Power Effects

Players spend character points on various powers for their heroes, like acquiring skills or other traits. A power is made up of one or more effects, possibly with different modifiers, which increase or decrease the cost of the effects.

Effects can be used to create any number of different powers. A hero with the Concealment effect could use it to create a power called Blending, Blur, Cloak, Invisibility, Shadowmeld, or anything else appropriate to the character you wish to play. It's all a matter of how powerful the effect is and what modifiers have been placed on it to increase or decrease its performance. Another way to think of it is that this book is filled with effects, but your character sheet is filled with powers.

Power Costs

Power effects are acquired in ranks, like ranks for other traits. The more ranks an effect has, the greater its effect. Each effect of a power has a standard cost per rank.

Exclusive Purpose

As noted in the side bar Creative Uses of Descriptors (see Descriptors) there is a difference between being creative to accomplish a small task and using a power for something it is not intended for. If there is no real impact on the game then just let it be but for other uses a power stunt is required through extra effort. The Rule of Exclusive Purpose states that each base power has a unique purpose, meaning that other base powers can't provide the same functionality without a power stunt. Even though you could Transform air into acid, for example, you need a power stunt to deal damage with it because that would be the Damage power. Also see Alternate Effect for related effects that can be used more often then power stunts. The exception to this are catch alls like Movement: even though Flight is a type of movement, the base power Movement is only used to cover all other kinds of movement. Feature doesn't have much purpose. Variable is a sort of an exception in that its direct purpose is to provide other powers. Insubstantial can be used as Permeate without a power stunt, Protection has the same purpose as Enhanced Trait: Toughness, and Regeneration has the same purpose as healing.

Effect Types

Power effects fall into certain categories or effect types. Effects of the same type follow similar rules and provide descriptors for certain other effects. This section discusses the different effect types and the rules governing them.

Attack

Attack effects are used offensively in combat. They require an attack check and damage, hinder, or otherwise harm their target in some way. Attack effects require a standard action to use. Their duration is usually instant although their results--whether damage or some other hindrance--may linger until the target recovers. Attack effects always allow for a defense check.

Note that any personal range power can become an attack type by applying the attack extra (which also changes it to close range).

Control

Control effects grant the user influence over something, from the environment to the ability to move objects or even create them out of thin air. Control effects require a standard action to initiate, but can then usually be sustained. Control effects used against unwilling targets usually require an attack check and allow a defense check, the same for the hazards they are capable of causing, such as creating intense cold or dropping a heavy object on someone.

Defense

Defense effects protect in various ways, typically offering a bonus to defense checks, or granting outright immunity to particular effects or conditions. Most defense effects work only on the user and are subtle and permanent, functioning at all times. Some are activated and sustained as a free action, meaning they can switch on or off, but can potentially leave the user unprotected.

General

General effects don't fit into any other particular category. They're not governed by any special rules other than those given in the effect's description.

Movement

Movement effects allow characters to get around in various ways. Some provide a speed rank with a particular form of movement--such as ground, air, or water--while others offer different modes of movement, like walking on walls or slithering along the ground like a snake.

Although activating a movement effect is typically a free action, the character must still take a move action in order to actually move using the effect. So, for example, the action of the Flight effect is "free" and activating it grants the character a Flight speed rank equal to the effect rank. Moving that speed rank still requires a move action, however.

Sensory

Sensory effects enhance or alter the senses. Some sensory effects improve the user's senses while others grant entirely new senses or fool the senses in some way. Sensory effects are typically a free action to activate and sustain, or are permanent and always in effect.

Sense Types

Senses are grouped into sense types, descriptors for how different sensory effects work. The sense types, and some of the senses included in them, are:

Visual: normal sight, darkvision, infravision, low-light vision, microscopic vision, ultravision, X-Ray vision

Auditory: normal hearing, sonar (accurate ultrasonic), ultrasonic hearing

Olfactory: normal smell and taste, scent

Tactile: normal touch, tremorsense

Radio: radio, radar (accurate radio)

Mental: mental awareness, Mind Reading, Precognition, Postcognition

Exotic: This is the catchall for other sensory descriptors not given above, including unusual senses or descriptors like cosmic, gravitic, magical, and so forth.

How Powers Work

Using powers is a fairly simple matter. Some power effects work automatically. Others--particularly those affecting other people--require some effort to use, like an attack check or a power check. Powers affecting others allow defense checks against their effects.

Power Checks

In some cases, you may be required to make an power check to determine how well an effect works. A power check is just like any other check: 3dF, plus the power's rank, plus any applicable modifiers, against a difficulty class set by the Gamemaster. The results of various power checks are described below.

Routine Power Checks

Many power effects allow for routine checks involving their use, generally specified in the effect's description (see Routine Checks in The Basics).

Opposed Power Checks

In some cases, usually when one effect is used directly against another, or against a particular trait like an ability or skill, an opposed check is called for (see Opposed Checks in The Basics). Each player performs a power check and the higher result wins (ties go to the higher rank power).

Effect Parameters

Each effect has certain parameters that describe the time needed to use the effect, the subject or target, the distance it works at, and so forth. The basic effect parameters are Action, Range, and Duration.

For a full description see each power's page.

Action

Using or activating an effect requires a particular amount of time. See Actions, for details about the different types of actions. Modifiers may change the action needed to use an effect.

Slow: Using the effect can't effectively be done in combat because it takes at least 10 rounds (1 minute). Generally these tasks take at least 5 minutes.

Full: Using the effect requires a full turn action which means it takes both a standard action and a move action.

Standard: Using the effect requires a standard action.

Move: Using the effect requires a move action.

Free: It requires a free action to use or activate the effect. Once an effect is activated or deactivated, it remains so until your next turn. As with all free actions, the GM may limit the total number of effects a hero can turn on or off in a turn.

Reaction: It requires no action to use the effect. It operates automatically in response to something else, such as an attack.

None: It requires no action to use the effect. It is always active.

Range

Each effect has a default range, which may be changed by modifiers.

Personal: The effect works only on you, the user.

Close: The effect can target anyone or anything within reach (default of 5 feet). Affecting an unwilling subject requires an attack check.

Ranged: The effect works at a distance, limited by perception, range, line of affect, and a ranged attack check against the subject. A ranged effect has a short range of distance rank 0 (30 ft), a medium range of short range +1 (distance rank 1 = 60 ft) and a long range of short range +2 (distance rank 2 = 120 ft). Ranged attack checks at medium range suffer a -1 circumstance penalty, ranged attacks at long range suffer a -2 circumstance penalty, and targets further away are out of range and cannot be attacked (automatic miss). See Gameplay Rules: Range for details.

Perception: The effect works on any target you can perceive with an accurate sense, without any need for an attack check. If you cannot accurately perceive the target, you cannot affect it.

Duration

Each effect lasts for a particular amount of time, which may be changed by modifiers. Any effect that is currently active (impossible for Instant duration) can't be used again until the duration ends. To get around this see the Split extra.

Instant: When used, the effect occurs and ends in the same turn, although its results may linger.

Concentration: You can keep a concentration effect going by taking a standard action each round to do so. If you are incapable of taking the necessary action, or simply choose not to, the effect ends.

Sustained: You can keep a sustained effect going by taking a free action each round to do so. If you are incapable of taking the necessary action, or simply choose not to, the effect ends.

Continuous: The effect lasts as long as you wish, without any action required on your part. Once active, it stays that way until you choose to deactivate it (a free action).

Permanent: The effect is always active and cannot be deactivated, even if you want to. A permanent effect cannot be improved using extra effort. A permanent effect cannot make a power check and is considered to have rolled a 0 instead (like a Routine check).

Defense Check

Effects targeting other characters allow a defense check. The defense used and the difficulty class depend on the effect and its modifiers.

Willing characters can forgo their defense check against an effect, if they wish. This includes characters who think they're receiving a beneficial effect, even if they're not! You can't forgo Toughness checks, but you may choose to discontinue the use of effects with a duration of Continuous or Sustained that grant a Toughness bonus in order to lower your defense.

The Immunity effect allows characters to ignore certain effects altogether, removing the need for a defense check.

Cost

How many character points the base effect costs per rank. Some powers provide options which affect how many points per rank a power costs (this is mechanically the same as using extras). Some example powers include a flat amount with the cost per rank because the example uses a set number of ranks of a trait (see description for details).

Modifiers

A listing of modifiers relevant or unique to the effect. This section may also include forbidden modifiers. By default it is possible to use any modifier on any power unless otherwise stated however a Gamemaster should watch out for problematic or nonsensical combinations.

Countering Effects

In some circumstances the effects of one power may counter another, reducing or negating it. Generally for two effects to counter each other they must have opposed descriptors. For example, light and darkness powers can counter each other as can heat and cold, water and fire, and so forth. In some cases, such as magical or mental effects, powers of the same descriptor can also counter each other. The GM is the final arbiter as to whether or not an effect with a particular descriptor can counter another. The Nullify effect can counter any effect of a particular descriptor!

Saying that a power is countered means the power was negated or cancelled. If a power with instant duration is countered then the effect is prevented from occurring. Ongoing powers that are countered have their duration forcibly ended.

How Countering Works

To counter an effect, you must take the ready action. In doing so, you wait to complete your action until your opponent tries to use a power. You may still move, since ready is a standard action (unless you readied a full turn action).

Reaction effects may counter at any time without readying an action. Effects that have a slow action cannot counter during action rounds (although they may be able to counter ongoing effects, see the following section).

If an opponent attempts to use a power you are able to counter, use your countering effect as your readied action. You and the opposing character make power checks (3dF + rank). Take your opponent's result and subtract your result, this is the new effective rank of the effect being countered to a maximum of the original rank. If the rank would be reduced to 0 or less then the effect is canceled entirely, as though it didn't activate although some things may still apply like ammunition. Note that there is no counter attack even if your check exceeds your opponent.

Example: Thetis, goddess of the seas, is fighting the Silver Knight. Thetis readies an action as her player says she wants to counter Silver Knight's fire blast with her water powers, in this case Move Object limited to water. There is a nearby body of water and the GM agrees the two powers should be able to counter each other. On his turn the hate-mongering villain hurls a blast of white-hot fire (a Ranged Damage effect) which Thetis tries to counter. The GM asks Thetis's player to make a Water Control power check, while he makes a Fire Control power check for Silver Knight. Thetis's player rolls a result of 10 while the GM rolls a result of 7 for Silver Knight. Thetis successfully counters the flame blast, which fizzles out in a gout of steam.

Countering Ongoing Effects

You can also use one power to counter the ongoing effect of another, or other lingering results of an instant effect (like flames ignited by a fiery Damage effect). You must be within range of the affected target (or created object etc) not the one who caused it. This requires a normal use of the countering effect and an opposed check, as above except the ongoing effect uses a routine check (and therefore has a result equal to rank). Subtract your result from the ongoing effect to determine new rank with a maximum rank of the current rank. If the rank is 0 or less then the effect ends. If the effect is permanent duration then it automatically turns back on during the following round at full strength (prior to countering attempts). The reduced rank is cumulative such that the rank can be reduced in different turns however a permanent effect will be refreshed to original rank each round. It is likewise possible for the owner to recreate any non-permanent ongoing effect by taking the action required to activate it. Recreating an ongoing effect will refresh it to max rank without needing to first end the effect.

Poison, disease, being on fire, and any conditions caused by affliction can be countered but conditions caused by physical circumstances such as ropes causing Immobile or low HP causing incapacitation can't be countered. Conditions of lower rank are equally functional the only difference being that they are easier to recover from.

Example: Mindmaster has placed Johnny Comet under his mental control (an Affliction effect). Lady Justice has the power to break such bonds (the Nullify effect). She shines the light of liberty on her teammate and makes a power check (3dF + her Nullify rank) against Mindmaster's Affliction rank. If Lady Justice wins, Johnny is free of Mindmaster's control. If she fails, the Victory League will have to come up with another plan to neutralize their super-fast teammate without hurting him.

Instant Countering

You can spend a victory point to attempt to counter another power as a reaction, without the need to ready an action to do so. See victory points for details.

Power Listing

Below is a table of every power. All effects are built from these base powers. Also see example powers.

Table: Power Effects