Gadget limitation on disadvantages

[kirbwarrior]

It doesn't explicitly say you can't, but it seems like you shouldn't use gadget limitations on disadvantages. (If you can, then some parts of these questions have easy answers)

Having a gadget give both an advantage and disad would be worse than Temp. Disad on the advantage because wearing the gadget makes it happen, not using the advantage. Is this allowed?

Let's say a character has a very useful but debilitating ability; Burning Attack 1 with Aura, Area Effect, Melee, and Always On (faq allowed it last i checked). Greatly powerful in many situations, but severely curtails some abilities. To fit in to society, they were given a headband that cuts off the ability. (I'm actually trying a different ability, but I have yet to figure it out, so we'll go with this base). Should I buy a disad with gadget or apply Mitigater to the advantage?

[lexington]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

Let's say a character has a very useful but debilitating ability; Burning Attack 1 with Aura, Area Effect, Melee, and Always On (faq allowed it last i checked).

I don't think you can mix Melee and AoE, using Emanation rather than Aura and Melee is simpler and gets (I think) the same effect.

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

Greatly powerful in many situations, but severely curtails some abilities. To fit in to society, they were given a headband that cuts off the ability. (I'm actually trying a different ability, but I have yet to figure it out, so we'll go with this base). Should I buy a disad with gadget or apply Mitigater to the advantage?

Hmm. My first instinct is make the headband simple gear and give the advantage a Trigger limitation that says Only When Not Wearing Headband, assuming the headband is easy to remove it's probably not more than -10%.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by lexington

I don't think you can mix Melee and AoE, using Emanation rather than Aura and Melee is simpler and gets (I think) the same effect.

You can combine Aura, Melee, and AoE to get a "wide" aura.

Trigger does make sense. Is that the only/best way?

[roguebfl]

This thread should be of some help.

[Darekun]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

It doesn't explicitly say you can't, but it seems like you shouldn't use gadget limitations on disadvantages. (If you can, then some parts of these questions have easy answers)

Having a gadget give both an advantage and disad would be worse than Temp. Disad on the advantage because wearing the gadget makes it happen, not using the advantage. Is this allowed?

Gadget lims, like most(All?) modifiers, include a "synergy tax". For example, only working 50% of the time or on 50% of targets isn't 50% off, because it's assumed the player will maneuver the situation to make their abilities matter.

However, for disads the "synergy tax" should be reversed, since it's assumed the player will maneuver the situation to make their disads not matter.

• Power-Ups 2 has a Perk for controllable disads.
• Mitigator is best whenever it can be interpreted as an "ungadget" lim.
• One hack to handle the general case is to use the Accessibility frequency table in Powers to derive the "equivalent chance" for something like Breakable, invert that chance, then use the table to get a modifier with the opposite synergy. This is, however, hard to use well, and more useful for ballparking something you're going to GM fiat.

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

To fit in to society, they were given a headband that cuts off the ability. (I'm actually trying a different ability, but I have yet to figure it out, so we'll go with this base). Should I buy a disad with gadget or apply Mitigater to the advantage?

In that case, I'd say it's more accurate to apply Mitigator to the Always On limitation. If he wants to use it to PBAOE a bunch of enemies, the Ready to remove and replace the headband sort-of replaces the Attack to use an activated ability. (There's still some net advantage in that he doesn't have to re-Ready to keep using it.)

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Darekun

In that case, I'd say it's more accurate to apply Mitigator to the Always On limitation. If he wants to use it to PBAOE a bunch of enemies, the Ready to remove and replace the headband sort-of replaces the Attack to use an activated ability. (There's still some net advantage in that he doesn't have to re-Ready to keep using it.)

The problem with this is it just allows him to use it, not forcing him to use it.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

You can combine Aura, Melee, and AoE to get a "wide" aura.

Originally Posted by roguebfl

This thread should be of some help.

I see, I've been looking at Emanation all wrong.

[Darekun]

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

The problem with this is it just allows him to use it, not forcing him to use it.

With the mitigator headband removed(or trashed by enemy action), Always On applies normally.

With the mitigator headband on, he can activate the ability… by removing the headband. That's probably better than taking Attack actions for an activated ability, and mostly equivalent to taking Ready actions to toggle a switchable ability.

[lexington]

Now that I think about it isn't "can be suppressed by technology" -5% for both Psi and Super powers? This seems like exactly the same situation.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by lexington

Now that I think about it isn't "can be suppressed by technology" -5% for both Psi and Super powers? This seems like exactly the same situation.

If that tech is common enough, yes, but one unique item to suppress it?

Applying the mitigator to Always On makes it sound like when it comes off, it becomes switchible. Or am I missing something?