Transform or not Transform?

[Steel Wolf]

Hi Steve!

 

I am new to the boards so I apologise now if something like this has already come up.

 

I am creating a new character for a CHAMPIONS [TM] game and am having a few problems with the mechanics for my conceived powers.

 

My hero uses molecular manipulation/re-arrangement powers; now the problem is he works at a museum as an artifacts restorer, using his powers to rebuild objects at an atomic level. He can not create new items, only restore old/broken ones.

 

Now the question is:

Would the power be built as a Transform and at what level (minor, major, etc)? What sort of Advantages or Limitations would apply?

Or could the power be built as Change Environment (old-to-new) with a limitation on area?

 

Thanks for any advice you can give.

[Steve Long]

Since this is a "how to" more so than a question about the rules, I've moved it to the Discussion board so that anyone who wants can offer ideas and suggestions.

 

What do you think, Herodom Assembled?

[Lord Liaden]

Transform would definitely be one way to go. IMHO the level of the Transform would depend on the degree of change you want the character to be able to affect on the objects. Cosmetic Transform should be enough to restore lost pigments or clean off corrosion or encrusted dust on the surface. Minor Transform should suffice to knit broken fragments back together or fill in holes, so that an artifact that's damaged and unusable but otherwise complete can be made whole and functional. Major Transform should be needed to restore something that's been reduced to pulverized fragments, or to recreate an entire item from only a small piece of the original.

 

Another approach would be using Healing to "heal" the BODY damage done to the object. This is particularly useful if you're using the Object Body Table as a guideline for what any particular artifact may have in the way of a BODY stat. In this case the dice of Healing Power you buy will determine the extent of the damage the character can repair.

 

In either case, you can bring the cost down by Limiting the types of objects these powers can work on (by default they work on pretty much anything). I'd suggest looking at the "Limited Target" options under Transform in the 5E rulebook for guidelines as to how big you want the Limitation to be. In the case of Transform you might want to take the "No Range" Lim as well.

 

I hope that helps. Feel free to post followup questions.

[Ndreare]

A character with 1D6 minor transform for 10 points would be considered beyond valuble to a museme in a case like that.

 

I would certanly build it as transform.

 

(Don't forget transform is inharently cumalative and inanimate objects do not heel back from transform.)

 

Although if you wanted your character to become welthy such as selling gold you do need to buy the "Wealthy/Monney" advantege seperatly in HERO

[Snarf]

I would say that a cosmetic transform would cover anything that isn't combat related, such as museum restorations.

 

As an alternative, you could check out the Power skill. If your character has other molecular construction abilities built as some other power (attacks, summons, whatever) you could you may be able to use a "Molecular Manupulation" power skill to do small tricks, such as small transforms.

[badger3k]

Welcome to the boards!

 

I agree - the easiest way would be the simple 1d6 transform. Since he can only repair objects to their original form, I'd agree that minor is the way to go. Cosmetic might be easier, but if he repairs the items to their original condition, that might chage the functions (in a way - changing a broken pot to a repaired one means it can do more than if he just made it appear as a new broken pot).

 

You need Improved Target Group (+1) and Limited Target (-1/4 inanimate objects). I'd go with a further limitation, only to repair object to good/like-new condition, maybe -1 (?) - I'd make sure the wording was good, otherwise it could be like changing that 1500 year old pot into a brand new pot that looks like the 1500 year old one ("What, the carbon dating says its new!"

 

You could add others if you want (gestures, etc), but those are the big ones.

[Lord Liaden]

Hmm... I'm not sure I would require "Improved Target Group" for this particular Power use. IMO it would be enough to define the result as "Target Into Target In Undamaged State," which is a single result for whatever the Transform affects. The "Limited Target" Limitation on what the Transform will affect should be enough of a defining restriction.

 

At most, I could see buying Improved Target Group to +1/4, but I think +1 is overkill.

[Dust Raven]

I don't think that Improved Target Group is necessary at all, unless the character has the option to "regrow" the object as he sees fit (he could invent the missing link then, by repairing a shattered skeleton into something no one's seen before). If he can't do that, just defining it as "repaired" would be enough.

 

An idea though, does this only apply versus things already past a certain age? Or only to non-living matter? Could he use it on a person? Can he repair broken machinery/vehicles? You might also consider Healing (as suggested above). Personally, I'd buy Healing for the repairs and a Cosmetic Transform to make somethin look new/remove scars afterward.

[badger3k]

Originally posted by Dust Raven

I don't think that Improved Target Group is necessary at all, unless the character has the option to "regrow" the object as he sees fit (he could invent the missing link then, by repairing a shattered skeleton into something no one's seen before). If he can't do that, just defining it as "repaired" would be enough.

 

An idea though, does this only apply versus things already past a certain age? Or only to non-living matter? Could he use it on a person? Can he repair broken machinery/vehicles? You might also consider Healing (as suggested above). Personally, I'd buy Healing for the repairs and a Cosmetic Transform to make somethin look new/remove scars afterward.

 

I put the improved target group since transform is built to work on the premise that the target will be changed into one thing (people into frogs, for example) - change that to "anything into anything" is an option that not all people play with. It's an option to allow the transform to be "any item into the same item but like new", but I figured it would be safest to throw that in so you could have the "same item" be many different items. I tend to allow the "same thing" without the modifer, but I figured to add it in in case.

[JayH]

First time posting, too. Drawing from the earlier posts here's the way I would do it:

 

Restore Artifacts: Minor Transform 1d6 (artifacts into restored artifacts) (10 Active Points); Limited Target (artifacts; -1), No Range (-1/2), Concentration (0 DVC; -1/2). Total cost: 3 points.

 

But here are some options worth considering.

-Remove the Concentration. This makes it easier to use, say if the hero will need to use it alot in combat. No thought required, they just zap the artifact and it starts being restored.

-Requires A PS: Restore Artifacts Roll (-1/4). It seems appropriate to me that the character should know something about what the resulting item is going to end up as. Buying the Professional Skill helps round out the character, but I don't know what you have in mind. The use of a lab, say at the museum, or extra time could be used to improve this role.

-Extra Time. Used with Concentration and RSR makes the work more tedious. How fast can these artifacts be repaired anyway?

-OAF. Maybe a toolkit is required to do a proper job even with molecular manipulation powers.

 

Anyway, just some more thoughts to work from.

[Steel Wolf]

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

After much thought I have decided to go with the Major Transform (15cp/d6).

 

Healing (BODY) did run a close second, after all this is what the power does - restore BODY to a damaged item. But I had to consider, what the power is doing, and has the potential to do. It was not good enough just to consider how the power is used.

 

Minor (or cosmetic) Transform would really only make an item appear newer - cleaning the surface, enhancing colours, removing flaws, etc.

 

Whereas, the power as I have conceived it, allows for an item to be restored (albeit slowly) from only fragments.

 

This makes me ponder a few other questions about Powers and how they are used, for function is not necessarily and indication of potential. Keep an eye out for further posts regarding Powers: SFX vs Function and Funcion vs Use.

[badger3k]

I thought of an interesting point today.

 

Per FH, a piece of parchment has 1 Body, 0 Def. If we have a parchment damaged with age, is that 1/2 Body?

 

And given a normal 8 (or even 10 Str) man, using the 2d6 damagefrom str rule, he might not even do enough body to tear a sheet of paper (double ones).

 

Murphy?

 

Naturally, any GM will just say, you rip the paper, but it's one of those odd things.