Question about VPP’s

[Elrikk]

I’m trying to design a character that’s like a mystical Batman (the Scorpion) instead of having a gadget utility belt he has a mystical utility belt that he can pull magic items from a pocket dimension. I’m using a VPP To simulate a plethora of different items he can use with a 40 point pool and a 40 point control cost.

My goal was being able to create items specifically versus villains susceptibilities, ie (the horn of Tyr) 8d6 blast (sonic), Van Helsing’s silver dagger (silver), or a flaming sword (Fire).  Am I able to do these variable special effects with the rules as written? And in the case of the silver dagger or a flaming sword does it double the body damage including strength if the villain has a x2 susceptibility?

[dsatow]

Yes, just be careful about charges.  A limitation of VPP is if a power has charges, then once a charge of the pool has been used, that portion of the power pool is gone for the day.

 

Example: If you had a gadget pool and brought out a machine gun which used all the points in the pool and you used 1/2 the charges, then for the rest of that day, even if you still had charges left in the machine gun, you would only have access to half the pool.

 

The reason this rule exists is to prevent a whole bunch of one charge items from the pool having no consequence.

[Grailknight]

Whether or not you can use the VPP to affect Susceptibilities  in this manner is a grey area in the rules.

 

I favor a more strict interpretation and would not allow a VPP to effectively get Variable SFX for free. In this case, i would rule your SFX is magic and would allow you to affect a Vulnerability or Susceptibility to magic.

 

I would not allow a magic fire  or magic cold or enchanted weapon to count as anything other than just magic if it came from the VPP so no silver vs werewolves per se unless you created the power with Variable SFX.

 

This is my personal interpretation and I've seen many who would rule the opposite way for various reasons. Make a ruling and stick with it. Just don't be surprised if more VPP's appear in the campaign.

[Duke Bushido]

I don't think VPP needs to get VSFX.

 

If I can pull a flamethrower, a rope, and an ice maker from a VPP, I have three radically different special effects right there.  Or "Magic items:" Holy symbol that turns undead, wand of fireballs, cursed mirror, and a dust that scatters into the air and drops the temperature to freezing--  still all different SFX.

 

I will have to re-read 6e (but not tonight; headed to bed), but I don't recall any earlier editions have specific limitations on VPP save "gadget pool," and that was simply that they were all gadgets; you could still pull a heat ran and a cold gun from the same pool.

 

The only thing that really locks you into a single or tightly-related SFX is Elemental Control, which is now essentially the Limitation "Unified Power" (though somewhat less cost-effective, the concept is very, very similar).

 

However, I completely agree with "make a ruling and stick with it."

[Hugh Neilson]

To Duke's comment, "limited SFX" is, in fact, a limitation on a VPP.

[dmjalund]

36 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

To Duke's comment, "limited SFX" is, in fact, a limitation on a VPP.

but only if it limits what powers you can choose

[Hugh Neilson]

Yeah, but for a -1/4 limitation, it doesn't have to hold much out.  Pretty sure "magic" remains an example.

 

I prefer "what can, and can't it do, and let's assign a limitation from "anything" accordingly"

[pawsplay]

I'd say it is fine as long as all the items are reasonably pre-defined monster-hunting items. If you find out a kind of demon is Susceptible to pistachios, I think it's fair to say you need to go the supermarket first to start having pistachio-based weaponry on hand.

[dsatow]

I generally play VPP, if limited by a special effect, then all powers from that pool must have that special effect.  This is not to say that they can't have multiple special effects.  Fire is fire despite it being a magical effect.  If a mage fires a fireball into a library, are the resultant fires magical or not?  I generally rule, that yes it's fire and will act like fire.  It's also magical and will act magical.

[Hugh Neilson]

12 minutes ago, dsatow said:

I generally play VPP, if limited by a special effect, then all powers from that pool must have that special effect.  This is not to say that they can't have multiple special effects.  Fire is fire despite it being a magical effect.  If a mage fires a fireball into a library, are the resultant fires magical or not?  I generally rule, that yes it's fire and will act like fire.  It's also magical and will act magical.

 

Yup - you can have magical flame, but it is still magic, is still detected and dispelled as magic, etc.

[Matt the Bruins]

Right, and someone with Damage Reduction 50% vs. Magic is going to take half damage from it, unlike the damage from someone hitting them with a Molotov cocktail or whatever.

[dsatow]

4 hours ago, Matt the Bruins said:

Right, and someone with Damage Reduction 50% vs. Magic is going to take half damage from it, unlike the damage from someone hitting them with a Molotov cocktail or whatever.

 

Yes, because whatever is powering the damage reduction is reducing the amount of magic that is powering the flame which in turn reduces the heat.  A molotov is not magical, its heat is not reduced, and thus they take full damage.