Building a fairly odd power

[Griffalo]

I can definitely recommend Ultimate Power, since at least for me it taught me how powers are put together. The "new" powers in Chapter 3 can also work as an exercise in the scope of what you can do with Feats, Extras and Flaws when applied to a power. I'd quote examples if I had the book, but going by memory:

"Stop Time" is a power in Ultimate Power, but I think it's built as an Area Effect Snare that also affects objects. No doubt someone will correct me if I've not got the mechanics right, but hopefully my point is that I'm backing up what Veiled Malice said above: you can construct pretty much any power from the ones listed in the core book.

[Griffalo]

I can definitely recommend Ultimate Power, since at least for me it taught me how powers are put together. The "new" powers in Chapter 3 can also work as an exercise in the scope of what you can do with Feats, Extras and Flaws when applied to a power. I'd quote examples if I had the book, but going by memory:

"Stop Time" is a power in Ultimate Power, but I think it's built as an Area Effect Snare that also affects objects. No doubt someone will correct me if I've not got the mechanics right, but hopefully my point is that I'm backing up what Veiled Malice said above: you can construct pretty much any power from the ones listed in the core book.

[Barnum]

As a GM, all of this talk worries me. I can imagine the dozens of ways this could break the games you’re in. But let’s have some fun.

First, you have to get a handle on the difference in cost between the core book and UP for Possession. The UP price is more expensive (appropriately so). It looks like this:

Possession:

Effect: Mental, Range: Touch, Saving Throw: Will

Action: Standard (active), Duration: Sustained (lasting), Cost: 3 points per rank

So, to be able to possess more than one person, you’d have to have Extra: Area (Burst). You’d also need the Selective Attack to be able to choose who you wanted to possess.

So, at this point we have:

Possession: 10 [Extras] – 50 PPs

But the range is still touch, so you could only possess people who were within 50’ of you. You could increase the range to Ranged (60 PPs) or Perception (70 PPs).

As has already been said, there is no game mechanism to allow the possessed to share your physical powers, so you’ll have to modify those powers to make them Mental, or you’ll have to purchase a separate “Transform†power. If you wanted to make them into more PPs than they are, you will have to buy Empowerment (which is a variable container with the Affects Others extra – 6pps per rank, grants power rank x 5 PPs).

[Barnum]

As a GM, all of this talk worries me. I can imagine the dozens of ways this could break the games you’re in. But let’s have some fun.

First, you have to get a handle on the difference in cost between the core book and UP for Possession. The UP price is more expensive (appropriately so). It looks like this:

Possession:

Effect: Mental, Range: Touch, Saving Throw: Will

Action: Standard (active), Duration: Sustained (lasting), Cost: 3 points per rank

So, to be able to possess more than one person, you’d have to have Extra: Area (Burst). You’d also need the Selective Attack to be able to choose who you wanted to possess.

So, at this point we have:

Possession: 10 [Extras] – 50 PPs

But the range is still touch, so you could only possess people who were within 50’ of you. You could increase the range to Ranged (60 PPs) or Perception (70 PPs).

As has already been said, there is no game mechanism to allow the possessed to share your physical powers, so you’ll have to modify those powers to make them Mental, or you’ll have to purchase a separate “Transform†power. If you wanted to make them into more PPs than they are, you will have to buy Empowerment (which is a variable container with the Affects Others extra – 6pps per rank, grants power rank x 5 PPs).

[Barnum]

As a GM, all of this talk worries me. I can imagine the dozens of ways this could break the games you’re in. But let’s have some fun.

First, you have to get a handle on the difference in cost between the core book and UP for Possession. The UP price is more expensive (appropriately so). It looks like this:

Possession:

Effect: Mental, Range: Touch, Saving Throw: Will

Action: Standard (active), Duration: Sustained (lasting), Cost: 3 points per rank

So, to be able to possess more than one person, you’d have to have Extra: Area (Burst). You’d also need the Selective Attack to be able to choose who you wanted to possess.

So, at this point we have:

Possession: 10 [Extras] – 50 PPs

But the range is still touch, so you could only possess people who were within 50’ of you. You could increase the range to Ranged (60 PPs) or Perception (70 PPs).

As has already been said, there is no game mechanism to allow the possessed to share your physical powers, so you’ll have to modify those powers to make them Mental, or you’ll have to purchase a separate “Transform†power. If you wanted to make them into more PPs than they are, you will have to buy Empowerment (which is a variable container with the Affects Others extra – 6pps per rank, grants power rank x 5 PPs).

[DrBalloon]

More expensive? That's funny... 3 points per rank sounds cheaper. I could have sworn my book said 4 per rank.

Range doesn't seem appropriate, seeing as the power (and the character) is an infectious disease. I would bump the duration up to Continuous (lasting) or Permanent (lasting), and use less ranks of Possession in combination with a limited No Saving Throw (+2 extra, I believe?) so once they are successfully infected, they can't throw him off without help, but they do get their normal saves to avoid possession/infection in the first place. Limited, in that despite the extra, they would get regular saves to resist individual commands/suggestions that go strongly against their own natures.

So in order to make fools out of selected hosts, I would buy several ranks of Empowerment, boost the duration, and apply some kind of limitation so it takes a while to move the points around and program the victims to play their parts?

Hmm. Perhaps Empowerment linked to a Mental Transform and some kind of sensory effect(s) might work without the Possession. But then how would I handle the contagious aspect? I'll have to think about that.

[DrBalloon]

More expensive? That's funny... 3 points per rank sounds cheaper. I could have sworn my book said 4 per rank.

Range doesn't seem appropriate, seeing as the power (and the character) is an infectious disease. I would bump the duration up to Continuous (lasting) or Permanent (lasting), and use less ranks of Possession in combination with a limited No Saving Throw (+2 extra, I believe?) so once they are successfully infected, they can't throw him off without help, but they do get their normal saves to avoid possession/infection in the first place. Limited, in that despite the extra, they would get regular saves to resist individual commands/suggestions that go strongly against their own natures.

So in order to make fools out of selected hosts, I would buy several ranks of Empowerment, boost the duration, and apply some kind of limitation so it takes a while to move the points around and program the victims to play their parts?

Hmm. Perhaps Empowerment linked to a Mental Transform and some kind of sensory effect(s) might work without the Possession. But then how would I handle the contagious aspect? I'll have to think about that.

[DrBalloon]

More expensive? That's funny... 3 points per rank sounds cheaper. I could have sworn my book said 4 per rank.

Range doesn't seem appropriate, seeing as the power (and the character) is an infectious disease. I would bump the duration up to Continuous (lasting) or Permanent (lasting), and use less ranks of Possession in combination with a limited No Saving Throw (+2 extra, I believe?) so once they are successfully infected, they can't throw him off without help, but they do get their normal saves to avoid possession/infection in the first place. Limited, in that despite the extra, they would get regular saves to resist individual commands/suggestions that go strongly against their own natures.

So in order to make fools out of selected hosts, I would buy several ranks of Empowerment, boost the duration, and apply some kind of limitation so it takes a while to move the points around and program the victims to play their parts?

Hmm. Perhaps Empowerment linked to a Mental Transform and some kind of sensory effect(s) might work without the Possession. But then how would I handle the contagious aspect? I'll have to think about that.

[hero4hire]

You can probably let a host share your physical powers through the use of Affects Others at a +1 extra and buy up the progression on how many it effects.

Now there is a No Save extra but no GM in his right mind would allow it for a PC. Since it is a Sustained (Lasting) Power you could buy it up to a Continuous duration lasting effect which does not allow new saves at all; if the initial save fails, the effect lasts until countered or reversed in some way.

[hero4hire]

You can probably let a host share your physical powers through the use of Affects Others at a +1 extra and buy up the progression on how many it effects.

Now there is a No Save extra but no GM in his right mind would allow it for a PC. Since it is a Sustained (Lasting) Power you could buy it up to a Continuous duration lasting effect which does not allow new saves at all; if the initial save fails, the effect lasts until countered or reversed in some way.

[hero4hire]

You can probably let a host share your physical powers through the use of Affects Others at a +1 extra and buy up the progression on how many it effects.

Now there is a No Save extra but no GM in his right mind would allow it for a PC. Since it is a Sustained (Lasting) Power you could buy it up to a Continuous duration lasting effect which does not allow new saves at all; if the initial save fails, the effect lasts until countered or reversed in some way.

[Barnum]

More expensive? That's funny... 3 points per rank sounds cheaper. I could have sworn my book said 4 per rank.

3 PPs per rank at Range: Touch (UP) is more expensive than 4 PPs per rank at Range: Perception (core). ;)

[Barnum]

More expensive? That's funny... 3 points per rank sounds cheaper. I could have sworn my book said 4 per rank.

3 PPs per rank at Range: Touch (UP) is more expensive than 4 PPs per rank at Range: Perception (core). ;)

[Barnum]

More expensive? That's funny... 3 points per rank sounds cheaper. I could have sworn my book said 4 per rank.

3 PPs per rank at Range: Touch (UP) is more expensive than 4 PPs per rank at Range: Perception (core). ;)

[DrBalloon]

Okay, finally underway actively building this disease.

Now to come up with a background... and a reasonable sounding explanation for why a contagious disease is secretly an undercover police officer.

[DrBalloon]

Okay, finally underway actively building this disease.

Now to come up with a background... and a reasonable sounding explanation for why a contagious disease is secretly an undercover police officer.

[DrBalloon]

Okay, finally underway actively building this disease.

Now to come up with a background... and a reasonable sounding explanation for why a contagious disease is secretly an undercover police officer.

[Barnum]

Welcome back. I can't wait to see what you come up with. :)

[Barnum]

Welcome back. I can't wait to see what you come up with. :)

[Barnum]

Welcome back. I can't wait to see what you come up with. :)

[cosmicarus]

Okay, finally underway actively building this disease.

Now to come up with a background... and a reasonable sounding explanation for why a contagious disease is secretly an undercover police officer.

:cos puts on best movie narrator voice:

*ahem*

He was a cop like no other! :explosion: She was a partner who did things by the book. :sirens: They were the most unlikely team on the force. :"Look, you don't like me and I don't like you - let's just get this done." "contagious disease sounds" This summer, cop meets possessive virus in: INSERT TITLE HERE. :another, bigger explosion:

...I'd see it!

[cosmicarus]

Okay, finally underway actively building this disease.

Now to come up with a background... and a reasonable sounding explanation for why a contagious disease is secretly an undercover police officer.

:cos puts on best movie narrator voice:

*ahem*

He was a cop like no other! :explosion: She was a partner who did things by the book. :sirens: They were the most unlikely team on the force. :"Look, you don't like me and I don't like you - let's just get this done." "contagious disease sounds" This summer, cop meets possessive virus in: INSERT TITLE HERE. :another, bigger explosion:

...I'd see it!

[cosmicarus]

Okay, finally underway actively building this disease.

Now to come up with a background... and a reasonable sounding explanation for why a contagious disease is secretly an undercover police officer.

:cos puts on best movie narrator voice:

*ahem*

He was a cop like no other! :explosion: She was a partner who did things by the book. :sirens: They were the most unlikely team on the force. :"Look, you don't like me and I don't like you - let's just get this done." "contagious disease sounds" This summer, cop meets possessive virus in: INSERT TITLE HERE. :another, bigger explosion:

...I'd see it!

[Veiled Malice]

Very funny stuff. Sounds like something Pablo Francisco would do.

[Veiled Malice]

Very funny stuff. Sounds like something Pablo Francisco would do.