Author Topic: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)  (Read 163925 times)

Offline Gatts

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #405 on: February 27, 2012, 11:28:18 PM »
Did we ever talk about Kulan Do? Besides the lack of formatting and pricing, I thought general consensus was that it was imbalanced? I could be misremembering though. Also: Should the Rapture-Sword thing really be on the list? I'm sure it's not broken or anything, but it does seem to cost so much that it's a little pointless to have stats for at all. I'd personally just call it a plot device.

Inhuman Balance seems a little pointless, I just feel it doesn't do enough for the refresh. At present it seems to be a sort of absolute stunt, rather than a true power which is a pity because the concept is fun.

I'm sure there were some other things I was going to say, but I've forgotten them, I'll try to have another look through the list soon.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #406 on: February 28, 2012, 03:35:56 AM »
Kulan-Do was discussed briefly but no real conclusion was reached.

Event Horizon Strike is on the list because I plan to scale it back to something reasonable one of these days.

Inhuman Balance could probably use a little boost.

Offline Gatts

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #407 on: February 28, 2012, 11:52:45 AM »
Kulan Do seems to start with what's just a stunt, and then has you making a maneuver, riposte and then an attack in one round. It costs four refresh, but three actions in one round still seems entirely insane. (I'm not including the cost of the required speed powers in that, because they most definitely give you your refresh worth).

As for Inhuman Balance, it could be worth going the Exalted Crane Style method (The Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ability), and make the user able to stand on things that shouldn't support their weight. There's more mileage in balance when you can run across things to weak to normally hold your weight, like the tips of branches, or telephone cables.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #408 on: February 28, 2012, 06:18:16 PM »
Eh, the three actions are predicated on being missed by someone. And when the consequences of missing are this bad, who's going to miss you?

I like the idea for Inhuman Balance.


Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #409 on: February 29, 2012, 08:39:54 PM »
First item on my to-do list: immortality powers!

Here's what we have now:

Body of Stone (steel for robots) [-1]
Corpse Body. Your body is made of stone. This means that you cannot recover from consequences with time, because your body does not regenerate. Any physical consequences you suffer are permanent until you take some kind of effort to remove them (know any good stone masons?)or seek supernatural assistance to reconstruct your body.
Made of Stone: As you are made of stone your body is naturally tougher than that of a human and can survive things a human cannot. You have a natural Armour of 2 against all harm (this stacks with toughness).

[-0] Lesser Immortality: You do not need to eat or drink and do not excrete wastes. If you possess ‘Hunger Dependency’ you must still satisfy it as normal.

[-3] Immortality: As lesser Immortality in addition you cease to age and remain permanently at the age of acquiring this ability (EX: A man in his mid-twenties will always look like he‘s in his mid-twenties even two thousand years later), and cannot be aged magically. You are also immune to all poisons and diseases, both magical and mundane, and do not need to breath.

Undying [-0]
Deathless. Unless utterly destroyed or killed by special means, you will eventually recover from any fatal wound. No "death" result is ever permanent unless special means are used (as determined by your creature type).
Estranged. Most people around you feel uncomfortable, as if they can tell that you are different from others. Take a -1 Penalty on all Rapport and Deceit based maneuvers or attacks you make.

Here's my plan:

1. Take Estranged out of Undying. I don't think that limited immortality is worth Refresh. Here's why:

-You might be able to do it with nothing more than Recovery. Uber-Ghouls from Our World get Living Dead-level immortality free with their Recovery.
-Anyone who really wants to can still kill you. If you get cremated, that's it that's all.
-Character death just doesn't come up that often.
-And when it does, you might well be able to get out of it by spending a Fate Point on a Declaration or a Compel.

So I think we ought to offer it as a -0 Power.

2. Add the benefits of Immortality to Living Dead. I figure that most people already don't require zombies to breathe, might as well make it explicit.

3. Offer Immortality at a cost of -1 or -2, not sure which.

Thoughts?

PS: I'm thinking of combining Inhuman Balance with Impossible Leaps. Does that seem bad to anyone? Does anyone have a character concept that has superhuman balance but no special jumping skill or special jumping skill but no superhuman balance?

Offline Mr. Death

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #410 on: March 01, 2012, 04:32:24 PM »
Here's my plan:

1. Take Estranged out of Undying. I don't think that limited immortality is worth Refresh. Here's why:

-You might be able to do it with nothing more than Recovery. Uber-Ghouls from Our World get Living Dead-level immortality free with their Recovery.
-Anyone who really wants to can still kill you. If you get cremated, that's it that's all.
-Character death just doesn't come up that often.
-And when it does, you might well be able to get out of it by spending a Fate Point on a Declaration or a Compel.

So I think we ought to offer it as a -0 Power.
That makes a ton of sense to me. Reminds me of the justification given for the -0 cost of Wizard's Constitution, actually.
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Offline Gatts

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #411 on: March 02, 2012, 10:52:03 AM »
All changes sound good. I could see someone taking balance without leaps, but as balance was basically a stunt anyway I have no doubt those people will manage.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #412 on: March 03, 2012, 01:02:51 AM »
Yep, that was a big part of the inspiration.

UNDYING [-0]
Description: You do not die when you are killed.
Skills Affected: Endurance
Effects:
Deathless. Unless utterly destroyed or killed by special means, you can never suffer a fatal wound. No "death" result is ever permanent unless special means are used (as determined by your creature type).

SUPERHUMAN ACROBATICS [-1]
Description: Gravity doesn't seem to apply to you the way it does to normal people. You can dance on a tightrope and jump like a flea.
Skills Affected: Athletics, Stealth
Effects:
Inhuman Balance. You can move freely and without penalty over any surface sturdier than a spiderweb. You never fall accidentally and you may add four to your Athletics skill when using it to resist an attempt to knock you down.
Impossible Jumps. Add four to your Athletics skill when using it to jump.
Soft Landing. You are immune to falling damage.

SEMI-ANIMATE [-1]
Description: You are not fully alive. Maybe you're undead, or maybe you're some kind of robot. Very creepy.
Skills Affected: Endurance, Intimidation, other social skills
Effects:
Unhealing Body. Your body is not, technically speaking, alive. This means that you do not heal naturally, though you can recover normally from physical consequences given repair work or some sort of supernatural effect. (Like a Recovery Power).
What Is Not Alive Cannot Die.  Unless utterly destroyed or killed by special means, you can never suffer a fatal wound. No "death" result is ever permanent unless special means are used (as determined by your creature type).
Very Creepy. When dealing with people not accustomed to things like you, add one to your Intimidation skill and subtract one from your Rapport and Empathy skills. Add one to this bonus/penalty for each level of physical consequence that you are carrying. At the GM's discretion, this bonus/penalty might be ignored in some situations where it would normally apply (like when Reading People) or applied in some situations where it would normally be ignored (like when using Leadership).
No Metabolism. You do not need to eat or sleep or breathe. Furthermore, you do not excrete wastes and you do not age. You are immune to both poison and disease.

NO METABOLISM [-1]
Description: You have no metabolism. It's like your body is frozen in time. Thermodynamics cries itself to sleep.
Skills Affected: Endurance
Effects:
No Metabolism. You do not need to eat or sleep or breathe. Furthermore, you do not excrete wastes and you do not age. You are immune to both poison and disease.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #413 on: March 03, 2012, 06:27:34 AM »
Should probably add something to Spirit Form that removes biological needs. Ghosts don't need to eat or sleep or breathe, after all. Saying that here so I don't forget.

Anyway, now for teamwork powers. There are four (five if you count Pack Instincts) of these, but one would be enough. I suspect that part of the reason we have so many of these is the fact that Pack Instincts is a bit underwhelming.

Any ideas on how to combine these?

[-1] Covenant Bond - You have a contract that connects you to a supernatural creature of some sort or another. This link allows for a level of unparalleled teamwork boardering close to the impossible. When maneuvers one of the pair has created, the other can tag it for +3 instead of the ordinary +2.

[-2] One of Mind - Your contract with each other has brought you close together, so much so you have trancended self to become more then the sum of your parts. When in the same zone as each other maneuvers taken to benefit your partner are rolled at +2. Additionally you may communicate mind to mind with your other half, staying in sync with each other regardless of distance. Mechanically when one succeeds in a relevant roll (such as Lore, Scholarship, or Alertness) the other shares in that success.

Blood Bound[-2]
Finishing each other sentences- you are your blood bound have a form of telepathy which allows you communicate without saying a word as long as you can see each other. This allows enhanced cooperation gain a +2 to any non-combat roll where having a perfectly in time partner would help
The Call of Blood - You have an instinctive feel for where your partner is this allows you to find them anywhere in the world with enough time. In the case of an opposed roll you gain a +6 to all investigation rolls to help find your partner.
Perfect Battle Synergy [-1] When in the same zone as your partner you can defend them instinctively and they you, you can make defense rolls for your partner and your partner for you as a free action.
Offensive Combination [-1] When ever tagging a maneuver made by your partner gain an addition +1 to your roll. Also gain a +2 to any maneuvers to help your partners in combat.

[-1] Our Powers Combined - Anyone with this stunt can sacrifice their turn to give a +2 bonus to anyone else with this power without rolling anything because they automatically know how best to assist each other.

PS: Making some minor formatting edits to the list.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #414 on: March 04, 2012, 09:20:25 AM »
Looking over the teamwork powers, I get the impression that the best model for them is a bunch of upgrades for Pack Instincts.

So that's how I'm representing them.

I'm also rewriting Pack Instincts slightly.

PACK INSTINCTS [-1]
Description: You are part of a pack, a group of beings that are connected on a supernatural level.
Musts: You must define who is in your pack, and they all must share this ability with the same upgrades.
Skills Affected: Alertness, Investigation, others.
Effects:
Pack Communication. When you are near another member of your pack, the two of you may communicate in a manner that no-one outside the pack can understand. The exact mechanism that this ability works by varies from pack to pack. One pack might be telepathic, while another might speak in squeaks, while another might simply read body language very well.
Combined Awareness. When you are near another member of your pack, add one to your Alertness skill. If any nearby member of your pack notices an ambush or something hidden, you also notice that ambush or that hidden thing.
Locate Packmate. You have an instinctive awareness of your packmates' locations, and you may use your Investigation skill to determine what those locations are.
Cooperative Instincts [-1]. When making a maneuver to assist one of your packmates, add two to your roll. Furthermore, when tagging an aspect created by one of your packmates, add one to your roll.
Protective Instincts [-1]. When you are attacked while in the same zone as one of your packmates, you may use that packmate's defence skill instead of your own.
Pack Communion [-1]. You may use your Pack Communication ability without regard for distance.

Anybody have anything to say?

Offline Gatts

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #415 on: March 04, 2012, 11:35:31 AM »
Looking pretty good. At this rate every canon power will have a whole tree of options, Mutants and Masterminds style.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #416 on: March 05, 2012, 05:48:12 AM »
If that's what works, then that's what works.

Anyway. I just found a bunch of stuff on the wiki that my lists should include. New to-do list:

-Add some options to Long Reach.
-Fix some issues with Hollow.
-Make a "Conceptual Killer" Sponsored Magic.
-Update IoP list with new submissions.
-Rewrite Sponsored Magics from wiki.
-Add powers from wiki to list.
-Add "No Metabolism" to Spirit Form.

Offline computerking

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #417 on: March 05, 2012, 07:31:41 PM »
That Pack Instincts refit is really comprehensive. I can actually see a RP group choosing to play a pack of Weres now...
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Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #418 on: March 06, 2012, 04:53:35 AM »
That's high praise...thanks. If you ever do anything like that, I'd love to hear how it goes.

Writing Sponsored Magics tonight. If y'all could check them out and tell me what you think, I'd appreciate it.

They're going to be on the Sponsored Magic Master List thread, of course.

Offline devonapple

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Re: Custom Powers Master List (Work In Progress)
« Reply #419 on: March 06, 2012, 05:49:43 PM »
PACK INSTINCTS [-1]

That looks great! Nice job.
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