Rules Q. re: Multipowers

[phydaux]

Here's a quick rules question, mostly because I haven't run a multipower-based toon since the days of Champions I-II-III. (5th ed, if that matters)

 

Say I have a toon, let's call him, I don't know, Pulsar. And he has a 60 pip multipower with Flight, Energy Blast and Force Field. And let's make it easy and say all three slots are Ultra.

 

At the start of his action phase his multipower is set to Force Field. He takes a 0-Phase action to switch to Flight and flys a half-move closer to his target. When he lands he takes a 0-Phase action and switches the multipower back to Force Field, and then holds his remaining half-phase action.

 

A few DEX ticks down the speed chart later he sees his oportunity, takes a 0-Phase action to switch to Energy Blast and shots at his target. Now his action is over until his next action phase and he can take no other actions including switching around the powers in his multipower.

 

A few more DEX ticks go by. Pulsar's action phase hasn't come yet, but he find himself the target of an attack. Pulsar's choices are:

 

1) Eat the attack with his FF down and hope for the best

2) Abort his next action and Dodge.

 

My question is if Pulsar Aborts, may he also take a 0-Phase action and raise his FF?

[ghost-angel]

You can Abort to any Defensive Action, including turning on Defense Powers.

 

Technically, this means Pulsar can Abort to switch his Multipower Slots out from Blast to Force Field.

 

That's it however, he cannot both Abort to Dodge and Abort to Activate Force Fields. He can do one or the other.

 

Some GMs do not allow one to Abort to activating different slots in a Power Pool, however, so best to make sure the GM is on board with the idea.

[bigbywolfe]

Your whole scenario is a bit off because you can't change your multipower that many times in one phase. This is a quote from CC, but 5E worked the same:

He may change

 

the distribution of reserve points from Phase to Phase (as a Zero

 

 

Phase Action that can only be done once per Phase), but because

 

 

the powers in the Multipower share those points, a character

 

 

cannot use all the powers in his Multipower at full power at the

 

same time.

 

[Hyper-Man]

Here's a quick rules question' date=' mostly because I haven't run a multipower-based toon since the days of Champions I-II-III. [i'](5th ed, if that matters)[/i] Say I have a toon, let's call him, I don't know, Pulsar. And he has a 60 pip multipower with Flight, Energy Blast and Force Field. And let's make it easy and say all three slots are Ultra. At the start of his action phase his multipower is set to Force Field. He takes a 0-Phase action to switch to Flight and flys a half-move closer to his target. When he lands he takes a 0-Phase action and switches the multipower back to Force Field, and then holds his remaining half-phase action. A few DEX ticks down the speed chart later he sees his oportunity, takes a 0-Phase action to switch to Energy Blast and shots at his target. Now his action is over until his next action phase and he can take no other actions including switching around the powers in his multipower. A few more DEX ticks go by. Pulsar's action phase hasn't come yet, but he find himself the target of an attack. Pulsar's choices are: 1) Eat the attack with his FF down and hope for the best 2) Abort his next action and Dodge. My question is if Pulsar Aborts, may he also take a 0-Phase action and raise his FF?

 

You have defined the Multipower Pool size as 60 active points. You did NOT explicitly state the active points of the 3 powers inside the pool but it seems likely that you intended for all to be built on 60 active as well (12d6 EB, 30" Flight, 30pd/30ed FF).

 

Let's assume Pulsar has a SPD of 6

 

On Phase 2 Pulsar changes his Multipower to Flight to make a half move.

Since moving on its own is not considered an "Attack Action" he still has a half phase action left.

He cannot change the allocation of his multipower's reserve again since he already did so at the beginning of the Phase and used it for Flight (60 active points).

If he does nothing else, he still has a half phase action "Held".

If he is attacked on Phase 2 after his DEX he CAN use his "Held" action to Dodge (an "Attack Action" that ends his Phase. However, he cannot change his Multipower to Force Field for the reasons stated above.

 

If he is attacked on Phase 3, he CAN abort his next Phase (which would be phase 4 for a 6 SPD) for a defensive action. He COULD switch his multipower to Force Field at this point. Some GM's might also allow him to Dodge as well.

 

[Hyper-Man]

Here are 3 framework examples:

 

60 Pulsar Powers: Multipower, 60-point reserve

6u 1) Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points)

6u 2) Flight 30" (60 Active Points)

6u 3) Force Field (30 PD/30 ED) (60 Active Points)

 

60 Pulsar Powers: Multipower, 60-point reserve

12m 1) Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points)

12m 2) Flight 30" (60 Active Points)

12m 3) Force Field (30 PD/30 ED) (60 Active Points)

 

150 Pulsar Powers: Variable Power Pool, 60 base + 30 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1), No Skill Roll Required (+1) (150 Active Points)

0 1) Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60

0 2) Flight 30" (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60

0 3) Force Field (30 PD/30 ED) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60

 

The first is what your first post indicates.

The second would allow the reserve to be split in any way among the 3 slots.

The third technically would allow the pool to be used for any power (not just the ones listed) and the points could be divided among any of those powers as in the 2nd example.

 

Note that as soon as you add 5 or more slots to the second multipower example it becomes more expensive than the VPP example (which can do everything the multipower can and more).

[psyber624]

Here are 3 framework examples:

 

60 Pulsar Powers: Multipower, 60-point reserve

6u 1) Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points)

6u 2) Flight 30" (60 Active Points)

6u 3) Force Field (30 PD/30 ED) (60 Active Points)

 

60 Pulsar Powers: Multipower, 60-point reserve

12m 1) Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points)

12m 2) Flight 30" (60 Active Points)

12m 3) Force Field (30 PD/30 ED) (60 Active Points)

 

150 Pulsar Powers: Variable Power Pool, 60 base + 30 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1), No Skill Roll Required (+1) (150 Active Points)

0 1) Energy Blast 12d6 (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60

0 2) Flight 30" (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60

0 3) Force Field (30 PD/30 ED) (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60

 

The first is what your first post indicates.

The second would allow the reserve to be split in any way among the 3 slots.

The third technically would allow the pool to be used for any power (not just the ones listed) and the points could be divided among any of those powers as in the 2nd example.

 

Note that as soon as you add 5 or more slots to the second multipower example it becomes more expensive than the VPP example (which can do everything the multipower can and more).

Note however that you cannot change the points in a vpp more than once per phase either however, so if you set it to flight its stuck on flight (or whatever mix you put it at) till you get your next phase. By RAW you can abort to change the distribution of points in your MP/VPP if doing so would constitute a defensive action (ie activating or increasing the allocation to a defense of some sort) although there are exceptions (you can't abort solely to negate a penalty you subjected yourself to in a previous phase, the example in the book is Aborting to Dodge after a NCM half move (which halves your DCV).

[phydaux]

What's RAW?

[Hyper-Man]

What's RAW?

 

RAW is shorthand for Rules As Written