New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

[schir1964]

Universal Activation Roll

Universal Activation Roll is a limitation that can be applied to powers that require some type of when activated. The character may attempt to activate a power once per phase. Constant powers require an activation roll each phase. The total limitation value may never become an advantage regardless of the accrued modifiers (Minimum Total Limitation = -0).

 

Base Activation Roll

• Roll (8-) : -2 Limitation
  
• Roll (9-) : -1½ Limitation
  
• Roll (10-): -1¼
  
• Roll (11-): -1
  
• Roll (12-): -¾
  
• Roll (13-): -½
  
• Roll (14-): -¼
  
• Roll (15-): -0
  
• Roll (16-): +¼ (Minimum Total Limitation = -0)
  
• Roll (17-): +½ (Minimum Total Limitation = -0)
  

 

Modifiers

 

Reduced Activation Attempts

Extra Phase: -¼

Turn: -½

Minute: -¾

Each Additional Step Down The Time Chart: -¼

 

Increased Duration (Without Activation Roll)

Extra Phase: +¼

Turn: +½

Minute: +¾

Each Additional Step Down The Time Chart: +¼

 

Power May Jam: -¼ (Failure results in power unusable for rest of adventure [GM Discretion])

 

Power May Burn Out: +¼ (Power activates normally but then results in power unusable for rest of adventure [GM Discretion])

 

Active Point Penalty (Minimum -1 Penalty)

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1-20 Active Point Range): -¼

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1-10 Active Point Range): -½

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1-5 Active Point Range): -1

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1 Active Point): -2

 

Concept By Sean Waters (Reposted here for easy reference)

 

- Christopher Mullins

[Sean Waters]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

You are so much better at me than formatting these things, Christopher

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

Universal Activation Roll

Universal Activation Roll is a limitation that can be applied to powers that require some type of when activated. The character may attempt to activate a power once per phase. Constant powers require an activation roll each phase. The total limitation value may never become an advantage regardless of the accrued modifiers (Minimum Total Limitation = -0).

 

Base Activation Roll

• Roll (8-) : -2 Limitation
  
• Roll (9-) : -1 ½ Limitation
  
• Roll (10-): -1 ¼
  
• Roll (11-): -1
  
• Roll (12-): -¾
  
• Roll (13-): -½
  
• Roll (14-): -¼
  
• Roll (15-): -0
  
• Roll (16-): +¼ (Minimum Total Limitation = -0)
  
• Roll (17-): +½ (Minimum Total Limitation = -0)
  

 

Modifiers

 

Reduced Activation Attempts

Extra Phase: -1/4

Turn: -1/2

Minute: -3/4

Each Additional Step Down The Time Chart: -1/4

 

Increased Duration (Without Activation Roll)

Extra Phase: +1/4

Turn: +1/2

Minute: +3/4

Each Additional Step Down The Time Chart: +1/4

 

Power May Jam: -1/4 (Failure results in power unusable for rest of adventure [GM Discretion])

 

Power May Burn Out: +1/4 (Power activates normally but then results in power unusable for rest of adventure [GM Discretion])

 

Active Point Penalty (Minimum -1 Penalty)

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1-20 Active Point Range): -1/4

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1-10 Active Point Range): -1/2

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1-5 Active Point Range): -1

Activation Penalty (-1 Per 1 Active Point): -2

 

Concept By Sean Waters (Reposted here for easy reference)

 

Why should I ever take Jammed? I get an extra -1/4 limitation. I could take "reduced attempts - 1 per turn" for -1/2 and attempt to clear the jam after PS 12 and get a greater limitation than if I took Jammed and lost the power for the rest of the adventure.

 

I would suggest removal of Jammed, and replacement of Burnout with a halving of the "extra time for retries" limitation for a power that always works when it first activates.

 

This considerably increases the limitation for a power which, once the roll fails, becomes inaccessible for an extended period of time. That seems reasonable to me, as I've always felt Burnout and Jammed were underpriced anyway. Losing the power for the rest of the adventure seems a lot more severe than a small stepdown in the activation roll.

[schir1964]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

Why should I ever take Jammed? I get an extra -1/4 limitation. I could take "reduced attempts - 1 per turn" for -1/2 and attempt to clear the jam after PS 12 and get a greater limitation than if I took Jammed and lost the power for the rest of the adventure.

 

I would suggest removal of Jammed, and replacement of Burnout with a halving of the "extra time for retries" limitation for a power that always works when it first activates.

 

This considerably increases the limitation for a power which, once the roll fails, becomes inaccessible for an extended period of time. That seems reasonable to me, as I've always felt Burnout and Jammed were underpriced anyway. Losing the power for the rest of the adventure seems a lot more severe than a small stepdown in the activation roll.

I have to concur with Hugh. Jammed and Burnout do not make much sense with the current construct and why is Burnout a +1/4?

 

- Christopher Mullins

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

I have to concur with Hugh. Jammed and Burnout do not make much sense with the current construct and why is Burnout a +1/4?

 

- Christopher Mullins

 

This is the official rule for burnout. I believe it is perceived as being advantageous to be guaranteed success until after the first failed roll. Certainly, you'll never waste an attack action on a power that doesn't activate.

[Sean Waters]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

I was going to make jammed a +1/2 and burnout a -0, but this construction better mirrors the existing mechanic. They move one up or one down the limitation table respectively, but I would argue that jammed is more of a limtiation than that and even burnout is not an 'advantage'.

 

As to why you'd take 'jammed', well, from a utility POV you wouldn't take it under the existing or sugegsted rule, but it emulates certain concepts and so is included for completeness' sake.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

As to why you'd take 'jammed'' date=' well, from a utility POV you wouldn't take it under the existing or sugegsted rule, but it emulates certain concepts and so is included for completeness' sake.[/quote']

 

This logic of "Well, the pricing is all wrong, but it fits your concept so you should take it anyway" always bugs me. It translates as "This concept is a poor choice because the game makes you pay excessive amounts for it". We could make COM cost 10 points each and argue that "your concept says you should be attractive, so just pay it", but all that leads to is a surplus of "He's butt-ugly" concepts and a shortfall of "He's so gorgeous he makes MEN wet" concepts.

 

If the price isn't apropriate, it should be fixed, not swept under the carpet. While we'll never get perfect balance out of points alone, there's not much benefit to a point-based system if we don't make any effort to balance the costs with utility. We might as well just list each power, stat, advantage and limitation in a table and roll to see what abilities you get - it won't be balanced either, buit at least it won't pretend to be.

[Sean Waters]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

This logic of "Well, the pricing is all wrong, but it fits your concept so you should take it anyway" always bugs me. It translates as "This concept is a poor choice because the game makes you pay excessive amounts for it". We could make COM cost 10 points each and argue that "your concept says you should be attractive, so just pay it", but all that leads to is a surplus of "He's butt-ugly" concepts and a shortfall of "He's so gorgeous he makes MEN wet" concepts.

 

If the price isn't apropriate, it should be fixed, not swept under the carpet. While we'll never get perfect balance out of points alone, there's not much benefit to a point-based system if we don't make any effort to balance the costs with utility. We might as well just list each power, stat, advantage and limitation in a table and roll to see what abilities you get - it won't be balanced either, buit at least it won't pretend to be.

 

Yes, I hear you, and agree: we should make an effort to get it as right as we can - the problem is that there are all sorts of ways in which, given the flexibility of Hero, a balanced cost is just not a realistic goal.

 

I mean, if you have a single attack, and you buy it so that it can jam, that is a huge limitation: once you lose it, you are no longer able to attack effectively.

 

If you have two or more alternative attacks, the penalty imposed by losing one is substantially diminished. How can you realistically decide what the point utility is without seeing an entire build?

 

In an ideal world, we could 'get it right'. In the real world, I think that, far more important than balancing points is deciding on the utility of the character given the global considerations of the campaign, the game, the villains, the other PCs and the build of the character in question.

 

I don't think this abrogates the responsibility of proper costing, but I don't think that a build that is properly costed can be said to be 'equivalent' so another build on the same points - we need both approaches to make sure the game works.

 

Having said that, the costing I originally suggested very closely mirrors what the book does right now with jammed and burnout. My alternative sugegstions are noted in my reply to your post. Where do you think it should be pitched?

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

Sean, I think adopting your "increased time before a failed activation can be attempted again" could form a complete replacement for Jammed and Burnout, with Burnout at half the calue of Jammed. Take 1 day to re-attampt activation, and that's a power that can't be cleared for an extended period. Make it one minute, and it essentially needs to be un-jammed out of combat.

[schir1964]

Re: New Mechanic: Universal Activation Roll

 

I agree with Hugh.

 

You would end up with the following using Hugh's idea.

 

Reduced Activation Modifiers (Serves As Jammed)

• Extra Phase: -¼
  
• Turn: -½
  
• 1 Minute: -¾
  
• 5 Minutes: -1
  
• 20 Minutes: -1¼
  
• 1 Hour: -1½
  
• 5 Hours: -1¾
  
• 1 Day: -2
  
• 1 Week: -2 ¼
  
• 1 Month: -2½
  
• 1 Season: -2¾
  
• 1 Year: -3
  
• 5 Years: -3¼
  
• 25 Year: -3½
  
• 1 Century: -3¾
  

 

Reduced Activation Modifiers (With Burnout As Half Value Modifier)

• Extra Phase: -0
  
• Turn: -¼
  
• 1 Minute: -¼
  
• 5 Minutes: -½
  
• 20 Minutes: -½
  
• 1 Hour: -¾
  
• 5 Hours: -¾
  
• 1 Day: -1
  
• 1 Week: -1
  
• 1 Month: -1¼
  
• 1 Season: -1¼
  
• 1 Year: -1½
  
• 5 Years: -1½
  
• 25 Year: -1¾
  
• 1 Century: -1¾
  

 

Jammed Roll (1 Day Activation Attempt)

• Roll (8-) : -4 Limitation
  
• Roll (9-) : -3½ Limitation
  
• Roll (10-): -3¼
  
• Roll (11-): -3
  
• Roll (12-): -2¾
  
• Roll (13-): -2½
  
• Roll (14-): -2¼
  
• Roll (15-): -2
  
• Roll (16-): -1¾
  
• Roll (17-): -1½
  

 

Burnout Roll (1 Day Activation Attempt)

• Roll (8-) : -3 Limitation
  
• Roll (9-) : -2½ Limitation
  
• Roll (10-): -2¼
  
• Roll (11-): -2
  
• Roll (12-): -1¾
  
• Roll (13-): -1½
  
• Roll (14-): -1¼
  
• Roll (15-): -1
  
• Roll (16-): -¾
  
• Roll (17-): -½