Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-15-2020, 02:47 PM   #11
kirbwarrior
 
kirbwarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
Default Re: Modular Powers: a flexible powers/magic system

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I suppose the 10/slot +10/point value has been enshrined by sorcery, though that feels really high. I suppose I just think that physical only should be +0%, because you can do some really broken stuff with Mental only (it includes skills and languages) and the most obvious uses of Modular abilities are physical.
I generally think of 'pay x10 to have it all' from many places in GURPS (for instance, being able to switch enhancements is x10 the cost, being better at effectively all skills is x10 the cost of a skill, etc). I don't know how much the slot should cost, but 10pts per point you can switch around to anything whatsoever seems fair, even if I don't use that low of cost.

Physical Only being more expensive than "Mental + Skills" does seem odd. I honestly assume its +0% until I go look it up. Honestly, it might even be worse, mental abilities are generally better in most circumstances (even combat if Malediction changes attacks to mental).
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfish View Post
While I do not think that GURPS is perfect I do think that it is more balanced than what I am likely to create by GM fiat.
kirbwarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 09:57 AM   #12
Raekai
World's Worst Detective
 
Raekai's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Default Re: Modular Powers: a flexible powers/magic system

I've been meaning to work on this, but I've been caught up in life—as I'm sure many of us have. With the awesome feedback I've received, I decided to re-tool Modular Powers into Wildcard Power Pool. It just seems simpler that way.

Wildcard Power Pool is 2 points/level. This must be taken in conjunction with a base ability, and the level of the Wildcard Power Pool cannot exceed the point cost of the base ability. The base ability can be a raw advantage or it can be a modified power, but, if the base ability has a Power Modifier, the Wildcard Power Pool abilities must have the same Power Modifier. To use the Wildcard Power Pool, choose any other ability whose cost, after all enhancements and limitations, is not greater than the level of the Wildcard Power Pool. Only one of the base ability or the Wildcard Power Pool ability can be used at a time, and switching between the base ability and the Wildcard Power Pool ability or between Wildcard Power Pool abilities can be done at the start of one’s turn as a free action. To use multiple abilities at once, one can buy multiple Wildcard Power Pools.

Wildcard Power Pool can only be modified by the Limited Scope limitation (and I prefer the version from Ritual Path Specialists from Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic as a basis)—e.g., Limited Scope, Abilities related to Druidic magic, -20%; Limited Scope, Abilities that create or control fire, -50%.

Furthermore, the base ability may be changed as part of advancement. As long as the level of Wildcard Power Pool is equal to the cost of the base ability, the points in the base ability may be spent to purchase a more expensive base ability. Optionally, if the level of the Wildcard Power Pool is less than the cost of the base ability, the difference between the cost and the level is the temporary cost of the previous base ability until the level of the Wildcard Power Pool is equal to the cost of the previous base ability. For example, if Zambazor has Flight [40] and Wildcard Power Pool 30 [60], but he wants to upgrade to a more expensive base ability, he must also pay 10 points (the difference between the 40 points in Flight and the 30 levels of Wildcard Power Pool) to keep Flight as part of his pool of available abilities. If Zambazor takes a higher level of Wildcard Power Pool, the original cost of Flight should be lowered in the same way.

I went made a follow-up blog post about it, which also contains my revised Design Notes.

Thanks again!
Raekai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 02:20 PM   #13
kirbwarrior
 
kirbwarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
Default Re: Modular Powers: a flexible powers/magic system

Quote:
Originally Posted by Raekai View Post
Wildcard Power Pool can only be modified by the Limited Scope limitation (and I prefer the version from Ritual Path Specialists from Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic as a basis)—e.g., Limited Scope, Abilities related to Druidic magic, -20%; Limited Scope, Abilities that create or control fire, -50%.
This all looks nice except this part. Your pools is already limited by the trait in question (which is more limiting with DR 50 w/ Silver only than Control Space) if we are taking this based on Wildcard Power. Mind, that's by RAW, I don't mind it when the WPP seems to be more the base power than the chosen trait (as a flexible magic system would imply).
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfish View Post
While I do not think that GURPS is perfect I do think that it is more balanced than what I am likely to create by GM fiat.
kirbwarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 06:05 PM   #14
Raekai
World's Worst Detective
 
Raekai's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Default Re: Modular Powers: a flexible powers/magic system

Quote:
Originally Posted by kirbwarrior View Post
This all looks nice except this part. Your pools is already limited by the trait in question (which is more limiting with DR 50 w/ Silver only than Control Space) if we are taking this based on Wildcard Power. Mind, that's by RAW, I don't mind it when the WPP seems to be more the base power than the chosen trait (as a flexible magic system would imply).
I think the Limited Scope is important because Wildcard Powers can do just about anything with justification, which is actually a discussion I had here. Furthermore, because a Modular Ability could cover any possible power (except social powers, I suppose) for roughly the same price, it makes sense that the Wildcard Power Pool would have the same scope.

I don't think the base ability is really much of a limiter—nor should it be! If I have the Kryptonian Power Talent with Flight as my base ability, I can certainly justify using my Wildcard Power Pool to shoot lasers out of my eyes! Even if you said no, I would argue that I can turn back time with the power of Flight because Superman does it.

It's hard. Supers is definitely a genre full of BS-ing. (Which isn't a problem. It's just an observation. That BS-ing can be really fun!) If anything, I think Wildcard Powers should have included such a limitation, but the rules seemed to be going for a very simplistic approach. This is supposed to be the not-quite-as-simple-but-still-simple approach. If DR 50 (Limited, Silver Only) and Control Space don't have the same flexibility, they shouldn't cost the same. In my games (which don't tend to be in the Supers genre), they wouldn't, and I would definitely never make them the same price (in terms of the Wildcard Power Pool).
Raekai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2020, 07:31 PM   #15
kirbwarrior
 
kirbwarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
Default Re: Modular Powers: a flexible powers/magic system

Quote:
Originally Posted by Raekai View Post
If DR 50 (Limited, Silver Only) and Control Space don't have the same flexibility, they shouldn't cost the same. In my games (which don't tend to be in the Supers genre), they wouldn't, and I would definitely never make them the same price (in terms of the Wildcard Power Pool).
I agree with that. I didn't realize the RAW was to make the Wildcard powers so open-ended. Good to know I don't have to use Control for that anymore.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmicfish View Post
While I do not think that GURPS is perfect I do think that it is more balanced than what I am likely to create by GM fiat.
kirbwarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
alternative abilities, modular abilities, powers, powers as magic, sorcery

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:53 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.