Multiple Power Attack from a Multi-power with Ultra Slots?

[Strand]

The rules for using Multiple Power attacks brings up Power Frame Works, but not Ultra Slots. That may be enough to say they are not allowed or vague enough to say maybe.

 

My friends in a recent game at first said yes. I have a Mulipower with among other things a zero range EB and Telekinesis. Both are Ultra slots.

At the time when I wanted to use this EB "hand attack" with the TK punch, the GM was okay with it. Later I was told absolutely no. I tried to say that it was in the rules but still No.

 

I just went with it. I'm not a rules lawyer. It does make sense that Ultra Slot powers can't be used because it says you must have enough points to pay for each power. But an Ultra slot has already been paid. 

So, how does this work. Can I use Ultra slotted powers for Multiple Power attacks?

[Lord Liaden]

Per Sixth Edition Book One, page 400, "A character can make a Multiple Attack (6E2 73) with two or more slots in a single Power Framework, provided he has enough reserve/Pool points to allocate to the two or more slots used in the attack simultaneously." All that matters is that the Reserve is large enough to accommodate all slots at once. Being Fixed (or "Ultra" in Fifth Edition or earlier) is not relevant. E.g. if you had two Fixed Slots of 50 AP each, in a Multipower Reserve of 100 AP, you could use them together.

 

If you're using Fifth Edition rules, the complete opposite applies. Per Fifth Edition Revised p. 358, "a character may not combine two or more slots from a single Power Framework as part of a multiple-power attack, even if he has sufficient reserve or base points to use both slots at once." Again, what type of slot it is doesn't matter.

 

In Fifth Edition, all powers in the Multiple Attack/Multiple-Power Attack must be either Ranged or non-Ranged, the two types can't be mixed. That would exclude your specific example regardless of whether or not the Powers are in a Framework, since Telekinesis is Ranged, and you bought your Energy Blast with zero Range. Even if you use Telekinesis against a target right next to you, per the rules it's still a Ranged attack.

 

However, in Sixth Edition, a character can freely mix Ranged, Hand-To-Hand, and/or Mental attacks, as long as all other restrictions don't apply. However, "The GM can forbid any use of Multiple Attack if he feels the proposed attack defies common or dramatic sense, would cause game balance problems, involves incompatible Power Modifiers or special effects, or the like." (6E 1 p. 74)

Edited April 15, 2023 by Lord Liaden

[DShomshak]

LL beat me to it, so I'll just add what Champions Complete says. It's located on p. 152 under "Strike," the term for any basic form of attack -- Ranged, Melee, Mental, whatever.

 

"A character can include multiple forms of Strike attacks into a single Strike, made with a single Attack roll against a single target. This is known as a Combined Attack. For example, a character could simultaneously Blast and Flash an enemy in a Combined Attack. As with Multiple Attacks, the GM should forbid any Combined Attack that he feels defies common or dramatic sense."

 

No mention of Multipower slots at all, so I presume it's the same as in 6th edition.

 

I guess it depends on which edition you and your GM use.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Strand]

Thanks. 

 

[Hugh Neilson]

I felt the 5e prohibition was inappropriate - the 6e model (if you could use the powers at the same time under the framework parameters, they can be used in an MPA) is the better approach, at least in my opinion.