limited use vs. maximum duration

[Exception Clause]

Hi,
here is a problem i encountered.
if i take limited use (Basic Set) 1/day for a continuous advantage i can use the advantage once in 24 hours for one min. And it gets -40%.

if i take maximum duration (from Powers) 1min i can use the advantage once every 6min (i have to wait 5 min after an activation), for 1 min. that means 240 times a day. and i get -65%.

this seems very unbalanced.

wouldnt it be better to use a single limitation calles limited use in which i have to specify independently uses per day, maximum duration and minimum duration?

Greetings,
Tobias

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Exception Clause

wouldnt it be better to use a single limitation calles limited use in which i have to specify independently uses per day, maximum duration and minimum duration?

It's been brought up before *g* Search for keywords like "limited", "duration", and so on, to find threads related to the ideas. The possibility of a modular limitation for all duration related drawbacks is an intriguing one, but the actualization of such is trickier than you might think. Different traits are not necessarily hampered to the same degree by the same limitation (often, but not always, depending on their "switchability").

Regarding the Limited Uses/Maximum Duration question: Note that MaxDur is only valid on a limited set of traits ['...switchable, beneficial traits that you could normally leave "on" indefinitely']. If a trait is eligible for the MaxDur limit, you should take it in preference to Limited Uses.

[Exception Clause]

what about the huge difference between the cost reduction? it is -65% vs. -40%.
why should maximum duration be preferred? i also posted this on a gurps newsgroup and the advise was to prefer limited use.

perhaps it would be enough to set limited use to -20% for 1/day. (in this case meaning only one activation cycle). and set maximum duration 1min to -30% or so. taken together you would get -50% for a limited use with 1 min of activation.

of course, you would have to adjust the other levels of the limitations accordingly.

[Mgellis]

As Not Another Shrubbery points out, I think the distinction is that Limited Uses is generally for things that are instantaneous, like attacks or abilities like Detect, while Maximum Duration is for abilities that could stay on indefinitely like Flight or Invisibility.

I would add that I think it would be completely reasonable to add Takes Recharge to an ability with Maximum Duration. For example...

Invisibility (Maximum Duration, one hour, -10%; Takes recharge, one hour, -30%) [24]. You can become invisible, but only for an hour at a time, and must wait an hour before becoming invisible again.

Limited Use is one of those limitations that has a few problems. As written, should someone want an ability they can only use for an hour a day, they would need to purchase it as Limited Use, One Use Per Day, -40%; Extended Duration, x 100, +80%, to get 100 minutes. So it costs MORE to buy a somewhat limited ability than to just buy an unlimited version!

Maximum Duration solves some of these problems.

One last point...in GURPS Powers, p. 115, it says if there are two equally good ways to build an ability, preference should be given to the CHEAPER version. So, whenever the choice is between Limited Use and Maximum Duration, if both would be acceptable ways to build the power, it should be built with whatever limitation makes the ability LESS expensive.

I hope this helps.

Mark

[Exception Clause]

yes, that helps.
the idea with takes recharge is good, i have not thought about it.

thanks