Sorry for the delay; let's get back to it. We're continuing with powers, and specifically we're continuing with Density Increase. Here on page 14 we get the actual benefits of the power. For 10 points, you get +5 to STR and CON, +3 resistant PD and ED, +1 BODY, -1" of Knockback, and double your mass. Your increased characteristics don't affect your figured characteristics though, and you can't use the additional Strength for jumping further; you're just using that Strength to keep yourself upright. Using this power does require END.
Next, we have the opposite of Density Increase: Desolidification. Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) and the Martian Manhunter both have this power, which allows the character to walk through walls and ignore attacks. The advantage is that you are immune to all physical, energy, and mental attacks, as well as drains and transfers. And you can move through a wall or other solid object that has a BODY equal to or less than 1 Body Pip for every 5 points of this power you have. However, you can't affect the physical world in any way, and you can't attack anyone. The only exception to this is if two Desolid characters face off, in which case they can attack each other. This power does cost END to use.
Following that, we have Ego Attack. This is your brain-blast power, and most mentalists will have it as their primary attack power. It completely ignores their normal defenses and goes straight for the mind. It uses the ECV (Ego Combat Value) which is 1/3 of your EGO score (an EGO of 15 = ECV 5). The only defense against this power is Ego Defense (the next one on the list). Ego Attacks do not do BODY or Knockback, and don't work on inanimate objects (which don't have minds). You have to be able to see the target, and distance doesn't give you any range modifiers. Again, this one costs END to use.
Ego Defense does that: Provides you with defenses against mental attacks (not only Ego Attack, but also Telepathy, Mind Control, etc.). You get a base power of INT/5, and any points you spend on this (minimum 5) add an equal number of points to your Ego Defense. No END cost to this one as it's a passive defense. Note that you only get the INT/5 points if you buy this power; no one has Ego Defense without it.
Okay, this next one is not really a power; later on it would be classified as a 'power framework', but for now it's listed among the powers. And this is the Elemental Control. Basically, this lets you buy three powers at a reduced cost. These powers must, however, be thematically linked. How it works is you pay for a 'reserve' number of points (on a 1-to-1 basis), and then you get three powers that all run at half the reserve power (so a 60-pt. Elemental Control would have three 30-pt. powers). You can add additional powers if you want, at a cost of 1/5 the points in the reserve. The base cost, though, is effectively twice the cost of one of the powers
This is a bit complicated, and different from how they work in later editions. So here's an example. You might have an Elemental Control with weather powers: Fog (Darkness), Whirlwinds (Energy Blast with a wider area of effect), and Wind Riding (Flight). If you put 60 points in the reserve, then all three of these would work at the 30-pt. level (and you can use them all at the same time). So the Fog would have a radius of 6", for example. If you decide to add a Lightning Bolt (RKA) to the EC, it would cost an additional 12 points (60/5).
This is a cost-effective way to give your character some thematic elements; other examples in the writeup include Telekinetic Powers, Ice Powers, and Ego Powers. But you're only limited by your imagination and the GM's willingness to let you get away with threadbare connections between your powers. You could have a Radiation EC, or a Fire EC, or whatever you can come up with and justify to the GM.
And that wraps up another page of this rulebook. We're getting into some interesting powers now, but the next page only has two...one of which is actually 18 powers in one.
No comments:
Post a Comment