Can you have Insubstantiality with "Partial Change" and "Always On"?

[Hide]

Hello, I have been wondering...

Can you have Insubstantiality with "Partial Change" and "Always On"?

I want a PC capable of attacking physical and insubstantial enemies with an innate attack; however, the PC is similar to a ghost (thus I pick Always On and Partial Change).

Thank you!
- Hide

[weby]

For attacking substantial foes the RAW solution is to add "affects substantial" B102 to the attack that will affect substantial.

[Refplace]

You could also go with Usually On for a ghost who materializes.
Partial Change offsets a lot of the issues with Always On unless its a given body part that is always solid. So it would be something I would look at very carefully.

[Kelly Pedersen]

I think the only way I'd allow the combo of Partial Change and Always On on Insubstantiality would be if part of your body always has to be insubstantial (or solid, if the majority of the rest of the body was insubstantial). I'd call that about the size of a hand, minimum. I would allow another limitation on Insubstantiality if Partial Change only worked on one specific body part, never anything else. "Ghost Hand", meaning you could only change your hand substantial or not, sounds about -50%.

In any case, remember that Partial Change means that the body part is really in the other state - you can punch a ghost, sure, but that pirate ghost can now cut your hand off with her ghost-cutlass too. If all you want to do is attack ghosts, weby's right, Affects Insubstantial on an Innate Attack is the way to go, or Imbuements with Ghostly Weapon if you want to do it with anything you pick up. Only go the Insubstantiality with Partial Change route if you want to be able to actually manipulate the insubstantial world, rather than just attack it.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Hellboy

Would this allow targeting the brain to bypass skull DR by phasing through?

No. I don't believe Partial Change lets you change substantial status fast enough to do so as part of an attack, so if your attack is insubstantial and passes through the skull, it would pass harmlessly through the brain as well. If you want an attack that bypasses DR, you'll have to shell out for Cosmic: Ignores DR on your attack.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Hellboy

Would this allow targeting the brain to bypass skull DR by phasing through? Transdimensional TMNT had something like this.

You would have to pay for the attack, its not a freebie for th defensive power.

[mr beer]

Originally Posted by Refplace

You would have to pay for the attack, its not a freebie for th defensive power.

Exactly this, it's like having the power to teleport objects doesn't give you the ability to teleport objects into people as an attack ("because the atoms overlap, it should explode their insides like a grenade!"), you have to pay for that separately, probably via Innate Attack.

[Hide]

Oh I see, now I understand. The innate attack option with "affects substantial" is just great. Thank you all!

- Hide

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

I think the only way I'd allow the combo of Partial Change and Always On on Insubstantiality would be if part of your body always has to be insubstantial (or solid, if the majority of the rest of the body was insubstantial). I'd call that about the size of a hand, minimum. I would allow another limitation on Insubstantiality if Partial Change only worked on one specific body part, never anything else. "Ghost Hand", meaning you could only change your hand substantial or not, sounds about -50%.
.

What about one part always being insubstantial? Ghost hand can only touch nonmaterial things, material hand can touch substantial things?

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

What about one part always being insubstantial? Ghost hand can only touch nonmaterial things, material hand can touch substantial things?

I'd peg the limitation to transform only a single hand, and always the same one, insubstantial at -60%. You'd still need Partial Change, for +20%, and having it permanently be in that state, no switching, would be Always On, for -50%. So, net -90%, capped at -80%, for 16 points. I think that's about right. Note that with this setup, it's pretty much pointless to buy Can Carry Objects or the 100% version of Partial Change, since those are all about taking objects with you when you switch substantial states, and with this build, there's no switching.