1.) It doesn't specifically say in the rules, but would I be right in thinking that once a Trigger is set, you could shift the points of a VPP out of the Trigger Power and any Trigger you already created would still remain (sort of like any Continuing Charges already in effect)?
2.) How many Triggers could be placed on a particular person/object/location at any one time?
Since you asked before if there was a particular effect/power structure I had in mind when I asked all these questions, let me explain how all these questions came up...
These questions revolve around a sorcerous arch-villain I created for my Champions campaign some time ago. Most of the published magical characters seemed too much like "superheroes with an unusual special effect" and not enough like actual mages, so I was trying to come up with some funky constructs & gimmicks to give his abilities more the look and feel of magic.
My first idea was to have him be able, if he took the time to perform lengthy rituals and prepare the proper sacrifices/summoning circles/incense/whatnot, he'd be able to create much more powerful magical effects than he could by just casting spells "on the fly". I could have simply added extra points to his VPP with Limitations like "Extra Time" and "Concentration" to the Control Cost, but I decided instead to simulate this effect with an Aid power with a lengthy Start-up time and other Limitations. I liked the randomness of doing it as an Aid -- the wizard never knew just HOW powerful a demon he would summon, or if his sacrifices were sufficient (read: he got enough Adder points to bo buy) to ensure the demon would be loyal to him once it arrived! Hence some of the questions regarding Adjustment Powers...
The second thing I tried was to come up with spells that he could prepare in advance, given sufficient time, and would last a while and enhance his capabilities once the heroes showed up at his doorstep. For example, he could keep a demon imprisoned in a pentagram tattooed on his back, which he could then release at a moment's notice to wreak havoc (built as Summon with a Trigger). He might also use magical pigments to paint glyphs of protection on himself (basically a single Continuing Charge of Force Field) that would last for a few hours until they eventually got smeared or wore off. Then of course came questions like: just how many of these gimmicks could he have slapped on him at one time? Or, if he took the time to perform a lengthy summoning ritual (that is, use the Aid on his Summon Power) and THEN imprisoning the demon in the pentagram tattoo, could he then have a more powerful demon "on tap" than he normally could if he just summoned one at the spur of the moment?
Mind you, this adventure took place some years ago; I already made my own rulings on the subject that I'm confident were fair and proper for my campaign. It's only just now, while designing a new NPC super-mage that I dusted off my notes on the old villain and started building upon what I had come up with before. It was this logical extension that got me to thinking about Continuing Charges that last for centuries without needing points in a VPP or Multipower to support them, and various "reductio ad absurdum" perversions of the rules. I already have pretty firmly in mind what would be fair interpretations of these grey areas of the rules, but I'm always curious to hear how other GM's would approach such conundra...
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Guest innominatus
1.) It doesn't specifically say in the rules, but would I be right in thinking that once a Trigger is set, you could shift the points of a VPP out of the Trigger Power and any Trigger you already created would still remain (sort of like any Continuing Charges already in effect)?
2.) How many Triggers could be placed on a particular person/object/location at any one time?
Since you asked before if there was a particular effect/power structure I had in mind when I asked all these questions, let me explain how all these questions came up...
These questions revolve around a sorcerous arch-villain I created for my Champions campaign some time ago. Most of the published magical characters seemed too much like "superheroes with an unusual special effect" and not enough like actual mages, so I was trying to come up with some funky constructs & gimmicks to give his abilities more the look and feel of magic.
My first idea was to have him be able, if he took the time to perform lengthy rituals and prepare the proper sacrifices/summoning circles/incense/whatnot, he'd be able to create much more powerful magical effects than he could by just casting spells "on the fly". I could have simply added extra points to his VPP with Limitations like "Extra Time" and "Concentration" to the Control Cost, but I decided instead to simulate this effect with an Aid power with a lengthy Start-up time and other Limitations. I liked the randomness of doing it as an Aid -- the wizard never knew just HOW powerful a demon he would summon, or if his sacrifices were sufficient (read: he got enough Adder points to bo buy) to ensure the demon would be loyal to him once it arrived! Hence some of the questions regarding Adjustment Powers...
The second thing I tried was to come up with spells that he could prepare in advance, given sufficient time, and would last a while and enhance his capabilities once the heroes showed up at his doorstep. For example, he could keep a demon imprisoned in a pentagram tattooed on his back, which he could then release at a moment's notice to wreak havoc (built as Summon with a Trigger). He might also use magical pigments to paint glyphs of protection on himself (basically a single Continuing Charge of Force Field) that would last for a few hours until they eventually got smeared or wore off. Then of course came questions like: just how many of these gimmicks could he have slapped on him at one time? Or, if he took the time to perform a lengthy summoning ritual (that is, use the Aid on his Summon Power) and THEN imprisoning the demon in the pentagram tattoo, could he then have a more powerful demon "on tap" than he normally could if he just summoned one at the spur of the moment?
Mind you, this adventure took place some years ago; I already made my own rulings on the subject that I'm confident were fair and proper for my campaign. It's only just now, while designing a new NPC super-mage that I dusted off my notes on the old villain and started building upon what I had come up with before. It was this logical extension that got me to thinking about Continuing Charges that last for centuries without needing points in a VPP or Multipower to support them, and various "reductio ad absurdum" perversions of the rules. I already have pretty firmly in mind what would be fair interpretations of these grey areas of the rules, but I'm always curious to hear how other GM's would approach such conundra...
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