[MnM] Gadgets and Variable Effects

[DanMcS]

Gadgets: 1 pt/rank, allows you to duplicate any power of up to 2 pts/rank by spending a half-action and a hero point.

Would you allow an extra for Gadgets like "Expanded Powers" for Transfer, that increases the allowable cost of the duplicated power?

*****

In one of the supplements I can't find to buy yet (the Annual #1, I think) there's a power called "Variable Effect" that is basically gadgets without the device flaw- spend a half action and a power point, yadda yadda yadda.

Would you allow another power that worked the same, but didn't have the effective "Heroic Effort" flaw, ie, didn't require a hero point? It would end up being a 3 pt/rank power that can duplicate any 2 pt/rank power by taking a half-action to initialize it. I'd like to do this as a kind of tightly-themed advanced power. Call it "Spontaneous Effects", each instance would be set with a overall theme. Spontaneous Effects: Force for a force-based hero that can do all kinds of things with his powers; a force-field one round, force thrust attacks the next, whatever.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Gadgets: 1 pt/rank, allows you to duplicate any power of up to 2 pts/rank by spending a half-action and a hero point.

Would you allow an extra for Gadgets like "Expanded Powers" for Transfer, that increases the allowable cost of the duplicated power?

I might allow an extra or two on it.

In one of the supplements I can't find to buy yet (the Annual #1, I think) there's a power called "Variable Effect" that is basically gadgets without the device flaw- spend a half action and a power point, yadda yadda yadda.

Would you allow another power that worked the same, but didn't have the effective "Heroic Effort" flaw, ie, didn't require a hero point?

No, I wouldn't.

And neither would the game's creator accoridng to the writeup of the power in Annual #1.

[bq]The Hero point requirement for variable effects is a very important part of balancing their value.the ability to gain any power with only a half action would be a considerable one, to say the least. Therefore it is recommended that GM's only Alter orwaive the Hero Point requirement when it is replaced with something equally limiting...(M&M Annual pg. 84[/bq]


In my gaming group we actually use this as what we call the "Munchkin Test". We see how long it takes someone to propose this.

Sooner tends to equal "Bigger Munchkin"

Any power in the game in exchange for expending a half-action? at a whopping cost of 3pp/lvl instead of 2?

Not a chance.

 

[DanMcS]

In my gaming group we actually use this as what we call the "Munchkin Test". We see how long it takes someone to propose this.

Sooner tends to equal "Bigger Munchkin"

Any power in the game in exchange for expending a half-action? Not a chance.

Actually, there's a power very much like it in Tri-stat, "Dynamic powers" or "Power Flux", and it isn't terribly unbalancing. You take dynamic powers 4 (weather), and can have powers that affect the weather active up to 8 total, but no one power can exceed your rank (4).

You can put a minimum duration on it that increases in cost as the duration drops; you can only flux your powers after that duration, typically with a minimum of 1 minute.

That's why I didn't think it was outrageous as a MnM power. The equivalent would be something like:

Dynamic powers: 3 points/rank. Select a theme for your powers. You can replicate any power of 2 points/rank or less. You may reassign your powers once per year.

Extra: Reassignment duration. Each rank of this extra reduces the amount of time you must take between reallocating your powers. Reallocating takes a half action. This may be limited by the GM to rank 8, meaning you can only reallocate your powers once per minute.

Rank Duration
1: 6 months
2: 1 month
3: 1 week
4: 1 day
5: 12 hours
6: 1 hour
7: 10 minutes
8: 1 minute
9: 5 rounds
10: 1 round
11: Half action

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Here's the thing. MnM is pretty keenly balanced by when you can do what. Gadgets is a very useful power, as is Variable Effect, as I discovered on Sunday when one of the players Gadgeted up the perfect power to gank my finely-tuned badguy.

Most characters have an achille's heel. Big bruisers, usually Will. Fast fellas, usually Fort, etc etc. Variable Effect allows you to decide what sort of save/ability is the poorest for the enemy you're facing and pull out a booga to toast them. Big guy? Bad Will, grab Mental Blast. Fast guy? Get's toasted by Area Effects and Fort saves, usually, so Stun or Blast (Area) or Stun (Area) if you're mean.

So I think your Extras cost added in there is a great way to handle it. If anything, perhaps that makes it a tad TOO expensive.

--fje

 

[Insight]

I think the way that a variable power might work best mechanically is to group the powers by effect. For example, you could buy a base power at 2pp/rank that would be an attack power. For 3pp/rank, its variable, and you can change it to any other attack power normally costing 2pp/rank as a half action.

For an additional extra, you can change to a different sort of effect (movement, transformation, protection, etc) that is normally 2pp/rank. This could go on and on until you run out of points I suppose.

In addition, you could also choose to expand the maximum base cost of the effects you can use by choosing 1 or more extras. So if you wanted to be able to change to a normally 3pp/rank power, the cost is 4pp/rank. That would also enable you to have a 2pp/rank power with some sort of extra, like Area.

Of course, the problem with all of this is execution. The person playing a character with this sort of variable power needs to have a strong grasp of the rules, especially concerning powers. Otherwise, you will spend the majority of your combats waiting for this player to make up their mind on what they want to do.