Modular within a theme?

[gfrobbin84]

I have running around trying to figure out how I want to handle magic in my game. I have decided to go with magic as powers. See I want people with magic to have the ability to do any thing they want with it as long as it fits their "school" of magic. Things like earth, air, gravity, strength and toughness, mind reading, diseases stuff like that but they would only have access to one school but their possibilities in those areas would be only limited by the strength of their power and their skill in using it.

So I am thinking of using a version of modular ability but I am unsure what to price each point at given the theme type limitation.

Also I want it to be possible for any magic user to cut off any others magic by using his magic to block their connection but in doing so he cuts off his magic too. Possibly even having something where very strong magic users can break through this suppression of their powers unless the suppressor is close to them in power and/or skill. Which is a limitation I am totally unsure of how to model.

Also I was thinking of doing something with the powers using an energy reserve with a varying cost depending on how heavily or how long an ability draws on their power. I know there is the cost fatigue/energy reserve limitation but what out about a varying cost?

[Anaraxes]

1) "one school, but their possibilities in those areas would only by limited by strength and skill".

Can you expand on that a bit? Special effects are free. What's really going to matter here is if there are game-mechanical effects (Advantages, etc) that particular schools simply can't use.

Consider Flight, for instance, and the various supers that can just fly, skate on ice they create, TK themselves along, throw a hammer so hard it pulls them along, too, and so on. Those are all just special effects, and the fact that the theme is "iceman" or "thunder god" isn't a limitation at all (as far as this example goes).

Going by Accessibility, if the power can't be used about half the time, it's -20%. (Accessibility is usually a little harsh when it comes to these percentages.) If you expect that any given theme can always be used somehow to solve any problem you're going to throw at them, then it's just -0%.

2) Cutting off others' power by giving up your own

Sounds like Neutralize as an Alternative Ability for the Modular Ability would be a place to start. You can only use one ability out of an AA group at a time, so if you're Neutralizing one guy, then you can't use your ModAb at all.

3) Varying FP cost
The price for a variable FP cost is the usually just the price for the average FP expenditure -- if you can figure out what that is.

Keep in mind that activation for one minute is effectively infinite duration, as far as combat alone is concerned, so you'd never see activation for a second minute. It would hardly matter what that cost was. It's a more significant limitation for abilities that operate in out-of-combat time.

[gfrobbin84]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

1) "one school, but their possibilities in those areas would only by limited by strength and skill".

Can you expand on that a bit? Special effects are free. What's really going to matter here is if there are game-mechanical effects (Advantages, etc) that particular schools simply can't use.

Consider Flight, for instance, and the various supers that can just fly, skate on ice they create, TK themselves along, throw a hammer so hard it pulls them along, too, and so on. Those are all just special effects, and the fact that the theme is "iceman" or "thunder god" isn't a limitation at all (as far as this example goes).

Going by Accessibility, if the power can't be used about half the time, it's -20%. (Accessibility is usually a little harsh when it comes to these percentages.) If you expect that any given theme can always be used somehow to solve any problem you're going to throw at them, then it's just -0%.

2) Cutting off others' power by giving up your own

Sounds like Neutralize as an Alternative Ability for the Modular Ability would be a place to start. You can only use one ability out of an AA group at a time, so if you're Neutralizing one guy, then you can't use your ModAb at all.

3) Varying FP cost
The price for a variable FP cost is the usually just the price for the average FP expenditure -- if you can figure out what that is.

Keep in mind that activation for one minute is effectively infinite duration, as far as combat alone is concerned, so you'd never see activation for a second minute. It would hardly matter what that cost was. It's a more significant limitation for abilities that operate in out-of-combat time.

Thanks great idea on the neutralize reading it I got an idea on how another magic user works the enchanters basically steal magic temporarily and use it to charge an item to hold a use of the magic. I found what I need about limitation in the powers book since they can justify a lot but not everything under there power theme, like only air guys can fly but gravity and strength guys could super jump, fire guys would mainly have attacks with some auras and DR type stuff. Will have to research more on the fatigue cost as it is going to based on how heavily they draw on their modular pool just a few pts would be 1 ER pt or free where as drawing on the whole pool at once would be like 4-5.

Edit: the magic system is highly based on the shadow ops books by Myke Cole if anyone is familiar with those with more diversity of types of magic schools.