget" power.

 

Just like the target of the Blast stays damaged, the Drain target stays drained, the Flash target stays blind and the RKA target stays injured or dead.

 

The effects of one activation of the power stick around like they normally would.  Change Environment, or Resistant Defense, or Darkness require continued investment of actions and/or END by the user, so each charge represents only one such "investment" by the character.