Linking Arrays

[Gizmo]

I've been toying with the idea of a speedster who works by robbing the kinetic energy from the molecules around him. Basically he'd have linked Super Speed and Cold Control. My question, then, is whether I can link two arrays together, so that he could basically choose any power from Column A and any power from Column B. Obviously I could just use a single array of linked powers, but I like the flexibility of the first option. So. Can this work?

[quotemyname]

Can't you just have two separate Array's of powers? That would allow you to mix'n'match whichever things you want to be active at the same time. Or is the point that the effects both go off as part of the same action or something?

[Gizmo]

That's it exactly. The idea is that he can't do one without the other; the kinetic energy needs to come from somewhere and it needs to go somewhere. He can't go fast without making things cold, and vice versa.

[quotemyname]

hmm interesting.

It may be possible, but I'm not the final say on these things. My idea would be that since Array itself is a power structure, you may be able to have Array1 X (Extras: linked to: Array2) etc.

But I don't know if you can do that with power structures or not.

[Geez3r]

You would need to link them as a a +1 Extra in order to not have to use them at the same time. Ie: being able to run without using the blast portion of cold control.

[quotemyname]

If you view the cold effects or the draining effects or what have you as detrimental, you might simply be able to model them as the Side Effect Flaw. That thought just popped into my head.

[Gizmo]

I definitely want to go with a mandatory linking, with the Extra and Flaw canceling each other out, point-wise. The whole idea here is an 'equal and opposite reaction' sort of power set.

I think it would be pushing it to categorize the Cold Control as a Side Effect Flaw. I mean, it might be annoying to leave an ice slick everywhere you run, but combined with super speed, it would let you coat an entire battlefield in ice with a single action, for example.

The mechanics seem pretty straightforward; treating Array as a power in and of itself, Link two Arrays together, resolving which alternate power you use from each container separately. You'd have to use an A and a B, but you could choose A1+B3 or A2+B1, for example. Obviously it'd take some tweaking, matching up action types, making sure everything could pair up without breaking any rules, but that's all details.

I guess what I'm really asking for is a ruling on whether or not this would be allowed. I don't think it would be unbalancing - the flexibility is offset by forcing the Link - but it is a bit outside the box.

[Dr Archeville]

Examples will help us ;)

[Gizmo]

Ha, good point. I'll have to get back to you on that.

[N/A]

The short answer is "No." Your "any power from Column A paired with any power from Column B" idea is not how Linked powers work.

When you Link two effects together to form a new power, they become one power. A single action activates them simultaneously, and the target (if any) gets hit with both of them simultaneously. Unless you pay for the +1PP/rank version instead of the +0, you can't use one of the effects without also using every other Linked effect. If you do pay for the +1 version, you can choose to use any of the individual effects that make up the power without activating the other ones.

The correct way to build this power would be to link together whichever two specific effects you want to happen simultaneously, and make that the base power in the array. Then make a series of alternate powers, each consisting of two effects you want to be dependent on each other. These configurations would be fixed.

If you want to be able to mix and match, to change which speed effect and which cold effect happen together whenever you use the array, then that gets more complicated. You would basically have to build an array that includes every possible combination as an AP.

Aside from Linking them to form a new power, the only way to activate two different effects simultaneously is to buy up the Action required for one of them to a Reaction.

[Gizmo]

Well, that clears that up! It's just as well; after tinkering around with this a bit I found I had a lot of trouble matching up the ranges of every single effect. I had much more success just coming up with specific pairs as part of a single array.

[Ecalsneerg]

I had a very similar concept once, but built it a very different way. I had two powers.

Super-Speed, with the Fades flaw.

And Cold Control, with each power in the AP linked to a Personal Restorative Boost Super-Speed.

[quotemyname]

That would actually work really well :)

[Gizmo]

That's really quite clever!

[angrydurf]

I've seen some ATT builds that use a system like that set to restore an array. Putting the fades flaw on the array and then a restoritive boost (array) on another power usually a drain.

I've seen it done with out the fades where you start with a small array and just boost it but that has always seemed messy