My Power's killing me!

[HeroGM]

Just as the title says. At time in super games (as well as magic) you have players whose powers are slowly killing the person when they use them.

 

Side Effect I know is pretty much it. Any ideas on how to set it up so it's a little bit less then 1bod every time character uses..maybe similar to what was suggested in Grimiore(sp) of 0.5pt or 0.1pt when used, slowly accumulating?

[Doc Democracy]

I think this is a complication rather than a side effect. I don't think there is anything in the powers that is fine-grained enough.

 

I think there needs to be something you design yourself. The use of your powers is killing you, what does that mean? Does it really impact on your abilities, on your resilience? While I would not buy it with points I see an END Reserve, maybe 100 END. Now, whenever you use your powers, you burn END. If you have no STUN in the reserve, none of your powers work but the only way to recover the STUN is to burn CON, BODY, REC and STR. I would also buy my REC such that it did not recover the effects of the powers. That would have a slow burn effect, an incentive not to use the powers and long term consequences if the powers continue to be used.

 

If you want it more up front, have less END. If you want it frantic use the battery directly for the powers.

 

Ultimately you need to be thinking of a way out, redemption, even just to get back to an even keel while looking for something permanent.

[Cantriped]

Just how slowly do you want it to kill them?

If it is more of a plot element like casting spells which reduce your life-span minutely... it probably isn't worth any points as a limitation, and barely qualifies as a Physical Complication. It is just a source of Drama/Angst for the character to roleplay.

 

If using their powers actually brings them closer to death in Combat-Time... than it should be a Side Effect (causing a little as 1/2d6 of Normal Damage per Phase). But honestly, while its legal to have a power that hurts you like this... tactically its just plain stupid. While the whole "my powers are killing me" trope works well in cinema and literature... it really has no place in table-top gaming (except perhaps in the hands of NPCs). Few players actually want their characters to die mid session.

 

If I had a character whose powers were "using up my life-force" or "slowly killing me"... I would probably just represent it with Increased Endurance Cost, and maybe a Psychological Limitation discouraging me from using my powers wastefully. Such a character would be frugal with their powers, because overusing them might cause them to pass out (from spending STUN to fuel the powers), but fear of death would only be an element in how I roleplay them.

[dsatow]

Dependent on the special effect of the slow death, you can give it a low value limitation based on the total effects.

 

In a campaign I am currently running, the players have encountered viper.  This campaign reintroduces elements from the classic champions enemies into the campaign, so in this case,Viper stole the experimental blasters Dr. Zerstorer was working on for Primus, the new US organization to watch over superpowered individuals.  Unfortunately, the guns used a nuclear core which cause a slow radiation leak which will eventually lead to the death of those that use them in 5-10 years.  This of course works out great from Viper as they don't have to worry about retirement.

 

This is bought with a -1/4 limitation, as people who can detect radiation can detect the leakage and it leaves a signature to their use on crime scenes as well as a mechanic for cycling through Viper agents.  

 

Side Note: The Primus agents use advanced ballistic weaponry (smart guns) introduced by player allied NPCs ever since Dr. Zerstorer has gone rogue.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I agree, this is more a complication, you are susceptible to using your power, for example.  A very minor one, presumably, but real.  You could put a side effect on all powers of takes stun damage or something, too.

[DasBroot]

When I jokingly made a Spawn mock up NPC I went with the END Pool with 0 recovery - bought with a fudged severe side effect (when END pool reaches 0, character is removed from game).

 

It was a joke (and played as such, with the NPC catching busses, trains, and taking cabs instead of using movement powers to prolong his life) because basically the character paid a lot of points (it was a 500 point END pool, meant to last a campaign of 6 to 8 END per power use) to kill themselves.

[Diamond Spear]

For a less severe version you could create a side effect: Drain vs. BODY, with the return rate bumped down to once a week/ month/ year depending on how much of a hinderence you want it to be. That would allow the character some flexibility so they could use a lot of power in a short period of time if they really needed to but then would have to really restrict their usage for x period so they could recover. Otherwise they could go with low usage as their normal mode. It kind of reduces the drama factor but makes the character more viable for a long running campaign.

[Surrealone]

To add to Diamond Spear's suggestion, you could also add the concept of Delayed Effect ... taken as a limitation rather than as an advantage ... on the Drain used for the side effect ... such that impact isn't immediate and, instead, manifests a short while after a combat.  This would represent something that let you go full-out in the heat of the moment, but at the cost of debilitating after-effects requiring bed rest or even medical attention.

[HeroGM]

I'm thinking of how they did Firestar's power in Avengers and New Warriors, and a few other books where the characters power is slowly killing them. I can see it as a Side Effect. What about a small Change Environment (as part of Side Effect) if it damages people and things around them as well?

[Cantriped]

Delayed Effect as a Limitation is called Extra Time. Although you don't typically build Side Effects using Limitations, if you did I would suggest using the Real Cost of the side effect as opposed to it's Active Points when determining its value as a Limitation.

[indy523]

Here is a question

 

What does lowering the characteristic MAxima do?  I don't know the rules but....

 

Suppose each time you use the power you get sicker and this results in your Character MAximum STR reducing from say 20 to 19.  In game you might lost a point of STR or be able to spend the extra XP to buy it above the new max of 19.  Either way the body is getting close to zero and lets say the character at 0 str maxima is bed ridden and you really notice it at say five or less, hard to walk, activation rolls to use STR when needed etc.

 

In this way your character is "dying" and is worried about each point loss from using the power but it has no game effect till say 15.  In the meantime he can research a "cure" and buy this off. 

 

I think I agree this is a complication although given it forces you to lose your character if you play it like this (this assumes you have to use that power to be the HERO you are).  However if the power is only needed rarely then the points are worth less.

 

Depends.....

[Cantriped]

Characteristic Maxima doesn't generally change during play, its a campaign guideline that sometimes affects the price of characteristics.

If you were to chage the Maxima mid-session, the result would be that X number of points is no longer enough to buy X amount of a given characteristic. For example, if a character's Maxima for Strength dropped from 20 to 0, than in theory the 20 active points worth of strength they possess would now only be enough to buy 10 actual points of strength. Effectively halving said characteristic. I do not think reducing the maxima further would have any additional effect though, as at 0 any value is above the maxima and therefore costs twice as much.