View Single Post
Old 11-24-2018, 08:34 AM   #10
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Power Limitations with no point value

Power Modifiers are a convenient way to express consistent traits so that all abilities of a power have a similar feel from their common pros and cons (Enhancments and Limitations). They don't have to come out to -10% -- Powers just does it that way so they don't have to recalculate the value of all those example abilities for each different power.

And there's nothing "built in" to a Power Modifier. If you want it to come out to 0%, that's easily arranged. If a GM somehow isn't going to field opposition that can effectively oppose the characters' abilities -- well, it's your game, so just leave out the countermeasures Limitation and go mow down the hapless mooks. Powers don't automatically come with countermeasures. It's just generally a more interesting game that way.

The classic counterexample is the mage in wainscot fantasy. None of those mundanes know about or believe in magic, so they don't have magical defenses. But in that sort of work, they're also not the real opposition -- and the real opponents generally are clued in, and can and do put up pentgrams and scrywalls and anti-teleport fields. In that sort of game, you'd still include a countermeasures Limitation not because every has it (not everyone in the real world wears ballistic vests with trauma plates, either), but because the significant opposition will be prepared.

To truly lack countermeasures, the GM has a trickier balancing act. You could, for example, go for a technology-vs-magic game, where none of the technologists have magical defenses -- nor do any of those medieval wizards have the savvy to really defend themselves against modern technology. But then you're going to have to be careful about exactly which sorts of magic and tech you allow and how powerful they can be. You can't just mind control all the techy leaders, or send an ICBM to the Dark Lord's tower, and have much of a contest.
Anaraxes is offline   Reply With Quote