Snarf

I agree, you should use the final effect you want to create (bullet attacks) as a starting point, instead of transform or summon.

You'd probably have to use an endurance reserve to get something that worked exactly right.

Ah, nevermind then. Feel free to post your write up or how it works out in your game. There's some discussion in another thread about how necessary the burnout aspect of boostable charges is.

That's interesting, would you say wizards in your game are balanced with fighters because of their flexibility or they're fun to play despite being unbalanced?

I think having to buy the power twice is really unbalanced and arbitrary so I'd allow stuff like that. I've also talked with a player about allowing switching between Energy and Physical as a +1/4 advantage, and absorbing energy or physical with one power as a +1/2 advantage. That would be similar to the cost of variable effects for adjustment powers.

You also have to house rule it if you want to launch more than 4 charges at once. I guess that would be another step down the chart.

Since these are equipment, you could use the 5 points per piece of duplicate equipment rule, and buy it as a 1 charge power a bunch of times. That seems a bit munchkiny though.

The problem with boostable charges is that you can use a maximum of 4 and there's a burnout roll. It would work better if the boosting is uncommon, rather than the normal way to use it.

They have to sing for starters. Probably so badly it will reduce superheroes to tears, if this is related to Hamtaro.

We need another page or two of suggestions, then we can start a poll.

Originally posted by Kzinbane

Re- bumblebees: yes I know, but it's more fun to say they fly because they don't know that they can't.

 

Another power source - absolutly proposterous of course... have the entire human race in little capsules and draw power from them, meanwhile keeping them in an illusionary state thinking that they are living normal lives.

This of course while one could be keeping elephants or whales or something that generates dozens of times the power and also ignoring geothermal power from volcanoes and the like which would out power bio power by tens of thousands of levels...

Side Effects: Periodically transforms some dude into Jesus/Superman.

If it's a minor, non-supernatural hate you could use the -1/4 Noisy limitation. The spell is "deafening" to anyone that can sense magic, and the annoyance is roleplayed.

You can use Change Environment if you want it to be temporary. Area Transform is good if you want it to last.

That would work but I don't want to use knowledge skills for each spell. I guess I should explain it in a little more detail.

Basically, I'm trying to Herofy the magic system from Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. In that system, people cast spells by finding "magicites." Magicites are tied to a specific area and only work there. If you leave an area you have to find new magicites.

Each magicite allows someone to cast a single spell when alone or they can fuse their casting with another person and use various magicite combinations to form more powerful spells. For instance, two fire magicites used at the same time can fuse to cast a more powerful fira spell.

The power of the spell is determined by a persons magical ability. Different races have different levels of magical ability and the ability can be improved with experience. So, spellcasting power is an ability characters have to purchase and it's not built into the magicite.

So, I've got all this written out as either a VPP or a multipower. I've tried to keep it as close as possible to the source material, so each spell isn't learned like how magic usually works, it's just found or taken from a monster or something like that.

I bet the SciFi channel would be willing to take the show if Joss Whedon was willing to work with their budget constraints and pitched it to them. I remember them picking up Stargate after it got cancelled and they'd aired all the reruns.

I like to use a transform for stuff like this because it gives people a chance to resist.

If you don't want to change each spell you could make it a naked modifier.

Originally posted by BobGreenwade

I'm pretty sure (by supposition, mostly) that the Probability Drive at (the current) ATRI 14 covers the above two suggestions.

No way! This one is an Improbability Drive. Totally different. Yup.

Theirs relied upon anomalies in space time, while mine posited the existence of a heretofor unknown, theoretical and undetectable "negative energy."

I remember reading something in N-Space about that. It used a fifth currently undiscovered force called the Alderson force that had certain properties. It was interesting to me how they treated it scientifically and worked around present day physics rather than violating it.

I second the damage shield. It seems the closest to the special effect you're going for to me.

Originally posted by PESchulze

Sorry, I wasn't clear...I meant "end cost" as in the total cost of the end-result spell or power, not End cost as in Endurance.

Doh, that's what I get for skimming.

On a related topic, I'm also working on a fantasy campaign and need advice about magic systems. What does everyone think about real cost/5 for a magic system that uses one power skill and a VPP with limitations?

Yeah, endurance cost is Active Points/10.

Originally posted by Bengal

I think if you take a PS skill, it means you've been employed in a particular profession- not that you are any good at it. If you want to be good at it, take the skills that would make you good at that profession.

The problem with that is that many less adventurous professions have no other skills related to them. For instance, here's nothing else that could represent being a painter except raw IQ rolls or something like that.

Geez, what a butthead. I bet that guy was thrown out the airlock as soon as the others figured out what happened.

If we're talking about literary examples, the Infinite Improbability Drive in The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy is one of my favorites. Operating the thing correctly causes a random coincidence that teleports you where you want to go, but the fun part is the screw ups, which would be Side Effects in the Hero System. If you run it wrong, other improbable thing happen, like whales appearing out of thin air and people getting teleported to the other side of the galaxy.

That's what flash defense is for. Eye covering and such should be something that happens more uncommonly and not nearly so automatically.

It depends on the special effect of the deflection. If the missle deflection is defined as dodging or telekinetic pushing, then it works normally. If it's defined as a blocking or parrying, then it sticks to your sword or arm or whatever. To me, this is special effects, but to other GM's it could be a power.

A plasma grenade with clinging:

Plasma Grenade

2 1/2 d6 RKA, Explosion (-1 DC/2"; +3/4); Range Based on STR (-1/4), 4 segment delay (-1/4), OAF (-1) 1 Nonrecoverable Charge (-4) 11 pts

plus 1 1/2 d6 RKA ; Range Based on STR (-1/4), 4 segment delay (-1/4), OAF (-1), 1 Nonrecoverable Charge (-4) 4 pts

plus Clinging (21 STR), Range Based on STR (-1/4), 4 segment delay (-1/4), OAF (-1), 1 Nonrecoverable 1 Turn Continuing Charge (-3 1/4) 3 pts

Total Cost: 18 pts

The clinging starts at the grenades base STR of 0, then I bought 21 extra clinging STR.

I think the 4 segment fuse delay is enough to get the effect without clinging. The sticking to people is just a special effect. A poison that hits someone and takes 4 segments to take effect is pretty much the same thing.

You could just rule that people with a certain amount of STR could pull it off in a phase and people with that amount of casual STR could brush it off in no time. If you're going to put clinging on it, you should buy some clinging STR, since it works at base STR right now and a grenade's base STR is 0. I think the clinging might also need a continuing charge for it to stick for more than one phase.

Also, depending on how you like to do your items, I think you could make the 1 charge nonrecoverable. Here's my version:

Plasma Grenade

2 1/2 d6 RKA, Explosion (-1 DC/2"; +3/4); Range Based on STR (-1/4), 4 segment delay (-1/4), OAF (-1) 1 Nonrecoverable Charge (-4) 11 pts

plus 1 1/2 d6 RKA ; Range Based on STR (-1/4), 4 segment delay (-1/4), OAF (-1), 1 Nonrecoverable Charge (-4) 4 pts

Total Cost: 15 pts