Let's Read Champions 1e (page 23)

More Limitations to go over tonight. There are six on this page, and it turns out that there aren't any on the next page, so there are a total of seven Limitations in this edition.

We begin with Always On. This Limitation means that the power cannot be turned off; it's always operating. To buy this, you have to buy the END cost of the power down to 0 using the Reduced Endurance Advantage. Cyclops' eye blasts would have this limitation, requiring him to wear special ruby quartz glasses to keep his blasts in. The multiplier on this Limitation is +1/4.

Incidentally, for those who are familiar with Champions in its later editions, you'll note that the Limitations are listed as positive, not negative, multipliers. I'm not sure when they switched it, but the switch certainly made it easier to understand.

Moving along, we have the Endurance Battery. This Limitation is much different in later editions, so it will require a bit of explaining. Basically, you're setting up a reserve of END points to use for the limited power. Think of it like...well, like a battery. You can use a certain amount of END that is separate from your normal END score. The multiplier for the limitation depends on how big the battery is. Calculate the maximum END necessary to use the power at full capacity. Then decide the multiple for the battery (double the END, quadruple, and so on). If the battery is only good enough to use the power once at full capacity (no additional END), the multiplier for the limitation is +1 1/2. Double the END is +1; four times is +1/2, 8 times is +1/4, and 12 times means there's no benefit to taking this limitation (although you can still take it).

For example, a 10D6 Energy Blast (costing 50 points to buy) costs 10 END to use. If Iron Man is using his Repulsor Beam off a dedicated power supply that would be an END Battery. If the battery is good for 8 shots, then the multiplier for the Battery limitation is +1/4, which means the Battery would hold 80 END for using the Energy Blast (but not the Jet-Boots), and the cost of the power would be reduced to 50 / 1+1/4, or 40 points. If it was a smaller battery good for only four full-power shots, the limitation would be +1/2, making the final cost 33 points. Note that you do not have to use full-power shots; if Iron Man fires a half-strength Repulsor (5D6), he uses 5 END and the Battery still has 75 END available for more shots.

I know, there's a lot. And it's not done yet. Normally, the Battery recharges in about a day. However, you can make it regenerate faster (1 END per full turn, or instantly recharged by a specific special power source) by reducing the Battery Multiple by one step. For example, Iron Man's Repulsor battery can be recharged by connecting it to a powerful electrical generator. If the Battery has 40 END (so a x4 Battery), normally the multiplier would be +1/2, but because it can recharge faster the multiplier is reduced to +1/4.

Phew! As I said, this does change in later editions to become a bit less unwieldy. But that's how it started, so we'll go with it.

Next, we have one of the most common Power Limitations in Champions history: Focus. This Limitation means that the power is operated through some sort of device. Almost any power can be given a Focus. There are four different types of Focus: Obvious and Inobvious, Accessible and Inaccessible. Every focus has one item from each of these pairs, so the possible Foci are Obvious Accessible (+1 multiplier), Obvious Inaccessible (+1/2), Inobvious Accessible (+1/2), and Inobvious Inaccessible (+1/4). An Obvious focus is...well, isn't it obvious? The power gauntlets that shoot Iron Man's Repulsor, Captain America's shield (but there's a caveat I'll mention in a moment), Batman's Utility Belt, Punisher's body armor...all of these are Obvious Foci. If you can tell what item the power is coming from, it's Obvious. If you can't (such as Spider-Man's web-shooters, which are concealed beneath his costume), it's Inobvious. Accessible Foci are items you can remove or render useless in combat. It's not necessarily easy (you have to make a Grab maneuver to take it from them, or attack the item to damage it), but it can be done if you try hard enough. For example, Hawkeye's bow can be taken away from him or broken by an attack (thus, it is an Obvious Accessible Focus). If it takes a lot more effort to take the item away (try taking Iron Man's gloves off when he doesn't want you to), that makes it Inaccessible; it can be done, but it takes time and work outside of combat. The Repulsor Gauntlets are an Obvious Inaccessible Focus).

You must also define the Focus as replaceable or unreplaceable (the word really should be irreplaceable, but I didn't write the book). This doesn't change the cost of the power either way; if it is replaceable, that means it's breakable and has 1 BODY for every 5 active points of the power(s) in the device. If it's irreplaceable, it's unbreakable.

Now, that caveat I mentioned. There are a couple of skills that are defined as Foci, but you don't get a limitation on either one. They are Missile Deflection and Swinging. So Spider-Man's web-shooters don't give him a Focus Limitation on his Swinging skill, but it does apply to other uses, such as Entangles. Likewise, Captain America's shield gives him Missile Deflection, but the skill doesn't get a cost reduction since that's built into the original cost in the first place.

Man, there's a lot to talk about here, isn't there? Alright, we've got three left. Next up is Increased Endurance Cost, which is, of course, the reverse of the Reduced Endurance Advantage. No, you can't buy both on the same power. Importantly, here we finally get the official confirmation and explicit rule that powers cost 1 END per 5 points of power used. If you take this Limitation, the END cost is increased. This would be good for powers that can be overloaded, such as the Human Torch's Nova Blast. It takes a lot out of the hero, but the benefit means you can get a much higher level of power for a low cost in points. The Endurance multiples (and their cost multiples) are: x 1 1/2 (+1/2), x2 (+1), x3 (+2), x4 (+3), and x5 (+4). So, the hero Supernova can buy a 12D6 Energy Blast with Area Effect (Radius) on it, which would normally cost (gulp!) 120 points, but with a x4 END multiplier, it would reduce the cost to 30 points. Just don't ask what the END cost of using it would be...alright, at full power, it would be 96 END. No, I'm not exaggerating. The END cost is 1 for every 5 Active Points, not just the Base Points. At a power cost of 120 points, that means a base cost of 24 END to use it. With a x4 Increased Endurance Limitation, that bumps it to 96 END. Supernova is going to be napping after he uses this even once.

Next...no, I'll save this one for last. The last one on the page is Limited Uses (Charges in later editions). Basically, you can only use the power a certain number of times a day. Unlike the Endurance Battery, which lets you use low-powered shots to save power, this Limitation doesn't give you the savings option. If you've got five uses, then that's all you get. Here's the chart, so I don't have to retype it.

Number of Uses    Bonus
1                            +2
2                            +l 1/2
3                            +l
4-6                        +1/2
7-10                      +1/4
11-15                    No Bonus

If you want the power to still cost END, you add +1/2 to the multiplier.

Alright, let's go back to the previous Limitation, which is called 'Limited Power'. But this one is cheating, because this might as well be called 'Miscellaneous Limitation'. It's literally a catch-all for limiting the power in a way that isn't covered by any of the standard Limitations. So really, there are effectively an infinite number of limitations on this page, all covered by this 'Limited Power' umbrella. Some of the examples given include: Power has no Range (+1/2 multiplier), which obviously can't be taken unless the power is ranged in the first place (such as Energy Blast or Flash), Power only works in Hero Identity (+1/4), Power only works (or doesn't work) in a given situation (variable limitation depending on how common or uncommon the situation is), and Power is linked to another (higher-cost) power, so the smaller power only works when the higher one is active (+1/2).

These are just a tiny sample of the possibilities for this Limitation. The player and the referee have carte blanche to come up with others; just make sure that it's actually a limitation before giving out any multipliers.

And...that's it! We've almost got everything we need to create a balanced character. There's just one more thing: Disadvantages. We'll go over those next time.

Incidentally, I'm still running a parallel review of 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons on my 25 Years Ago... blog, if that would be of interest to you. I'm about to dive into the 3rd edition Monster Manual, so come and check it out.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 22)

We continue with Power Advantages; there aren't that many of them, and so we'll also learn about Limitations today.

The next Advantage is Invisible Power Effects. This is pretty self-explanatory; your powers work, but no one can see them work. For example, Microwave Man can use his power to launch a microwave attack, which is invisible to the naked eye; this would be an Energy Blast or Ranged Killing Attack with Invisible Power Effects. There are two options for this advantage. First, your power is invisible to normal sight, but IR, UV, X-Ray and N-Ray Vision can still see it; this Advantage has a multiplier of +1/2. Or, your power is fully invisible to all forms of sight, which is a multiplier of +1. This Advantage doesn't count for calculating the END cost of the power.

Power Affects Desolidified Objects is a wordy name, but it basically means what it says: The power can affect desolidified targets, including people. The multiplier is +1/2, and the cost of this advantage is not counted for the purposes of how much END the power costs to use. Looking ahead, I can see that all the advantages on this page also have that feature, so I won't repeat it again. The ones on the previous page, however, do not; I didn't forget about them.

Next is Range, which is just as obvious as the last one; contact powers can be used at range. Examples would be Characteristic Drain or Darkness. The usual range modifier (-1 per 3") applies to any attacks made. The multiplier is +1/2.

Reduced Endurance is a long-time favorite. This one makes it less tiring to use your powers. However, it works differently in this edition than it does in later ones (at least, 4th edition and later). Each level of Reduced END is a +1/4 multiplier, and you can take it several times. Each time you take it, the END cost of the power is reduced by half. The example here is of the Invisibility power, and we get our first confirmation of how END is calculated: 1 END for every 5 points in the power. Invisibility costs 40 points at a minimum, so the END cost is 8. Damn, that's hefty. No wonder you get 2 END per point spent on the characteristic; you need a lot. So, reducing this by half would cost 10 additional points (1/4 of 40), and reduce the END to 4 per use. You can do it again, paying 10 points and dropping it to 2 END per use. Now the power cost you 60 points, but it doesn't tire you out. If you reduce the END to 1/2 Pip or less through multiple purchases of the multiplier, the power now costs 0 END to use. For example, if you bought Reduced END twice more for the Invisibility power, that would reduce the END to 1/2 Pip, so for a total cost of 80 points you would pay 0 END to use your Invisibility. Is it worth it? I doubt it, but like I said, it works differently in later editions.

Okay, the final Advantage in this edition is Usable on Others. This means that powers that would normally affect only you will now affect others; it requires an attack roll, and it's not at range; you have to touch the target (unless you also buy the Range advantage). Examples here are Invisibility, Enhanced Senses, and Regeneration; with this advantage you can give someone else this ability, although it is under your control. For example, the Invisible Woman can make other objects or people invisible; her Invisibility would be bought with this Advantage. The multiplier is +1/2.

And that is it for Power Advantages in the 1st edition. There are only eleven Advantages in total here, but they cover a surprisingly wide range of abilities.

Next, we get into Power Limitations. These are the opposite of Advantages; they weaken the power in some manner, giving you a discount on the cost. Like Advantages, these are measured in multipliers. You calculate the discount just as you would the additional cost of Advantages: Active Cost divided by the total of the Limitation multipliers plus one to get the Real Cost. Rounding is used.

For example, if Iron Man has 20" of Flight (40 Active Points) with the Limitation Focus: Jet Boots (Obvious, Inaccessible), the multiplier is +1/2, which means the Real Cost is 40 / (1 + 1/2) = 26 2/3, rounded up to 27. Another example is an energy pistol, which is a 6D6 Energy Blast (30 points) with 10 shots (a +1/4 Limitation) in an Obvious Accessible Focus (+1 Lim), which gives a formula of 30 / 1 + 1 + 1/4, which results in a Real Cost of 13 1/3, rounded down to 13 points.

The only Limitation we get on this page is Activation; this represents a power that doesn't work all the time, such as an experimental weapon or a character who doesn't quite have full control of their power. There are three levels of Activation, with different multipliers for each. If the power usually works, you would have an Activation Roll of 14 or less, which is a +1/2 multiplier. If it works about half the time, that's a roll of 11 or less, and a +1 multiplier. And if it rarely works, it requires a roll of 8 or less to operate the power, and that's a +2 multiplier. Well, that would be a cheap power, but you wouldn't get to use it very often, which is kinda the point, isn't it?

So, that's it for Advantages and the beginning of Limitations. Next up...well, more Limitations. 

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 21)

Alright, we're back after a brief hiatus. Hey, it didn't last seventeen months, so that's good. Anyway, we're finishing up the powers section of the book today and beginning on the Power Advantages. There are two powers left, so let's do those first, then I'll talk more about Advantages.

First up is Teleportation. This is the Nightcrawler power. You disappear from one spot and appear in another spot anywhere up to your maximum Teleport range. The minimum cost for this power is 30 points, which gives you 15" of Teleportation. Every 2 points above that gives you an additional +1" of distance. You can also spend points to increase how much mass you can teleport; for an additional 5 points, you can teleport twice your body weight (effectively, one additional person). Every additional 5 points doubles the mass available, so if you spent 40 points on Teleport, you would have 15" of range (30 pts.) and be able to teleport yourself and three additional people (+10 points) that far.

But wait...there's more! For an additional 5 points, you can also double the range you can teleport by taking an additional Phase to do so. You can also memorize a particular location for one additional point, and if that location is within your range limit, you can teleport there even if you can't see it (inside a room, for example). Of course, you can't change that memorized location, so unless you have a stupidly high Teleportation range, it's not going to come into play very often. Finally, you can Teleport half your maximum distance and attack in the same Phase if you pay an additional 10 points.

How's that for a complicated power? The restrictions are that you can't teleport to a place you can't see (unless it's a memorized location as above), and you can't teleport into a solid object. That's more of a perk than a restriction, though, since every D&D player knows that teleporting into a solid object is very high on the Bad Thing list. Teleport costs END to use.

Finally, our last power is Tunneling. I'm trying to think of a character who uses this power; I think the Juggernaut did it a few times while walking underground and just shoving earth and everything else out of his way. That would qualify as Tunneling. It costs 5 points to Tunnel 1" per phase, with a minimum cost of 10 points. So 2" per phase doesn't sound like a lot, but that's four meters at a time, and with a SPD of 4 that means in 12 seconds you just tunneled 16 meters, or 50 feet. So yeah, that's fast. Not as fast as running, but still. Air resistance is a lot less than earth resistance, right? You have the option to leave the tunnel open behind you or fill it in as you go at no cost. The power does cost END to use.

So, that's our powers list. It started on page 12, and ended on page 21. That's 10 pages to describe all the powers. Anyone who's played 5th edition Champions, can you even imagine that? There are single powers in that edition that seem to take ten pages to fully describe. And we just did 42 powers and two power frameworks in ten pages. Wow.

Okay, so now we move on to Power Advantages. These are ways to modify your power to give it different effects. Advantages cost points, based on a multiplier. The formula is the base cost of the power times 1 + the total of all Advantages. For example, a modifier with a cost of +1 would mean you multiply the cost of the power by 2, so a 30-point power with a +1 Advantage would cost 60 points. Needless to say, Power Advantages can make things quite expensive.

The first Power Advantage is Area Effect (Hexes). This allows a power that normally affects only one target to affect a wider area. The total number of hexes effected by the power is the total points of the power divided by 5. The description doesn't indicate if the cost of the Area Effect advantage itself is included in those points. I can't remember if that is clarified in later editions or not; I'll have to look it up later. The effected hexes must be adjacent, but can be in a line, circle, triangle, square, or other shape. The player chooses a target hex and makes an attack roll against DCV 0, modified by -1 per 3" of distance as per usual for ranged attacks. If the attack fails, the power is centered on an adjacent hex, but still goes off as normal. Any character within the area of effect is affected by the power as normal, with no additional attack roll needed. This Advantage has a multiplier of +1.

Next is Area Effect (radius). Like the previous Advantage, Area Effect (Radius) makes the power affect all targets within a radius centered on the target hex. Again, the player rolls an attack against DCV 0 modified by range, and the radius is 1" for every 10 Active Points in the power. The multiplier is +1.

The Armor Piercing Advantage means that the target's defenses against the attack are halved. So an Energy Blast with this advantage against a target with a 20 ED would mean that the target's defense against the EB is only 10 points against both the STUN and BODY. This Advantage has a multiplier of +1/2.

Attack with No Normal Defense is even better than Armor Piercing, because the target has no defense points to subtract against the attack. So a Force Field, Armor, high PD, etc. are useless against it. There are a couple of caveats. First, the attack does STUN only; no BODY damage. Second, when buying the power you must define a reasonably common way to defend against the power that completely nullifies it. For example, a 4D6 Energy Blast defined as a gas attack might be stopped by having 10 points in Life Support (which means you don't have to breathe). Against anyone without those 10 points, the gas has full effect (roll 4 dice, add them up and subtract that from the target's STUN), but anyone who does have it is fully immune. Other examples are a poison dart attack (stopped by any sort of Resistant defense), a solidification attack (such as someone who is Desolid solidifying their fist inside the target's body) is stopped by Force Fields, and a Hypnotic Attack is stopped by any amount of Ego Defense. The multiplier is +1.

Based on Ego Combat Value means that the power is effectively a mental power rather than a physical one. For example, a Characteristic Drain that affects DEX that is defined as super-hypnosis putting them to sleep would be Based on ECV. Like other mental attacks, this can be defended against only by Ego Defense; normal defenses are useless. Like NND attacks, these should be STUN only unless the GM allows otherwise. The multiplier is +1.

The last Advantage on this page is Explosion. It's like an Area Effect (radius) attack (roll to hit the target hex), but unlike that Advantage, the power weakens as it gets further from the target hex. The multiplier is +1/2. I'll just quote the text of the book here to save time:

The full effect of the base power occurs in the target hex. The damage done by the attack is -1D6 for every l "·distance from the target hex. The largest D6 is always subtracted from the total first. Example: A 5D6 Energy Blast Explosion goes off. The character rolls 1,3,3,5,6 for his damage. The target hex takes 1+3+3+5+6 = 18 STUN and 0+1+1+2 = 5 BODY. Someone 2" away from the target hex would take 1+3+3 = 7 STUN and 0+1+1 = 2 BODY.

So, to show how Advantages work, let's do a quick example. Let's say Dr. Infinity has a spell called 'Mind Flames' that is a 4D6 Energy Blast with the Explosion and Based on ECV advantages. The base cost of the power is 20 points for the 4D6 EB. The Explosion multiplier is +1/2, and the Based on ECV multiplier is +1. Add them together and you get +1 1/2. The formula is Base Cost (20 points) x 1 + total multipliers (+1 1/2), which is 20 x 2.5, or 50 points.

All clear? Good; we'll do more Power Advantages next time. Until then, have a great day, and keep your costumes clean.

Back on the Farm

After a fun week back in Ontario, we have returned to the homestead on the island and...well, it's back to work. Chickens to feed, gardens to prepare for the winter, bread to bake...yeah, it's back on.

The trip had its ups and downs; we got to see family we haven't seen in a few years, we got to see Niagara Falls and spend a couple of days there, and Tanner and I got to watch the Blue Jays clinch the AL East and the #1 seed in the American League. That was the best birthday present since the one where we moved here five years ago and I got a house.

We're all tired, of course; travel takes a lot out of you to begin with, and we're fighting colds and such. So, I'll keep it short tonight, but I intend to continue the Let's Read ASAP. In the meantime...Let's go, Blue Jays!

Now THAT is a Birthday Celebration!

Well, I got what I wanted for my birthday. We had an absolute blast at the game, and Tanner and I got to watch the Blue Jays clinch the division title in convincing fashion.

Not bad for an old man who now qualifies for seniors discounts. We also got to walk around and explore some of downtown Toronto before the game, which was rather eye-opening for a certain teenager.

You don't get authentic Japanese Ramen from CostCo, believe me. So, I'm going to call that a successful 55th birthday. Now, on to Niagara Falls!

Ahhhhhhhh.....

A really short post tonight. We are taking a well-deserved break, and are visiting family in Ontario this week. I will try to post something while we are gone, but relaxing is hard work, so I might miss a day or two along the way.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 20)

This is a busy page, with lots of short power descriptions. We start with Regeneration, aka the other Wolverine power. Normally, BODY damage is recovered at a rate of 1/10 the character's REC per day. So, a REC of 10 would get back 1 BODY point per day. That's pretty quick, but not too many non-super people will have a REC that high anyway. I don't recall the rounding rules mentioning this, so I'm not sure if it works on a percent basis where if you have a REC of 5, you would get 1 BODY back every 2 days. That would make sense to me, but we'll see in the Combat section if it is mentioned. In the meantime, Regeneration just means you get 1 BODY back per recovery per 10 points in the power, and there's a minimum cost of 20 points, so the lowest Regen you can buy is 2 BODY/recovery. No END to use this, of course.

Next is Running. Wanna be the Flash? Buy lots of this. Standard movement speed is 6" per phase; every 2 points spent on Running gives you +1" to that speed. Running costs END to use. There's no minimum cost to this power.

Shrinking is next. This is for the Wasp or the Atom-type characters. It costs 5 points to buy one level of Shrinking, no minimum points required. Every 5 points halves your height and gives you a bonus of +2 to your DCV and -2 to all other character's PER rolls to see you. However, you're also 2" slower on the ground, and any knockback that happens is increased by 3" per level. Oh, and you only weigh 1/8 your normal size.

Mr. Fantastic and the Elongated Man are up with the Stretching power. This lets you attack at range with hand-to-hand combat as well as reach for things at long distances. Every 5 points gives you a 1" Stretch in combat, doubled when you're not in combat. The minimum cost is 10 points. The range modifier for using Stretching to attack is -1 for every 3"; the first 3" have no modifier. I'm pretty sure this one costs END, but it's not specified here.

Superleap! This is what Superman originally did before he found out he could fly. Normal jumping rates are 1" forward per 5 points of STR, and 1" up per 10 points. Pay 10 points (the minimum for this power) and you double that. Leaping isn't directional; you jump in a straight line. And it costs END.

Alright, now we're into Swimming. Aquaman and Sub-Mariner, anyone? Normal swim speed is 2"; this gives you +1" of swim speed for every 2 points, just like running. Flight, too; I think this is the standard cost for any movement power. There's no minimum cost to this, although using it does cost END.

Ah, Telekinesis. Marvel Girl could do this. This power lets you manipulated objects at a distance with your mind The base is 10 points of STR and 10" of range per 10 points in the power, and you can basically grab an object; if you want to do fine work like push buttons or disarm a bomb, you have to roll against a base of 9 + TK points/5. For example, if you have a TK power of 40, your TK STR is 40, your range is 40", and your base roll is 9 + 40/5, or 9+8, or 17 or less. Of course, this has a range modifier of -1 per 3" of range, and it does cost END to use.

Finally, we have Telepathy. Martian Manhunter and Professor X have this, which allows you to read minds or communicate with someone mentally rather than verbally. You have to pick which one you are trying to do (not at character creation, but every time you use it). Either way, you roll an ECV attack roll, and if successful you roll 1D6 per 5 points in the power to see how much of an effect you had. Subtract the target's Ego Defense, of course. If you match their INT score, you can read their surface thoughts. Double the INT means you're into their deep, hidden thoughts. Triple the INT means you can get into their memories, and quadrupling the INT gets you right into their subconscious mind. Good luck with trying to do that with the Joker. END is expended to keep in contact, and if you try to go to a deeper level of their mind, you have to roll another attack and Telepathy roll. Range is line of sight with no modifiers.

And that's it. There are only two more powers to go, and then we learn about Power Advantages and how they help to simulate pretty much any power you see in the comics.

Let's Read Champions 1st edition (pg 19)

Alright, this page has a grand total of two entries, both of which take up a full column. The first is Mind Scanning, which allows a character to search an area with his mind in order to find a particular mind. To use it, you have to define how big an area you are searching (no limit, apparently), then make an ECV attack roll which is modified by the number of people in the area. There's a full chart that shows what the modifier is based on the area's population. For example, if you're in a bar (about 16 people), your ECV roll is at -4. If it's a small city (250,000 people), the roll is at -18. The whole world (4 billion people when this was written 45 years ago) would be -33 to find someone; I would probably leave it at that modifier even though the population has pretty much doubled since then. A -33 penalty to a roll is sufficient, I think.

So, how do you scan an area with any hope of success? You pay 3 points for a +1 to the attack roll. There's no range modifier, of course. If your modified target roll is less than 3, the area is too big and you'll have to narrow your search until you need a 3 to succeed. Assuming you do succeed, you roll 1D6 for every 5 points in the power (not counting the attack roll bonus costs), subtract the target's Ego Defense if they have it, and the resulting amount is compared to the target's EGO. If you get at least their EGO score, you know roughly where they are. Double their ego means you can pinpoint their location. Tripling the EGO score means you can use your other mental powers, if any, on the target no matter how far they may be with a normal attack roll (and no range modifiers). END costs only apply to maintaining your target lock after it is established. The minimum cost is 10 points for a 2D6 scan; attack roll bonuses don't count toward the minimum.

Big writeup for that power, isn't it? Well, now it's time to go crazy with the Multipower. Multipowers are basically a grouping of powers that run off the same point reserve. Sort of like the Elemental Control, except that in the case of the EC, all the powers could be used at their full potential at the same time. In a Multipower, you have a common pool of points to draw from, but using a power means those points aren't available for any of the other powers in the Multipower pool. There's an example involving a flying energy projector (who we will now call 'Blaster') with a 50-point Multipower with three slots: Flight, Energy Blast, and Force Field. Every phase, the player can decide to shift points from one power to the others if he so chooses; in his first phase, Blaster has his Force Field at 10 PD/10 ED for a total of 20 points, and is flying at a speed of 15" for a total of 30 points. That leaves no points for his Energy Blast in this phase. In his next phase, Blaster takes 20 points from his Flight and 10 from his Force Field and puts them into his Energy Blast, for a 6D6 blast while his Force Field is reduced to 5 PD/5 ED and his Flight to 5".

A Multipower point reserve can be divided however the character wants, as long as the total points don't exceed the reserve amount.

Multipower slots cost 1 point for every 5 points that can be put into the slot; a slot that can take the whole 50 points (so Blaster has a 10D6 Energy Blast, for example) costs 10 points. If a slot has a lower maximum (Blaster can't push his Flying speed beyond 15", for example), then the cost is proportionate to the maximum points available (in this case, 6 points since 15" of Flight costs 30 points, which is divided by 5 to make 6).

However, sometimes a slot will be 'fixed', also called an 'ultra'. This means that when the power is used, it is used to its full power every time. So, if Blaster has his Energy Blast in an ultra slot, then he always has to assign all 50 points to it every time he wants to use it, even if he doesn't want to use it at full power. An ultra slot costs 1 point for every 10 points of the reserve that it uses (so the full 10D6 EB in an ultra slot would cost 5 points instead of 10). The ultra slot doesn't have to be the full amount of the reserve; Blaster might make his Flight ultra slot limited to 30 points used, meaning it would cost 3 points for the slot.

You can apply Power Limitations to Multipowers, either to the whole thing or to just a particular slot. If it's applied to the whole Multipower, it means the overall cost for both the reserve and the slots is reduced; if it applies to a single slot, it means the active points are increased. Um, what? This is completely different from the way Multipower works in later editions. The example is given of a powered armor character who puts a Charges limitation on his Force Field. The multipower has a 30-point reserve, but the Charges limitation on the Force Field (which gives a +1 bonus multiplier to his costs) means that the slot can be up to 60 points instead of 30. That makes a very powerful Force Field, although it will only be usable a certain number of times per day.

To figure the cost of the Multipower, you add up the reserve points (modified by any Advantages or Limitations that are applied) and the cost of each slot, regular or ultra. Note that the minimum reserve is 10 points.

We're on to the next page now, but I'll finish up the Multipower writeup just because there are lots of powers on the next page. You can't put skills or characteristics in the Multipower unless the GM gives you permission. I would say that some characteristics, such as STR, should be allowable in a Multipower. I wouldn't put COM in a Multipower, though; that seems pointless to me. But I'm sure someone tried to do it at some point.

And that's Multipowers. Next time we've got no fewer than eight powers to review; we're getting close to the end, I think. This is a heck of a lot easier than the 5th edition read-through would be, that's for sure; that book would require eight pages for just a single power in some cases. Yikes.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 18)

Alright, let's continue our run through the various powers of 1e Champions, shall we? Next up is the Killing Attack (ranged). This is basically the same as the HTH version, except you don't add any STR bonuses but you can fire at targets at range. The range is 5 times the points, and the minimum cost is 15 points (which buys you 1d6 RKA). You define whether the attack is physical or energy at the time it is bought. END costs apply. This power would work to represent guns as well as powerful laser attacks or fire blasts.

Life Support allows you to survive in unfriendly or even deadly environments without any ill effects. The more points you spend, the more environmental factors you can ignore. The base is 5 points, which makes you Aquaman (breathing water). For 10 points, you don't have to breathe and you're immune to inhaled gases. At 15 points, you're also immune to gases absorbed through the skin. At 20 points you can survive in the vacuum of space or in high-pressure environments. For 25 points you don't eat or excrete anymore. And at the full amount, 30 points, you can survive under conditions of extreme heat, cold or radiation (or any other excessively hostile environment), but that doesn't mean you don't take any damage from attacks based on those effects thanks to shock. There's no END cost for Life Support. Note that each of the levels is cumulative; at 30 points you have all the levels, not just the safe environments of heat, cold, etc.

Next up is Mental Illusions. This power lets you project illusions into an opponent's mind. So, only the target can see the illusion. This is a mental power, which means it is based on your Ego Combat Value (ECV), which is your EGO/3. You define the illusion when you use the power, and you're limited only by your imagination as to what the target sees in their mind. You roll 1D6 for every 5 points you have in the power (minimum 10 pts), and subtract any Ego Defense they may have. The remainder is compared to the target's INT score to determine the actual effect. At a level equal to or greater than the target's INT score, they see the illusion; double their INT means they perceive it fully (all their senses accept it as real). Triple INT means they can actually be hurt by the illusion (STUN only), and quadrupling their INT means they take both STUN and BODY from the illusion.

You can make the illusion more effective by making it fit into the preconceptions of the target (for example, the target is in a zoo, so an illusion of an escaping lion is more believable here than in the middle of the downtown core), moving it up the chart a line. The maximum damage dice the target can take is your points in the power divided by five. The only range limit is your line of sight, and mental powers don't take range modifiers. They do cost END, however, and this one is no exception.

Finally on this page, we have Mind Control. Unlike the previous power, this one is just taking over their mind and forcing them to do what you want them to do. Like Mental Illusions, this is an ECV-based power, and Ego Defense reduces its effects. The minimum cost is 10 points, you get 1D6 per 5 points invested, it's line of sight, there are no range modifiers, and it costs END to use.

Your total effect on the target depends on their EGO score rather than their INT. Matching or exceeding the EGO score means they will do things they would likely do anyway. Doubling their EGO makes them do things they wouldn't mind doing. Tripling will get them to do things they wouldn't normally do, and quadrupling it means you can make them do things they would never otherwise do. You have to determine what you want the target to do before you roll the attack itself. You can maintain the command by expending END per turn without having to reroll. However, if you try to instill a new command, you have to reroll the attack from scratch.

Short and sweet, but we have some good stuff. Next page, another mental power and a different way to save points on powers.

Let's Read Champions 1e (pg 17)

Alright, we're back with more powers. We'll jump right in with Force Field. This is a field of energy surrounding the character that absorbs damage. Minimum cost is 10 points, and you get 1 point of fully resistant defense for every point you pay. However, you have to choose whether your points go to PD or ED; one point only covers one of the two options. So, if you spend 20 points on Force Field, you can split it 10 PD/10 ED, or 8 PD/12 ED, or even 0 PD/20 ED if you want. If you decide not to use it at its full potential, you have to keep the same ratio of defense allocation. For example, Snowcone spends 30 points on his Force Field, splitting it 20 PD/10 ED. If he chooses to use only half of his allocation (such as in a Multipower), his Force Field would then be 10 PD/5 ED. It costs END to use this power.

Force Wall is a different kind of Force Field; Sue Storm projects these all the time. Force Wall covers a circle of hexes at range. The cost is 10 points for 5 points of fully resistant defense. Like Force Field, you have to choose whether those points go to PD or ED. Since this power is used at range, the range in inches is the number of points in the power, and the radius is 1" for every 10 points in the power. For example, the Invisible Woman has 40 points in Force Wall. She can project her Force Wall up to 40" (80 meters) away, with a radius of 4". The defense is 10 PD/10 ED (or a different ratio if you choose). The ratio of defense has to be chosen when you buy the power; you can't alter it during game play. And of course, you're paying END for this power as well.

Next is Gliding. This isn't flight; you're just gliding through the air and slowly descending as you go. It costs 5 points to get 4" of Gliding, with a minimum cost of 10 points. To get to gliding speed you have to actually drop 1" in altitude per 1" of Gliding. Once you get to your Gliding speed, you can gain altitude if the GM allows it (depending on the circumstances, like a strong wind). Gliding is END-free.

Growth is straightforward; you get bigger. As a result, you gain in several characteristics, but you're also easier to hit. For every 10 points of Growth, you grow 1 meter, weigh twice as much, and gain the following: +5 STR, +2 BODY, +5 PRE, +1 PD, +1 ED, +2" of ground movement, +1" of climbing movement, +1 OCV in HTH combat, -1 DCV overall, and -1" when knocked back. Your increased primary characteristics do not affect your figured characteristics. The minimum cost is 10 points. The listing doesn't specify if you have to pay END for the power, but I believe later editions state that you pay the END cost to activate the power but not to maintain it.

Instant Change is just that: You instantly change from your normal identity to your super-hero identity. Wonder Woman did this in the old 1970s TV show with her spinning thing; Superman does it in phone booths. It costs 5 points to change back and forth to the same set of clothing; 10 points means you can change back into any clothing you want. No END for this power.

Invisibility is next. You are invisible to normal sight for 20 points; additional invisibility to various enhanced sight senses costs more. You can also become invisible to radar. You do have a fringe effect of light bending around you, so someone who is really close to you (1" or less) can spot you on a successful sight Perception roll. You can, if you want, eliminate this fringe effect by paying an additional cost equal to half the cost of the power (for example, you have the basic Invisibility to normal sight, which costs 20 points. To eliminate the fringe, you would pay an additional 10 points). To become invisible to everything the power lists would cost a total of 40 points, or 60 points without the fringe. Again, this power doesn't specify the END cost, and I would use the same rule as mentioned for Growth.

Finally, we get to the Killing Attack (Hand-to-Hand). Wolverine, step forward, please. This also covers things such as knives and lightsabers, or even really powerful martial arts attacks (knife hand to the heart, for example). For 15 points, you get 1D6 of Killing Attack, to which you can add a bonus of 1/2D6 for every 10 STR points you use with the attack. The minimum cost is 15 points, and the Killing Attack doesn't cost END (but using your Strength to boost it does cost END as per normal). This is strictly hand-to-hand; no ranged attacks.

So, that covers yet another page of power. This was the Invisible Woman's page, really; three of the powers here define her pretty well. On the next page, we'll get into some other mental powers.