More Side Effect questions

[elementar2k4]

I had a GM tell me (within his rights) that this did not qualify as a limitation. kool for his game, but I'd like to know the official ruling.

 

My character had a 60AP power with the following limitations; Act roll and Side Effects (-1/2). what I wanted was for when the activation roll failed, his power got cut in half (half the points dropped from the power as the Side Effect). he said that I was trying to negate the Activation Roll, as he thought that when the Activation roll failed, that the power didn't go off AND that the side effect occured, which is possible, but not how I interpurted the Side Effect/ Activation roll Limitation Combo. Could you Clarify this For us?

[Wanderer]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

I had a GM tell me (within his rights) that this did not qualify as a limitation. kool for his game, but I'd like to know the official ruling.

 

My character had a 60AP power with the following limitations; Act roll and Side Effects (-1/2). what I wanted was for when the activation roll failed, his power got cut in half (half the points dropped from the power as the Side Effect). he said that I was trying to negate the Activation Roll, as he thought that when the Activation roll failed, that the power didn't go off AND that the side effect occured, which is possible, but not how I interpurted the Side Effect/ Activation roll Limitation Combo. Could you Clarify this For us?

 

Your GM was right in that a failed Activation Roll stops the power from activating. BUT a possible and valid Side Effect might indeed be that the power's magnitude gets cut in half for the duration of the adventure. This works much like a partial version of Activation Roll with Jammed: since Jammed is normal AR plus -1/2, I'd say the value of your Side Effect would be -1/4, or a minor Side Effect (or a major one, with the "standard effect" +1/4 modifier). You might even forgo the Side Effect, and build it as a custom -1/4 modifier "Partial Jammed: failed Activation Roll cuts Power in half for the rest of the adventure" to Activation Roll.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

If I'm getting what you're looking for, you want half of the active Points of the Power to not function when the Activation Roll fails. Do you want that result to last for any length of time, or just for the Phase on which you try to activate the Power?

 

If it's the second case, you could simply apply the Activation Roll Limitation to half of the Active Points in the Power, rather than the whole thing. If the roll fails that half would fail to function, but the remainder would work as normal. A partially-Limited Power is a rules-legal construct.

 

If that's not what you're going for, feel free to post followup clarifications and we'll try again.

[Drewbicus]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

Hi, I am the GM in question from the first post in this thread. What hte player originally submitted was this:

 

75 point Multipower.

Limitations:

Activation Roll: 14- (-1/2)

Side effect: If the roll fails power works at half strength. (-more)

 

 

That's not workable because he would have been getting points back for buying a "limitation" that negated half the effecvt of the prior limitation.

 

I like the suggestion of buying "partially limited power". That could give him exactly what he needed.

[Lanith]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

75 point Multipower.

Limitations:

Activation Roll: 14- (-1/2)

Side effect: If the roll fails power works at half strength. (-more)

 

I personally wouldn't allow this in my game, but maybe there can be a "good" explaination as to why this should be allowed.

 

On first opinion, I would suggest that if this were a single power, that it be purchased as Wanderer or Lord Liaden suggest. (I would lean more toward Liaden's personally) Since this is a power framework, you could run into lots more issues.

 

Could one of the two of you provide the complete Multipower, and if possible a description? It always helps that when you ask about powers/frameworks to include all the information.

[Drewbicus]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

I probably could look it up, but it's not relevant to the point. It's a multipower of varied ranged attacks, for what it's worth.

 

The one limitation (activation roll) is supposed to turn the power off entirely.

 

The second limitation (side effect) would have given the player back half the power he lost with the activation, but would have made it all cost less in exchange for negating half the problem from the activation roll.

 

The concept was that some of the time the powers would only work at half effect, but the way he bought it would have given back too many points for the effect.

 

The "partially limited power" idea rocks, though, and gives the player a way to buy what he wanted.

[MisterBaldy]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

You could handle this very easily...as follows.

 

30pts - Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points) Limited Power: Power loses one-half effectiveness if Skill Roll fails (-1)

 

I hope that this helps you...sometimes simple is best!!!

[AlHazred]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

You could handle this very easily...as follows.

 

30pts - Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points) Limited Power: Power loses one-half effectiveness if Skill Roll fails (-1)

 

I hope that this helps you...sometimes simple is best!!!

Actually, that's not priced correctly. I would price it at -1/4, since it loses less than one-quarter its effectiveness (i.e., the roll is 14-, and even if the roll fails, half the power still works).

[Sketchpad]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

Hi, I am the GM in question from the first post in this thread. What hte player originally submitted was this:

 

75 point Multipower.

Limitations:

Activation Roll: 14- (-1/2)

Side effect: If the roll fails power works at half strength. (-more)

 

 

How about instead of Activation Roll: 14- (-1/2) use RSR: Power (-1/4)?

[elementar2k4]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

Thanks everybody, the replies have been more than helpful, I think to both of us. My GM likes the partialy limited poer Idea so that is the one I will go with

[Drewbicus]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

Yes, that Partially Limited Power will do the job well. Any thoughts on whether it should be on the pool only, or the pool and slots, or the slots only?

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: More Side Effect questions

 

Yes' date=' that Partially Limited Power will do the job well. Any thoughts on whether it should be on the pool only, or the pool and slots, or the slots only?[/quote']

 

If all powers in the pool have half their points on Act 14-, I'd give the same limitation to half the points in the pool, but I'm a generous sort.

 

[And don't try to write it up in Hero Designer if you allow it!]