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Power Guide


Christopher

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I know there are short descriptions of all Powers in 6E1 and CC. But I think they are insuficcient to get an overview fast (you have to read through every power first to understand "what does what"). I know that space constraints simply allow not for a more detailed treatment.
I am a programmer and I sometimes have likened Hero to a programming language. I know that for them a good first overview is important to get a grasp of the ideas and paradigms behind the design.
I want to give a better explanation, to help navigate the powers easier for new GM's and players. It also might give a prospective buyer just enough insight to roughly understand published Character sheets before buying a book (I will of course excempt anything like a cost-structure).

Okay, here goes my try:
Absoprtion: When you are hit by an attack you can absord, you recieve a effect almost identical to Aid. However there is limits how much can be absorbed (both in short time and in total). It normally does not protect against the thing it absorbs, but that functionality can be added (but remains limited to what can be absorbed). The thing you absord should be an actual danger (otherwise it is Aid).
Examples: Energy Absorbers. "Getting stronger the more he is hit".

Aid: This power allows you to directly bolster the Active Points of the power or characteritics you bought it for, but the effects fades on it's own. Even with repeated use it cannot go beyond a certain maximum effect (highest dice result possible). You can use it on anyone who has such a Power/Characteritics.
Examples: Combat Stims. Granting temporary Stun, End or Body. (thus useable as for of healing).

Boost: A variant of Aid. Unlike normal Aid it does not fade over time, but in turn has to be maintained with Endurance and Concentration. If either is cut, the power ends instantly.
Examples: Power Enchancer.

Barrier: Allows you to create a barrier as impenetrable as a normal wall, but it is only as durable (defenses, Body) as you buy it to. Can also be used to "Englobe" and Trap a target. Does not blocks senses by default. Usually self-sustained once used.
Examples: Forcefields and Walls. Summoning Stonewalls. Certain Interpretations of Shields. Sometimes used to "Block" attacks that are normally unblockable.

Blast: Deals Normal Damage* at Range. Does not recive any bonus from Strenght the way HTH-attacks do.
Examples: A Superheroes Blast. Sleepgas. Sleeppoision. Sleeping dart. "Phasers to (heavy) Stun". Magic Bolt that mostly knock people out. Sleep spells, Green Lantern Energy Fist, a Telekintic blast (more effecitve at dealing damage then Telekinesis).

Cannot be Stunned: High amounts of Stun Damage can disable a target for a short time (usually loosing his next action, among other things). This power deactivates this rule for the Character. It does not prevent the target from being totally knocked out, only short time stunning.
Examples: Many minions, especially "unintelligent" robots and undead are built with this power or even "Takes no Stun". Generally not adviseable for player Characters.

Change Environment: It is one of two powers that jump in when no other seems to quite fit the effect. Often used to mimic minor weather effects and can cause Environmental Damage as defined in 6E2, but by no means limited to that. It can affect Skill Rolls, Characteristics Rolls, Movment ability, Combat Values, Temeprature or Wind Level. Not as powerfull or absolute as Darkness or Invisibility or simply dealing direct damage, it is still cost effective. Often a Skill/Characteristics Roll, Life Support or Alternative Sensesn can Negate it's effect.
Examples: Fog, Icesheets of the ground, Rain that hinders sight. But also personal Stealthsuites or Stealtharmor (wich are not on par with Invisibility). Weak jammers. Making the Air "thick" so it is hard to move. Changing Wind, Temperature or Radiation Level, Confusion Spell, Fear Aura. Locking Spell.

Characteristics****: Most of the time you just buy characteristics directly. Buying them as Powers allows you to place advantages or limitations on them.
Examples: Strenght that only works in heroic identity, Strenght that comes from a Power Armor (Focus Limitation), Strenght which use does not tire the character (0 END; often a way to build tools or skill based increase in effecitve STR). ED/PD, Resistant (+1/2); Super steroid pills (that usually not used on anybody else - otherwise it would fall under AID)

Clairsentience: Allows the character normal Sense to be used "on distance" - locally, temporally or both. Cannot be used to target Attacks or Teleports as precisely as direct personal obersevation.
Examples: Cristall Balls. Video Surveilance System. Remote controlled Robots (at least the telepresence part of it). Looking into the past. Looking into the future(premonitions). Sometimes even how normal TV is built.

Clinging: Allows the character to move along solid surfaces regardless of relative angle, simply using normal foot movement (running). Can also be used to "stick" things to the character - even other characters.
Examples: Magnetic boots. Superclimbing. Gecko-grips or soles. Tarbaby effect.

Damage Negation****: A defense that lowers the power of the attacks by eliminating Damage Classes before the damage/effect is even rolled. Thus the only defense aside from Knockback Resistance that can reduce Knockback. Difficulty to use in game when Attacks have advantages.
Examples: Shields that do not translate momentum. Most other form of defense can be moddeled by this.

Damage Reduction****: Negates a certain amount of damage, that has passed through all other defenses the character has. Ignored by Penetratings minimum effect.
Examples: Big creatures, for wich many things are "just a scratch". Mastervillains that must take on entire superhero-teams at once. Magic Resistance, Energy Body

Darkness: Makes an area simply impervious to the bought senses. Can not be overcome with any Sense Modifiers, only circumvented by using other sense (groups) or being dispelled.
Examples: Smoke (thick enough visibility is almost 0). Impenetrable Fields of Darkness or Silence. Impenetrable radio jamming. "White noise" generator.

Deflection: Allows the characters to block (totally negate) ranged attacks that do not target him, but anyone nearby as well. Requires the active use of a "Block" maneuver.
Examples: dedicated point-defense vessels in a fleet. "Telekinetic Deflection".

Density Increase***: Character can increases his mass, wich augments durability, strenght and makes him harder to move (both voluntarily and involuntarily). Cost endurance to maintain and could cause problems when the surface can't hold his weight.
Examples: As growth, a cheap way to get high strenght and durability. Especially superhero "ersatz bricks", "Stone Body", "Iron body".

Desolidification: The character ignores almost any attack and can walk through walls, but is unable to attack or influence the world in any way (unless the attack/power is bought with a very expensive advantage).

Target stays vulnerable to Mental Powers and most forms of Flash attacks.
Examples: Ghosts. certain variants of Etheral or Astral forms. Smokeform. Ultimate Dodging or Escape technique (usually with limitations). Swarms, where hurting a dozens or hundreds of parts does no do any real damage to the whole (specialised Swarm rules are in the Bestiary). Phase Shifting (but that one also often includes invisibility or is even the way to become invisible).

Dispel: Allows a character to break a power that was already used, but only works on powers that have to be maintained (are constant). Can also be used to "intercept" powers (even attacks) when they are activated. Usually does not impede reactivation in any way.
Example: "Dispel Magic"., Fire Extinguisher.

Does not bleed: When character takes too much Body damage, they start "bleeding to death" (might not actually involve bleeding). This power deactivates this rule for the character.
Examples: See "Cannot be Stunned". Potentially superhealing abilities or advanced medical equipment could use it as well.

Drain: Directly counters or drains the Active Points of the defined powers. Negative analog to Aid. Same fading as aid, but no maximum effect (other than that nothing can be drained below 0).
Examples: Certain power drains. Transfering the enemies power or strenght to your own (when combined with Aid on yourself). Spell of Fear (variant). Stun gas grenade and other attacks wich do not heal with normal Recovery.

Duplication: Character can get controll of another - rule technically totally seperate - character, under full controll of the player. That Duplicate is usually an exact copy and deviation in abilities is expensive. Duplciates require time before they can act. Duplciates must spend the same points on the power as main character, without any benefit.
Examples: Duplciators/Splitters. Twins (wich are played and controlled as one character). Multi Headed hydra. Some Astral/Etheral Forms. Telekintic Sidekick

Note: many duplciator abilities are built with totally different powers wich only have a special effect of "creating a duplicate".

Endurance Reserve: Gives the character an additional set of endurance and recovery, that is unaffected by what happens to the character (continues to work even when he can't recover or can't spend endurance or even if he is dead). The recovery is per turn (at tops) and cannot be increased with actions. Think of it an cheaper alternative to 0 END and Persistent, or more detailed Fuel Charges (or Charges in general). Powers can normally only draw from Endurance Reserves or personal Endurance, not both.
Examples: Batteries. Main Reactors. Weapons that have overheating limits. Self-replenishing amunition.

Enhanced Senses: Covers a Multitude of Special Sense, either inherent or aquired through equipment. Extra Senses can be used to circumvent Sense Affecting Powers.
Examples: Night-, UV- and IR-Vision. X-Ray vision. Radios, TV's, Cellphones. Ultransonic hearing. Mental Awareness. Sonar, Radar, magical sense of surroundings, detecting targets in combat with smell instead of sight, Daredevils Sight and many, many more.

Entangle: Restrains character movement and combat abilities, but can be broken with STR or attacks and tends to protect target somewhat. Very similar to a ranged grab, but does not require furhter attention on the side of the attacker.
Enxamples: Glue pistol. "Encase in Ice" Setting on Frost Gun. Handcuffs. Paralysis spell, poision or beam.

Extra-dimensional movement: Allows the travel to alternate dimensions, realities or even through time.
Examples: Time machine, entering heaven/hell. Entering the shadowrealm. Enter the Microverse. Entering Cyberspace. Stopping time (Move to a dimension where everything but the character is frozen and cannot be affected in any way). Putting something behind a very powerfull barrier. Move to the rock of eternity.

Extra-limbs: Character has more than the normal human limbs, making him harder to completly restrain with Grabs or limited Entangles (like Handcuffs). Does not impart any combat ability using those extra extremities.
Examples: Extra arms. Prehensible (or at least weaponizeable) tail. Steel tentacles (Dr. Octopus).

Faster than light Travel: What it says on the tin. Mostly used on plot level.
Examples: Hyperdrive. Warpdrive. Stutter Warp. Magical/Technological Flight Rings with interstellar Range. "Light form" Travel.

Flash: Shortly blinds a target senses, thus depriving it of thier use. Can greatly affect combat ability when targetting sight and somewhat when targetting touch. Can't apply any disablement longer then a few actions (that would be a Transform).
Examples: Flashbang grenades. Pepperspray. Neurally/Mentally disconnecting the eye-nerves. Spell of Blinding Light. Stinkbomb.

Flash Defense: Reduces the effects of Flash. Must be bought on a "per Sense group" basis.

Flight: Allows the character or vehicle to fly through the air. However also often used for "Speedster movement". Also includes Gliding.
Examples: Superman. A plane. Starships at STL. Jetpack. Gravity Manipulation. Wings. Spell of Airwalk. "Running so fast you can move over water and even run up vertical surfaces as long as you don't stop". Walking (not running) on water and "spectacular acrobatic movement". Parachute (Gliding)

Growth***: Per level the character can double his Size wich also increase his weight by 8 times (each level has three levels of density increase figured into it, plus other bonuses). Character can walk faster and has longer reach. At certain sizes HTH-attacks affect areas. Character is easier to percieve and hit, weight might cause problems as Density Increase and power cost endurance to maintain.
Examples: GiantMan. As Density Increase, a cheaper way to get high Strenght and durability

HTH-Attack: Character does more normal damage* in hth combat. Increases damage as extra STR would do, but on a lower price.
Examples: Training in Unarmed Fighting. Quaterstaff, Club, "Steel Fist", Energy Gauntlet and other Blunt Weaponry.

Healing: Allows a character to heal damage - both ones from from Regular Damage (Normal or Killing) and unusual damage like Drains, Flashes and Transforms, but must be bought to target the right power or Charactersitic. Maximum amount healable per character/day can varry depending on campaign rules and how "wounds" are tracked and treated. Even resurrecting the dead is possible.
Example: Healing Spell. Healing potion. "Repair Item/Wall/Building" Spell. Resurrection Spell.

Images: Creates fake sensory impressions, for any sense bought. Images can be interactive and might even "feel" real to light touch, but can't do any damage or support weight. Can be detected by perception Roll, but usually have a build in penalty to that Roll. Also used to create light and megaphones/loudspeakers, by "inverting" the Perception Roll Penalty to a Bonus.
Examples: Holodeck. Hologram, Flashlight, Megaphone, Illusion Spell, Tracking Bug (like Flashlight but targgeting Radio Group)

Invisibility: Makes the character inpercieveable by certain Senses. Usually detectable up close (fringe), but that can be modified. Doing something obvious (like most attack powers) allows pinpointing location. Does not impart any penalty on foes (other than effectively fighting "blind" against this character), but may allow for surprise attacks.
Examples: Cloaking device. Stealth field or Stealth armor. "Chameleon Effect" (only while not moving or attacking). Cap of Invisibility, Ring of Invisbility/The one Ring, Stealth Plane, hiding in Shadows or "Supersneaking" Skill

Killing Attack: Delivers Killing damage** in HTH-Combat (STR adds damage) or ranged combat (does not add STR).
Examples: Claws & Bites, Swords, Knives, Laser Swords, Throwing Spears (Ranged Killing Attacks that add STR to the damage) Guns & Laser Pistols, Lightning Bolt or Firebolt Spells. "Phasers to kill/vaporize". "Deadly Palm technique".

Knockback Resistance: When the game uses Knockback rules, this power reduce both how far the target is thrown and the damage it takes when impacting.
Examples: Growth and Density Increase have KB-Resistance from extra weight included. Also "combat stances" (KB-Resistance only agaisnt attacks the character is aware off. Bracing for impact).

Leaping: a lot like flight, except that you can't change course once you "jumped off". Cheaper than most other movement abilities.
Examples: Hulk is often said to have Leaping with Megascale advantage. Spring boots. Acrobatic Leaping.

Life Support: Immunity to environmental conditions like Heat, Cold, Thirst, Need to Sleep, nead to breath, aging and others. Also includes immunities to to things like poisions (that are built the right way): NND (no Normal Defense) form of AVAD (Attack vs. Alternate Defense) often uses a Life Support as the defense. A poision might be built as "Blast, NND [immunitiy to poision]" and thus LS against the specific poision and "all poisions" would block it
Examples: Many robots have "Full Spectrum" Life Support (they don't need food, drinking or need air). Also Survival Equipment might be built using it: Spacesuit (LS: Vacuum, No need to breath [on a fuel Charge or other time limitation], Radiation, Heat & Cold]). Gas mask. Arctic Survival Suite. Stim Pill (no need to sleep)

Luck: You can buy a luck roll. Everythime the GM thinks luck might tip the scales in favor of a character he makes a roll and counts the amount of 6's he threw. The more, the better. Note: Entirely up to the GM how it is interpreted and how often it is used.
Examples: He just has luck, or maybe is favored by the gods.

Mental Blast: Attacks a targets mind. Like Blast (normal damage*), but more expensive (1d6 equals 10 points), ignores any physical defense [PD, ED] and can't do Body by default.
Examples: Neural Scrambler Gun, Attacking the Mind directly with mental powers. Psionic Pain inducer, Sleep Spell

Mental Defense: The only defense that blocks Mental Powers. It affects any mental Power, unless they are bought with NND.
Example: Strong Willed. Psy-Shield.

Mental Illusion: Can change how characters percieve the environment. Change entirely in thier head and cover all senses (targets mind makes up whatever would be missing). High EGO and opposing complications provide resistance. Like most mental Powers, there are four tiers of Sucess: Ego Score+0. Ego Score +10. Ego +20 and Ego +30. Target recieves incerasingly easier breakout rolls to shake it off.
Example: Switching Colors and other cosmetic Changes. Letting foes appear as freinds. Giving the illusion that it got totally dark around the character (making him "blind" in his mind). Letting him overlook small details or even important obejcts. Appearing as a Loved one (could also be Mind Controll). Appearing as Greatest Fear (could also be Mind Controll).

Mind Controll: Allows characters to controll other characters actions. High EGO and opposing complications provide resistance. Like most mental Powers, there are four tiers of Sucess: Ego Score+0. Ego Score +10. Ego +20 and Ego +30. Ego +30 being able to overwrite even the strongest complications and totally control Characters. Target recieves incerasingly easier breakout rolls to shake it off.
Example: Mind Controller. Mentalist. Hypnosis. Mind Control Drug, "Cupids Touch" or Love Potion, Fear Infliction.

Mind Link: Allows to establish and hold a telepathic connection with a single or a group of willing participants. Nobody is forced to divulge any information and anyone can speak with anybody in the Link. Mental powers can be used through link. The only way to intercept communciation is Telepathy.
Examples: Mind Link from Young Justice. Sometimes used for hard to Decipher Comsystems (affected as audio & radio instead of mental), as it requires a Telepathy built (not simply finding the frequency) to listen over. (Twin/True Love) Psychic Bond

Mind Scan: Allows the character to "Scan" for a mind in an area and "lock" onto it. Depending on sucess can allow telepathic pinpointing (direction, distance), targetting with mental powers, save teleport to location or even unhindered fighting only with "the minds eye".
Examples: Mentalist Power. "Searching for his Mind". Psychic Sight. Brainwave-Scanner.

Multiform: One of two ways to deal with "Multiple personalities/powerset characters" (usually the cleaner way; the other is the Only in Alternate ID, short OIAID, Limitation). The character has one or more alternate Forms, each with his own complete Sheet. He can switch at any time to any of his other sheets. Different sheets can have totally different complications, powers and personalities. His "true form" tends to be the weakest, as it alone has to pay for the entire Multiform power.
Examples: "Hulking out". "Shazam" (but opinions differ on both, with Hulk usually being the cleaner example). Spell of Eagle/Badger Form. D&D animal Form. Amulet of Dragon Form. Curse of Lycantrophy/Werewolf Form(s). Vari-Armor.

No hit Locations: Some campaign (especially heroic ones) use a rule that different regions of a body are differently vulnerable to damage. (headshots vs. legshoot). This power disables this rule for a character.
Examples: Like Takes no Stun, but potentially rarer (even robots have "brain" equivalent, even if you can't stun it).

Power Defense: Only defense protecting against Drains and Transforms.
Examples: Talisman agaisnt Sorcery. Chemical Resistance (against apropirate attacks). For most part a "Gametechnical" effect so these powers do not go without defense, nothing that can be easily used to give a universal example. Some consider (minor) gods to be a likely example, but it depends strongly on the world an how certain powers are built. Some game use Power Defense as a more granular Poision or Environmental Resistance then Life Support.

Reflection: Ranged Attacks directed at the character can, after being blocked, reflected back at the attacker or even other targets - all as part of one Block action. Has to be bought at a big enough amount for the attack or suffers steep roll penalties.
Exampels: Blaster vs. Jedi. Using Warpportals or "Spacebending" abilities to redirect attacks to where they came from. Grabbing and Throwing Back Thrown Weapons.

Regneration: Continually Heals a certain amount of Body every specifc time increment, but can target stuff other then BODY just like normal healing
Examples: Wolverine. Spiderman. Hulk and other "Healing Factors". Higherlanders. Vampiric/Werewolf Regeneration (and even self-resurrection after death)

Note: Extremely strong regeneration is often better done with big Resistant Defenses and small regeneration - character heals faster than he takes damage. Only very strong attacks make any lasting damage.

Resistant Protection****: Protects against normal Body Damage, Killing Body damage and normal/killing Stun damage. Is considered different form "PD/ED, Resistant" for Drain & Aid but effectively costs the same and has the same game effect.
Examples: (rigid or non-natural) Armor is often build this way. Shields/Personal Force Field. Spell of Protection from X. Really strong regeneration. Combat Luck (the "missed by a millimeter" effect).

Running: The ability to move on two (or more) legs. Also covers wheeled and tracked vehicle movement and many other ground movement forms.
Examples: Walking. Running. Vehicles driving. Scateboards & Rolerblades. Rocketboots
Note: Speedster Running is often built as limited flight, see there for details.

Shape Shift: Allows the character to appear different to certain sense groups than they are. Only changes the appereance, not the powers or abilities of the Character (unless where imitation allows to use targets Authority). A character might look, sound (voice), smell, feel, taste or even have a different "mental signature" than what he truly is. The number of fooled senses and number of shapes is depending on the point investment. Just appering as "some else" (not imitating a real person) is automatic. Actually immitating someone needs Skills (Disguise, Mimicri, Acting) or a Adder (at wich point it becomes impenetrable to simple skills). Forensic details (Fingerprints, Iris, DNA) require extra Adders. Aside from failed atempts at immitation, normal senses cannot figure that this is a fake.
Examples: "Disguise Self" Spell, Speech Imitators, Superdisguise, Holographic Disguise, Scent Manipulation, ShapeShifters.

Shrinking***: The character can shrink in Size wich makes him harder to see an hit, but increase the distance of Knockback and costs Endurance to maintain.
Examples: the cheap way to getting good stealth/DCV, similar to Growth and Density increase. Nice for ersatz-martial Artists or people not wanting to spend much on PD/ED/Special Defenses.

Skills: Same as with Characteristics. Usually you just buy them normal as Skill, but sometimes you want to apply power modifiers (very often Focus). Can be used for Skill Levels, Penalty Skill Levels or Combet Skills Levels as well
Examples: A Tricorder/Handscanners Library (KS: Chemistry, Biology, Physics). Masterfull Lockpicks (several 2 points Skill Levels for Lockpicking Skill), Sniper Scope (Telescopic for sight; Range Penalty Skill Levels for the weapons attacks) Lockgun/Autolockpick, Autopilot or Autodoc.

Stretching: Increase the characters reach, allowing his normal STR to be used at greater distance and without Range penalties. More powerfull and cheaper than telekinesis, but also more vulnerable (it is for all intents and rules a HTH-Attack) and any stretched bodypart can be grabed or attacked and will suffer from damage Shields.
Example: Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards. The Special "Power" Reach - wich simulates the advantage of having a long weapon - is also based on Stretching with modifiers. A lasso or grapling hook can be built that way.

Note: If the user would not be subject to a Damage Shield and there is no Focus/Material Manifestation to take the damage isntead, consider Telekinesis.

Summon: You can call a being or vehicle from "someplace" or create it from scratch. This being is usually highly replaceable (literally cannon fodder), can act on it's own (after two phases orrientation) but you also have to earn your controll over it (EGO contest, wich can be easier or harder, depending on modifiers). You might also be limited to "standart versions" of a being/vehicle dependign on GM.
Examples: Nanobots that built robots from piles of junk. "Create Zombie" Spell. Call "Magical Coach in Pumpkin shape - horses included". Call alternate self from paralell universe. Call histroic/fictional character from someplace to aid you. Create Golem Spell. It was even used to "create" temporary bases on the spot or simulate the "I'm so rich, I hire or buy what I need" effect. The ability of a mind controller to always find some poor people to controll and throw agaisnt the heroes. Werewolf or Vampire calling for Wolfs/Bats. "Instant Martian Pill (just add water)".

Suppress: Variant of Drain. Negative equivalent to Boost.
Examples: Energy/magic Dampening Field. Power dampening collar (with power/End source)

Swimming: Works almost exactly as a flight that only works in and under water.
Examples: A Characters Swimming ability, a subarines or surface ship main propulsion. Even what keeps a rowing boat afloat. Jetski, Swimfinns (bonus to normal swimming).

Swinging: Like leaping, a limited form of flight.
Examples: Spiderman. Bat-grapler or grapling guns in general. Jungle Vines&Tarzan.

Takes No Stun: The ultimative in defense.vs STUN. The character is simply impverios to any STUN damage. However it drastically worsens staring value and costs of all other defenses. Also depending on the version, he character might loose abilities everytime they take body damage. Killing damage often only way to overcome user.
Examples: As cannot be stunned. A character with this power can only be beaten in combat by killing him (so it's not a good idea for PC's or anything mayor, ever), unless you are willing to always have the bad guys entangle him.

Telekinesis: Allows you to use "Strenght on range". It is more expensive (both Acitve Points and Endurance) than normal STR and you propably won't get strenght at campaign limit. You can have more then one "instance" of the power running at the same time.
Examples: Telekinesis Spell or Mental Power, Tractor beam, Artificial Gravity & Gravity Pinner; Metallokinesis (Magneto), some version of Gree Lanterns ability to hold foes in Energy Constructs.

Telepathy: allows you to search through a persons mind and memory. Can be as simple as detecting surface thoughts or as deep as finding repressed memories. The only thing that can break into a Mind Link. Telepathies link can also be used to attack with other mental Powers.
Examples: Reading Minds. Truth Serum or "Lasso of Truth" (if enough effect is archieved, you know if the target tells the truth or what the true answer is eitehr way). "Deductive Observation".

Teleportation: Movement Power. Allows to instantly disappear and reappear nearby (limited by usual movement rules) The maximum weight you can take along is independent from your strenght. If it is not too heavy you can take along what you have grabbed that you can transport. Can penetrate walls and does not leaves any tracks or sings of movement through an area. Any form of long range teleport (NCM, Megascale) takes extra time to execute. It requires certain information about the target area (ideally sight, but Clairsentience or Mind Scan might do) just to land at the right point. An extra adder is required to not accidently land in an object when teleporting half or fuly blind.
Examples: Teleporters. Transporters. Sometimes "movement in the blink of an eye" is done with it. Megascale Teleport can be used as FTL and gates are possible.

Transform: one of the "final catch" powers like Change Environment. Transform can - depeding on severity/strenght make any lasting effect on a character - from painting him pink (no ill effect), to turning him into a frog, stone or sending him into the cornfield. It can give and take powers or complications. It can make people into willing slaves. It can't create life (use summon or follower for that) and can't take life totally (use body damage for that), but those are about the only limits. It also should have a healing condition. (Frog->kiss of a princess; painted pink->heals[wears off] normally)
Examples: A attack that permanently blinds a target. Turn to frog/stone/slave. Relevant modifiers to every charactersitic and damage. Even "psionic surgery" is possible. The "Instant Change" ability is bought as a

Tunneling: This power allows you to more trough barriers. Not only the ground, but also ordinarry walls or even the "barrier" power - asuming the material is not to hard.
Examples: A Mole diging. A Mole-people digging machine. A characters ability to punch through walls that aren't too "tough". "Set phaser to really high to create a tunnel" (could also just be the result of a really big Killing Attack).


*Normal Damage can be just as dangerous as a sword if too much is applied, but it is overall much less likely to deal any body damage past defense and much more likely to disable a foe (deals big amount of STUN). It is the damage type of choice in most Superhero games. It's also used for blunt weapons and unarmed attacks in many "deadlier" settings. A even safer variant could be limited do stun only(no body) (as mental blast does).

**Killing Damage - as the name implies - is more lethal than normal Damage. 1d6 of Killing damage (15 Points) is roughly equivalent to 3d6 of normal Damage (15 points) in magnitude and danger. While the average body is only slightly higher than Normal Damage Attacks, only a part of the defense (those who are bought "resistant"; percentage allowed varies by campaing) apply to the attack so more damage will get past defenses. It does less Stun than normal damage. Aside from being used for almost any slashing and piercing weapon in non superhero games, it can be usefull in superheroic games: It excells at taking out Walls/Barriers, Entangles, Breaking Weaponry or armors, and of course any minion that is unaffected by STUN. All things "Code vs. Killing" does not apply too.

***Density Increase, Growth, Shrinking - These powers are for people who can change these things on the fly. Characters (or alternate Forms) who a "permanently" big/small heavy should use simply increased Values + Complications (see Size Templates). Alternatively you can emulate this power by taking the modifiers listed in the "toolkitting" box near each of those powers and simply remove cost endurance from the list of Limitations, then calculating the real price.

 

**** For defenses the biggest questio is not how they look and feel but how they work in the game System.

Defenses (bought as Characteristics) and Resistant Defenses are the most common one. They are also the only one that can cheaply protect from BODY damage.

Damage Negation reduces the attack before it is rolled and as such also lowers Knockback. However it can be hard to use when the Attack is Advantaged and especially if the attack is an Area of Effect attack. So many games do not use it. It is also not very good at preventing BODY damage cheaply.

Damage Reduction affects Damage after all other Defenses have been taken into account. It is very expensive and cannot block damage totally.

 

Summon, Duplication, Multiform and Follower are a "quartet" of powers/perks that allow you acess to additional characters sheets. However the limits are widly different.
Summon gives you the least controll, but also the most disposable and variable assitance that can act on it's own.
Duplication is a lot more problematic - if a duplciate dies it stays dead and making them different is expensive, but it also offers the best controll aside from Multiform.
Follower is somewhere in the middle. Moderately replaceable, moderately well controlled, but still an NPC.
Multiform gives you another sheet as well, but one that can't act "together" with your base form or any of your other alternate forms. And you usually have to write up the forms in advance.

History:
V1.0 First Version
V1.1 Added Boost & Supress. Added more examples. Overworked several descirptions.

Feedback is aprecaited.

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Re: Power Guide

 

If this is a newbie introductory guide I think more examples from popular media would be helpful (towards the end you started shoveling them on' date=' but they were really sparse at the beginning.[/quote']

A problem with them is: Everybody thinks differently about how they work and how they are/should be built. (if they are even consistently portrayed during different interpretations).

So it is hard to give examples that others will not disagree with. Wich means I had to limit myself to those that are "in the book" (usually with thinly veiled proxie heroes).

 

I also think that it is more important to understand where each power is "in the system".

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