prestidigitator

I think just about any (super)hero is going to have some way of overcoming his/her Disadvantages (particularly Physical Limitations), just not perfectly and/or in all situations. Otherwise characters would never take this form of Disadvantage, because they would be stomped into the ground every time. I had a mentalist who was mute. I believe his Diadvantage was reduced from what I would give another character, but he was still limited: most characters wouldn't completely let down their guard so he could Mind Link; it's a pain in the ass, and pretty offensive, to use Telepathy or Mind Control....

I don't really like the Duplication approach. They aren't truely seperate characters with seperate minds. If anything, I think it would be more like Multiform, since they never act independently. However, I still think that Disadvantages on the character (maybe but not necessarily reduced ones), along with a lot of OIF/OIHID powers or a vehicle, work best.

I don't think this is the way PSLs work, dude. They go the other way. They apply to a specific penalty, and increase in value based on when they apply. That means they aren't "+1 vs. Interaction penalties due to...," but rather, "+1 vs. penalties due to having the wrong culture, all interaction rolls." These would probably be 2-point PSLs, because they wouldn't apply to, say, Knowlege Skills and cultural PSs, but you'd have to have them for each specific penalty you are trying to negate. Take Range Levels as an example. They aren't "+1 with bows, only to negate penalties due to range," which could logically be improved to, "+1 with bows, only to negate penalties." They are, "+1 to negate range penalties, with bows," which can be improved to, "+1 to negate range penalties."

I still don't think Penalty Skill Levels are appropriate, unless you mean they negate penalties due to, say, being dressed wrong (for all social rolls: 2-point, probably), or being the wrong ethnicity or something. I guess in this case a character could go into a situation without having to "fit in," but that doesn't sound like a chameleon to me. In fact, someone will Penalty Skill Levels like this would probably stand out rather than blending in: "He's white, but he's still cool," or, "Man, can that fellow talk stocks, even if he does look like a street bum...." Everyone should have the same chance at succeeding with social rolls when talking to bikers or businessmen, unless (s)he is set back by his/her appearence (Disguise), dialect (Mimicry), knowlege (Streetwise, High Society, KSs...), etc. This is still better handled through straight Skill Levels or Complementary Skills, IMO. You either know what you are talking about and who you are dealing with (Complementary Skills), or you are a great conversationalist, diplomat, etc. (SLs).

Except that Penalty Skill Levels can not be used to cancel the OCV penalties that you take from performing a maneuver. That's because the maneuver modifiers aren't "penalties," persay. By the way, "Sweep" is a maneuver itself, even though you are really using it to combine other "maneuvers." That means you can take 2-point CSLs and apply them to Sweep (none of your CSLs that don't apply to a Sweep should technically apply to the attacks you make using the Sweep). See the FAQs if you want to find the source of this information. As House Rules, I myself modify this as follows: 2-point CSLs may be taken for Sweeping a particular maneuver/weapon or performing a Sweep in a particular circumstance (e.g. "Sweeping with my broadsword," or, "A Sweep whose attacks target all seperate opponents"). 3-point CSLs may be taken for all Sweeps. This is considered to be the Tight Group, so they don't apply to any other maneuvers. CSLs may be applied to each attack if they would normally apply to the weapon or maneuver which is part of the Sweep, but can apply to only one of the attacks in the Sweep each. This means that if you are doing a Sweep with 3 attacks and wish to increase your DCV by 2 (before halving), you must actually use 3*2=6 CSLs (and this really results in a +1 DCV after it is halved), unless the CSLs can apply to the Sweep maneuver itself (see below). Any CSLs which apply to Sweep itself (as opposed to attacks within the Sweep) act like Penalty Skill Levels in the sense that they can never result in a bonus to attack rolls (so, if you have 6 CSLs with Sweep, but only make 2 attacks, you still get -0 on those attacks, not +2) and likewise for DCV (they may not bring your DCV above normal, but rather counteract the halving). They may not be used to increase damage (this is not a Limitation), as the Sweep itself doesn't do damage (rather, the attacks within it do). I treat Rapid Fire similarly, but it is a seperate (set of) maneuvers from Sweep itself; 5-point CSLs could apply to either, but 3-point CSLs can not.

Wrong. Your next normal Phase is taken up while you are, "recovering from being stunned." If you look really carefully at the chart that describes modifiers to DCV, you'll see 1/2 DCV and 1/2 targetting penalties for not only, "Stunned," but also, "Recovering From Being Stunned." That means: I stun you in 6. Your Phase is on 9, which is the action you must use up recovering from being stunned. Your next Phase is on 12, which is when you are finally able to act, can activate your non-persistent powers, and finally get back your full DCV. You lose your powers and DCV not only at the point I hit you, but for the Phase you lost as well.

I, too, think Skills are underused. This is what they are for. Particularly Acting, Conversation, and Seduction (read the description of that one carefully--it is much more useful than the name implies). Maybe Disguise and High Society for some situations, too. And why is everyone so happy over Penalty Skill Levels? Sounds like you're all just looking for point breaks. Just buy straight Skill Levels; this is what they're for!

Shoot! I might give any power which is pushed a chance of burning out, using Long Term End, etc. This is supposed to happen very rarely, and I think it should be governed as much by GM license as by mechanics. Don't put any Limitations on the power. The GM may not even allow it to be pushed; should you really get a point rebate for that?

I've said this on other threads, but.... I like the way 5th ed. built Regeneration using the Healing power. I just don't like the inconsistency. So I re-build it from Healing, but require that the Cumulative Advantage be included (even though Healing is an Adjustment Power, and they can't normally take this Advantage; Healing is clearly an exception to Adjustment Powers already being cumulative). I also require that the maximum effect be bought up to double the character's maximum normal Body (if (s)he wishes the Regeneration to be able to fully heal him/her, anyway). However, I also allow the full Standard Effect points to be used when 3*dice is an even multiple of the trait being healed (player's option--this would mean 2 dice of Regenerate Body would heal 3/Turn, not 2/Turn). I believe this actually winds up being more expensive than 4th ed. Regeneration, but I don't mind the power being expensive. Not at all.

I would also give penalties equal to the DCV bonuses for fast movement, if we are talking that fast. ...unless you have one Martial Art maneuver (well, plus enough to make 10 points), in which case your Combat Skill Levels can increase the DCs from that attack....

I would balance them such that the drawbacks for one took away the benefits for the other. Look at Growth and Shrinking. Shrinking gives you DCV bonuses and penalties to others' Per rolls, and Growth does the opposite; similarly for knockback. The only thing you would get from using both powers at once would be a little extra Str, Body, and Stun (ignoring the reach thing, which makes no sense), and it is quite an expensive price for it, especially considering that they would have to pay End (25 points and 2 End per Phase for +15 Str, +3 Body, and +3 Stun? Fine with me: that's more than the 24 points it would cost to buy them permenently, and not have to pay the End). Of course, you could just put a clause in that says the two powers can't be used at the same time--or if they are, the effects of using one power merely cancel out all benefits of the other until it exceeds the other effect-wise.

I don't completely agree there. I think Disadvantages are as much about your character concept, story devices, and quirks, as they are about seriously limiting your character. True, they should limit your character, but I think they have as much role in concept as anything. I would be more generous with the Disadvantage than others are conceeding, I believe. You could take it as any level of Disadvantage(s), IMHO. Probably if you got 50 points out of it, then you couldn't eat or sleep in your suit, you wouldn't be able to enter the mall without doing major property damage, law enforcement (maybe even the military or other superheros) would show up if you went to the park in it without there being an obvious threat.... Expect severe Disadvantages to majorly affect the plot, and be taken advantage of quite often by your GM. If your superheros often see trouble and have to react when they are having a team meeting in McDonald's or hanging out at the movies, you are going to be rather put out ("Hey guys? Could one of you give me a lift back to the base so I can suit up? I'll be back in 20 minutes or so...?" or, "Crap! I was in the middle of calling my suit to me, and the remote fell off the back of my wheelchair. Ah, help someone?").

I like to use it for attacks which "spread out," their damage, doing a little bit to a large part of the body (low density, but significant total). Therefore I rather liked it as used in the shotgun example. Also consider a large swarm of insects or a splash of acid; things that will hurt naked flesh, and might do a lot of damage to it, but are hardly going to do anything if the body is well covered. When used for this kind of attack, I even make one of the "attacks" do damage as if the target had no resistant defenses if, for example, (s)he only has partial coverage armor ("Your chestplate keeps you safe from some of it, but boy, do your arms, legs, and face hurt!").

Sounds like a pretty limited form of Clairsentience. You could even define it as a (non-targetting) special Sense Group which is "whatever trees can perceive."

I would go with Only for Specific Maneuver (-1) (which basically reflects the minimum "Limitation" that could account for the difference between 5-point and 2-point Combat Skill Levels). Why should +1 DCV with one specific maneuver be more expensive than +1 OCV with one specific maneuver? Aren't defenses supposed to be at least as cheap as offenses? As for why the character will not perform a Sweep, that could be explained by the fact that it is still takes a full Phase (unless the character has spent significant points for Rapid Attack), and still imposes a -2 on all attacks for each additional attack in the Sweep (unless the character has also spent points to increase his/her OCV with Sweep; 2-point CSLs I believe the FAQ calls them). After all this, it will probably cost as much to do a "free" sweep as it would to buy another point or two of Speed anyway (and a Sweep is far less useful).

Hah! All my charcters are super-mentalists with earth-shattering Ints and Egos. Why should they be limited mentally? This sounds like the D&D philosophy of, "every character must have, and play by, a strict alignment:" Mr. Coyote: Umm, excuse me? Could I have like 1000d6 of Unluck for 25 points instead please? DM: Quiet you! Take your Neutral Evil alignment and be happy! Now go to the back of the room where you belong! Mr. Coyote: Oh, ah...yes sir, Mr. GM, sir. Thank you.

I wouldn't call it 0d6. I would say it has to do enough Body healing to repair the wound that did the impairing (what is it, 1/2 the character's Body?), but could take a Limitation that it does not actually restore lost Body.

I tend to agree. Use Ego to determine when in a Segment a mentalist goes if (s)he is using mental powers, or the worse of Ego and Dex if doing both mental and physical actions. If this is a problem for the character (or for you), have them use Lightning Reflexes to make up the difference (for either Dex or Ego--it should cost the same, even though it is based on the more expensive cost of Dex). However, if this was somehow, "...wanted to use his EGO for initiative [including Speed]..." just say no. Make them buy extra Speed straight.

An attack action to set up the triggered power (maybe even a non-attack action--I'm not sure, and may depend on the GM); an attack action for each attack until I hit. Does that sound bad, considering that I get two damage rolls and only expend a Charge/End when I hit?

I agree with the Suppress: Stun idea. Or maybe a NND attack/Ego Attack linked to your normal attack (like the poison examples). Most likely is just extra dice that do no Body. I would call extra dice, "only to stun target," at most a -1/4, if I allowed it a Limitation at all. The primary purposes of doing Stun are to stun and knock out an opponent. Stunning them can in ways be easier (if they have 200 Stun, you may still only need to do 10 at once to stun them), even if it is slightly less detrimental and perhaps shorter term. Why shouldn't smacking a character with something that might stun him/her also contribute to knocking him/her out? If I got hit with enough attacks that had a chance of stunning me, I would probably expect to lose consciousness eventually, no matter the nature of the attack. There is a reason why the whole system makes reference to stunning and knocking out a target in just about all the same places, and with just about the exact same effects. Consider: I stun you. You are 1/2 DCV, cannot act, and have half the targetting penalties (I think I'll hit you in the head now) until not only your next Phase, but the one after (it takes your next Phase to "recover"). Hmm. And don't think you can abort your next action. Oh, by the way, everything you have that is not Persistent turns off (that includes those Combat Skill Levels, folks!). If you were flying, you are now hitting the ground and taking damage, by the way.

I think the Clairsentience thing depends on what exactly the plants can tell you (what kind of information do you see your character being able to divine by "talking" to local plants?). It might be visual, but with Limitations because you can only get a sketchy description which is open to interpretation (depending on whether you are "told" what happened, or whether the plants confer to you actual mental images). Alternately--and this depends completely on the GM and his/her setting/view of the world--it might just be a Mind Link/Telepathy. If plants are treated more like objects that just happen to be living, you might have to go with the Clairsentience. If plants are "spiritually sentient" and aware of their surroundings, it could be Telepathy. If they are basically all open to communication and willing to help anyone, it could be Mind Link. This could also depend on whether the game is Heroic or Superheroic.

I disagree completely. Knowledge can and often is gained through experience as much if not more than through books. The human mind (at least in real life) can only contain so much without direct experience and point of reference. Even if you memorize a bunch of facts, that does not necessarily mean you can apply them in a useful manner to a situation, or even know if they apply to a situation. Why do you think education requires homework (the good assignments being those which give you practical experience in how to use the knowledge, not just the knowlege itself); even classes which are in large part centered around factual subjects (e.g. some but not all History). I wouldn't find this strange if the professor knew a little about all of these things. If (s)he knew enough to be an expert and teach all of them?! That would be a different matter. Remember that professors do specialize very highly in their fields. Otherwise, you would not be a "History Professor," you would be just a "Professor," who happens to be teaching History at the moment, but could just as easily go next door and teach about the finer nuances of Entomology (okay, maybe this or both could be argued to be a Science Skill, but the same arguments can apply--and the line is often fuzzy anyway). Remember, too, that (normal) "Professors," would probably be bought as people with most of their points spent toward KSs, SSs, and PSs--and then only to be highly specialized.

Ooh! How about Darkness to Smell/Taste, combined with Negative Skill Levels ("Man, my eyes are watering/burning!").

I don't think you need Images, Transform, or Drain Com to make the person, "smell bad," unless you really want to make it have drastic long-lasting system effects. I would just make this a "visible" Special Effect of the power (maybe with a Noisy Limitation: "You sure got cooked, didn't you?"). The GM can figure out what specifically to do with this, as story effect (you might get temporary and circumstantial penalties to Com, etc., but I wouldn't say this requires buying a full Drain).

Yes. This is pretty interesting. It doesn't sound quite like the original idea of the thread, however. That sounded more like a modification to mass only (with appropriate mechanics changes to movement, etc.). This is cool. I might allow the character to base this on Dex or Ego instead (for appropriate Special Effects), maybe with an appropriate Adder (+10? +15?). I'm not sure if this would be, "roll Body damage, as if this Characteristic were Str," or, "make a Characteristic roll, with -1 per X Def that affects you."