Changing Area of Effect size and Instant Powers

[Black Rose]

Hi, Steve.

 

Now, I want to be sure I get this right. On 6e1 319:

 

"The character must choose the type and size of Area Of Effect he wants when he purchases
the Power, and cannot change it thereafter (or alter it from use to use during the game)."

 

Okay, that makes sense. You can't decide you want a Cone now, and a Line later. Got it. And on 6e1 128:

 

"At the GM’s option, a character can buy a +5 Character Point Adder, Alterable Size, that
allows him to change the size of an Area-affecting Constant Power this way."

 

So, you can shift the size of a Constant AoE power; this makes sense to me, as Constant powers simulate a thing that you set off and they keep going. What I want to know is, how do you simulate an Instant AoE power (let's say Radius, but any of them really) that you can change the size of from shot to shot. Part of me says that, since it's Instant, just shift it as you use it Phase to Phase. Alternately, I could throw Alterable Size on it anyway. For some reason, I have some writeups that put a +1/4 advantage called Adjustable onto AoE (really not sure where I came up with that, if I even did.)

 

Help me out, Steve.

[Steve Long]

Generally I don't answer “how to” questions, but this one is more or less a rules question in disguise, so I’ll make an exception.

 

Under the rules as written, the best way to do what you want to do is to but the Instant AoE power as a Multipower, with each slot being identical except for the size or type of AoE. However, that may not give you the flexibility you want, and it tends to clutter up the character sheet. So I think we need first, a rules clarification, and second, a new modifier for Area Of Effect:

 

Rules clarification (just because I’m not sure I’ve put this in writing anywhere before):  If a character has the Area Of Effect Advantage on a power, he has to use the full size of his defined Area whenever he uses the power. Unless the GM rules otherwise, he cannot choose to reduce the Area’s size.

 

Adjustable:  for ¼ more Advantage, a character can alter the size (but not shape unless it’s an Any Area) of the Area Of Effect on an Instant Power each time he uses the power. (For Constant Area-affecting powers, use the Alterable Size Adder on 6E1 128.) This does not allow him to make the Area Of Effect larger than what he bought for the power, only smaller. 

 

<<<CAUTION SIGN>>> For +1 more Advantage, a character can alter both the size and type of Area Effect on an Instant Power from use to use. For example, he could fire one shot that’s an 8m Radius, a second that’s a 16m Cone, and a third that’s a 5m Radius. Again, he cannot make the Area Of Effect larger than the base value he paid for (+½ in the previous example), only smaller.

 

If the power also has Autofire, the size and/or type of Area chosen must be the same for each shot.