Solution to Multipowers within VPPs.

[esampson]

Re: Solution to Multipowers within VPPs.

 

Ok. So here's the example:

 

Honey Badger is an ex-VIPER agent who decided to leave VIPER and try to live the life of a hero. Before fleeing from VIPER he was able to steal a large amount of VIPER equipment (Honey Badger don't care) which he now uses to fight VIPER.

[TABLE=class: grid, width: 90%]

[TR]

[TD]68[/TD]

[TD]Gadget Pool: Variable Power Pool, 68 base[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]15[/TD]

[TD]Gadget Pool: 61 Control Cost (30 Active Points); Limited Power: Can only be changed in armory (-1/2), IIF (-1/4), Limited Effect: Gadgets (-1/4)[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]24[/TD]

[TD]Gadget Pool: No Skill Roll Required (+1), Powers Can Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1) for up to 30 Active Points of Control Cost (60 Active Points); Limited Power: Power can only be changed in armory with the exception of approved ammunition or reasonable multi-functioning weapons. (-1), Limited Effect: Gadgets (-1/4), IIF (-1/4)[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

In this case 68 points for the base is the minimum number of points needed to completely equip himself with the standard gear of a VIPER general combat specialist (which we will show below). Depending on what he's got in his stockpile he will probably want to increase the size of that pool, but that's the easiest thing to do since it's a straight 1:1. The 61 points of control cost is the minimum number of points he needs to fit the most expensive effect (which we will also see below).

 

Most of the gear is pretty straight forward. The one piece of equipment that causes problems is his VB-A1 “Striker” Blaster Rifle because it is built as a Multipower. Just to add to the headaches it is built with a charge limitation on the Multipower, but of course we don't want to place a charge limitation on the VPP itself. I figured the best way to simulate this was to build the two 'slots' of the gun each as having 32 charges and then give each of them a side-effect that causes them to use up each other's charges. The gun also has a third function, a Hand Attack. Since the Hand Attack doesn't use up charges it is put outside the Multipower but since we aren't constructing our gun with charges on the Multipower we can stick the HA as an additional VPP 'slot'. That gives us the following:

[TABLE=class: grid, width: 90%]

[TR]

[TD]20[/TD]

[TD]Basic Setting: Blast 8d6 (50 Active Points); OAF (VB-A1 “Striker” Blaster Rifle; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Firing uses equal charges from Autofire Setting; -1/2), 32 Charges (+1/4)[/TD]

[TD][32][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]24[/TD]

[TD]Autofire Setting: Blast 7d6, Autofire (5 shots; +1/2) (61 Active Points); OAF (VB-A1 “Striker” Blaster Rifle; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Firing uses equal charges from Basic Setting; -1/2), 32 Charges (+1/4)[/TD]

[TD][32][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]7[/TD]

[TD]Rifle-butt Club: HA +3d6 (15 Active Points); OAF (VB-A1 “Striker” Blaster Rifle; -1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4)[/TD]

[TD=align: center]1[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

So I'm not totaling the slots because this is a VPP and since the slots all fall into the "approved ammunition or reasonable multi-functioning weapons" limitation I can switch between these slots at will. All I'm really interested in are two things. What's the highest active cost of any slot (61 for the autofire setting) and what's the highest real cost of any slot (24, also for the autofire setting).

 

So now we get down to the point total for all the equipment carried by Honey Badger when he outfits himself as a general combat specialist we total up how many points he needs for each item:

[TABLE=class: grid, width: 90%]

[TR]

[TD]24[/TD]

[TD]VB-A1 “Striker” Blaster Rifle (see above)[/TD]

[TD][32] or 1[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]15[/TD]

[TD]VB-S1 “Shorty” Blaster Pistol: Blast 7d6 (35 Active Points); OAF (VB-S1 “Shorty” Blaster Pistol; -1), 12 Charges (-1/4)[/TD]

[TD][12][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]12[/TD]

[TD]VIPER Fang: (Total: 26 Active Cost, 12 Real Cost) HKA 1d6 (2d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF (VIPER Fang; -1) (Real Cost: 11)

plus

Range Based On STR (+1/4) for up to 15 Active Points of the HKA; 1 Recoverable Charge (-1 1/4), OAF (VIPER Fang; -1), Lockout (cannot use HKA until Charge is recovered; -1/2) (Real Cost: 1)[/TD]

[TD][1rc][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]10[/TD]

[TD]VIPER BCU (Basic): Resistant Protection (6 PD/6 ED) (18 Active Points); OIF (VIPER BCU (Basic); -1/2), Requires A Roll (14- roll; Must be made each Phase/use; does not protect Hit Locations 3-5 or 6-7; -1/4)[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]2[/TD]

[TD]VIPER Helmet (Basic) Protection: Resistant Protection (2 PD/2 ED) (6 Active Points); Requires A Roll (8- roll; Must be made each Phase/use; only protects Hit Locations 3-5; -1 3/4), OIF (VIPER Helmet (Basic); -1/2)[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]6[/TD]

[TD]VIPER Helmet (Basic) Communications System: Radio Perception/Transmission (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); OIF (VIPER Helmet (Basic); -1/2), Sense Affected As More Than One Sense: Affected As Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group (-1/4)[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]68[/TD]

[TD]

Total

[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

Now this isn't really a completely optimized build. In lots of games the GM will allow players to put a pistol and a knife in the same Weaponry Multipower as a Rifle. VIPER agents don't have such a Multipower. Now you could argue they don't have it because the construction of the first Multipower with charges on the Multipower pool itself precludes that, but you could always build the Multipower without the charges, stick the charges onto both slots, and then add the side effect like I did. Additionally, even if you didn't think to do it that way you could always build a second Multipower to handle the Rifle-butt club, pistol, and knife.

 

Since the VIPER agent doesn't have such a Multipower I am going to assume such Multipowers are frowned upon in the particular game he is played in (the reality is probably just that he doesn't have such optimizations because he's an NPC, but we'll ignore that) and so I constructed Honey Badger along similar lines. He winds up paying a few more points than a standard VIPER agent (107 points as opposed to 88 points) but that's the price you pay for being more flexible.

 

On the other hand if the VIPER agents were allowed more optimal builds then I would similarly optimize Honey Badger and shave off 27 points of his base pool by shifting the 24 points from the rifle to either pistol or knife as needed. Of course this would require a slight rework of the Naked Advantage to his control cost since the limitation becomes 'Power can only be changed in armory with the exception of switching between approved ammunition, reasonable multi-functioning weapons or various weapons of an approved weapon load'.

 

The end result however should be pretty much the same. The character with the VPP will cost a bit more than the character with the Multipower because of his greater flexibility but not excessive amounts more.