Variable Advantage Question

[Dr. Anomaly]

Okay, Steve, I've got a sort of oddball question here brought up by one of my players ("The Rose" here on the forums). It involves Charges and Variable Advantage.

 

First, about Charges:

 

On the Charges table, if the modifiers end up being zero (for instance, 9-12 Boostable Charges) it's listed as a value of -0...and I'm reading that as a Limitation, since there's a minus sign in front of it.

 

When using Hero Designer, though, I can get a +0 modifier (for instance, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge that lasts 6 Hours for a 0 END power)...and since there's a plus sign in front of it, I'd read that as an Advantage.

 

First off, if something ends up being zero, does it matter if there's a '-' or a '+' in front of it?

 

Now, how this relates to the Variable Advantages question:

 

Variable Advantage (assuming the full version, not the 'limited group' version) says that you can make up the total Advantage using smaller Advantages, so long as they add up to the Variable Advantage value. (For example, a +1 Variable Advantage, costing you a +2 Advantage, can be made up of a +1/2 Advantage and 2 +1/4 Advantages.)

 

So...can somebody that's using a Variable Advantaged power put a +0 Advantage (like the Continuing Fuel Charge listed above) on the power? After all, being zero, you can add it to the list of Advantages you're using that Phase without causing the total value of the Advantages to go over the limit, and according to Hero Desinger, it is an Advantage, albeit one with a modifier of +0...

[Steve Long]

Re: Variable Advantage Question

 

1. No, not really. It’s just aesthetic thing, when it comes right down to it, I suppose.

 

2. Only with the GM’s permission. Generally, the Advantages chosen for Variable Advantages should have a +1/4 or greater value.