[Sorcery] Please explain Hardcore improvisation

[nudj]

I can’t find any “under the hood” explanation for why you can use the full cost of sorcerous empowerment to improvise a spell with only 3 FP and -10 on the Will + Talent roll. It feels like a riff on stunts or possibly Godlike Extra Effort, but I can’t work out why this would lead to such a dramatic rise (more than 10x) in your modular ability level.

Any thoughts?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by nudj

I can’t find any “under the hood” explanation for why you can use the full cost of sorcerous empowerment to improvise a spell with only 3 FP and -10 on the Will + Talent roll. It feels like a riff on stunts or possibly Godlike Extra Effort, but I can’t work out why this would lead to such a dramatic rise (more than 10x) in your modular ability level.

Any thoughts?

It's literally just Abilities at Default (GURPS Powers, p. 173)

[nudj]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

It's literally just Abilities at Default (GURPS Powers, p. 173)

Oh I see, thanks.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

It's literally just Abilities at Default (GURPS Powers, p. 173)

One major diff I can see is normally you're forced to take all the same limitations with whatever ability but in this case I think the only limitatiosn you're forced to take are -15% for sorcery.

Pg 174 either gives you 1 "shot" for a transient ability or 1 minute for an ongoing one.

In most cases having an ongoing ability is a lot more useful.

I also don't see why "I have a flaming sword" can't be an ongoing ability (minute's worth of flaming sword) rather than "I take a single swing with my flaming sword".

Affliction: Advantage (B36) has the same contrast, "only affects once" for stuff like Warp instead of 1 minute's worth of warping, yet you get a full minute's worth of other stuff.

Like why take a single shot of cutting attack (melee) when you can have a full minute's worth of claws?