When should Always On be used

[torelin32]

I'm a little fuzz on the disad Always On and what power should it be applied to if any. Could someone clear this up for me.

 

Thanks

 

P.S. Also the disad In Heroic ID

 

Thanks again

[Edsel]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

The main thing is that the Always On Limitation has to be a disadvantage or it isn't really a Limitation.

 

For example; Life Support - Immortality, Always On would be silly and it certainly doesn't seem to be limiting in any way.

 

A character who is a living being of light and therefore has a power like Change Environment - Light, Always On is certainly a debilitating Limitation. He can't turn the light off even at night and therefore isn't going to be able to be stealthy, or even hide easily, unless he is already in a brightly lit area.

 

So the best test is to ask yourself if the power in question would be annoying or dangerous if it was always on. If the answer is yes, then Always On is probably a valid Limitation for that power.

 

Hope that helps some.

[torelin32]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

thanks, it did

[Sean Waters]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Here's the test: is the power something you'd want to be always on?

 

If so then you can't have the limitation.

[Checkmate]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

I think the Always on limitation has been covered so I'll take Only in Hero ID (OIHID):

 

My favorite example is Billy Batson says "Shazam" and turns into Captain Marvel.

 

OIHID has a few stipulations before you can take it. It has to take time (at least 1 phase) to change, and it has to have a reasonable way to stop the transformation (although a lot of GM's are pretty lenient about reasonable way to stop). With my example above, the lighting coming down and changing little Billy to Captain Marvel explains why it takes a phase to change, and if you can stop him from saying the magic word, he can't change. So this fits perfectly.

 

If you're more famliar with Marvel Comics, Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk when he gets angry*. The transformation into the Hulk takes longer than 1 second (1 phase) and if you can keep him calm (drugs, psychology or psychic powers) he can't change, so it fits too.

 

Hope that helps.

 

*My rule of thumb is that if it changes your personallity and you lose or gain different set of skills use Multiform instead of OIHID, but again that's my personal rule.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

My rule of thumb for OIHID is almost the same as Checkmate's. If one character is a proper super-set of the other, use OIHID. If not, use Multiform.

[JmOz]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

point of clarity

 

Unless revised strengthened the language the it takes over a phase is a guideline not a rule

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

point of clarity

 

Unless revised strengthened the language the it takes over a phase is a guideline not a rule

It is a rule, not a guideline. However, the actual rule is that it either must take at least a Full Phase, or there must be other difficulties or ways to prevent the character from changing forms. Not necessarily both (although it could be both).

[Checkmate]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

It is a rule' date=' not a guideline. However, the actual rule is that it either must take at least a Full Phase, or there must be other difficulties or ways to prevent the character from changing forms. Not necessarily both (although it could be both).[/quote']

Hmm I'll have to read that again. I was sure it was both.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Hmm I'll have to read that again. I was sure it was both.

It says it must take time (at least a Full Phase) "and/or" have other difficulties or ways to prevent the change.

 

The gamer who doesn't want to take both will certainly read that "and/or" as just "or."

[archermoo]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

It says it must take time (at least a Full Phase) "and/or" have other difficulties or ways to prevent the change.

 

The gamer who doesn't want to take both will certainly read that "and/or" as just "or."

 

And their Ref will read that as just "and".

[JmOz]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

It says it must take time (at least a Full Phase) "and/or" have other difficulties or ways to prevent the change.

 

The gamer who doesn't want to take both will certainly read that "and/or" as just "or."

 

Which is what "and/or" means, the choice between choosing one or both

[Duke Bushido]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Powered Armor is the sort of thing that comes to my mind for "Only in Hero ID." Unless it's powered Underoos, the character will need a moment to change

[Sean Waters]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Personally I believe that the assigning of value to limitations is far more art than science.

 

Theoretically a -1/4 should mean that you lose about 1/4 of the utility of the power, so either it is operating at 75% most of the time or it is not operating at all 25% of the time, or somewhere between those two.

 

Of course that would mean that, even a -1/4 should be affecting you a lot of the time. At least once per turn.

 

Mind you actually not having access to your powers is quite a biggie, so maybe it does not need to cut in every 4 uses. Even so, not being able to change into Hero ID should be something the player worries about every session, or REALLY worries about every couple of sessons. You take limtations, you, well, take limitations. After all assuming the character is a 100 point normal, and spends the remainder of their points on their Hero ID, well they are building a 400+ point character: the trade off is that they lose their powers completely now and then. You don't enforce the limtiation, you are not being fair to the other players.

 

Now personally I'm very laissez faire about the whole 'point' thing, so long as the character works out well enough in game. I tend to treat limitations and disadvantages as plot hooks more than anything else.

 

Nonetheless, if the character is taking OIHID in order to become more powerful rather than more interesting, they are likely to find themselves wishing that it did not take quite so long to change into someone who could actually take the kicking they were getting THIS phase.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

For example; Life Support - Immortality' date=' Always On would be silly and it certainly doesn't seem to be limiting in any way.[/quote']

Wasn't there a book about this? They made it into a movie recently, but I don't remember the name of it. They are immortal and never age, so they have to keep moving around so their neighbors don't get suspicious. The teenage boy will always be a teenage boy, even though his girlfriends get older normally. etc.

[KA.]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

I believe you have to take the whole character into account when deciding the value of things like "Always On".

 

For example, it appears that Wolverine's regeneration is technically "always on" but that is not a problem for him since he has a fairly Public ID.

 

On the other hand, the fact that Superman's "Damage Resistance" or "Armor" or whatever made him bulletproof was "Always On" made it a constant battle to maintain his Secret ID.

After all, when the Daily Planet is having a Blood Drive and they notice that the needle keeps shattering against your arm, people are going to start asking questions.

 

One of my character's had something a -1/4 Limitation like "Always On" or "No Conscious Control" or something like that on their Regeneration, because they had a symbiote that did not want them to get hurt and would heal them automatically if they did, which was something of a problem if you were hit in the face with a baseball and your broken nose fixed itself right in front of the rest of the team.

 

KA.

[Wanderer]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

If you're more famliar with Marvel Comics' date=' Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk when he gets angry*. The transformation into the Hulk takes longer than 1 second (1 phase) and if you can keep him calm (drugs, psychology or psychic powers) he can't change, so it fits too.[/quote']

 

My character has a somewhat similar OIHID concept. He changes into superpowered form through Extra Phase Concentration and sustains it through a combo of willpower and solar energy. Being severely affected by fear or despair or drained of Mental Characteristics can stop or turn off the trasformation.

 

As I said, the activation condition is Extra Phase Concentration

 

The turn off condtion is : Accidental Change: Changes Out of Heroic Identity If INT, EGO, or PRE Is Drained/Suppressed to 0 Or Character Is Severely (EGO/PRE +20) Affected by Despair-, Doubt-, or Fear-inducing Mental Powers or PRE Attacks Always (Uncommon)

[Outsider]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Wasn't there a book about this? They made it into a movie recently' date=' but I don't remember the name of it. They are immortal and never age, so they have to keep moving around so their neighbors don't get suspicious. The teenage boy will always be a teenage boy, even though his girlfriends get older normally. etc.[/quote']

 

If the campaign spans many many years, and not aging will cause problems for the character, then sure, "Always On" might be OK for immunity to aging. Most campaigns dont cover so much time that it matters though.

[JmOz]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

the flip side is that it is only saving 2 points, which should probably be going to something like KS: First hand History 11-

[JmOz]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Wasn't there a book about this? They made it into a movie recently' date=' but I don't remember the name of it. They are immortal and never age, so they have to keep moving around so their neighbors don't get suspicious. The teenage boy will always be a teenage boy, even though his girlfriends get older normally. etc.[/quote']

 

Tuck Everlasting I beleive is what you are thinking of

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Personally I believe that the assigning of value to limitations is far more art than science.

 

Theoretically a -1/4 should mean that you lose about 1/4 of the utility of the power, so either it is operating at 75% most of the time or it is not operating at all 25% of the time, or somewhere between those two.

 

First off, this is bad math. Why should the power be 25% less valuable when the cost drops by 20%? Extrapolating this, -1 should remove all the benefits, rather than half.

 

Of course that would mean that, even a -1/4 should be affecting you a lot of the time. At least once per turn.

 

Mind you actually not having access to your powers is quite a biggie, so maybe it does not need to cut in every 4 uses.

 

Both frequency and severity need to be taken into account. Activation highlights this. Act 11- works 62.5% of the time, but cuts the cost in half. "Does not work between Noon and midnight" will be unavailable half the time, and would get the same -1 limitation. Why is activation the same limitation when it will work more often? Because you don't know when it will or won't work. You won't blow a phase at 3 PM trying to use an EB that doesn't work between Noon and midnight, but you will blow a phase trying to fire off one that acts 11-.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: When should Always On be used

 

Tuck Everlasting I beleive is what you are thinking of

Thank you! That was driving me crazy. (I know: it's not a drive, it's a short putt.)