Weird Question

[Kamileon]

I have a player in my game asking to make a power that I'm not entirely familiar with how to build. Its something like green lantern but specifically with weapons and armor. Willfully creating different versions of armor to protect oneself (Which I figure I can do using Barrier + Physical Manifestation) but the other thing has to do with weapons. I'm not sure how to go about this. He wants to be able to create electric spears, and fire swords, bows that fire power bolts, etc. Whatever he can come up with at the time, that may be helpful in the situation.

 

Would a power pool allow for the willful creation of manifested physical items? And if so, how is the best way to set up a power pool in 6th edition, if it exists at all?

 

[Steve Long]

A Variable Power Pool would certainly be one way to do what you're describing, but it's not the only one. For example, you could apply the Power Modifiers Variable Advantages, Variable Special Effects, and/or Variable Limitations to a Blast, RKA, or other Attack Power, and by changing the various Modifiers you'd change the weapon. For even more flexibility, buy a Multipower with four slots -- Blast, HA, HKA, and RKA -- and apply that suite of Power Modifiers to each slot. Voila! A world of weapons at your fingertips.

 

How about it, Herophiles -- how would you build this?

[ghost-angel]

A Variable Power Pool is the simplest method of allowing for the creation of a wide variety of weapons.

 

But if the only things changing are the special effects, and the attack itself is remaining the same (always a 12D6 ranged attack, or always a 3D6 Killing Attack) then Variable Special Effects may be an easier model to work with, certainly less up front work as the Player just needs to describe the SFX for each attack rather than rebuild the Power all the time.

[Lucius]

 

Using a Variable Power Pool for this is overkill. It could probably be done without even using Multipower if one is willing to make some compromises.

 

I would probably use two Mutlipowers, though, one for weapons and one for armor, with liberal use of Variable Advantage, Variable Special Effects,and Variable Limitations.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Variable Palindromedary

[Spence]

Another consideration is how familiar with the rules the player is.    I'd lean toward multi-power.   I know experienced Hero players that have issues with VPP's in play. 

[bigdamnhero]

Yeah, I've seen it done both ways, depending on how much variation you want/expect. One PC in my current game did something very similar, bought initially as a Multipower with Variable Advantages/sfx on a couple slots, and then when he got enough XP he converted it to a VPP.

[Surrealone]

A VPP offers the widest possible set of options, but unless the player using it is VERY skilled with the game mechanics AND just as prepared (in terms of pre-built and approved powers) as s/he is skilled, the use of a VPP will most likely slow your game down.  (Even with Hero Designer in use...)  A multi-power may be a better option from a gameplay perspective specifically for game flow reasons.

 

That said, a common approach for game flow reasons is for a GM to implement an 'all VPP powers must be reviewed and approved before a gaming scenario commences' approach ... which allows the slowdown to occur outside of the group's combined game time ... while preserving the flexibility of a VPP that makes sense for the character.  My past GM's have frequently followed such a rule with an in-scenario allowance for the following sorts of adjustments to pre-approved VPP powers: changing SFX on a per-power basis (if applicable); swapping one [+1/4] advantage for another on pre-built powers, since the math is done and the advantage swap is a form of 'tuning' that results in a mathematical wash; changing the type of AoE (from cone to radius to beam to any) while preserving the advantage level of the AoE, etc -- which again results in a form of tuning that is a mathematical wash, etc.

 

YMMV

[Christopher R Taylor]

You could easily do it with a multippower, I agree.  In essence, almost all your weapons fall within some very small categories: blast, killing attack, drain, maybe mental attack.  So build some basic categories and buy the whole multipower with variable special effect and bingo, you have your powers.  Want a sword or a mace or a dagger or an axe?  HKA, variable special effect.  

 

Stacking "variable advantage" on it of +1/2 would give you pretty much whatever you want more specifically.  Swords can be armor piercing, maces +1 stun multiple, etc.

 

Armor can be just resistant protection and you can say whatever it happens to look like. The special effect is "energy ring construct" or whatever your power is.

[bigdamnhero]

Here are a couple examples I was able to dig up along those lines. These are just for weapons, not defenses, but same idea applies.

 

The first is a very simple (but powerful) version from a high-end fantasy game where the character can summon any weapon to his hand. But in practice the character disdained ranged attacks, so we just built it as an HKA with Variable Effect and handwaved the Club Weapon maneuver to simulate if he was using a non-Killing weapon.

 

Any Weapon Known To Men Or Gods:  Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 3d6+1, Armor Piercing (+1/4), Variable Special Effects (Any Weapon; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (87 Active Points); Restrainable (If grabbed/disarmed, can Summon another after 1 Phase; -1/2) [58 RP]

 

You could do something similar adding Variable SFX, or even have this as the HKA slot in the MP, and then have similar slots for RKA, HA, and Blast.

 

The second is from a Champions game, character is a master assassin who has basically any weapon you can think of in his armory, but can only carry a limited selection with him at a time:

 

The Right Weapon:  Variable Power Pool (Weapon Pool), 32 base + 66 control cost, No Skill Roll Required (+1), Powers Can Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1) (131 Active Points); Prebuilt Tech Weapons Only (-1/2), Can Only Carry 6 Weapons At A Time, Load Can Only Be Changed At Armory (-1/2); all slots OIF (-1/2) [72 RP]

 

We debated making it so that changing slots took a 1/2 Phase, but allowing the character to use Fast Draw to do it as Zero-Phase, but decided it was more bother than the points were worth.

 

As an aside: whether you go with a VPP or an MP with Variable Adv/SFX, I'd suggest you encourage/require the player to pre-build as many different variations as they can think of to speed up gameplay. Even with Variable Advantages, having to look up "How big a Cone AOE can I get for -1/2?" can really bog things down.

[Kamileon]

Awesome. I really appreciate it. I as a DM/GM have only really run 2-3 games of this myself so I am still a bit noobish myself. Coming from a dnd starting point, a free flowing build system still kinda throws me for a loop some times. I appreciate all the awesome suggestions. I think for simplicity the Multipower seems to be the best option. I can see VPP turning into a 10 - 15 min conversation every fight, about how to build or rebuild something pre-combat. 

[Kamileon]

Ok lol here comes dumb question number 2. Using Hero Designer program, how would I go about building a multipower? There are no options for it in powers, in advantages, limitations, etc. I'm seeing nothing that allows me to combine multiple powers in such a way as to accomplish this effect.

[ghost-angel]

Under the Powers Tab, right above where the Powers list is, there's a couple of Drop Down Menus, one of which is Power Pool, click there & select.

[Hyper-Man]

This is one of those cases where it's worth trying to get the Player invested in the construction process by starting with a simple Multipower with Variable SFX slots and learn how to manage a dozen or less options during combat.  Encourage them to get their own copy of the rules and Hero Designer and play around some.  Eventually they will see the diminishing returns of investing in too many slots (that is; the breakpoint at which it is cheaper to upgrade to a functionally equivalent VPP).  The key is that before you allow them to upgrade you should insist that they construct a fairly extensive list of abilities (for both pre-approval and speed of game play). 

 

If a player wants to play a character with this type of open-ended powers then they should learn how it works within the rules.  It would go a long way in reducing the amount of option paralysis that might otherwise occur if you as the GM build the powers for the player.

 

HM

[Scott Baker]

Under the Powers Tab, right above where the Powers list is, there's a couple of Drop Down Menus, one of which is Power Pool, click there & select.

 

Just so there's no confusion...the menu title is "Power Frameworks". Then you select New Multipower... from the menu.

[ghost-angel]

That's it. Couldn't remember off the top of my head the exact wording. Thanks.