Someone called it mutagenic.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

They are basically combat steroids. The kicker is, they can be used to buff all sorts of things from movement to STR to DEX to CV. I modeled them as:

 

Aid 3d6 (18 AP) Variable Effect (all characteristics) +1/2, Expanded Efect (3 simultaneously) +1 (45 AP), OAF (Syringes full of goo) -1, Charges (6) -3/4 (16 RP)

 

This is actually for a fantasy-ish style game that is probably more along the lines of steam-punk.

[the fox]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

I'd call it technology so advanced, it's like magic!

Variable Effect (all characteristics) +1/2 sounds great for an unreal amount of flexibility;

does all characteristics include INT, EGO, PRE? Running, Swimming and Leaping?

Expanded Effect (3 simultaneously) +1 is great also; three times the effect for less than double the cost when you 'stack' this modifier/advantage with another,

another excellent purchase!

What I'd balk at (besides increasing this power further for real 'who do we need now?' effects) is this whole 'potions and syringes as OAF' thing.

Just cause it's in some book doesn't make it unbroken, IMO! Does he go into combat waving a syringe around? just how obvious and accessible are they, and how many are there?

6? for one phase each? shall I assume universal focus, requiring only some basic knowledge to use this item?

+1 might be too big a savings for something that can be pulled out various pockets up to 6 times, or is this 1 syringe?

Adding limited charges mitigates the savings, your no longer getting 1/2 off for the Focus, but it still saves you a lot, and it potentially adds utility to the power,

while more often than not limiting the power one bit!

'nuff said; I will accept no 'no-prize' answer that explains that potions/syringes as OAF; anyone care to disagree?

[The Suave]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

What I'd balk at (besides increasing this power further for real 'who do we need now?' effects) is this whole 'potions and syringes as OAF' thing.

Just cause it's in some book doesn't make it unbroken, IMO! Does he go into combat waving a syringe around? just how obvious and accessible are they, and how many are there?

6? for one phase each? shall I assume universal focus, requiring only some basic knowledge to use this item?

+1 might be too big a savings for something that can be pulled out various pockets up to 6 times, or is this 1 syringe?

Adding limited charges mitigates the savings, your no longer getting 1/2 off for the Focus, but it still saves you a lot, and it potentially adds utility to the power,

while more often than not limiting the power one bit!

'nuff said; I will accept no 'no-prize' answer that explains that potions/syringes as OAF; anyone care to disagree?

 

Food for thought: Whatever Focus you might consider applicable to a quiver of arrows would fit this syringe build.

 

I do not know what level of Focus that might be, that is for you (plural) to decide.

[mallet]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

It will depend on the details and power levels of your setting, but one problem (more of an issue really) was in a Star Hero game I was GMing a while back. We were using the Terran Empire Setting as is, including the setting books. In one of the books it had a similar build like what you are describing. It was a cyborg implant that gave an Adrenalin boost to STR & CON when triggered. The problem was that it gave a 3d6 boost. Now in some settings and on some stats that might not seem like much, but in a setting with NCM a 3d6 boost to STR can have enormous and very unrealistic effects. A STR 12 character could suddenly have STR 30! That's a difference of lifting 100kg to lifting 3200kgs. And a STR 20 character could suddenly with an "adrenalin boost" (and good roll) find himself on time lifting almost 6,400kgs!!! That is way outside the "realistic" scope of the setting. It is a problem of how the STR chart lifting capacity doubles every 5 points, which is fine in a Super Hero setting, but not very good in a Heroic setting (it is something I wish had been adjusted in 6th ed.)

 

So depending on the setting and "realism" of your campaign you might want to watch for that when designing this build. What I eventually did for the Star Hero game was to have 2d6 (of the 3d6) set as a Standard Effect, with the player rolling just 1d6 to add to that total (giving the booster a range of +7-12) this gave us a more "realistic" and effect and less of a wide swing in effect based on the roll because it also didn't make sense of the devise to one time give a boost up to 3200Kgs (for a character with STR 12, roll of 18), and the next a boost of only maybe up to 200kgs (on a roll of a 5).

 

Agian it is all based on what is possible and acceptable in your setting, but it is something to watch out for.

[mallet]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

'nuff said; I will accept no 'no-prize' answer that explains that potions/syringes as OAF; anyone care to disagree?

 

 

 

[the fox]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

err, actually it's fine, as long as there's 1 syringe for all 6 charges, I'd allow it!

Sorry I implied you would ask for 6 syringes, to quote Jet Li, of course there can be only one!

 

The problem with Foci/Charges of this type is when their effects last well beyond the actual use of the item, not as you have it, were it mostly fades away within 12 seconds.

After an Accessible potion is consumed, it doesn't become 'Inaccessible', it arguable can't be taken away!

And if it can't be taken away, it doesn't matter how obvious or well known it is, it's no longer a focus!

 

I just consider it a bit of a stretch for a small, easily concealable object of not totally obvious effect to be called Obvious.

A quiver of arrows, or even an arrow, is not an easily concealable object; while a Victorian-era syringe would certainly include a small case, pouch or bag?

A quiver of arrows, even with 20 different magical arrows, also has a more obvious effect, all of the arrows being of variable badness to various targets.

As for a potion, pill or syringe, not until it is used is it 'obviously' some sort of benefit to it's user, and possibly for oneself as well, rather than poison.

 

If you say it's Obvious and Accessible, then I must make it so!

In most fantasy worlds, I'd say potions and charms of all sorts are common knowledge,

making this syringe an obvious boon (most probably not poison that can benefit most for a brief time in various ways).

As far as Accessibility goes, limiting the effect to a few seconds is fine, as the item may be obvious and accessible only briefly.

 

Then there's all the other Limitations you could have placed on this simple power; I much prefer it the way it is!

No need to complicate things by restricting the OAF designation from well, certain OAF that aren't OAF, you see...

 

But how does the syringe know which characteristics you wish to Aid?

Is it magically like a Variable Aid Power, granting whatever characteristics mentally wished for, without error?

Or do the syringes come in different formulations, that is, any 3 chosen beforehand, for all 6 charges in a Syringe?

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

Important feedback, thank you so much. The faction that uses these 'drugs' are well known for the use thereof. It helps to make them 'obvious', people are expecting them. They hang on belts (at least on the miniatures they do) and from armor and capes. The biggest reason they are OAF is that they can be the object of grabs and taken from the posessor, at least according to the 6ed Focus explanation.

 

I pulled most of the Variable Effect (all characteristics) from the variable effect explanation in the 6ed book. It mentions all characteristics as a possible example. It did seem a bit generous to me, I honestly think it should be +1 for something like that. It can only really affect physical-type characteristics. INT, EGO, PRE, OMCV, DMCV are exempt. I'm thinking about making REC, END, BODY and STUN exempt as well. Base movement is able to be modified.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

It will depend on the details and power levels of your setting, but one problem (more of an issue really) was in a Star Hero game I was GMing a while back. We were using the Terran Empire Setting as is, including the setting books. In one of the books it had a similar build like what you are describing. It was a cyborg implant that gave an Adrenalin boost to STR & CON when triggered. The problem was that it gave a 3d6 boost. Now in some settings and on some stats that might not seem like much, but in a setting with NCM a 3d6 boost to STR can have enormous and very unrealistic effects. A STR 12 character could suddenly have STR 30! That's a difference of lifting 100kg to lifting 3200kgs. And a STR 20 character could suddenly with an "adrenalin boost" (and good roll) find himself on time lifting almost 6,400kgs!!! That is way outside the "realistic" scope of the setting. It is a problem of how the STR chart lifting capacity doubles every 5 points, which is fine in a Super Hero setting, but not very good in a Heroic setting (it is something I wish had been adjusted in 6th ed.)

 

So depending on the setting and "realism" of your campaign you might want to watch for that when designing this build. What I eventually did for the Star Hero game was to have 2d6 (of the 3d6) set as a Standard Effect, with the player rolling just 1d6 to add to that total (giving the booster a range of +7-12) this gave us a more "realistic" and effect and less of a wide swing in effect based on the roll because it also didn't make sense of the devise to one time give a boost up to 3200Kgs (for a character with STR 12, roll of 18), and the next a boost of only maybe up to 200kgs (on a roll of a 5).

 

Agian it is all based on what is possible and acceptable in your setting, but it is something to watch out for.

 

Yeah, I had that problem too for a heroic level character with an adrenaline boost sort of ability. My solution was that any points added by the Aid were subject to the same doubling cost past the charactersitic maxima that applied when originally building the characters. So it was easy enough to get to a 20 STR, but getting to a 30 STR couldn't happen (based on the active points in the Aid).

 

As a side note, 6e has definitely balanced Aid better than 5e as far as boosting multiple characteristics. I had a player with a Captain Marvel type hero who had basically one power which was a big Aid to most of his characterisics when he transformed from secret ID to superhero. The resulting superhero was so powerful I had to ban him (the +50 STR wasn't so bad, but combined with +17 DEX and +5 SPD and +25 PD/ED made him ridiculous). That isn't so likely to happen in 6e.

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: Someone called it mutagenic.

 

I really appreciate the characteristic maximum advice. I may have to do that.