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Old 01-10-2020, 08:24 AM   #1
Tigrah2k
 
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Default Power Pools and tiered powers

Let's say I have a permanent power of Regen (slow), and I want to temporarily improve this regen using my power pool.
Would the cost of the pool version be the full cost of the improved version (with mods), or the difference of the permanent power and the upgraded version created by the pool?
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Old 01-10-2020, 08:46 AM   #2
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

What do you mean by a Power Pool? Which book are you referring to?
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Old 01-10-2020, 08:53 AM   #3
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

Power pool isn't a Gurps term. I can see a few different possible meanings here:

Energy Reserves are occasionally referred to as "pools". You can use energy reserves to improve a power temporarily using the "Stunts" section from chapter 4 of powers. However, regeneration is not an appropriate target for such a stunt, and the book says so in "Enhancing Passive Abilities".

The modular abilities advantage is often compared to some other game's "Power Pools". In this case, I'd say that the cost of the ability is equal to the difference between the two abilities.
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Old 01-10-2020, 11:52 AM   #4
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

I'd charge the difference in CP cost between the two abilities as well.

(Also a useful concept for temporary boosts to the power of an Innate Attack and the like.)
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Old 01-10-2020, 12:50 PM   #5
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

Can you list the difference in cost and have a limitation like "costs fatigue" or "limited use" applied just to the cost difference? That could cover a fire-wielder's "nova blast" that they can only use rarely while continuing to use lesser fire bursts. Essentially an always successful extra, extra, extra effort style stunt.
I tried doing something like that for X-Factor's Guido (Strong Guy) once, but gave up. He can absorb kinetic energy and convert it to muscle mass, but there is a progression of pain, HP loss, and eventual heart attack that comes with his higher tier strengths, so portions of his powers have different limitations attached, but they're not new powers, just at different levels.
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Old 01-10-2020, 01:15 PM   #6
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Culture20 View Post
Can you list the difference in cost and have a limitation like "costs fatigue" or "limited use" applied just to the cost difference?
Yep. The math is a little complicated, but it's a legit way to build abilities that have some sort of more costly "extra effort" or conditional strength built in (+1 longsword, +4 versus reptiles...) Most commonly done with levelled abilities, but I'd allow it on anything that represents some sort of logical stepwise increase in power-at-a-cost. (As always, start with the concept description, then find the mechanics to build what you imagine.)

See Psionic Powers for an entire book with abilities built as "levels" with various changing modifiers on different levels. Even if you don't care about psi per se, it's a masterclass in building abilities that can grow.
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Old 01-10-2020, 02:34 PM   #7
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigrah2k View Post
Let's say I have a permanent power of Regen (slow), and I want to temporarily improve this regen using my power pool.
Would the cost of the pool version be the full cost of the improved version (with mods), or the difference of the permanent power and the upgraded version created by the pool?
I'd charge the difference in cost.
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Old 01-10-2020, 08:08 PM   #8
Tigrah2k
 
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

I can't believe I used a house term...

Yes, I meant modular ability pools. Very sorry for the confusion.

Also, thanks for the input. Much appreciated.
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Old 01-10-2020, 10:43 PM   #9
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

The problem with using Modular Abilities is that they are a bit expensive for what you get. It is often better to use Alternate Abilities (or rules like Temporary Enhancements or Using Abilities at a Default).

For example, you could have a character with Healing (Reduced FP Cost, 10 FP, +200%; Reliable, +50%) [105] and Regeneration (Very Fast; Alternate Ability [20]. Modular abilities to do the same thing would require around 6 CP per point, because the effect is Physical, meaning that you would spend 10 CP for Regeneration (Slow) and 540 CP for Modular Ability 90 to be able to upgrade your Regeneration. You end up saving around 425 CP by using Alternate Abilities.

Of course, if you gave each ability the Cosmic power modifier, it gets a little more expensive, but it is worthwhile because you can have cosmic alternative abilities. The Regeneration (Very Fast; Cosmic, +50%) becomes 150 CP and Healing (Alternate Ability; Cosmic, +100%; Reduced FP Cost, 10 FP, 200%; Reliable, +10, +50%) becomes 27 CP, but you can have anything else alternating off the chain.
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Old 01-10-2020, 11:00 PM   #10
Tigrah2k
 
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Default Re: Power Pools and tiered powers

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
The problem with using Modular Abilities is that they are a bit expensive for what you get. It is often better to use Alternate Abilities (or rules like Temporary Enhancements or Using Abilities at a Default).

For example, you could have a character with Healing (Reduced FP Cost, 10 FP, +200%; Reliable, +50%) [105] and Regeneration (Very Fast; Alternate Ability [20]. Modular abilities to do the same thing would require around 6 CP per point, because the effect is Physical, meaning that you would spend 10 CP for Regeneration (Slow) and 540 CP for Modular Ability 90 to be able to upgrade your Regeneration. You end up saving around 425 CP by using Alternate Abilities.

Of course, if you gave each ability the Cosmic power modifier, it gets a little more expensive, but it is worthwhile because you can have cosmic alternative abilities. The Regeneration (Very Fast; Cosmic, +50%) becomes 150 CP and Healing (Alternate Ability; Cosmic, +100%; Reduced FP Cost, 10 FP, 200%; Reliable, +10, +50%) becomes 27 CP, but you can have anything else alternating off the chain.
If Regen were the only purpose I had for a cosmic modular ability, then your logic would be sound. However, the versatility of the modular ability is the real reason I use it. I have crafted some fifty or so abilities at a minimum to switch out as needed, with intentions to create more. All to support the notion of my omni-elementalist concept.

My question's relevance is to the notion of increasing the potency of a permanent ability by using a modular ability to augment it.

Just to check and see if I'm on the right page with the comments about using the difference.

Regen: Base (1HP/12Hr) 9 pts
(Super-10%)

Regen: Trance (1HP/Min) 65 pts (56 pts diff?)
(Backlash: Incapacitation: Daze -50%, Heals Radiation +40%, Once On, Stays On +50%, Super -10%)
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