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Old 01-09-2018, 04:13 PM   #11
ericthered
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

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Eh, I'd probably reverse that and change Elastic Skin to be a special case of Morph -- it's basically Morph (Cosmetic -50%, Retains Shape -20%, Same Race Only -10%), it just has the problem that if written up that way it runs into the -80% cap on limitations.
True, but the base size of the advantage is very important. Compare the two builds with reduced time 4 on each of them (so it takes a mere one second to change). One costs 36 points, the other costs 100 points.

I wonder if there is a way to extrapolate this for other traits: to say that a specific combination of limitations is considered an alternate "Base" form for an ability. Without letting the munchkins have a field day.

Of course, there is multiplicative multipliers, which gives you the same cost for both builds.
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Old 01-09-2018, 06:11 PM   #12
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

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Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I wonder if there is a way to extrapolate this for other traits: to say that a specific combination of limitations is considered an alternate "Base" form for an ability. Without letting the munchkins have a field day.
GURPS Powers Ups 8: Limitations discusses this.
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Of course, there is multiplicative multipliers, which gives you the same cost for both builds.
Unfortunately, without adjusting the modifiers, multiplicative modifiers gives the same cost for a lot of things, even when one is clearly better. I find it to be a good concept but one requiring more work than I would ever want to do.
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Old 01-09-2018, 10:16 PM   #13
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

I don't think I have ever seen Elastic Skin

I think I have seen morph a few times, but never the Cosmetic version

For a 20pt power I'd rather have other stuff than what Elastic Skin gives me, though I guess it would be really awesome in a game where disguises were really big etc
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Old 01-10-2018, 08:03 AM   #14
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
Unfortunately, without adjusting the modifiers, multiplicative modifiers gives the same cost for a lot of things, even when one is clearly better. I find it to be a good concept but one requiring more work than I would ever want to do.
I don't find it that much work at all ... but to each his own. There are some people who would object to the "only" in "you have to multiply only twice"


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Originally Posted by Kalzazz View Post
I don't think I have ever seen Elastic Skin

I think I have seen morph a few times, but never the Cosmetic version

For a 20pt power I'd rather have other stuff than what Elastic Skin gives me, though I guess it would be really awesome in a game where disguises were really big etc
I find that its a very useful ability in the games I run, but not in the games I play in. I tend to run games with a lot of secrets, mysteries, and conspiracies.
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Old 01-10-2018, 08:21 AM   #15
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

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I find that its a very useful ability in the games I run, but not in the games I play in. I tend to run games with a lot of secrets, mysteries, and conspiracies.
Yeah, it's a nice choice for games where sneakiness plays a big part. A lot of the functionality of Cosmetic Morph with a good discount.
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Old 01-10-2018, 08:23 AM   #16
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

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Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I wonder if there is a way to extrapolate this for other traits: to say that a specific combination of limitations is considered an alternate "Base" form for an ability. Without letting the munchkins have a field day.
Just off the top of my head, it seems like this example could serve as a guide for that. Limitations on what the power can do -- including any limitations specific to that trait or to just a few traits -- could be used to adjust the base cost, whereas limitations on use (costs FP, takes extra time, etc.) would not. It isn't a clean break, but I think it is a concept that I might investigate. Doing powers as spells, where all the the spells have a shared set of limitations on use, make this desirable because of the -80% limitations cap. It might serve as a reasonable alternative to multiplicative modifiers.
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Old 01-10-2018, 11:24 AM   #17
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

Since it is cheaper to start than Morph, it means putting limitations on it could be cheaper still. Are there any canon limitations called out for it?
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Old 01-10-2018, 11:55 AM   #18
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

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Originally Posted by Kalzazz View Post
Since it is cheaper to start than Morph, it means putting limitations on it could be cheaper still. Are there any canon limitations called out for it?
There aren't any limitations specifically provided in either the Basic Set or Powers. It's never officially stated in either source, but I assume that Elastic Skin (despite the name) does by default include the ability to change your skin color - otherwise it would be very difficult for, say, an African-American to disguise themselves as a Caucasian person. So, "Can't Change Skin Color" could be a potential limitation on Elastic Skin, which I'd price at -20% (possibly higher if you belong to a subgroup with notably rare and distinctive skin color - a drow elf in a D&D world, for example).
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Old 01-10-2018, 12:57 PM   #19
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

Other possible specific limitations could include:

Can only change skin color
Can only change age (this came up in a thread a ways back)
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Old 01-10-2018, 05:06 PM   #20
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#47): Elastic Skin

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Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I don't find it that much work at all ... but to each his own. There are some people who would object to the "only" in "you have to multiply only twice"
I "object" to having to come up with new values for every modifier in the game. If you have done so, why not put them out there (or even submit to Pyramid; "Alternate GURPS" is on the wish list currently)?
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