Help with "Power Ring" type device

[Captain Emu]

So, working on a Cosmic game right now and designing a sort of Green Lantern Corps type group for my universe. To simulate the wide variety of abilities I am including a Variable Power Pool into the device they use (a suit of armor instead of a ring).

 

I am having a hard time limiting the Power Pool in clear simple language. I don't want to do a laundry list of powers it can and can't do, because I want to preserve the "intuitive use" feel of the GL power ring. I do however, want to limit certain powers from being used under certain circumstances.

 

For example: I would not want to allow Mind Scan or any other direct Mental power, but using the armor's powers to read the biological response to questioning as a form of biological Mind Scan lie detector would be acceptible.

 

I realize that a good portion of this can be arbitrated by me, the GM, but I'd like players of these characters to have a good solid idea of what they can and cannot do up front.

 

Any suggestions?

[Seenar]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

Well, I would write down eveything it can do, and then see what that means it cannot do.

 

If you look at GL in JLU, he has basically Teke powers, with some Life Support, FTL and energy scanning abilities. All of it is ability to manipulate energy and matter. That rules out mental effects pretty clearly. If you tell your players Green Lantern in JLU, they should get the idea.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

It would be easy enough to just say, "No Mental Powers." The SFX of a biosignature reading to determine lying could be built (and arguably, "should" be built) with Detect instead of Telepathy or some such...

[Captain Emu]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

Well, I would write down eveything it can do, and then see what that means it cannot do.

 

If you look at GL in JLU, he has basically Teke powers, with some Life Support, FTL and energy scanning abilities. All of it is ability to manipulate energy and matter. That rules out mental effects pretty clearly. If you tell your players Green Lantern in JLU, they should get the idea.

 

Well, being a long-time fan of the GL comics, I know that it goes a bit beyond what is portrayed in the cartoons. The rings can heal folks, create machinery to do things like stabilize the wounded, analysis equipment for doing forensics, and a hosto f others. Most of these seem to still be force constructs that simulate the effects of these machines, but they function the same none the less.

 

I would agree that most of what the rings do seems to be force powers and energy manipulation, though.

 

I have considered assigning a Skill Roll requirement determined by the active points of the power being used. This will help simulate the fact that the rings have a finite power limit, but the skill of the user determines what exactly he can accomplish with it.

[Captain Emu]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

It would be easy enough to just say' date=' "No Mental Powers." The SFX of a biosignature reading to determine lying could be built (and arguably, "should" be built) with Detect instead of Telepathy or some such...[/quote']

 

Good point and helps with the Mental categories, issue.

[Haerandir]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

If you can narrow down the special effects to a definable category, then you can use the ol' "Slightly Limited Class of Powers" (-1/4), and just make case-by-case rulings as to what powers fall under that heading.

 

Call it 'GL Energy Manipulation' or whatever.

 

Or, I suppose you could slap a "No Psionics" limitation on the VPP. I'd call that a -0, though.

[OddHat]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

PCs have to start with Limited Powers at -1. They are Class Four Armor Men, and can't do more than Force Manipulation effects. Hand them the USPD and tell them Force Manipulation Powers Only unless you give special permission.

 

With XP, they buy off the limit to -1/2 and become Class Three Armor Men. Tell them to pick two more USPD Power Types, but remind them that the underlying SFX is still just Force Manipulation.

 

With XP, they now get to a -1/4 Limit, becoming Class Two Armor Men. Tell them to pick four more power categories, but no Telepathy Powers (or anything else you don't like).

 

With XP, they now get ot a -0 Limit. They are the best of the best, the Galaxy's finest, Class One Armor Men. Tell them that the sky's the limit, but they need to explain the SFX to you in a way that makes sense with a core SFX of Force Manipulation.

 

Or, just say "No Mental Powers" and get on with the game.

[Captain Emu]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

Well, making a list of specific power limitations proved less difficult and so I just went that route. I do have a new problem. As I'm not too used to using variable power pools, how much would be too much when it comes to the Power Pool for a cosmic-level power pool?

[OddHat]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

Well' date=' making a list of specific power limitations proved less difficult and so I just went that route. I do have a new problem. As I'm not too used to using variable power pools, how much would be too much when it comes to the Power Pool for a cosmic-level power pool?[/quote']

 

Ask yourself what you want the PCs using the pool to be able to accomplish at the start of the game. That's the active point limit you should impose. Some VPP users snuff out suns, others have trouble with street thugs.

 

If you want your out of the box GL to be a little less powerful than a specialist at any given task, and your specialists all throw around powers with about 90 active points, set the pool at 75 points. If you want them to have just as much oomph in their attacks as ther specialists, set the cap at the same level you've capped those specialists.

 

I usually build VPP users with a lower active point cap than the specialists, but that's actually the oposite of the source material, where the VPPers usually have as much raw power as any characters in the setting.

[Haerandir]

Re: Help with "Power Ring" type device

 

Well, ideally, the points in the pool will be roughly equal to (or slightly less than) whatever the standard Active Point or Damage Class values for your campaign are. In a game where most characters have 15d6 attacks and 75 AP utility powers, then a 60- or 75-point VPP would be a good choice for a character's primary 'schtick'. Scale as appropriate for your campaign.

 

More than the size of the VPP, you need to keep an eye on Limitations. If the VPP has a lot of Limitations that apply to the power slots, the savings in Real Costs allow you to run many more powers than you could with less-limited VPPs, so those Limitations had better actually limit the character.