Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

[Ndreare]

Do players actually design characters with variable slot multipowers? I was looking at the characters on my computer and do not think I have ever scene even one. Asking myself why I realized if I had a 60 point multipower rather than have two variable slots I would rather have 2 fixed slots and spend those extra 12 points on an external power or two more slots.

 

My players feel the same way and I am curious if this is a narrow minded economy or a common design decision of experienced players?

[Binnister]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

The one area I've seen Variable Slots used is primarily when a movement power (specifically Flight) is in your MP.

 

If it was a fixed slot, you wouldn't be able to use any other power while in the air...but, having it variable allows you to put just enough points in it to allow you to 'hover' (1" or 2m Flight) while the rest are used in another power.

 

Yeah, so..."Flight".

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Here's a Power Girl homage I built in 2007 that uses them: Mega Mistress

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

The one area I've seen Variable Slots used is primarily when a movement power (specifically Flight) is in your MP.

 

If it was a fixed slot, you wouldn't be able to use any other power while in the air...but, having it variable allows you to put just enough points in it to allow you to 'hover' (1" or 2m Flight) while the rest are used in another power.

 

Yeah, so..."Flight".

 

It would be just as cheap and effective to just purchase a few inches/meters of Flight outside of the Framework. This is what I eventually did with my latest version of Superman.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Almost never. The closest I've come is sometimes having 'half-slots'. For instance, I had an ice-character with a 60pt Multipower, with 3 fixed slots of 30 points each he could mix-and-match (HA, HKA, and extra Armor ... blunt weapon, sharp weapon, and shield, basically).

[clsage]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Guess I buck the trend:

 

I hardly ever buy an Ultra in a Multipower. Always Multies. Especially when I am building powered armor based characters.

 

(As an aside, I've been playing Champions/Hero system since the early 1980's....So I may have developed my habit(s) based on that initial iteration of the rules and just never changed.....YMMV.)

 

-Carl-

[Tasha]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Do players actually design characters with variable slot multipowers? I was looking at the characters on my computer and do not think I have ever scene even one. Asking myself why I realized if I had a 60 point multipower rather than have two variable slots I would rather have 2 fixed slots and spend those extra 12 points on an external power or two more slots.

 

My players feel the same way and I am curious if this is a narrow minded economy or a common design decision of experienced players?

 

I don't build characters that way, but I can be Math challenged when under pressure. I have had many players design characters with multi slots. Like VPP's they can slow the game down esp when the player hasn't done the math before their phase. Think of it as an extremly limited VPP and you can come up with reasons to use Multi slots.

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Think of it as an extremly limited VPP and you can come up with reasons to use Multi slots.

 

That's what I did with Carver (a surf-themed telekenetic). All of his powers are in a 4-slot Multipower. The two attacks are fixed slots that take up half the pool, and his movement and defense are in variable slots that can use more than half the pool.

[McCoy]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Character concept over mini-maxing points.

 

Iron Man's Strength, EB, and Flight all draw from a common power source. To use any at full power, he has to shut down the other two. He can't fly at full speed carrying a heavy object. He has to land to put everything into his EB.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Character concept over mini-maxing points.

 

Iron Man's Strength, EB, and Flight all draw from a common power source. To use any at full power, he has to shut down the other two. He can't fly at full speed carrying a heavy object. He has to land to put everything into his EB.

 

I would build this as all of them coming out of the same END Reserve, personally.

[griffinman01]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Character concept over mini-maxing points.

 

Iron Man's Strength, EB, and Flight all draw from a common power source. To use any at full power, he has to shut down the other two. He can't fly at full speed carrying a heavy object. He has to land to put everything into his EB.

 

I made a guy just like this. In order to keep the math part simple I basically calculated roughly how many points it would take to raise each of the powers by an increment. So I'd say that his explosive EB would take 6 points per d6 (not exact, but close enough for the math), AP EB 7.5 points per 1d6, flight 2 points per 1", etc. That way I could easily say that I want to get an 8D6 explosive EB and put the rest into his flight and then the next phase spend the 25 points for his cloaking device, get 15 inches of flight, and dump the rest into strength. Was pretty fun to use and didn't take much effort. Loved the flexibility.

[Beast]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

My character Precision is a manifesting telekinetic(stretching)

his basic stretching slot is variable for full range or he can harden and sharpen an edge

so it come out he can stretch up to 43m in 2 body dimensions or 21m in 2 body dimensions and attack with a killing attack

[psyber624]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Actually I like the concept of Multi better than I do fixed (personal opinion). Fixed is usually used as a justification to buy lots of powers on the cheap. Multi however is really the only way to represent certain power constructs (such as the various power armor examples given above). Also, using one END reserve for them allows them to all be used at full power if you want, but the Multi slot Multipowers better represent the idea that you have a finite amount of "power" that can be directed to different powers at one time.

[griffinman01]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Fixed and variable both have their uses. I think variable works best on powers that scale (EB, Flight, Force Fields, etc) while fixed works best on powers that just turn off/on (Invisibility, Enhanced Senses, Desolidification) or ones that in concept couldn't scale (Guns, swords, etc). Variable makes it harder to keep up with things since they require some light math when you switch them, but it's no worse than what you'd have to do with a VPP. You spend more for flexibility so what works best depends on the character concept. I did a guy who had half a dozen different blades and each was fixed so that he could have two out per turn so fixed worked best, but the power armor idea is a load more fun if you go variable for things. I loved being able to go from blasting a guy to swapping everything into STR and flight so I could just move-through him to finish him off.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

Yes, in Fantasy Hero campaigns all the time. Not as much in Superhero one's where MPs tend to be more limited in scope (i.e. usually a series of attack powers).

[Istaran]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

I tend to use fixed slots for the efficiency. For example, I had a draconic character with a multipower for his wings (flight, gliding, or +leaping) which cost 3 points more than any one of those. (Might have even had a second flight with lower inches and higher NCM, don't recall.), and an attacks multipower with a variety of different attack powers. Each of those MPs had nothing but ultra slots. I also had a kitsune themed character with a multipower for shapeshifting tricks: growth, shrinking, DI, stretching and a few others (PD/ED, I think?). Each of those slots were multis. She could mix and match and very fluidly change her capabilities to fit the situation from phase to phase. The dragon was a lot more efficient in combat, but mostly because of the massive point spend the kitsune had on the Shapeshift power.

[Lord Twig]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

I do tend to use fixed slots for multiple attack powers, but I don't see this as just trying to justify powers cheap. I look at it as simulating multiple uses for a power. So if you have telekinesis you can lift or hit with the same power, but you would buy the Telekinesis power to lift things and Blast to hit with. Same power from a role-playing perspective, but two different powers mechanics-wise. A strong character only has to buy strength once to hit or lift things, so why should a telekinetic have to pay twice as much for the same thing?

 

So to answer the original question, I rarely use variable slots, but for some concepts they work great.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Multipower Variable Slots, ever use one?

 

I use them on occasion. A couple of common concepts where they tend to make sense are "super athletes" (mostly characteristics in a multipower to allow adaptable self buffing), and power armor or other characters with a meta concept of being able to re-route a finite energy supply to various abilities.

 

I find that flexi-slots work best with either small mps or extra-large mps, and not so well on average sized mps. The reason being, with small mps the slots tend to represent enhancers for other abilities the character has rather than being the core of their abilities, and with very large mps you can afford to run 2 or perhaps 3 slots at "normal strength" for general usage and be competitive but have the _option_ to dial an ability to maximum power if you situationally need to.