Help!!!! Image Generator

[Colossus]

. I’m crating a PC who has an illusion generator built into his costume. He has Images, Invisibility, Darkness, Shape Shift and perhaps one or two other powers bought as effects of the images generated – I’m making it as a multi-power. I’ve got a few option questions for you all about it.

 

Fuel charge?

 

Page 184 of the 5 Edition says multiple powers off the same fuel charge should be purchased as an Endurance reserve. Would it be legal (and far) to purchase a Multi-Power with a unified special effect with a fuel charge instead. It seems to me a single fuel cell could power all these powers. Also I want him to have 5 hours of illusions from a single “charge” (a + ¼ fuel charge) – this seems far to me. (If not it is a 60 Multi-Power and I can just buy it at + ½ 0 END for a few more points).

 

Point Division?

 

Can a power that is not created by dice be lowered with a variable slot in a multi-power.

 

If a PC has Images with max value of 60 (lots of increased area and lowered PER rolls) can he use less than the 60 points. (Create say a bunny rabbit for 15 points) and not use the increased area and lowered PER rolls and thus saving himself 45 points to use for other powers?

 

Also the PC has Invisibility with the adders usable by others. If he is just using it on himself can he put only 30 points (sight and hearing) and have the others to use for other powers in the multi-power?

 

Thanks for your help

[Sean Waters]

Re: Help!!!! Image Generator

 

. I’m crating a PC who has an illusion generator built into his costume. He has Images, Invisibility, Darkness, Shape Shift and perhaps one or two other powers bought as effects of the images generated – I’m making it as a multi-power. I’ve got a few option questions for you all about it.

 

Fuel charge?

 

Page 184 of the 5 Edition says multiple powers off the same fuel charge should be purchased as an Endurance reserve. Would it be legal (and far) to purchase a Multi-Power with a unified special effect with a fuel charge instead. It seems to me a single fuel cell could power all these powers. Also I want him to have 5 hours of illusions from a single “charge†(a + ¼ fuel charge) – this seems far to me. (If not it is a 60 Multi-Power and I can just buy it at + ½ 0 END for a few more points).

 

Point Division?

 

Can a power that is not created by dice be lowered with a variable slot in a multi-power.

 

If a PC has Images with max value of 60 (lots of increased area and lowered PER rolls) can he use less than the 60 points. (Create say a bunny rabbit for 15 points) and not use the increased area and lowered PER rolls and thus saving himself 45 points to use for other powers?

 

Also the PC has Invisibility with the adders usable by others. If he is just using it on himself can he put only 30 points (sight and hearing) and have the others to use for other powers in the multi-power?

 

Thanks for your help

 

Nearly slipped off the page there, buddy...

 

On the fuel charge thing, you could buy it for an MP but I'd require it to be at an +0 or advantage level, otherwise it is a bit too useful to get (in effect) zero END as a limitation! Haven't got the book with me so can't run the numbers, but there are other posts on applying charges to multipowers and who inequitable that can be.

 

On the other hand, if the book says do it with an END reserve, maybe that is the best way, or buy 0 END and limit the advantage to 'only for 1 hour', or somesuch. (OK, that wasn't helpful, it didn't answer your question at all, but it is the best I can manage at the moment)

 

In regard to the second question I can be a bit more definitive, which doesn't mean I'm right, but...

 

I think you can do what you are suggesting as you buy the elements of images seperately, and there is a specific mechanic for increasing area: it is not an advantage so you do not have to apply it and tie up the points. Similarly witht he invisibility, you do not need to use the adders if you don't want to and if you don't, they don't cost END and can free up points in the MP.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Help!!!! Image Generator

 

Page 184 of the 5 Edition says multiple powers off the same fuel charge should be purchased as an Endurance reserve. Would it be legal (and fair) to purchase a Multi-Power with a unified special effect with a fuel charge instead. It seems to me a single fuel cell could power all these powers. Also I want him to have 5 hours of illusions from a single “charge†(a + ¼ fuel charge) – this seems fair to me.

If I was the GM, I'd probably make you buy it as an END Reserve. The book specifies that, and using a Fuel Charge for it instead seems on the surface like a violation of Metarule #6 to me.

 

With 60AP Powers, you'd pay an extra 15 points for the 5 Hour Fuel Charge.

 

Now let's examine going the END Reserve route. We'll assume a SPD 5 character. You'd expend 30 END per Turn, and there are 1500 Turns in 5 hours. So you'd need to be able to expend a total of 45,000 END. Since an END Reserve of 45,000 END and no REC would cost 4500 points, that's probably not the most cost-effective way to approach it.

 

Instead, you'd want a more reasonable amount of END, and a REC that almost-but-not-quite lets you recover back as much END as you spend. You'd need to set that rate of slight END "loss" so that you'd be completely out after 5 hours. So you'd probably want to set it something like this...

 

END Reserve: 105; Cost = 10

END Reserve REC: 29; Requires External Recharging If END Reserve Is Completely Empty (-1/2). Cost = 19

END Reserve REC: 1; Activation 15- (-1/4), Requires External Recharging If END Reserve Is Completely Empty (-1/2). Cost = 1

Total Cost: 30

 

The "External Recharging" Limitation on the REC indicates that it runs out of Power after 5 Hours of continuous use... the REC can't bring it back to life if the reserve is totally dry. The "15- Activation" on the last point of REC means that, since the roll succeeds 19 times out of 20, it will fail (and the reserve will get only a 29 REC) once every 4 minutes on average. Over the course of 5 hours, the odds say it should have failed 75 times. So after the REC on the Turn of the 75th failure, the reserve will be left with 30 END. And the next Turn's use will bring the reserve to 0, and (because of the Limitation above) the REC will no longer work.

 

Or, to put it more simply, the power source "loses" one END every four minutes. So after 5 hours (and 12 seconds), the power cell is dry, and the REC can't bring it back until recharged.

 

Now it's true that it costs you 30 points for this setup... the exact same cost it would be to just buy 0 END on everything in the Multipower. However, the END Reserve gives you the trade-off that the Powers aren't disrupted if you're Stunned or Knocked Out. (And really, how often would you run into the 5-hour ceiling anyway?)

If a PC has Images with max value of 60 (lots of increased area and lowered PER rolls) can he use less than the 60 points. (Create say a bunny rabbit for 15 points) and not use the increased area and lowered PER rolls and thus saving himself 45 points to use for other powers?

Yes, because you don't have to use Adders if you don't want to, and (if I remember correctly... I don't have my book at the moment) the increased area and PER mods are Adders.

Also the PC has Invisibility with the adders usable by others. If he is just using it on himself can he put only 30 points (sight and hearing) and have the others to use for other powers in the multi-power?

No on this one, because Usable By Others isn't an Adder... it's a Power Advantage, and Power Advantages aren't "optional" like Adders are. So he always has to allocate points for it, even if he isn't letting anyone else use it at the moment.

[Bengal]

Re: Help!!!! Image Generator

 

 

With 60AP Powers, you'd pay an extra 15 points for the 5 Hour Fuel Charge.

 

Now let's examine going the END Reserve route. We'll assume a SPD 5 character. You'd expend 30 END per Turn, and there are 1500 Turns in 5 hours. So you'd need to be able to expend a total of 45,000 END. Since an END Reserve of 45,000 END and no REC would cost 4500 points, that's probably not the most cost-effective way to approach it.

 

Instead, you'd want a more reasonable amount of END, and a REC that almost-but-not-quite lets you recover back as much END as you spend. You'd need to set that rate of slight END "loss" so that you'd be completely out after 5 hours. So you'd probably want to set it something like this...

 

END Reserve: 105; Cost = 10

END Reserve REC: 29; Requires External Recharging If END Reserve Is Completely Empty (-1/2). Cost = 19

END Reserve REC: 1; Activation 15- (-1/4), Requires External Recharging If END Reserve Is Completely Empty (-1/2). Cost = 1

Total Cost: 30

 

The "External Recharging" Limitation on the REC indicates that it runs out of Power after 5 Hours of continuous use... the REC can't bring it back to life if the reserve is totally dry. The "15- Activation" on the last point of REC means that, since the roll succeeds 19 times out of 20, it will fail (and the reserve will get only a 29 REC) once every 4 minutes on average. Over the course of 5 hours, the odds say it should have failed 75 times. So after the REC on the Turn of the 75th failure, the reserve will be left with 30 END. And the next Turn's use will bring the reserve to 0, and (because of the Limitation above) the REC will no longer work.

 

Or, to put it more simply, the power source "loses" one END every four minutes. So after 5 hours (and 12 seconds), the power cell is dry, and the REC can't bring it back until recharged.

 

 

Repped!

[Dust Raven]

Re: Help!!!! Image Generator

 

I pretty much agree with Derek.

 

I'll add in my own thoughts about the Fuel Charge though. With that +1/4 Advantage, you are effectively getting the entire MP at 0 END. The only catch, is that the GM can occasionally say "well, you're running out of juice". As long as that happens, I'd allow it with the Fuel Charge. Occasionally to me would mean that almost every adventure he'd be in dange of running out of juice (but can easily refuel or moderate his usage to compensate) and that once in about every 4 advantures he actually runs dry for a while, typically in the middle or right before a combat.

 

If you don't want these kinds of problems, then just buy it all 0 END and say the SFX is a fuel cell and you maintain and refill regularly and never have to worry about in game.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Help!!!! Image Generator

 

Here's a bad idea...

 

OK not really on topic, but I was thinking about END reserves and fuel charges for a Green Lantern type character and I got to thinking: why not use both?

 

Buy your End reserve as normal, then limit the REC with a fuel charge (or costs END then a fuel charge), which will limit the time the REC will run for without re-charge, so it works as a normal END reserve until the REC 'fuel' runs out....and it needs re-charging.

 

Would that work?

 

The problem with Derek's terrifyingly thought out plan is (if I have this straight), it would only run out of END if you used the powers for 5 hours straight without pause. If you spend a couple of turns between combats without your powers on the END reserve is going to last forever. I may well have misunderstood.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Help!!!! Image Generator

 

The problem with Derek's terrifyingly thought out plan is (if I have this straight)' date=' it would only run out of END if you used the powers for 5 hours straight without pause. If you spend a couple of turns between combats without your powers on the END reserve is going to last forever. I may well have misunderstood.[/quote']No, that's a good point. You'd need to add another Limitation to the REC. Something along the lines of, "Cannot recover more END than was used in the preceding Turn."

 

So it could recover less END (if the one point of REC with Activation missed the roll), but it couldn't recover more. If you shut your Powers off for a Turn, it couldn't recover any END at that Turn's post-12s. If you used the Powers for only one Phase, it could only recover a max of 6 END. And so on.

 

 

But I like your idea of buying an END Reserve, then taking "Costs END" and "Fuel Charge" on the REC. That's really clever.