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How to build: power that activates on a failed roll


Alcibiades

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Hello HERO peeps.

 

I am stymied and perplexed!

 

What I want to build is something like

 

Unstable power (what kind doesn't matter), Requires a Roll

 

List of other powers (what kind doesn't matter) that activate only if Requires a Roll on the unstable power fails

 

The gist is that the secondary powers only activate if the unstable power fails.

 

The intuitively obvious options are Accidental Change (but it isn't really that), or to put Trigger on the list of other powers (the trigger being failing the roll), or to have the other powers as a gigantic Side Effect on the unstable power.

 

But, Trigger costs points, and this is actually a limitation on the powers, since I can't activate them whenever I want. Side Effect doesn't seem right, since these powers have a major good side.

 

Any ideas? Am I missing something obvious?  

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I act

12 minutes ago, dsatow said:

You could put the powers into a multipower, then place the limitations requires a roll and side effects on the multipower itself.  Failure of the roll will trigger the side effect which would be activation of the other slot.

 

Huh. that's an interesting idea.

 

And put No Conscious Control on these powers, so that I can't deliberately activate it.

 

So put the Limitations on the Multipower, and not the powers inside it? I'm foggy on how this would work, mechanically.

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40 minutes ago, Beast said:

I would just go with No Conscious Control  and a list of powers and not worry about an activation roll
Just activate a power you like as the GM

 

Well, there's another issue here that I didn't mention.

 

The idea is that the character fears these powers (they come with a nasty personality change Side Effect), but if he uses his other powers in an uncontrolled fashion the powers might trigger.

 

So this

 

Unstabje Power, Variable Limitations (requires -3 of Increased END Cost, Concentration, Requires a Roll, Extra Time)

 

The result is that if the character wants to use the power without Increased END Cost, Concentration, and so on, there's a chance he'll lose control (set his VL to Requires a Roll) and activate the scary power instead.

 

(I realize that the simplest way to do this is possibly Multiform really, but again this costs points for what is a limitation)

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Aha!

 

"If a character has a Trigger for a personal
power for which he cannot control the activation,
he may, at the GM’s option, reduce the value of
Trigger by ¼. An example would be an Aid STR,
Triggered when the character becomes Enraged
(or Berserk). Since the character cannot become
Enraged at will, he gets less use out of his Triggered
power, so the GM might reduce the Advantage’s
value. (The GM may also allow the power
to take the No Conscious Control Limitation, if
appropriate.)"

 

Got it

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21 hours ago, Alcibiades said:

Huh. that's an interesting idea.

 

And put No Conscious Control on these powers, so that I can't deliberately activate it.

 

So put the Limitations on the Multipower, and not the powers inside it? I'm foggy on how this would work, mechanically.

 

See 6e1p405 second column.  The third paragraph in Power Limitations on Multipowers is what you're after.

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I still think you are right, The triggered powers should not cost more than buying it normally, they are not triggering on other issues that get you extra actions, they are triggering instead of a power you wanted to use and bring unwanted effects alongside.

 

i think the no conscious control is the way to go, 

 

you have a set of powers in a multi-power, each of those powers has a side effect (that’s where the scary bits reside).  If he pushes the unstable power and fails to activate it, then the GM chooses, possibly randomly, which of the powers (with side effect) activates instead.  I would be content for the side effects to linger until another side effect is triggered or until a set period.

 

Doc

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Why not apply Requires a Roll to the unstable power, with the limitation being based on the likelihood of the first power failing.

 

eg: Power I want to Use, 12- activation roll, is 74.07% likely to work.

 

Now Link it to Unstable Power, Limited Power:  Works only if the first power fails, matching Activation 8- [because 8- is 25.93% likely]

 

 

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On 3/1/2018 at 4:40 PM, Alcibiades said:

Hello HERO peeps.

 

I am stymied and perplexed!

 

What I want to build is something like

 

Unstable power (what kind doesn't matter), Requires a Roll

 

List of other powers (what kind doesn't matter) that activate only if Requires a Roll on the unstable power fails

 

The gist is that the secondary powers only activate if the unstable power fails.

 

The intuitively obvious options are Accidental Change (but it isn't really that), or to put Trigger on the list of other powers (the trigger being failing the roll), or to have the other powers as a gigantic Side Effect on the unstable power.

 

But, Trigger costs points, and this is actually a limitation on the powers, since I can't activate them whenever I want. Side Effect doesn't seem right, since these powers have a major good side.

 

Any ideas? Am I missing something obvious?  

 

Sounds like Cyclops when he loses his visor.

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