Rules Questions

OK, lets take a look. Several of you took DR. Which is very wise. BUT: did you read the limitations carefully?

Tough Skin (-40%): Sounds like a nice modifier right? Well, keep in mind, that it doesn't help ANY against blood agents and similar contact poisons. Bitten by a comodo dragon? Happy dieing. I'd definitely make sure to not rely on such a kind of defense only. Another weakness is it's flexibility. Blunt trauma get's through.
Oh, and if you plan on layering tough skin and other DR: get the tough skin as the lowest layer.

Example:

- tough skin above normal DR: subdermal plating. You do still have the weakness against blood agents, as your outer tough skin contains blood vessels -> one scratch and you are infected.

- tough skin below normal DR: imagine an alligator. As long as the scratch doesn't hit the chinks between the hard plates (which requires a to hit modifier), you are fine.

Normal DR (0%): Doesn't protect your eyes AT ALL. One mosquito bite, one arrow in the eye ... you get it, right?

Forcefield (+20%): Don't want to care about the above? Take forcefield. But please remember: it doesn't defend against anything that is NOT pure DR and requires a different advantage to defend against.

I do also require a explanation how your DR looks and works. Pablo Diablo (Jason Markowski) gives a nice example how to do this. Please do also take style into account. Do you realy want to play a fire super that looks like he has alligator skin?

Power Modifiers:

There is a difference from Silverthornes game. I do NOT limit attributes to 20. BUT: ANY superhuman ability requires a power modifier. You buy IQ 20? Fine, you are the smartest human alife. You want to buy DX 25? 5 points of those 25 require a power modifier. And to make it worse: I change the % value of some of them (you'll understand the reason after the genre shift). I do allow the following power modifiers:

Biological -5%
Chi -10%
Cosmic +50%
Elemental -10% (usually limited by the opposite element, discuss this with me please)
Nature -10%
Psionic -5%
Spirit -25%
Super -5%

If you choose your power modifier, please read carefully what problems you might face. And remember again: ANY superhuman power requires a power modifier. Some do have them included automatically. Like Magery which is automatically "magical" with no reduction. Oh if you miss magical ... anyone wanting to buy a magical ability should also buy Mana Enhancer. All others will need a power modifier for the superhuman part.

Can powers have more than one modifier? Powers discusses this, specifically regarding combining the "Super" and "Elemental" power modifiers.

So Rose would, presumably, have Elemental (Earth) for -10%. What kind of difficulties would Elemental (Air) create? Would Air automatically get through DR (even without buying Limited, etc.), or does Air just have the *capability* of cutting off her access to the Earth power source?

Looks like I've got some rebuilding to do. What exactly does the Super (-5%) version represent?

I gave Justin Elemental: Air on the relevant abilities. In my mind, that represented weakness to mundane countermeasures. Put him underwater, in space, or in any situation where he can't get at air, and he can't use most of his powers.

Power Modifiers

Yes, powers can have two modifiers, or better, design a merged modifier and pass it by me. If you read through my alowed power modifiers, you might have found out, that I'm basically disallowing technological countermeassures" (-5%).

The combination of Elemental and Supers has -10% for mundane countermeassures and/or insulators and -5% for neutralize and static anti-powers. Together -15%.

Concerning Elemental: in most cases this will be an insulator or countermeassure (or better both). Mr. Firehead will have a LOT of trouble to use his power if he hasn't oxygen avaible. Plus fire extinguishers, sand and such mundane anti-fire countermeasures will work as well. The distinction between this countermeassure, and the insulator "water" is fickle. But basically anything that will extinguish fire might prove to be a problem.

To take Rose as an example: her earth powers will be severly weakend if she doesn't stand on earth. Maybe she even prefers to not wear shoes for this very reason. Anywayy, get her up into the air, and she might loose all "Elemental: Earth" powers for the time being. This even includes an enemy picking her up and holding her a few inches above earth. Though the bigger the distance from earth, the more severe the effects.

My suggestion would be, that you the players come up with fair conditions that your powers work and doesn't work due to the power modifiers. Write them down in your threads, and I'm sure we'll be able to evaluate them together.

Connington, yes, I think that fits very well.

Very Rapid Healing and Regeneration

I do allow finer granularity. If you want regeneration between the standard steps, use logarithms.

Example: You want to heal 2 HP per second. That's between Fast (1) [100] and Very Fast (10) [150]. Your cost is: 100 + log102*50 = 115. If you want to heal 3 HP/s your cost is 100 + log103*50 ~ 125 and so on.

For your example (2 HP/hr) it's: Between Regular [25] and Fast [50]: 25 + log602*25 = 29.

Why do I do it that complicated? Isn't the result the same as if you'd buy VRH? Well, for 2 HP/s it is... But it isn't for slower healing. With my formula you get ~10 HP/ hr for 40 CP in regeneration. Or 5 HP/hr for 35 CP. Or 2 HP/hr for 30 CP.

Basically it's just more elegant.

I've been very busy Krys, I'm going to try and get Howahkan revamped and your Map to you this weekend

Alternative Abilities

Someone stated that he is a bit afraid to use them, as they don't feel "natural" for a char who should have all those abilties from his very nature.

Don't hesitate, use them. BUT: keep in mind that alternative abilities do have their downsides. You need to switch between them, which is a conscious act. And takes one action. And can't be used alongside. And need to be "different settings of the same ability". So use them freely, but think carefully where those downsides might hamper you.

Frex with Kris I thought about Detect abilities. It makes a lot of sense to make "Detect Life" and Detect Artifical Constructs" alternative abilities. The interesting part comes, when things fall into both categories. In this case the detecting super with alternative abilities will be at a disadvantage to someone that could detect both at the same time.

Consider such problems, but use alternative abilities to your hearts joy.

You should have a character named "Frex", Krys.

Bah, what wouldn't that char have to be male? I don't play males often. ^^

Shapeshifting

Please remember that shapeshifting requires 10 seconds. You CAN reduce this time with reduced time and reflexive. Please keep the following in mind:

Reduced Time 5 (+100%) or Reduced Time 4 and Reflexive (+120%) will allow you to switch as a free action, the later even reflexively. For a mere 15 or 18 CP more not to bad isn't it?

Are we charging the full 40 points for Regrowth? I noticed that both Galedeep and Oryzarius took it, and it made me curious. I've seen both Kromm and RPK comment that it's probably overpriced on the gurps forums, and RPK suggested pricing it at 10 points on his site.