Variable Power Pools

[Acroyear II]

I have a player that would like to build a Variable Power Pool for his character to wield the magic of the Egyptian Gods. My question is if VPPs are a defined group of powers limited to a particular special effect (like gadgets, fire/flame, mentalism, etc) and the VPP in question is a Magic VPP, can the player take the -1/4 Limitation Magic Only on the VPP?

 

Page 322 of the Hero System Fifth Edition Revised states that a VPP must follow a theme of related special effects. But on page 324 is a list of VPP Limitations, and among them is Slightly Limited Class (for example, Only Magic). How can you have a Magic VPP but then be able to add a Limitation of Only Magic?

 

And on the subject of a Magic VPP, doesn't that imply that the character can make any type of effect (like a fire bolt, an ice storm, energy bonds, grant the ability to fly to another character, summon a wolf, etc)? How do you defined what a Magic Power Pool can do and cannot do, as Magic is a pretty broad catagory and in many stories/games is known for being unlimited in what can be accomplished with it. An allowing a player with a VPP to be able to make all of the examples listed above and more, doesn't that go beyond the bounds of the VPP being a defined group of powers (like all fire powers, all speed powers, all mental powers, etc). Yeah, I'm a little confused on this.

 

I guess I'm just a little unclear as to what a standard Magic VPP can do and cannot do. Any thoughts or suggestions out there on this subject?

[Razoric]

Re: Variable Power Pools

 

It will do whatever you, as the GM, will allow. It could give people wings as transformative magic, it could make people melt, it could make an Area of Effect spell that will blast the crap out of everything and anything...

 

However, a VPP is limited by a few things: Pool cost, control cost, GM choice, and experience points.

 

You buy a VPP, you need to at least get half it in control cost (and only the control cost is affected by limitations). At its very standard, you have, let's say:

 

VPP (100 active points, 50 control points)

 

Add magic only, and it's (100 active points, 33 control points, magic only (-1/2))

 

Then, of course, you need to account that he needs a skill roll to activate (+2 advantage for cosmic, which is 'anything anywhere')

 

And if he only had 150xp (let's say 75/75 campaign), then he has, what, 10-20 points left over to protect himself?

 

Also, when he has, let's say, a magical armor up to keep himself alive, then he can't spend the points that are already active anywhere else without dispelling them.

 

So while very potent, eventually, you can only do so many things at once (not to mention that you incur an action point penalty for every 10 point you try to alocate in your VPP, unless you took the right advantages (thus raising the cost of your VPP).

 

And the GM can say 'no' to the player if he tries to do something that just doesn't seem 'magical'.

 

And I'd enforce a 'egypt' theme to the magic, too. I mean, there are myths and stories about egypt, after all, that he should follow. You don't see a vehicle summoned in egypt, now do you?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Variable Power Pools

 

A Default VPP can have any Special Effect in it at all.

 

Machines, Magic, Fire, Ice, et cetera. . .

 

By defining Magic Only, you leave a whole lot of SFX open (Magic Ice, Magic Fire, etc. . .) but close off a few (Cosmic Power, Holy Power, Gadgets, Technology, etc. . .)

 

So it's worth -1/4 in that regards. What Magic is and can do in your campaign you should sit down and define with your Player.

[Adventus]

Re: Variable Power Pools

 

Also have him come up with several power sets before play. This will help with what abilities he has. This has great RolePlaying fodder as well. I would have him base each power set around 1 specific God or Goddess. I.e. he is channeling the power of a specific Diety. For example, he cannot channel Isis while Channeling Horus. Also a shapeshift side effectthat he takes on the appearance of the god he is channeling. He also takes on some of their personalityand is drivenn to follow that diety's focus of power.

 

Alll power of this sort comes with a price. He may be called upon to fulfill a quest to be able to continue to channel a speceific diety's power. Or other missions. And what happens when 2 of the dieties want him to complete a quest for them that are contradictory? Which one does he complete? Do mummies or cultists seek him out?Or what if one the dieties wants him to 'kill' someone? And do other pantheons have someone like him?

[Checkmate]

Re: Variable Power Pools

 

If this is a Fantasy Hero setting, I would not allow the Magic Only limitation on it, as that's probably the only type VPP you're going to see. However, in a Champions setting, it might limit some as he'll never be able to make gadgets. Any Anti-Magic, will effect him, and if magic has certain rules in your campaign world, it has to follow those rules.

 

Hmm after typing all that out, it seems that's the exact same thing if it were the SFX of a Multipower, which wouldn't be allowed to take the Magic Only limitation. I dunno, that's a tough call.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Variable Power Pools

 

 

Page 322 of the Hero System Fifth Edition Revised states that a VPP must follow a theme of related special effects. But on page 324 is a list of VPP Limitations, and among them is Slightly Limited Class (for example, Only Magic). How can you have a Magic VPP but then be able to add a Limitation of Only Magic?

 

Actually, if you go back and reread the text more carefully you will see that it doesnt say a VPP MUST follow a theme of related special effects.

 

What it says, two times, is that they "TYPICALLY" are linked by common special effects. Typically <> Must.

 

You don't HAVE to declare a specific SFX. If you don't you can use a VPP for literally ANYTHING. However in practice such cosmic flexibility isn't appropriate for most character concepts. Usually a given character has a particular shtick, and they can only use their VPP for that shtick. If their shtick is really narrow they get a bigger lim on the control cost. If their shtick is pretty broad (but still not as wide open as literally ANYTHING), then they get a mere -1/4.

 

Magic, as you note, is very broad and thus most Magic VPP's are only slightly limited; ergo -1/4.

 

How is a Magic VPP limited? Well, that will vary a bit on what "Magic" means in a given campaign but usually this means that a character can't use their VPP for mundane things, for technological / scientific effects, for to imitate abilities that are explicitly not magical (like psionics or ki powers). And of course, many fantasy based Magic VPP's also carry with them some further restrictions specific to a particular Magic System about what that type of Magic can and can't do, other mandatory limitations that must be employed, and etc.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: Variable Power Pools

 

Killer Shrike has plenty of great points. The essential one, though, is that of the definition of the F/X of the VPP as being 'Magic'. Again, compared to anything -- technology, cosmic power, etc. etc. This is only slightly limiting, therefore -1/4.

 

Compare to a VPP Mimic Pool, where the F/X is limited to 'only powers the target has', etc. etc.