Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

[megaplayboy]

I have a few characters I'd like to writeup in 6th ed, who have 2 or more "levels" of power above and beyond their baseline stats. AFAICT, there's a few different ways to model this:

1. Aid to multiple stats/powers, standard effect, with extra dice to push up the max only(per additional level of "power up"), concentrate, extra time

2. Multiform(each form more powerful than the last, cost based on the most expensive form), may also require concentration and extra time

3. A "package" or compound power of multiple stat and power adds, with concentrate, extra time only to activate, perhaps unified power as well

 

They each seem to have advantages and drawbacks. With 6th ed. Aid, buying multiple levels of "power up" is likely to be extremely expensive, and it generally requires everything to level up evenly(with defense stats leveling half as fast), so it may be lacking in the granularity department.

With multiform, obviously each form can be written up in as nuanced a way as possible, but total cost calculation may be messy, and the downside is that writing up multiple forms can become a little bit tedious.

The "package" option sounds appealing, but if there's more than a couple levels of power up, seems like the character sheet could get a little messy.

 

Perhaps I could adapt the Proportional advantage to Option 1 or Option 3?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

Why not Partially Limited Powers with each step taking either a conditional Limitation or something else?

[Bloodstone]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

I love me some multiform, but if the characters simply gets more powerful version of abilites they already have, then partially limited powers would work fine IMO.

 

How many stages we talking here? Non-Powered, Powered, Powered-Up? Or more?

[megaplayboy]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

Ideally, the writeup would be relatively clean and compact, regardless of how many power up stages there might be-1, 2, 10 or 20(!), shouldn't make a difference in how much space the writeup takes, in theory.

e.g.:

+x to a-g, +y to h-n, +z to o-t, +xx to u-z, concentrate during activation, extra time(1 full phase to activate per instantiation), Proportional x ??, discretionary limitation(higher power levels occur less frequently).

 

Something like that. Multiform might have the benefit of giving the character some funky new power, in addition or instead of the incremental boost to everything. Aid seems like it'd be a pain in the butt to express that way. The Partially limited power approach does seem like the way to go, but I'd need to figure out if that'd be considered a "legal" use of the optional Proportional Advantage from the APG.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

If I were running such a character, I'd actually prefer to write up a character sheet for each power level. Seems that would be easier to work with than a single sheet with multiple entries for a significant number of abilities.

 

But I do my characters on Excel, so Copy Sheet and change the relevant items may be a lot easier than other approaches allow.

[Hierax]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

Boostable Charges are worth considering.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

I like set characteristics with activation conditions because it is very clear what is happening and easy to administer:

 

(Total: 40 Active Cost, 40 Real Cost) +10 STR (Real Cost: 10) plus +5 CON (Real Cost: 5) plus +1 OCV (Real Cost: 5) plus +5 END (Real Cost: 1) plus +10 STUN (Real Cost: 5) plus Regeneration (1 BODY per Minute) (Real Cost: 14)

 

Total: 40 points: requires extra time to activate (Extra Phase -1/2): 27 points

 

PLUS

 

 

(Total: 28 Active Cost, 28 Real Cost) +10 STR (Real Cost: 10) plus +5 CON (Real Cost: 5) plus +1 OCV (Real Cost: 5) plus +5 END (Real Cost: 1) plus +10 STUN (Real Cost: 5) plus Regeneration (+1 step on time chart) (Real Cost: 2)

 

Extra time to activate (1 turn), concentration to activate -1 (14 points)

 

ETC: so for 41 points you can take an extra phase and get to the first level boost or concentrate for a full turn and get to the second level boost etc.

 

Especially now we do not have figured characteristics it works very well.

[Naanomi]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

Only In Alternative Identity is also worth considering, especially for 'one tier' of the powering up... the first power up is entering the Alt. ID, the second is another method.

[casualplayer]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

What are the transition conditions and can you be forced into or out of each stage? That would help to know what would work best to model this.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Modeling "powering up" in 6th ed.

 

Just write them up with the full power levels. Then apply appropriate limitations to keep them from using all of their mojo until they have jumped through the appropriate hoops.

 

No multiform necessary.