First, I want to make sure I'm in the right place.

[Duke Bushido]

Excellent.

 

Thanks, Massey.  I believe you've given me what I need.

 

My apologies for the slow response-- I was busily digging through other material, trying to refresh myself with a few other things.  This is excellent: the "hand wave" he's been using for so long is, evidently, totally unnecessary.  

 

Excellent.  You've been a great help.

[Christopher]

Ah; I see the misunderstanding.

 

The short version of Freight Train's powers:

 

As he begins to run, he becomes a magnet for kinetic energy.   It is drawn to him-- minute increments from any and all motion in his environment.  It focuses on him, and he has a superhuman ability to amplify and focus it.  After he exceeds 10" / phase of running, this begins. It is the field around him that allows him to move super fast.  He pays END only on the first 10" running per Phase.  All his Running beyond that is 0 END.

 

It is because the field focuses on and carries him that his super speed is not exhausting, but it _is_ difficult to alter the course of the field (and object in motion, etc).  His running has reduced acceleration (the field has to build) and it requires a Turn mode.  Additionally, he must spend END to make a turn (he pays 1/2 END for _all_ the Running he is using that Phase). 

Actually that pretty much sounds like Non-Combat movement for me. No idea if 2E had that already, but it would be a good fit without so many houserules and constructs needed. It does also limit his OCV and DCV, no idea if that is wanted to not.

[Duke Bushido]

Actually that pretty much sounds like Non-Combat movement for me. No idea if 2E had that already, but it would be a good fit without so many houserules and constructs needed. It does also limit his OCV and DCV, no idea if that is wanted to not.

2e does have NCM and doublings on NCM, however NCM is not without END cost. As the END is based on the AP of the power, though, the doublings use considerably less END than the movement upon which it is based.  This makes sense to me, as the character isn't doing the subtle twisting and jinking and looking around, etc, to preserve his CVs; he's just going somewhere.  NCM still does not require a turn mode for running, though.

 

However, NCM is just that: non-combat.  Further, the Limitations, etc, that create the style for the character are quite intentional.  He's a poor speedster, after all.  He's also on the light end for a brick.  His name comes from the way his powers come together:  He's fast, heavy, and strong, but it takes him a minute to get rolling, it's difficult to stop, and he can't just veer off in a given direction at moment's notice.  That, and when he hits something, he tends to just keep on going through it.  The name was given to him by the media early on in career:  "looks like it was plowed through by a freight train," and he liked the way it suited him, so he kept it.

 

"If a train leaves the station in two seconds, how bad are you going to get hurt?"  

[Duke Bushido]

Figured out what I did wrong when I posted the Limitation:

 

I put "Uncontrolled" when what I meant was "No Conscious Control."  I'm going with this at the -1 level as opposed to -2 because it's not as limiting as it could be.  For example, while it's not terribly easy and certainly not instant, he does know how to make it appear, and even though he can't control what it does, he does _know_ what it does, and is able to take advantage of it.  In this case, it's always centered on him, protecting him from three sides, and it's not going to randomly appear somewhere else or turn off for no reason.

 

Even though he can't turn it off whoever he wants, it _does_ turn off under certain circumstances (stop running, exceed DEF, successfully hit with a Move-Through as the rules say it can't be used for a Move Through, etc) and he knows what those circumstances are and can somewhat avoid or create them.

 

You know, thinking about it out loud, I think I might drop it to -3/4.  While he can't control it (yet), he can manipulate it to some degree.

 

Thoughts?

[bigdamnhero]

I think that makes more sense than Uncontrolled. Personally I'm always skeptical of NCC on Powers - particularly Defensive Powers - unless there is a clear downside to that lack of control, and I'm not sure I see that here. OK, he can't directly control turning the power on/off but he can control the circumstances that turn it on/off. And it's not like there's generally a huge downside to having a Force Wall around you in combat, especially if you're going to make it fully/partly one-way. It sounds like maybe you might be better off defining* the Circumstances under which the power activates and calling that a Conditional Limitation?

 

* It sounds like you already have defined them yourself, I just mean specifying that clearly in the write-up.

[Duke Bushido]

Thanks, BDH-- you might be on to something.

 

One of those instances, I think, of looking at it and thinking "well, he can't really control it, therefore--" even though there might be a better way to model it.

 

Either way, though, given the issues with having to be running, full turn to restart when it fails, etc, what would you, if I may ask, estimate the value of such Limitation (or combination thereof) to be?  At the moment, -3/4 _feels_ right, but then again, so did NCC at first.

[bigdamnhero]

Either way, though, given the issues with having to be running, full turn to restart when it fails, etc, what would you, if I may ask, estimate the value of such Limitation (or combination thereof) to be?  At the moment, -3/4 _feels_ right, but then again, so did NCC at first.

Hard to say without having seen the character in action, and of course it depends on your game. The fact that he has to be running isn't that restrictive given that "runs really fast" is a main part of the character's shtick. The Turn to warm up is more significant, tho if the character already took a Limitation for that on his Running. then taking it again on the Force Wall is problematic. -1/2 or -3/4 feels about right to me.

[Duke Bushido]

Thanks.

 

I think I know how I'm going to do the "properly-modeled" version now. 

 

Or at least, I shouldn't have the issues I did before.

[Duke Bushido]

If I mark this "Solved," am I limited to selecting on post as solving it?

 

In this case, it was the input of several people that made this do-able for me.

[Doc Democracy]

Yeah - if you dont want to pick one of the solution posts create a post yourself referencing the answers you liked and choose that one for the solved listing...

[JmOz]

I would do it as 1m of stretching with the does not cross intervening spaces advantage (or whatever it is called)

[Duke Bushido]

I don't know (yet) how to multi-bubble quote, so here it is:

 

 

The issue is solved; I wish to thank everyone who offered any sort of advice or suggestions.  Whether I used them or something else, sometimes it's the point of view behind the suggestion rather than the suggestion itself, and a new perspective is just as refreshing as a new idea.

 

I've picked Doc D's post for the "Marked Solved" option simply because more than the suggestion for the power build, I appreciate the suggestion on how to thank everyone who gave of their time.

 

Thanks to all.