Tricky END Reserve Question

[UltraRob]

Here's the situation: One character has a huge END reserve, the rest of the party has the ability to tap into that reserve to power their superhuman abilities.

 

So, the one with the END Reserve would have to buy: Useable by Others at range on their END Reserve, naturally.

 

But, what would the cost modifier be on the powers bought by the rest of the team whose powers can only work off their friend's END Reserve? The powers cost END normally, just not the END of the people using the powers.

 

Rob

[eternal_sage]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

i certainly wouldn't give them one... unless you wanted to actually take away the "power company" every once in awhile to enforce its "limitation-ness". i mean, knock him out, and the whole party is reduced to...well very few powers, at least. don't know the concept, but it sounds like some type of munchkin powerplay to me. of course, i could be wrong. it has happened before, like once .

[UltraRob]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

Actually, it's really quite the opposite. The concept comes from the manga Negima, in which wizards can bestow upon their allies the ability to tap into the Wizard's power reserve for short periods of time during combat to pump up the allies' combat abilities.

 

This differs from a "buff" situation in that the allies, through a contract item, can control what powers they use and how much they're enhanced. Once the contract is made, the allies can tap into them anytime, the wizard is no longer in direct control of the use the allies make of their power.

 

The reason this is very anti-munchkiny (from my POV), is that the wizard and allies are both working with a very finite power reserve, and must ration it out in strategic ways. If they don't, they'll quickly deplete the reserve, rendering the wizard both useless and the allies without a source of enhancement when they need it. Think of it as a whole party sharing a single END Reserve, but not a big one, as opposed to the normal situation of each player having their own.

 

Rob

[eternal_sage]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

in that case, maybe a -1/2 to a -1, if they could still attach the powers to their own END. i would CONSIDER a -2 if without the "power company" they are weak, feeble normals, but then i like to reward interesting power set ups, made for the right reasons, obviously.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

If the characters getting the benefit of the END Reserve can normally power their abilities with their personal END as well it would a -0 Limitation. Arguably it should actually be a +1/4 Advantage [Power Can Draw END from Character or END Reserve (+1/4)]. The only time it would be limiting in any way is if the characters have abilities that can ONLY be powered by the END Reserve. In that case it is just a Limited Power whose value depends upon how often the END Reserve character is unavailable (not the END in the reserve, that cost is a function of the Reserve itself and paid by it's owner).

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

If the characters getting the benefit of the END Reserve can normally power their abilities with their personal END as well it would a -0 Limitation. Arguably it should actually be a +1/4 Advantage [Power Can Draw END from Character or END Reserve (+1/4)]. The only time it would be limiting in any way is if the characters have abilities that can ONLY be powered by the END Reserve. In that case it is just a Limited Power whose value depends upon how often the END Reserve character is unavailable (not the END in the reserve' date=' that cost is a function of the Reserve itself and paid by it's owner).[/quote']

 

Taking this one step further, perhaps the Wizard should be required to purchase both the END reserve itself and a Naked Advantage Usable by Others to permit other characters' powers to be powered by the reserve or their natural END at their discretion.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

Are we sure the "power battery" character doesn't just have an AoE Selective Succor END power of some kind (which of course runs off his END Reserve ) ?

[UltraRob]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

Interesting. In the setup I was thinking of, the characters would only be able to access the special powers by using END from the Power Reserve Character, not their own END sources. Those specific powers would be only available if the Wizard had the power to lend them. I'm not sure about range, but I know in the Negima manga, which I'm modelling it after, they can access it if they're within a few kilometres of the Wizard and possibly without him even being aware. (Although they can telepathically communicate with the Wizard as part of the bonding process anyways!)

 

I myself am inclined to probably make it a -1/2 limitation, but I wanted some outside thoughts and input from HEROdom as well.

 

For more on this setup from Negima, go here for the very full writeup of the Pactio system.

 

Thanks guys!

Rob

[ghost-angel]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

Depends on how often the Wizard Battery is out of range. I would call it a -1/4 honestly.

[braincraft]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

Give the Pactios side effects on their granted powers (drains END from magi), or give the magi a Susceptibility (to his Pactios using their granted powers, manifests as END Drain).

[Outsider]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

Strictly speaking, Hyperman has it right. The powers dont really get a limitation for being able to draw from an END Reserve, and would have to take an advantage to be able to draw from either the reserve OR their own END.

 

If you dont want to be so strict...

 

Look at the END Reserve character as a focus.

 

He is an Accessible Focus, more or less, since he can be attacked and/or grabbed in combat.

 

He'd be bulky as well, but since he's self mobile I'd not give him the limitation

 

So then you have to decide how Obvious he is.

 

Is it widely known (or campaign standard) that the characters draw the energy that runs their powers off of this character? Such that opponents pretty much all know that whacking this guy (or pulling him out of range, or whatever) will debilitate the rest? If so, he's the equivalent of an Obvious Focus. Otherwise he's Inobvious.

 

So -1/2 to -1

[eternal_sage]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

hmmm.... i just pull -1/2 to -1 out of my rear before, but i really like that now that Outsider broke it down like a focus! hear hear!

[UltraRob]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

As far as I can tell, in the actual Negima setting, rendering the Magi unconscious doesn't stop the Pactio users from using their Magi-powered abilities. (Although killing him/her obviously would.) Although, in HERO terms their abilities would stop when the Magi's END reserve ran dry whether he is conscious or not.

 

Yes, it's well known that the Pactio users are powered by the Magi, take him out and down they go, so the Foci limitation would actually work very well. Thanks Outsider!

 

Rob

[Sean Waters]

Re: Tricky END Reserve Question

 

You could do it this way: require all players to buy an END reserve but only the 'source' character buys REC for it, so only he can recover END normally.

 

Have all 'leech' characters buy a small Transfer, to remove END from the 'source' character to replentish their own reserves.

 

OK, that is actually going to cost them points for something that is pretty much a limitation, but if the sheer joy of role playing/concept creating is not enough incentive, I would probably allow a -1/4 limitation on all powers that draw END from a 'leech' END reserve, given that they have only limited END to use.

 

Alternatively all characters buy an END reserve, and all 'leech' characters buy their REC limited so that it only works when within a certain distance of the 'source' character, and the 'source' character buys a limitation on his REC that it does not work if a leech is within the same distance.