[Basic] Duration of Advantages with Preparation Required limitation

[Sorenant]

It's less of a question and more like seeking confirmation.
As I understand, if you have an advantage continual effect like Flight, Talent and Damage Resistance, it will last indefinitely after being activated, but if you have multiple abilities with this limitation you can only have one active at time, not unlike Alternate Abilities. Is this correct?
If so, what kind of condition would deactivate it? If there's none it would be free point break for characters with a single limited ability.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Sorenant

If so, what kind of condition would deactivate it?

Usage. It becomes unprepared immediately after use, and usage needs to be determined at the time of ability creation.

For things that can theoretically last forever, I usually put a limit of 'consciousness'. IE if rendered unconscious your Requires Preparation DR will go away. Or I require some other annoyance that will mean the ability needs to get turned off every so often, otherwise, as you note, it becomes an immediate gimme for any Character that has only one such ability with this Limitation.

[Sorenant]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Usage. It becomes unprepared immediately after use, and usage needs to be determined at the time of ability creation.

For things that can theoretically last forever, I usually put a limit of 'consciousness'. IE if rendered unconscious your Requires Preparation DR will go away. Or I require some other annoyance that will mean the ability needs to get turned off every so often, otherwise, as you note, it becomes an immediate gimme for any Character that has only one such ability with this Limitation.

That makes sense and is how I expected it to work, thanks!

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Usage. It becomes unprepared immediately after use, and usage needs to be determined at the time of ability creation.

For things that can theoretically last forever, I usually put a limit of 'consciousness'. IE if rendered unconscious your Requires Preparation DR will go away. Or I require some other annoyance that will mean the ability needs to get turned off every so often, otherwise, as you note, it becomes an immediate gimme for any Character that has only one such ability with this Limitation.

I'd almost certainly be harsher for something like standard DR, at best I'd let it work for a single combat encounter and I would communicate this to the player during character creation. For (Semi-)Ablative DR I'd let it last until it was destroyed via damage, but once damaged not let it heal without Preparing a new use.

Costs Fatigue would make me ignore the above, since it's a very noticable time limit on its own. And Powers has several Limitations that would also make me point to them as the actual duration: All-Out, Costs HP, Maximum Duration and Requires Concentrate/Ready. These Limitations all have a built in time limit, which means there won't be the same issue of "It stays up forever once Prepared".

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by WingedKagouti

I'd almost certainly be harsher for something like standard DR...

While there is certainly an argument (a harsh one, but RAW) that DR lasts until it is used, IE it blocks damage once and would require repreparation...

However, I look at the Limitation and compare it to others of a similar cost break and decide from there. With something like DR, taking more than a minute (or 10) means it's almost never useful for combat, and certainly useless in an ambush which is where it's most useful!


Now if you mean, once prepped it lasts until the end of the first combat, that I can get with. Because then they can prep it again if they have time after that combat, but if it takes an hour to prep, I'd probably let it last until unconsciousness, or a set time limit (call it 8 hours or so probably).

[Plane]

Whether a use of DR lasts against 1 attack or 1 full minute seems to vary upon which limitation's applied doesn't it?

[Anaraxes]

I think Sorenant was asking how long an ability can remain prepped, rather than how long it lasts once it's been activated.

By RAW, there's no expiration time on the prep work. Once prepped, the ability is available until you use it or you prep something else.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Now if you mean, once prepped it lasts until the end of the first combat, that I can get with. Because then they can prep it again if they have time after that combat, but if it takes an hour to prep, I'd probably let it last until unconsciousness, or a set time limit (call it 8 hours or so probably).

My initial thought was first hit, but what I actually posted was meant to count for the entire duration of the first combat encounter (however long that is in each situation).