Author Topic: Custom Power - Item Mastery  (Read 1680 times)

Offline solbergb

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Custom Power - Item Mastery
« on: August 27, 2014, 05:40:52 AM »
I'm trying to simulate an especially strong form of object reading.

First of all, skill selection simulates somebody who just touches an object and is pretty good with it.

I'm imagining somebody who has skills prioritized in anything to do with physical objects (eg, driving, shooting, weapons, burglary, craft, etc) which drop somewhat as relevance drops (eg, scholarship and lore both work with objects sometimes, but it isn't the main focus).  He might also have decent athletics and might, because things like free weights or treadmills or uneven b ars work especially well for him, so exercise is easy and fun.

All of that's fine, as far as it goes.  But I'd like to have him also be able to focus on a particular object, and be better at it.  I'm not a huge fan of stunts inside Modular Shapeshift, but I was thinking of a power along those lines....so say maybe 3 refresh and it gives you the equivalent of the "Pilot" stunt for driving wherever applicable, or a +1 to attack if the thing is a weapon.  Rarely it might give +2 stress damage instead.  For example, if he spends an exchange attuning to:

A car:  Drive stunt -  knows how to drive ground vehicles, +1 to drive any car, +2 to drive this car  (substitute tractor-trailer or motercycle or fighter plane or submarine etc)

A gun: knows how to use guns, +1 to attack with this gun  (or crossbow or artillery or whatever)
A bullet:  That bullet does +2 stress if it hits
A magazine or clip:  Rapid reload with that magazine/clip

A Hand-Saw:  Craft skill includes carpentry training. +1 to use any saw, +2 to use this saw.
A golf club:  Knows how to play golf.  +1 to whatever skill driving with that type of club is, +2 to use that club
I think clothing might work for certain intended purposes, eg a sexy outfit might give Sex Appeal, Jungle Camos might help with Stealth, etc. 
a computer:  could be scholarship or burglary (in the latter case, the computer is helpfully giving you the password to the screen saver, or the hard drive encrypt or anything local.  Can't help with either skill for anything on a remote computer, such as guessing an Amazon Prime password, unless it's something like a password cached locally or accessing the cookies or some such)
an english-<language> dictionary:  might give you crude access to another language, but your grammar would suck.
Surgeon's tools - done slowly and one-tool-at-a-time with one exchange between tools you might be able to simulate what a doctor does, assuming the tools present are appropriate for the injury treated.  Lab work is similar for scholarship, or demolitions for Craft.  You don't get any bonuses here, you just get to attempt the task at all.


In all cases the idea is attuning to the object gives you some degree of understanding of the general class, makes you better at anything similar to the object and especially good with the object itself, with one exchange needed to attune to a new object.  This expertise remains even if the original object is taken away or, say, you get out of that particular car or outfit, it is just at the reduced level.    (I'd likely want some aspect to simulate that you are mentally more in tune with the object's purpose as well, because it would be funny...gun would want to shoot things, cars want to drive, sports cars want to speed, etc)

anyway, does the modular shapeshift/3 refresh sound about right for this?  It's giving pretty broad access to +1 and +2s, but you can only get one thing at a time, need the base skill decent to begin with and need the prop.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2014, 02:11:13 PM by solbergb »

Offline Taran

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Re: Custom Power - Item Mastery
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2014, 01:09:39 PM »
I think modular abilities with the refresh investment makes this balanced.  In fact, I could see the justification for certain powers too.

Let's say they attune to a skateboard, I could see that as a justification for inhuman speed as long as they have the skateboard.  ( at least the movement trappings and dodge - probably not the stealth bonus)

Attuning to a specific armour might give toughness.

Attuning to painkillers or specific drugs might give recovery for very specific types of injuries.

In any case, I allow stunts for modular abilities as long as it fits the theme, so I see no problems with what you have as long as you keep a careful eye on things.

Combine it with the true shape shifting skill shuffle and they could be good at everything and I'm not a big fan of characters that fill every niche

Offline solbergb

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Re: Custom Power - Item Mastery
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2014, 01:53:26 PM »
 Hm, yes, making it a 4 point power would allow a few more nice effects with the low level "inhuman" type powers.

I think the second stunt would normally be just "use <skill> instead of alertness when object reading that item", but something like scuba gear could give aquatic as well as the sport-related skill stunt

I completely agree on modular shapeshift+skill shuffle+stunts.  I'm taking a fairly hard line on that in my game - I prefer they try to skin it as a minor supernatural power.  In particular, I don't like skill trapping swaps, I'm more ok with things like social armor or some of the +1/+2 type stunts for specific, thematic things.  I have a bit of an easier time in that my shapeshifter is animal-themed, which requires flavor justification for stunts anyway, but if I can simulate what is being asked with a minor power instead, I always go down that road.  In theory it'll normally give stronger results than a stunt anyway, which is generally true if it really is for flavor and not just mechanical advantage.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2014, 02:17:40 PM by solbergb »