Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

[Merlin273]

I don't have the UNTIL Powers Book, so I'm kinda stumped on how to duplicate these powers. I'll give the power and what I think should duplicate it. BTW, these powers are from the old Marvel Super Heroes Player's Book:

 

TIME CONTROL POWERS

 

Speed Up Time: Aid SPD 4d6

Slow Down Time: Drain SPD 4d6, AE (Radius)

Slow Down Time (Slows Injuries) - Not a clue

Traveling In Time: Extra-Dimensional Movement (any place within 50 Billion Years, future or past)

Summon Temporal Duplicates: Summon (Past & Future selves)

 

And one of my own that I thought appropriate,lookin at Speedsters:

 

Mach One Punch: +5d6 H-t-H Attack

 

Any other time-based powers or corrections on the ones given would be welcome.

 

Thanks

[Citizen Keen]

Re: Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

 

Obviously, there can't be any corrections because there can't be any right way to do them. But what you have sounds good. I'd get the USPD - it's definitely worth the dough. And if it's still online, peak at the USPD Online.

[Doppler]

Re: Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

 

you can "Look" into the near future for interesting effects, most obviously OCV or DCV levels, or more general levels, representing taking extra time with a task (while the rest of the world moves at a normal rate through time, you can pause to figure things out).

 

Invisibility vs a small number of people, FX seeing the future to know where they're loking, and being somewhere else.

 

EB indirect, by pausing time, placing a large object over someone's head, going back to your start position, and starting time again. Hilarity ensues.

 

Transforms of a minor variety (clothed person to unclothed person, broken weapon to fixed weapon and vice-versa) by stopping time and performing simple tasks while the rest of the world waits for you in suspended animation.

 

Teleportation (stop time, walk to where you're going, restart time)

 

Life support versus aging

 

Luck, representing the uncanny ability to take a do-over periodically.

 

Desolid or DR by pulling yourself slightly out of phase with the timestream.

 

Really, most any power can have a temporal SFX.

[Metaphysician]

Re: Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

 

Hmm, good idea re: Luck as a basis.

 

The really nasty one would be an ED travel based time freeze.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

 

Slowing injuries. Hmm. Triggered aid to stun and body (triggered by taking the injury, automatic reset). The effect is that some or all of the injury is temporarily neutralised but the fade rate will then 'apply' the injury over several turns. Potentially you take enough damage to kill you but don't notice until it all catches up with you a minute or two later....

 

Howzat?

 

The only trouble with time-stop powers (like all the 'really cool' sfx) is that you have to accept that your control is limited. Some people seem to think that a 'powerful' sfx is a justification for having more power, whereas it is a justification for having the power you have (if you see what I mean ). The example powers you give seem balanced and reasonable, so I think you have neatly avoided this trap (possibly by travelling back in time to warn yourself about it - that'll be Danger Sense, then......)

[paigeoliver]

Re: Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

 

Actual time stop abilities are so powerful and have so many possibilities I would be most tempted to say that it would have to be an Power Pool of some sort. Most of the powers on the list can easily be accomplish by a time stop/time travel character.

 

EGO attack (stop time and go back in time over and over and over and over again and make a strange noise in the vicinity of the character (when no one else is around) do it repeatedly until said victim develops an incredible paranoia of the sound, then MAKE THE SOUND IN COMBAT.

 

Mind control. Go back in time (and stop time as needed) hundreds of times and become your enemies imaginary friend. Start appearing in the child's infancy, and then frequently throughout childhood. Train the character to obey you without question. Then come back to the present situation and MIND CONTROL.

 

Aid, Drain, and most adjustment powers can be accomplished by going back in time (or stopping time) and adminstering just the right medications/drugs/steroids. Obviously this one takes technical prowess in addition to time travel.

 

Armor (defined as combat luck) is simple enough.

 

Change environment - A whole plethora of effects are possible when you can stop time or go back in time to set up the effect you want.

 

Clairsentience is a given.

 

Clinging? I can't think of a time travel explanation for clinging, Density Increase, Transfer, Flight, gliding, Growth

 

Damage reduction, resistance and force field, see ARMOR

 

Desolidification - With limitations you can have the "can't get hit" effects, you can even have the move through solid objects PROVIDED there is a limitation that states "only if it would have ever been possible to move naturally through this space".

 

Dispel - Like a speedster.

 

Duplication, easy enough "after the fight is over I will go back and help, oh there I am over there, right on time".

 

End reserve - You can recover a lot when you can take a time out whenever you want.

 

EB, HKA, RKA, Flash, etc can all be done with a zillion different precise special effects, advantages and limitations. I prefer OAF "weapons of opportunity", "Look and apple tree, I throw ALL the apples at Grond AT ONCE".

 

Most enhanced senses are easy when you can stop time to sense things.

 

Entangle - Like a speedster.

 

Extra dimensional movement. Through time of course.

 

Extra limbs - I can think of two really cheesy ways to do this, time stop really fast and take turns holding the different items, or summon a duplicate who stands behind you and sticks his arms between yours.

 

FTL Travel - Technically it is all FTL when time is stopped or you can time travel.

 

Flash Defense - Via avoidance

 

Force wall - stop time and knock the attacks out of the air while they are motionless, likewise turn hand to hand attackers 90 degrees so they miss the wall.

 

Images - See change environment

 

Instant change - no explanation needed.

 

Invisibility - "Where your eyes don't go!"

 

KB resistance - With the special effect that the character was knocked back, but they stopped time, healed and then ran back to the same spot.

 

Lack of weakness - see armor.

 

Life support - Most of them are more than doable.

 

Mental Defense - Go back in time after the fact and make sure the character gets therapy and training to avoid the precise effect he was hit with.

 

Mental illusions - see mind control

 

Mind scan - sort of, you could find anyone given enough time, but without tradition mental powers it would be of limited use.

 

Mind link - not really.

 

Missile deflection and reflection - See force wall

Multiform - Only to a point. Perhaps the character could change into versions of himself at different ages, who vary in abilities. Of course theoretically the character could also go back in time capture a dinosaur, train it to do his bidding, and then go place the dinosaur in his place, thus acheiving multiform.

 

Power defense - See notes on adjustment powers.

 

Regeneration - Yep.

 

Running, teleportation, swimming, tunnelling. Yesx4

 

superleap - maybe by slowing time rather than stopping it you can leap great distances. You could achieve gliding and even flight and swinging using the same special effect.

 

Ok, that is most of the power list, pretty much the only powers that have trouble with a time travel/stop special effect is the miscellaneous mental powers.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

 

...in fact the only reason not to use a VPP is that, then, you'd be using a VPP, which would make me sad.

 

VPPs are almost as abusive as using EDM for everything and for much the same reasons, and (amusingly enough for time stop powers) they slow the game down. Avoid if you can.

 

Can I also suggest that if time powers are allowed, then the GM really needs to sit down and think about how time works in the world they have created: can you, for instance, change past events: if so it is easy enough to just nip back and shoot the opponent at the moment of birth. Bit boring and, for that matter, sick.

 

If you can change the past that will have effects on the present so the GM will need to change the game world every time you use your powers.

 

Can you travel into the future, and if so, is there one future or more than one - if there is only one then you can't really change it, and if there is more than one then anything you see or do is only a probablilty, so will be of limited use to you.

 

If you can stop time can you do so for the whole world, or a limited area around you: what are the boundary conditions? Can you have any effect on anything for which time is stopped, while it is still stopped or is it locked in your past, so it can not be changed (no stabbing the imobile villain, then...)

 

If you EDM to another dimension and set up a dozen triggered EBs on Ogre, why should the attacks be here in this dimension when you return? If you don't return, but keep moving on to new dimensions, the rest of your team is going to get left behind at some point, and, if you think about it, such a power really does render everything utterly futile for you: you are never accomplishing anything, you are just avoiding eveything.

 

Anyway, if you have time powers, then you have to live with the fact that you are unlikely to be unique: don't get upset when your character just disappears from the game because the villain with time powers nipped back and got him at the moment of his birth.....

 

I'm big on in-game consistency, so I like to at least think about such issues ahead of time when deciding if a particular sfx or power will be allowed. Thinking about the future is as close to time travel as I am comfortable with in most situations.

 

Have fun.

[theskaven]

Re: Looking for Time Powers & How to do them

 

I had a character with time control powers once. He had duplication with the advantage that the duplicates could be built differently. He could suck in future versions of himself to help. I also took a power pool, as the character could reach into the future and pull out objects that he needs.

 

As a downside, I took disadvantages indicating that objects in need may suddenly disappear at critical times (simulated through activation - burn out on various powers).

 

You then take the precognition power on the future duplicates because they, of course, know what happens in the future. But because the main character is defining the future as he goes, all future duplicates are from alternate time dimensions (they are one possible future, depending upon the character's actions now).

 

Oh yeah, and don't forget Extra-Dimensional Movement (into the past) -2 uncontrolled for when one of your previous selves calls YOU.

 

Yes this is all very complicated, but he was a lot of fun to play.