Power Armor

[mangahunterd]

Ok, I am building a PA character for a game, however I am getting conflicting ways on how to build him. I thought that you bought all the powers seperate with the OIF disadvantage (I am not talking about weapons just things like the armor, flight, str enhancement etc..). One of the other player in my group who has played for a while said I should buy all of those items in an EC. Now frm my understanding this would not be good because If I were knocked unconscious all those powers would shut down unless I also bought them as persistant, plus it seems that I would burn a lot of END if I bought them that way as well. DO any of you haven any suggestions on this?

 

Thanks

[BobGreenwade]

Power Armor abilities should definitely not be built as an Elemental Control, for the reasons you cite and many more. There are three accepted ways (one of which is controversial) for building power armor:

 

1) OIF, as you say.

 

2) OIHID, for those cases where it's incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to remove the armor even when the character is unconscious.

 

3) As a Vehicle -- this is the controversial method I mentioned, in large part because there are so many elements of a Vehicle that don't generally fit the usual concept of powered armor (see TUV page 83, with other applicable notes under "Is It A Focus?" on page 7).

[Tamashii2000]

I would suggest Only In Heroic Form over OIF, its very uncommon for Ironman or Steel to get stripped of thier armor after their defeated. Normaly they are just strapped into the death trap while still in it, doesn't make sense I know..but it is genre.

[Alex Raven]

Ahh...I love powered armor. I used to exploit many a loop hole with powered armor way back in the day. I am currently banned from building PA characters in my group due to years of flagrant loop hole abuse.

 

However, with the tightening up of rules this is how I would build a PA character. Build the defenses outside of Multipower (that way they are never at risk of being turned off when KO'd). Use OIF to drag the points down. Keep movement outside too.

 

Offensive powers should be in a Multipower. Set your reserve high enough to have at least two powers active at one time. Buy stuff at recduced END or on charges. I recommend charges. You don't want to burn your own personal END on stuff. Autofires are great for your low grade RKA's (toss in a level of AP for good measure).

 

Always make sure you buy the skills necessary to repair your armor. Perks to allow you to have your armor at all times or Instant change (a little hokey) are helpful in a fight.

 

Another always...buy your DEX and SPD naturally. Go ahead and focus every other stat you want except those. It really sucks being a bad--- in the suit but too slow in normal form to actually activate or get into it (been there...).

 

Geez...I sure miss powered armor.

[Barghest]

Nice munchkin reply *grin*.

[KawangaKid]

Originally posted by Alex Raven

Ahh...I love powered armor. I used to exploit many a loop hole with powered armor way back in the day. I am currently banned from building PA characters in my group due to years of flagrant loop hole abuse.

 

Actually, I never got to see PAD (Powered Armored Dude) or even BDM (Bladed Death Machine). I'd let you play 'em.

[SkyKnight]

Here are a few thoughts on powered armor.

 

1 - If your character has decent stats and fighting abilities without the armor, then make the armor OIF .

 

2 - If your character is nearly a normal guy without the armor, make the armor OIHID. Of the two, I recommend #1.

 

3 - Pick a theme before you start building. Is your character a published research scientist specializing in magnetism? Then make a servo-motor driven suit, perhaps with a linear accelerator and some jump boosters. Is your character a solider being supported by a group of scientists and technicians? Incorporate a variety of dissimilar weapons chosen for tactical flexibility.

 

4 - You don't have to have a multipower. They are very nice, but you pay a significant surcharge for the flexibility. Don't bother buying

 

40 Weapons Cluster (OIF)

4 - Energy Blast 12D6

4 - Energy Blast, 8D6, Explosion

4 - Energy Blast, 8D6 Armor Piercing

 

The armor piercing will almost never inflict more damage than the regular EB and you can spread your EB to get most of the benefits of the explosion for free.

 

5 - Consider 0 END on the STR and movement provided by the suit and charges on the weapons. That makes for simpler bookkeeping.

 

6 - Don't forget life support, a radio and some sort of enhanced targeting sense. Flash defense is good too.

 

These are a few thoughts off of the top of my head. I'll check back later if I think of any more.

[tesuji]

A suggestion i would have for a power armored character is the following... the semi-PA guy.

 

This guy has some sort of armor/tech suit and weaponry, however he also has a limited use suite of real honest to goodness super powers too. These super powers provide him with some abilities he cannot typically get from PA and allow him to be "functional" WHEN, not IF but WHEN, he is unable to use his suit, thus making the enforcement of the OIF/OAF flaws possible.

 

Example: A psychic who end sup with a power suit he took from bad guys early in his carreer and who now uses it to fight crime.

 

Multipower: Psychic Powers

60 ap pool -1 lim TRIPLE END 30 ap

Five 60 ap mentalist slots for 3 points each with telepathy, ego blast, mind control, mental illusion and so on as you see fit. Total cost for my psychic abilities = 45 points.

 

That should still leave you with enough points for armor, flight, life support all OIF as the suit. A blaster or weapons rack in a second multipower will weigh in as well.

 

Charges on the weapons is fine.

 

What will happen in practice is you will likely end up tossing in one or two mental attacks in a combat, and that triple endurance will eat up a lot of your personal end BUT you won't be using that end for much else.

 

Another interesting theme is to have your "special powers be a different theme. like say "mutant teleporter" (alien works well too) and put TRIPEL END on the multipower as before. Under teleportation you can put your movement, some megascale (downsizable) and even an attack NND does body for popping things into people to serve as a backup attack. The advantage of this one is that you can take a shortcut and drop flight from the suit side, freeing up more points. Using triple end for tactical movement when thats all you personal end is used for is very efficient, though you will feel the pinch if you get into a long running combat.

 

The possibilities for a "mini-super power" set backing up a more typical armored goon suit/gun combo make this a very "synergistic" combo... tapping in and getting benefit from your personal end and making for a wonderful set of alternatives. The villain who expects the entangle to shut down your GUN and thus keep you trapped will be shocked when you 'port a chair over into the entangle to shatter it and are suddenly free... and shooting right away.

[JmOz]

Originally posted by tesuji

A suggestion i would have for a power armored character is the following... the semi-PA guy.

 

This guy has some sort of armor/tech suit and weaponry, however he also has a limited use suite of real honest to goodness super powers too. These super powers provide him with some abilities he cannot typically get from PA and allow him to be "functional" WHEN, not IF but WHEN, he is unable to use his suit, thus making the enforcement of the OIF/OAF flaws possible.

 

Example: A psychic who end sup with a power suit he took from bad guys early in his carreer and who now uses it to fight crime.

 

Multipower: Psychic Powers

60 ap pool -1 lim TRIPLE END 30 ap

Five 60 ap mentalist slots for 3 points each with telepathy, ego blast, mind control, mental illusion and so on as you see fit. Total cost for my psychic abilities = 45 points.

 

That should still leave you with enough points for armor, flight, life support all OIF as the suit. A blaster or weapons rack in a second multipower will weigh in as well.

 

Charges on the weapons is fine.

 

What will happen in practice is you will likely end up tossing in one or two mental attacks in a combat, and that triple endurance will eat up a lot of your personal end BUT you won't be using that end for much else.

 

Another interesting theme is to have your "special powers be a different theme. like say "mutant teleporter" (alien works well too) and put TRIPEL END on the multipower as before. Under teleportation you can put your movement, some megascale (downsizable) and even an attack NND does body for popping things into people to serve as a backup attack. The advantage of this one is that you can take a shortcut and drop flight from the suit side, freeing up more points. Using triple end for tactical movement when thats all you personal end is used for is very efficient, though you will feel the pinch if you get into a long running combat.

 

The possibilities for a "mini-super power" set backing up a more typical armored goon suit/gun combo make this a very "synergistic" combo... tapping in and getting benefit from your personal end and making for a wonderful set of alternatives. The villain who expects the entangle to shut down your GUN and thus keep you trapped will be shocked when you 'port a chair over into the entangle to shatter it and are suddenly free... and shooting right away.

 

I've done this before, had a character who had shape shift and invisibility in a MP, with a custom lim (Does not work while in armor).

 

One other option on limitations is to put some of your powers in as OIHID and others as OIF, most appropriate for Defenses and utility powers to be OIHID while Attack and Movement as OIF