6th Edition House Rules Draft: Power Modifiers

'This is the part of the draft 6th edition house rules. It should be part of the main document, but that's ceased to be editable because of the errors which have been plaguing the wiki. Hopefully it will be restorable in future (if not the document will have to be broken up).'

Power Advantages
(6E1 311)

Naked Power Advantages
(6E1 314)

Group Naked Advantages (6E1 314) are not allowed.

Single-Power Naked Advantages (6E1 315) will be scrutinized for balance.

For the purpose of balance categories, the APs of the Naked Advantage are added to the APs of the Power to which it applies.

Affect Desolidified
(6E1 318)

The +1/2 version of this Advantage requires a good justification in terms of SFX: Desolidification can cover a wide range of SFX and affecting all of them rarely makes sense.

Area of Effect
(6E1 319)

The mimimum cost of an Area of Effect Power which does not have the Selective or Nonselective modifiers is +1/2: this is because of the value of targeting an area instead of normal DCV. Exceptions are Explosions (which have their own rules below) and AoE Surface (which requires a normal attack roll to hit the target).

If someone is declared as trying to stay very close to someone else, it is impossible to use an Area of Effect attack on the the first person without a good chance of affecting the second person: by definition, an Area of Effect attack may not be that accurate in its placement. Of course, the second person may choose to move away from the first person!

Contrary to "No Range Areas of Effect" (6E1 320), an unranged Area of Effect attack cannot miss.

Accurate
(6E1 320)

The Accurate modifier is not allowed.

Explosion
(6E1 323)

Buy explosions based on maximum radius and the Explosion modifier. This area is divided into 4 zones for damage purposes, with the inner zone taking full damage, the next zone 3/4 damage, the next 1/2 and the outer zone 1/4. The arithmetic will be handled by the dice-rolling code.

Any explosion with a Radius less than 8m (or 16m for a Cone or 32m for a Thin Cone or Line) must also be Nonselective or Selective.

Mobile
(6E1 324)

This modifier with be very carefully scrutinized.

Armor Piercing
(6E1 325)

This should only be taken when the SFX strongly support it (e.g. a laser or armor-piercing bullet). Rare exceptions might be allowed (for instance, to build an effective Damage Shield with Normal Damage).

Attack Versus Alternate Defence
(6E1 325)

Normally one may only have one type of AVAD in which the alternate defense is rarer than the ordinary defense (there can be multiple AVADs using that same defense however. Exceptions may be allowed in a few cases, typically for realism (e.g. a martial artist might have both a nerve strike and choke hold).

Autofire
(6E1 327)

Autofire against Uncommon or Rare defenses not only require +1 additional Advantage but will be scrutinized for balance; staff may disallow such powers or merely increase the surcharge.

Area of Effect Autofire is discouraged. If you do buy it (and it is allowed), be warned that missed shots will go somewhere, and typically somewhere you don't want. It is also subject to the surcharge.

Charges (Advantage)
(6E1 327)

See Charges.

Contagious
See Sticky.

Cumulative
(6E1 328)

This Advantage will be carefully scrutinized for balance.

Damage Over Time
(6E1 328)

This Advantage will be carefully scrutinized for balance.

Delayed Effect
(6E1 332)

Characters may only prepare one version of a Power that is set using this Advantage (if you have 10 Powers all on Delayed Effect, then each could be stored once, for a total of 10 stored Powers). This can be doubled as usual for each +1/4 additional Advantage (individually for each Power).

This Advantage will be carefully scrutinized for balance.

See also Trigger.

Does BODY
(6E1 333)

This Advantage is discouraged and will be scrutinized closely for game balance. This Advantage will mostly be limited to scary villains.

Double Knockback
(6E1 334)

Triple Knockback (+1) may instead be taken, but not higher multiples.

Duration Advantages
(6E1 334)

Inherent
Inherent Powers may not be Drained, Dispelled, etc. but may be removed by Transform. This is a good rule of thumb for judging whether your Power should or should not have this Advantage.

Indirect
(6E1 335)

This can be unbalancing in combination with certain Powers, such as Barrier or Penetrative senses, by allowing attacks with impunity. It will be scrutinized accordingly.

Invisible Power Effects
(6E1 338)

Offensive Powers should not be so invisible as to permit a "perfect crime"; there should always be some way to detect the Power as it is being used or (but not necessarily and) to detect the Power has been used after the event and perhaps trace it back to the user. However such detection need not be easy; it might for instance involve opposed skills rolls (for instance again Perception at the time or Forensic Medicine Criminology after the fact).

Standards are higher in the case of potentially lethal attacks; the victim of such an attack should always have a chance of noticing he's under attack (if not his attacker), and so of saving his life.

Megascale
(6E1 340)

This advantage will be scrutinized carefully for game balance.

Personal Immunity
(6E1 343)

In any cases of people being immune to related Powers, etc., the immunity should be mutual. One-sided immunities must be paid for.

Range Advantages
(6E1 344)

Increased Maximum Range: this is allowed. However, a proper sniper weapon is probably better built with Megarange (i.e. Megascale taken for range).

Ranged
(6E1 344)

Limited Range
Typically the maximum possible range of a Limited Range power is 32m. Exceptions may rarely be granted if it seems appropriate.

Reduced Endurance
(6E1 345)

Costs Endurance Only To Activate
This Advantage will usually be restricted to Body-Affecting Powers such as Growth, Density Increase, Desolidification, Shapeshift and Shrinking; more rarely it may be in combination with Uncontrolled to produce effects that require no further character involvement and are not under the character's control after being initiated. Powers bought with this Advantage cannot have the Increased Endurance or Costs Endurance Limitations on the full value of the Power; you may, however, take these Limitations on the Advantage Costs Endurance Only To Activate alone (if you do this it is still the END cost of the entire power which is increased).

It is no longer true that a Power has to cost no END to be Persistent (6E1 334), therefore you can buy a Power with this Advantage as Persistent, despite what is says at 6E1 345.

A Power with this Advantage may not be Pushed.

Sticky
(6E1 345)

Note that Sticky is no longer infinitely contagious, and so now is of no use for modelling contagious diseases, fires, etc. The only practical way to do that is to buy a large Area of Effect (possibly MegaArea) and take a Limitation to the effect that the Power starts in only part of that area and spreads.

For double the normal cost of the Advantage (+1 or +1/2 if freeing one victim frees all) one may buy the variant Contagious. This means that the effects spread not only to those who touch the first victim but those who touch anyone who is affected by the Power!

Time Limit
(6E1 346)

This can provide (among other things) an alternative way of building Powers that might be disallowed as 0 END Uncontrolled Constant Powers. Of course, such powers will still have to be examined carefully for balance.

Transdimensional
(6E1 348)

This will be scrutinized very carefully for game balance. It certainly will not be allowed for attacks - it would allow attacks with impunity even more than attacking while Desolidified would.

If you really need to be able to attack someone in another dimension, open a Gate to that dimension and attack through the Gate - this allows for counterattacks through the Gate. Nothing less will be considered.

Trigger
(6E1 351)

Powers with Trigger will be scrutinized for balance, especially if the Trigger can be reset quickly or automatically.

There is no minimum cost requirement for a Trigger than automatically resets, other than the normal +1/4 (cf. Reset Conditions, 6E1 351).

Setting multiple Triggers at once requires both that the Power be bought with Charges (or is otherwise limited to a specific number of uses) and that it is bought through a Focus (or something similar) so that someone else can (with an appropriate skill) defuse or subvert the Power. For instance, if you can set multiple bombs, then an opponent must be able to disable them and/or use them for his own purposes, if he has the skills. (You can avoid this restriction by buying the Power separately more than once - you then have one untamperable-with use for each purchase.)

Uncontrolled
(6E1 352)

Attack powers cannot have both the Uncontrolled and 0 Endurance or Costs Endurance Only To Activate advantage. Combinations of Uncontrolled and Reduced or Zero Endurance Advantages will be scrutinized very carefully. Time Limit might provide an alternative.

Usable On Others
(6E1 353)

The Usable On Others Advantage and its variant will be scrutinized carefully for game balance. UAA on Movement Powers cannot be combined with Megascale movement. An attacker must make a OCV against DCV attack roll on each action Phase to maintain a UAA Movement Power on an opponent.

The Recipient of a UOO Power does not have to pay the END for the UOO, just the rest of the Power (cf. 6E1 354).

For +1, a Power can affect the Grantor and all willing Recipients within 4m (Usable By Nearby, 6E1 358; cf. The UOO Target, 6E1 355). This radius may be doubled for each +1/4. Show this as UBN <#>m Radius on your character sheet.

Switching to another slot in a Framework does shut off a UOO Power (cf. Power Frameworks, 6E1 357).

Differing Modifiers
(6E1 359)

Any UOO Power using this rule will be especially scrutinized.

To build a UOO Power for which the granting Power has different Advantages and Limitation, first work out the Power granted. The END cost to use the granted Power is based on this.

Then work out the Advantages and Limitation for granting the Power, and apply them, and those of the granted Power, together to the base of the power - do not to this in two stages as per 6E1. This is how the granting power is built. Be sure to note, however, which of the Modifiers apply to the granted power and which to the granting power. (For clarity, show the granted Power (at 0 point cost) under the granting Power on your character sheet.)

Variable Advantage
(6E1 361)

You must declare what Advantage this Advantage can be set to when buying the Power, even if the group is wide enough not to count as a limited group.

Power Limitations
(6E1 363)

Limitations make a Power cheaper because the Power is less useful than normal. If a Limitation cuts the Power's cost in half, we would expect the Power to be half as effective as a normal Power. The Approval Reviewers will examine your character's Limitations carefully. Limitations that are perceived as being thinly veiled excuses to decrease the cost of a Power while not decreasing its commensurate effectiveness will not be allowed. You have been warned.

Always On
(6E1 367)

There can be no way to shut off a normal Always On Power, short of someone Draining it, etc. If the character has another way of turning off the Power temporarily, take Always On Controllable (-1/4) instead. Approval staff may rule this is only worth -0 if it is not much of an effort to control the Power.

If you want a Power to be Always On but there is no negative consequence you may take the Limitation at -0.

Charges
(6E1 367)

Charges inside a Multipower get 1 step less of a Limitation (or 1 step more of an Advantage) than normal (where a step is a row on the Charges Table, 6E1 368). Thus, instead of 8 charges being worth a +1/2 Limitation, when placed in a slot inside a Multipower, 8 Charges would be worth a +1/4 Limitation.

Charges may normally not be used inside a Variable Power Pool. If you want to take Charges as a Limitation, you must place the entire pool on Charges. Alternatively, if you do have a Power in a VPP on Charges and use a single charge of that Power, then the point allocated to that Power are locked in until all charges are recovered (that is, they cannot be allocated to anything else).

Boostable Charges (6E1 368) can be bought, but cannot be used to exceed the offensive (DC) balance limits.

Fuel Charges (6E1 370) may be used for Constant, non-attack Powers, unless approval staff rule otherwise, but may not otherwise be taken. They use a second's worth of fuel per Segment or second (not per Phase as stated in 6E1).

Concentration
(6E1 372)

Instant Powers with long Extra Time do not get double the Limitation value (cf. 6E1 373).

Endurance Limitations
(6E1 374)

Costs Endurance
Costs Half Endurance (-1/4) can be taken, if costing full Endurance would be -1/2.

The last paragraph of this section erroneously reflects earlier editions; the Power need be perceivable by only two Sense Groups.

Increased Endurance Cost
For taking this on a Power with the Advantage Cost Endurance Only To Activate, see that section. It may be taken on a Power with a Limitation Cost Endurance Only To Activate (-1/4), but only at half value.

The rules for Increased Endurance Cost in limited circumstances as written are not in use. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, since the factors involved are complex (for instance, it is easier to avoid the Limitation if one has an alternative Power to use). Under no circumstances can the Limitation be greater than the Limitation one would receive for the Power not working at all under those circumstances.

Extra Time
(6E1 374)

Extra Time may represent an "onset time" for a Power (6E1 374), but if it is a power that requires an Attack Roll using it locks one out from performing other attacks until the power has its effect. You may take Extra Time at half value to represent an onset time without that restriction, if and only if there is a reasonably common way that the power can be stopped (e.g. sucking the poison from a wound); otherwise the Limitation is worth only 1/4 the listed value (the damage is certain; the only downside is that your enemy can act against you in the meantime). (Note that you round to the nearest 1/4, in your favour if halfway.)

Gestures, Incantations and Concentration are not increased in value by Extra Time (cf. 6E1 375).

The "Other Forms Of Extra Time" options (6E1 375 sidebar) may be taken.

Focus
(6E1 376)

Apparent Foci that seldom get lost or damaged are better represented with the Only In Alternate Identity or Restrainable Limitations or, in extreme cases, no Limitation at all.

To qualify as a Focus at all, there must be some circumstances under which the character will not have access to the Powers provided by the object, apart from its being taken away or broken in combat. This circumstance may be when the character is taken captive or otherwise undergoes a security search: for instance, a glowing stone in your pocket would be Inobvious since it's not normally visible, but it's odd enough it would almost certainly be taken from you in a search, so it would qualify for Focus. However, the circumstance could be otherwise: a pair of battered old running shoes, for instance, could be an acceptable Focus because, although they might not be taken from you in a search, they could not really be worn to a formal occasion, so there are times when the character will be without them. (But note by defining the Focus thus you are saying that retrieving them is not just a matter of taking the usual one Phase to change costume!) Staff have the final decision on what counts as a Focus.

Accessible (6E1 377) by default means that the Powers in the Focus can be taken away fairly easily even in the middle of a fight; by default this is done by such maneuvers as Disarm and Takeaway. However a Power may instead be defined as being open to other means of removal of comparable chance to occur; this should be specified at character creation and will be scrutinized by staff. Note that this means you can build a vulnerable power within an otherwise practically invulnerable Focus. Examples might include
 * a Power in an Inobvious Focus that breaks when directly attacked even at low power.
 * a Power in an Obvious Focus that breaks when 10 BODY is done in one attack to the Focus (no PD or ED applying).
 * a Power in a battlesuit that has a 14- of failing any time an attack of 10 or more BODY strikes the battlesuit's wearer.
 * a Power in a battlesuit that fails if any BODY penetrates the battlesuit's defenses (but note that if the battlesuit has high defenses and Impenetrable this may not qualify for Accessible).

A Breakable (6E1 378) Focus has a PD, ED and BODY equal to the Active Points in the Focus divided by 5, with a minimum of 3 each, unless defined to have less. It may use the PD or ED of any defense it provides instead of this base PD or ED; they do not stack. The Focus does not lose powers from taking BODY until all BODY is taken; then all Powers provided by the Focus cease to work. A Fragile Focus is considered to have 2 PD, ED and BODY (or less if so defined).

Objects of Opportunity
(Inaccessible Foci, 6E1 377)

These are (if Obvious) considered to be OIF it terms of value (but should be denoted on a character sheet as OOIF). They act like an OAF for game mechanics; however, since there are many objects of opportunity available, the cost is the same as OIF. Objects of Opportunity can also be Inobvious. These are considered as IIF (denoted on the character sheet as OIIF). The GM determines if there are Objects of Opportunity available if the character loses his initial object.

Example: ''Armstrong can use large poles as a weapon. They are treated like an OAF game-wise because the weapon can be removed from him; however it is also an Object of Opportunity because trees, lampposts, etc., can simulate that type of weapon and are found all over the city. So on his sheet, Armstrong has that Focused Power listed as OOIF.''

Gestures and Incantations
(6E1 381)

These may be taken, but note they are rarer in a superhero setting than a fantasy one: even if magician gestures and incants to cast spells in terms of SFX, it typically doesn't allow the spell to be interrupted as readily as in other settings. Note that these are typically incompatible with Restrainable, since they overlap in effect.

You can't take the extra Limitation for two-handed Gestures: having both hands occupied is not as restrictive for superheroes as it is for most fantasy characters. An exception might be made if it can be shown it would be seriously restrictive for some reason.

Extra Time does not allow these Limitation to be taken at the "throughout" values.

Hardened
(6E1 147)

See Defense Powers.

Linked
(6E1 383)

To Link a larger Power to a smaller one, note the Linked on the larger Power as a -0 Limitation, and take the Limitation Backlinked To  (-1/2) on the smaller Power. A two-way Link is a -3/4 Limitation on the lesser Power only.

You may Link an Area Of Effect Power and one with one targeted normally; however in this case the a normal attack roll must be made against the target's DCV, and the Area of Effect Power will be based on the target's location (cf. 6E1 384).

Only In Alternate Identity
(6E1 386)

Remember to specify which ID the Power is usable in. To be with the Limitation, there must be some problem with changing to the form with this Power (typically extra time or other requirements requited to change, but there are other possibilities; for instance, if the Power is only available in an otherwise significantly weaker ID, then there may be some risk involved in adopting that ID).

Perceivable
(6E1 387)

For a -0 Limitation, a Power may be made perceivable to a different sense than usual, on condition that it would cost the same amount to buy Invisible Power Effects to hide the effect. For instance, Mental Powers are usually perceivable only by Mental Awareness (and can be made "Fully Invisible) for +1/4); a Mental Power could therefore be made "Obvious to Normal Hearing Instead of to Mental Awareness (-0)", since being Obvious to Normal Hearing would also cost +1/4 to buy off.

Range Limitations
(6E1 388)

Only one of these Limitations may be taken on a Power.

Limited Range
The maximum range allowable for Limited Range is 32m. Exceptions may rarely be granted if it seems appropriate. For special rules concerning Mental Powers, see Mental Powers.

Requires A Roll
(6E1 389)

Remember that if you take the Requires A Skill Roll form of this, the Power becomes a sort of super-skill, which comes with various restrictions, not the least of which is that it can only be used for things in the general field of that Skill (see Other Rules, 6E1 391, second paragraph). Of course, if the rolled Skill is one specially designed for the power rather than a normal one (i.e. some form of Power Skill) then this restriction is less, because you can define the Skill to suit the Power, but still, there must be some restrictions on the Power, or the Limitation is worth no points - or at least no more than it would be for the equivalent Activation Roll.

Restrainable
(6E1 393)

All Offensive Powers are projected from a certain point on the body and so are normally Restrainable, unless they have the Alterable Origin Point Adder. Therefore, this Limitation can only be bought if the Power is particular restrainable in some exception way (which should seldom, if ever, be worth more than -1/4).

For a Movement Power to receive a -1/2 Restrainable Limitation, it should be restrainable even as a side effect of a Grab. For instance, winged Flight might be restrained by Grabbing the arms (thus incidentally pinning the wings). If the wings have to be targeted particularly by the Grab, it's only worth a -1/4 Limitation. (Running and Leaping aren't even allowed to take this -1/4 Limitation; it is assumed pinning the legs blocks them as part of the definition of the Powers.)

Side Effects
(6E1 393)

The option of Side Effects that occur when the Power is turned off may be taken, at 1/4 less Limitation.

The guidelines in 6E1 for determining the severity of Side Effects are often over-harsh and are not in strict use; staff will rule whether each Side Effect counts as Extreme, Major, Minor or worth no Limitation. As a rule of thumb, an Extreme Side Effect has a good chance of taking someone out of a fight, a Major Side Effect is comparable to a solid blow that has a chance of Constunning someone, and a Minor side effect is non-trivial but less severe than that.

Unified Power
(6E1 395)

Powers united by Unified Power must be linked by Special Effect; it should not be used simply to save points.

It is possible to have more than one set of Unified Powers, linked by different sets of Special Effects; staff will, however, scrutinize this carefully.

As stated in 6E1, Unified Power may be taken on Power Frameworks and on Characteristics. The latter should, however, be approached with caution: Drains of Characteristics are common, and losing several at once might be dangerous.

Variable Limitations
(6E1 396)

Powers with Variable Limitations will be very heavily scrutinized for balance. A list of the Limitations which can be applied for this Limitation must specified on the character sheet. Note that if there is much choice then this Limitation isn't usually very limiting, and so may not be worth any points.

Power Frameworks
(6E1 397)

Special Powers may be allowed in a Power Framework subject to a good Special Effect. A typical case would be sensory equipment in a Gadget Pool. However they certainly would not be allowed if putting them in the Framework doesn't significantly restrict them. This exception is granted on a case-by-case basis.

You may take a Limitation on a Framework if every slot in the Framework has that Limitation, even if the forms are not exactly the same, but you can claim only for the intersection of the Limitation. For instance, if one slot has Requres A Roll 11- and another Requires A Roll 8-, you can claim for Requires A Roll 11- on the Multipower Reserve (or VPP Control). If one slot has and Obvious Accessible Focus (-1/2) and another has an Inobvious Accessbile Focus (-1/2) you can claim only for Inobvious Inaccessible Focus (-1/4) - that is the intersection, although neither Power actually has it. (Cf. 6E1 406 and 410.)

Multipower
(6E1 402)

Multipower Reserves have no Active Point cap, although any applicable caps apply to Powers within them. This allows a character to have a Multipower with more than one Power active.

You may only by an Advantage for a Multipower Reserve but not on its slots if the Advantage provides less of an Advantage this way than it would if each slot had it. In practice, this probably only applies to Charges: taken on the Reserve, it represents how many times the entire Reserve may be used. (Cf. Advantages for Multipower Reserves, 6E1 405.)

A Limitation on the Multipower Reserve representing restrictions on changing slots (a) is taken on the Reserve only and (b) is generally worth less than the standard value of the Limitation - this will have to be determined on a case-by-case basis. (Cf. Power Limitation on Multipowers, 6E1 405.)

Charges inside a Multipower (that is, on a slot) get 1 step less of a Limitation (or 1 step more of an Advantage) than normal (where a step is a row on the Charges Table, 6E1 368). Thus, instead of 8 charges being worth a +1/2 Limitation, when placed in a slot inside a Multipower, 8 Charges would be worth a +1/4 Limitation. (Cf. Charges, 6E1 407.)

Variable Power Pool
(6E1 409)

Characters with Variable Power Pools must create a list of the Powers they wish to use within the VPP (that is, VPPs function rather like large Multipowers on Champions MUSH). GMs may allow characters to create new Powers within the VPP during a scene but this is entirely at the GM's discretion. If you wish to do this, be sure to sound the GM out first and to write up the Power clearly for the GM so he can judge it. You must be careful not to slow down a scene with such proposals; ideally you should be ready with an alternative course of action in case your proposal is rejected, and if not the GM may rule that you miss your Phase attempting something which didn't work. Note that after character generation each additional Power in the VPP counts as part of a Powerup. Having a Power allowed by a GM in a scene does not constitute a Powerup Approval.

You do not have to use VPP slots at full power: they are like Variable slots in Multipower. If all slots must be taken at full point value that is a -1/4 limitation on the Control Cost.

Any approved Power in your VPP may also be used (if it makes sense with the SFX) without any Advantages it has (though not with any more dice, etc, than was approved). Any approved Power is also considered to have Variable Special Effects within the scope of the VPP. Thus, if you have a cold-and-ice-only VPP you could make your Blast freezing air or an ice projectile, but not a lightning bolt.

You may not take Advantages on Control Cost to have them apply to all Power in a VPP (Advantages for Variable Power Pools, 6E1 409).

Charges applied to the Control Cost represent the number of times the VPP as a whole may be used. Charges may normally not be used inside a Variable Power Pool. Alternatively, if you do have a Power in a VPP on Charges and use a single charge of that Power, then the point allocated to that Power are locked in until all charges are recovered (that is, they cannot be allocated to anything else). (Cf. Limitations for VPP Slots, 6E1 410.)