Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

[Sociotard]

My question is regarding how to use a multipower that has slots that draw from a common pool of charges at different rates.

 

Irial has a Wand of Illusions built as a multipower with a 50 point reserve. He has the following slots on it:

 

Images I: Just to make light. It has 1 Six Hour Fuel Charge (+0)

Images II: All the fancy illusions with images and sounds. It has 1 One Hour Fuel Charge (-1/4)

Invisibility: Standard invisible vs. sight and sound. 1 One Hour Fuel Charge (-1/4)

Darkness: Just vs. Sight, but with personal immunity 6 Five Minute Continuing Charges

Flash: works against sight 6 Boostable Charges

Dispel: Works against Illusion Magic 3 Charges

NND: The wand is a nice little HA as well. 6 charges

 

Now the Idea was that all these powers drew off a common energy pool. That means if you use the Invisibility slot for half an hour, you can only use 3 hours with the Images I slot, or use the NND 3 times.

 

So, to do that, I just put them as is into the Multipower? I'd imagine I couldn't put any Charges Limitations on the multipower reserve since some of these have a +0 limitation. Even if they didn't, could I mix them to some degree? (like if I did Charges (-1/2) on the pool, could I have one slot be 6 boostable and another be 8 regular?)

[Sean Waters]

Re: Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

 

Not sure there is an official way to do this, but the ad hoc suggestion you make looks fine: 3 hours of continuous use of the first slot halves the number of available charges in all other slots. I don't think (on this construct0 you could take any limitation on the pool cost, but if ALL the slots had charges limtiation values I'd allow you to take the lowest (or should that be highest - whatever, the one nearest to zero) limitation value on the pool cost.

[Rapier]

Re: Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

 

Keep the charges on the slots.

 

Add a limitation on the MP that all slots Cost END.

 

Add an END Reserve for the MP to draw on. Build the END Reserve so that there is enough power to do what it needs. Build the REC so that you can only Recover with an AID or whatever mechanic you were thinking of...or purchase with 0 REC if this was gonna be a use it till its empty and toss it away kind of deal.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

 

Keep the charges on the slots.

 

Add a limitation on the MP that all slots Cost END.

 

Add an END Reserve for the MP to draw on. Build the END Reserve so that there is enough power to do what it needs. Build the REC so that you can only Recover with an AID or whatever mechanic you were thinking of...or purchase with 0 REC if this was gonna be a use it till its empty and toss it away kind of deal.

 

This makes the most sense.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

 

Mechanically it is certainly one valid way to do it, but as for 'most sense'....?

 

To build something with an END reserve to act as a limitation requires you to spend extra points to pay for the limitation.

 

I mean, paying to limit a power? 10 out of 10 for role playing integrity, minus several million for common sense.

 

It would be nice to see some sort of way of addressing this. Some sort of 'counter' system that did not have to rely on an END reserve (already a very dodgy construct). At present there isn't one, as such.

 

In the absence of that, I think that simply applying a determination that all slots burn charges at a proportional rate from a single source is fine, and at least as easy to administer, probably moreso.

 

6 hour fuel charge: up to 1 hour = 1 use

1 hour fuel charge: up to 10 minutes = 1 use

6 x 5 minute continuing charges: 1 charge = 1 use

6 boostable charges: 1 charge or 1 boost = 1 use

3 charges: 1 charge = 2 uses

6 charges: 1 charge = 1 use

 

You get 6 uses per day. Mix and match at will.

 

Of course that assumes that using up the full charge allocation from a single slot uses up the full reserve for the day. If that is not true, then the whole house of cards comes down.

[Rapier]

Re: Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

 

END Reserves are so cheap, that I would imagine that the cost difference between the Reserve and the additional Lim for Costs END might mitigate that to some degree.

 

The only other option I see is to use some manner of Fuel Charges. Don't have time to look it up and play with the numbers but say that the MP has 60 pts of Fuel. Slot 1 (with a 1 turn boostable charge) uses 5 pts of fuel per phase, etc.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

 

END Reserves are so cheap, that I would imagine that the cost difference between the Reserve and the additional Lim for Costs END might mitigate that to some degree.

 

The only other option I see is to use some manner of Fuel Charges. Don't have time to look it up and play with the numbers but say that the MP has 60 pts of Fuel. Slot 1 (with a 1 turn boostable charge) uses 5 pts of fuel per phase, etc.

 

I do think that your idea is cunning, but I also think that it is unnecessarily complex in this particular situation. Ad hoc works for this puprose, to be tautologically precise (but, of course, reduntantly surplus to requirements).

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Multipower with different kinds of Charges.

 

How's this:

 

22 Wand of Illusions: Multipower, 50-point reserve, (50 Active Points); all slots OAF (-1), Conditional Power Use of Charges is proportional; if you use the Invisibility slot for 3 hours, you can only use 3 hours with the Light slot, or use the HA NND 3 times. (-1/4) - END=

2u 1) Light: Sight Group Images 1" radius, +/-10 to PER Rolls, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 6 Hours (+1/4) (50 Active Points) - END=[1 cc]

2u 2) Illusion: Sight and Hearing Groups Images Increased Size (2" radius; +1/4), +/-8 to PER Rolls, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Hour (+0) (49 Active Points) - END=[1 cc]

2u 3) Invisibility: Invisibility to Sight, Hearing and Mystic Groups , No Fringe, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 6 Hours (+1/4) (50 Active Points) - END=[1 cc]

2u 4) Darkness: Darkness to Sight Group 4" radius, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Hour (+0), Personal Immunity (+1/4) (50 Active Points) [Notes: 1 Continuing 1-hour Fuel charge is FAR cheaper than 6 5-minute Continuing charges.] - END=[1 cc]

2u 5) Flash: Sight Group Flash 5d6, Area Of Effect (3" Radius; +1) (50 Active Points); 6 Boostable Charges (-1/2) - END=[6 bc]

2u 6) Dispel Illusions: Dispel Illusion Magic 16 1/2d6 (standard effect: 49 points) (50 Active Points); 6 Boostable Charges (-1/2) - END=[6 bc]

1u 7) Solid Light: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6, No Normal Defense ([standard]; +1) (50 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), 6 Boostable Charges (-1/2) - END=[6 bc]