5e Naked Advantage

[BlueCloud2k2]

Okay, one of the players in my PBEM game is playing a police officer that has been slowly developing his mental powers. His primary ability is his mind-link with his canine partner, and he has two Telepathy Slots in his Multipower.

 

I've already ruled that characters with a certain "Schtick" can have powers that break the 60 AP ceiling with GM approval (and this is my idea, mind).

 

Would the following Naked Advantage for his TP slots in his Multipower be a bit too much:

 

24 Subtle Reading - Naked Advantage: Invisible Power Effects (+1/2 - Only affects up to 60 Active Points); Telepathy Powers only -0, Power Effect are still visible to those with Mental Awareness -1/4

 

Basically this represents the police officer's ability to read the minds of suspects during interrogations without them knowing it. As most thugs a cop deals with don't have mental powers, they don't pick up on the fact that their brains have been "picked" during the interview. However, this officer has never gone up against someone with the Sense "Mental Awareness" or that has Mental Powers.

 

Also, this officer would be unaware that his powers are still visible to those with Mental Awareness, and his powers do not yet provide Mental Awareness.

 

Feedback very much needed here...

[Rapier]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

His mental powers are already in the MP?

 

Does he have enough points in the Reserve to have both slots active at once?

 

Otherwise that would do it.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

Actually, the naked advantage would be bought outside of the Multipower...

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

I'd buy him separate multipower slots for Telepathy with IPE for three reasons. First, it is potentially less abusive. Second, it is probably cheaper (well, depending on how many IPE slots he wants). Third, it makes sense in my mind that if he is being careful not to be detected that the total number of dice would be lower. The analogy is if you want to be stealthy you don't run at top speed. Of course with a additional +20 effect on the roll, you can have the Telepathy not be detected by the subject, so maybe you just need +6d6 Telepathy only for purposes of remaining undetected.

[Rapier]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

Actually' date=' the naked advantage would be bought outside of the Multipower...[/quote']

 

Generally, a character cannot purchase a naked Power Advantage or Adder that adds to any slot in a Power Framework, but this depends on the nature of the powers and special effects involved and the GM’s judgment regarding game balance, common sense, and dramatic sense.

 

So it is definitely something you should carefully consider, but it seems to live up to the intent of the exception. It is limited enough to not make it overly useful, and it will definitely do exactly what you are looking for.

 

I can think of a couple of alternate interpretations off the top of my head:

 

Count the 'BODY' of the attack (it doesn't do BODY, but count the total as if it did) and reduce it by any Mental DEF. If the BODY - Mental DEF <= 0 the character is aware of the attack. This way, characters without Mental Awareness but Mental DEF would still have an opportunity to know someone is playing with their mind.

 

Similarly Damage Negation for Mental attacks would count as Mental Awareness, or possibly count the remaining BODY and adjudicate as above.

 

Otherwise I kind of dig the build!

[torchwolf]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

Guaranteed Modifier (APG 69) is another way of doing it, as a Naked Adder (costs 1 pt per pt, "at the GM's option"). It would still qualify for the Limitation, so:

 

16 Naked Adder to Telepathy: "Power is Undetectable to Target" (20 Active Points), Power Effect are still visible to those with Mental Awareness (-1/4)

 

This is 6E though, but you might import that option to 5e® fairly safely.

 

Nice build there, that Naked Advantage works as well as a Naked Adder.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

Second' date=' it is probably cheaper (well, depending on how many IPE slots he wants).[/quote']

 

Right now the only Mental Powers in his MP are all Telepathy. He has Clairsentience to see through his follower's Senses (he has a seperate Mindlink with said follower) and a Detect Minds with N-Ray Perception that's blockable by Mental Defense and thin layers of dense metals (Lead, Gold, Tungsten, etc).

 

Third, it makes sense in my mind that if he is being careful not to be detected that the total number of dice would be lower. The analogy is if you want to be stealthy you don't run at top speed. Of course with a additional +20 effect on the roll, you can have the Telepathy not be detected by the subject, so maybe you just need +6d6 Telepathy only for purposes of remaining undetected.

 

The rationale behind all of this is that he is a police officer that is only just begining to gain access to his Mental Powers. At first he just had a danger sense (outside of his MP and was later able to interact psychicly with his K-9 partner. Recently he has started being able read the thoughts of others. The Invisible power effect of his Telepathy is innate - he does it without trying.

 

Finally, the reason why I'm allowing this is because it is cheaper to him. This way he doesn't need to raise his MP reserve to greater heights for just 2 TP powers (one on an AoE, the other normal TP). He just doesn't have the control right now to use more than one of his powers at once, which a high MP reserve would allow. Later on, I'm going to make him dump the Naked Advantage points into his MP Reserve and actually re-build his TP slots to have the IPE. But just starting out?

 

Count the 'BODY' of the attack (it doesn't do BODY' date=' but count the total as if it did) and reduce it by any Mental DEF. If the BODY - Mental DEF <= 0 the character is aware of the attack. This way, characters without Mental Awareness but Mental DEF would still have an opportunity to know someone is playing with their mind.[/quote'] I like that. Have Rep!

 

Similarly Damage Negation for Mental attacks would count as Mental Awareness, or possibly count the remaining BODY and adjudicate as above.

 

Damage Negation? Is that a 6e thing? I'm playing 5e...

 

Otherwise I kind of dig the build!

 

Glad you like it.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

Guaranteed Modifier (APG 69) is another way of doing it, as a Naked Adder (costs 1 pt per pt, "at the GM's option"). It would still qualify for the Limitation, so:

 

16 Naked Adder to Telepathy: "Power is Undetectable to Target" (20 Active Points), Power Effect are still visible to those with Mental Awareness (-1/4)

 

Um... his Telepathy powers are 60 AP, not 40. So it would be 24 points. I only wrote the +1/2 next to IPE to describe the Advantage... really it should read:

 

24 Subtle Reading: 60 points of Telepathy powers have Invisible Power Effect; Powers are still visible to those with Mental Awareness (-1/4)

 

Nice build there, that Naked Advantage works as well as a Naked Adder.

 

Thanks.

[torchwolf]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

Um... his Telepathy powers are 60 AP' date=' not 40. So it would be 24 points. I only wrote the +1/2 next to IPE to describe the Advantage...[/quote']

Yes, the Naked Advantage build was perfectly clear (a +1/2 Naked Advantage to 60 Active Points is of course 30 Active, 24 Real Cost with a -1/4 Limitation).

 

I did mean Naked Adder (5ER 244 under Naked Power Advantage), though I should have been written "Naked Adder to Telepathy Powers".

Suggested this Guaranteed Modifier option, as it would work exactly the same in 6E and 5E or 5ER, perform the same function as the IPE or Required Effect, and be a few points cheaper.

 

About 80-90% of the APG (those parts not using 6E rules) can be used to expand on 5th edition material, though about a third of that is fairly optional.

However, there are some expansions to 5E Powers (more compatible with standard rules than some of Ultimate Mentalist/Speedster optional rules); APG-new Powers such as Possession (APG 74) and Projection (APG 92) expand upon Powers unchanged between 5th and 6th editions (Desolidification, Mind Control and Telepathy, in case you're interested in expanding on Mental abilities).

 

I'm not trying to sell you anything, just saying.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: 5e Naked Advantage

 

I did mean Naked Adder (5ER 244 under Naked Power Advantage)' date=' though I should have been written "Naked Adder to Telepathy [i']Powers[/i]".

I don't have 5ER, just 5E. 5ER came out about 3-6 months after I bought 5ER... go figure

 

About 80-90% of the APG (those parts not using 6E rules) can be used to expand on 5th edition material, though about a third of that is fairly optional.

However, there are some expansions to 5E Powers (more compatible with standard rules than some of Ultimate Mentalist/Speedster optional rules); APG-new Powers such as Possession (APG 74) and Projection (APG 92) expand upon Powers unchanged between 5th and 6th editions (Desolidification, Mind Control and Telepathy, in case you're interested in expanding on Mental abilities).

 

I'm not trying to sell you anything, just saying.

 

I'm gonna hafta take a look at it... I missed out on the USPD (maybe Ebay...)