Help: How would you build this disad?

[wrestlinggeek]

I have an idea for a character who's powers come from an unusual source: his cells are miniature nuclear reactors. The drawback is that if he doesn't use his active powers for at least an hour every day (not continuously), he begins to leak radiation, becoming a danger to those around him (obviously, he is immune himself).

 

How would you build this disad? All help would be appreciated.

[Remjin]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Hmmm....

Dependence: must use powers for one hour per day, 1d6 damage per turn after 1 day... which is worth... zero points. =)

[Zed-F]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

It's a 0-point disad. How is someone going to stop him from using his powers? To me, the level of inconvenience this disad provides isn't anything more than 'must eat, drink, and sleep'.

 

If he has a containment field that he must keep active constantly (and which is 0-END but not persistent) or anyone within X radius of him starts taking damage, that might be worth something.

[Remjin]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Exactly why my dependence disad is worth zero points. =) Its just not all that bad, isn't really much of a disad, unless it does a lot of damage to him.

[joegottman]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Exactly why my dependence disad is worth zero points. =) Its just not all that bad' date=' isn't really much of a disad, unless it does a lot of damage to him.[/quote']

 

Or to other people. Suppose he's in a situation where he's surrounded by innocents and can't leave (for instance locked in a cell with his DNPC). If using his power involves something like emitting huge amounts of radiation he's got a dilemma on his hands: don't use his power and injure himself or use his power and injure innocents.

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

It's not a Dependance. He takes no damage from not using his powers, he starts to do damage to other people. And he could theoreticly be kept from using what I define as his active powers (flight, super-strength, eye beams) by something as simple as keeping him surrounded by people in his secret ID. Does this information change anybody's suggestions?

[OddHat]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Cost Powers END

16 Bleed Off Excessive Radiation: Custom Power (20 Active Points); Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; If Prevented from using powers for one full hour per day; -¼)

Notes: Eliminates radioactivity related disads.

 

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 16

Total Cost: 16

 

200+ Disadvantages

10 Distinctive Features: Dangerously Radioactive (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Technology Or Major Effort)

10 Unluck: 2d6

Notes: Friends, loved ones, pets, and innocent people end up with radiation poisoning. Death soon follows.

[McCoy]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

I wouldn't do it as a disad.

 

I would have his radiation powers feed from an endurance battery.

 

Then I would create a slot in the elemental control, NND does body Damage shield, 0 END, uncontrolable (turns on when END battery is full).

 

Yes, this is going to cost you points rather than get you points, but sometimes it is necessary to spend points just on characterization to get the concept just right.

[Xtian]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

I think you can do something like this:

-Buy an END pool of X END without REC

-Buy Xd6 dices of aid to END (of the pool) 1 charge a Day; No conscious control, trigger (every 24 hour)

-Spend all END of the powers you think are related to the disadvantage from the pool instead of the inner-char END;

-Buy the NND-does-body power uncontrolled; no conscious control; continuous; area effect; trigger: "Start if at the activation of the aid to end the pool have more than X end points";

 

The only thing iI can say is that in this way the entire cost is on Character points for a power he cannot control or use in combat terms.

Obviously this is a problem only if the char is a PC:

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Hmmm... Maybe I should just drop the idea. Thanks for everyone's input.

[OzMike]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Hmmm... I think you would have to buy it as an attack power of sort, and I'd use trigger to activate it.

 

Or maybe accidental change and a leaking radiation multiform?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Sounds like it might be a Side Effect on some of his Radiation Powers and a Distinctive Feature: Radioactive.

[Robyn]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

I have an idea for a character who's powers come from an unusual source: his cells are miniature nuclear reactors. The drawback is that if he doesn't use his active powers for at least an hour every day (not continuously)' date='[/quote']

 

Does he sleep?

 

I would recommend a variant of Sleepwalking as another Phys Disad, where the character experiences a random manifestion of his powers. I did something similar to keep Kaja from starving to death (must eat every hour).

[Remjin]

Re: Help: How would you build this disad?

 

Yeah, people have covered what you actually asked for quite a bit better than I did. I guess I didn't quite understand what you were going for, there.

 

If you like the idea, you should stick with it. It is a bit tough to do, rules-wise, but I'm sure someone will come up with it. The endurance reserve idea is pretty good, especially with the linked side effect idea.

 

You could use the endurance reserve, have a triggered area effect like explained above, triggered by the reserve being full. If you just crunch the numbers, I'm sure you can get a pretty similar effect. Then you just take a disad to denote your radioactive problem to offset the cost of it.

 

Seems pretty tidy, and not too tough, and is really just a compilation or rewording of what was said above... =)