Partially Limited Characteristics (2nd followup)

[Steve]

Okay. I think I have this straight now, but I want to be sure. Based on your earlier reply, it looks like I should be able to pay the remaining points to "make up the difference" for an extra point of SPD, rather than pay a full 10 points, if both the extra DEX and SPD are bought through a limitation in common like a Focus or OIHID. That was how I always understood it to work. I now understand the rounding rule for things like CON and ED.

 

What I was trying to do was create an 18DEX/4SPD normal form, and a 26DEX/6SPD super form. If I'm now understanding everything correctly, then I need to pay 36 active points for my normal form and 32 more active points for my superpowered form.

[Steve Long]

No, you're not correct. As I mentioned in my last post, the Rules FAQ specifically notes an exception for SPD -- if you want to buy SPD as a Power (e.g., with a Limitation on it), you've got to pay 10 points per point -- you can't just "make up the difference."

 

For example, suppose a character has DEX 18 normally. That gives him a natural SPD of 2. He buys +8 DEX, OIHID, giving him a DEX 26 in his heroic identity. Because the OIHID would also apply to Figured Characteristics, the character gets to use the DEX 26 to calculate his SPD. That gives him SPD 3. If he wants to buy that up to SPD 4, he has to pay 10 Character Points (or 8 after OIHID) -- he can't just spend 4 points to make up the difference from his "DEX 26."

 

Let's suppose further that this DEX 18 character pays 12 points to buy his SPD up to 4. Then he buys +8 DEX, OIHID, giving him a DEX 26 in his heroic identity. Because the OIHID would also apply to Figured Characteristics, the character gets to use the DEX 26 to calculate his SPD. However, that doesn't help him any, because 26 (DEX) + 12 (points spent on natural SPD) = 38, which for calculating SPD rounds down to 30, giving him SPD 4 -- which he already had. To buy his SPD up to 6 via the OIHID, the character has to spend 20 points divided by 1.25 = 16 points.