M&M Magic rules

[DragonLancer]

I'm posting this here because at the moment the Atomic Think Tank forums seem to be down and I need a response fairly quickly.

Using just the rules in the 2nd ed rulebook, one of my players and I are trying to work out the magic system (from the powers chapter) and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. We're mostly stuck on what actually costs x2 points.

Any help much appreciated.

 

[saucercrab]

The Magic power costs 2pp/rank. So, if you have Magic 10, then it costs 20pp. However, when you buy magic it initially comes with a base power. Examples are given under the power description. That base power's rank is determined by how many pp Magic has. With Magic 10, you have 20pp to determine the base power's rank.

So, if Blast was your base power, it would be Blast 10. If Strike was your base power, it would be Strike 20 (oh, but with Power Level limits, you'd probably have to change this to Strike 10, & add a Penetrating extra or something). If Disintegration was your base power, its rank would be 5 (4pp/rank).

If you buy an alternate power, that alternate power would also have 20pp to determine its rank, and the whole power set (array) would cost 21pp: Magic 10 (Blast 10, AP: Disintegration 5).

 

[takyris]

Magic is really an array, not a power per se. (This is made more clear in Ultimate Power, but it's true in the corebook, too.)

Just build powers like you normally do. Maybe something like Sorcerous Blast is your main power. It's a blast at 2 pp/rank, or 20 points for Blast 10.

Then you want Mystic Healing -- healing with the Total extra as an Alternate Power. It's 3 points per rank, so the 20 points you spent on Blast only get you 6 ranks of Mystic Healing.

Then you take the Illusion power, for mystic illusions. You go with all sense types (4 points per rank) and take the Phantasms flaw (-1 point per rank), since your illusions only work on the minds of intelligent creatures. You also want to take 5 iterations of Progression, so that instead of 5 feet, you can affect an area of up to 250 feet in size. Since you have 20 points to work with, you take 5 of those points for progression, leaving you with 15 points. Since your Illusion is 3 points per rank, you have enough points for 5 ranks.

So your array looks like:

Magic 10: 2/rank
Main power: Blast 10
Mystic Healing 6 (Total)
Illusion 5 (all senses, Phantasm, Progression 5)

Total cost: 20 (core power) +2 (2 alternate powers) = 22

 

[The_Universe]

Magic is really an array, not a power per se. (This is made more clear in Ultimate Power, but it's true in the corebook, too.)

Actually, I think magic is technically a "container" rather than "array." In any case, your description of how it should work is spot on.

Another way to think about it is that Magic is really just a descriptor for your powers, not necessarily a power in and of itself.

You could buy 10 ranks in Blast and call it a "Magic Blast" and have it turn out to be essentially the same thing. The benefit of putting all of the powers into a container like magic is that, when using power stunts like Alternate power, you can devote all of the power points you have in Magic to the Alternate power, rather than just the few it would take to power the individual powers.

 

[BkMamba]

Actually, I think magic is technically a "container" rather than "array." In any case, your description of how it should work is spot on.

No, takyris is correct in that Magic from the Core book is an Array Power. A Container is several different Powers which all have the same Descriptor and all work at the same time; and they are bought in groups of five point Ranks.

Another way to think about it is that Magic is really just a descriptor for your powers, not necessarily a power in and of itself.

That is very true. It is just as easy to buy: Blast 10 [AP: Disintegration 5, AP: Paralyze 6 (Range: +1)] for 22 points and make the Descriptor magic as it is to buy: Magic Array 10 [FP: Blast 10, AP: Disintegration 5, AP: Paralyze 6 (Ranged: +1)] for 22 points.

 

[DragonLancer]

Thanks for the help. I'll take that away with me and see what I can come up with. I have Ultimate Powers on order to come in this week so hopefully that will help as well.

If I still get confused as I sit down with my players, I'll be back.

 

[BkMamba]

I am not really certain Ultimate Power will be of much assistance here. The main thing to remember about Arrays, and Alternate Power Arrays from the Core book, is that they are really all about the total points of the "first Power."

In a normal Alternate Power Array the "first Power" is the one you buy first and then each Alternate Power cost one additional point and can have as many points as you spent on the "first Power."

In an Array the "first Power" is the Array itself. You then get one free Power and then each Alternate Power cost one additional point and can have as many points as you spent on the Array.

Buying Magic Array 10 is saying your "first Power" costs 20 points because each Rank of Magic costs 2 points. You then get a free Power of up to 20 points in cost, so your free Power might be Mystic Blast 10. After that each additional Alternate Power cost 1 point and can contain one or more Powers of up to 20 points.

Magic Array 10 [20 points]
Free Power: Mystic Blast 10
Alternate Power: Mystic Binding 10 (Snare 10) [1 point]
Alternate Power: Light of Truth 10 (Nullify 10) [1 point]
Alternate Power: Orb of Ra 10 (Dazzle: Visual 10) [1 point]
Alternate Power: Spirit Travel 4 (Astral Form 4) [1 point]
Alternate Power: Entrapment 3 (Dimensional Pocket 3 (Range: +1, Continuous: +3) [1 point]

So with a Magic Array each Round the player can decide to use any one of those spells. Since each one is built on 20 points or less they are all legal and valid.