[Advantage Help] Less Amazing Force Constructs

[DingoSoulEater]

Hey All,

I'm struggling with making an ability for a point cost that seems reasonable for what one will get out of it; and wondering if anyone had any ideas, or refinements or thoughts on my own.

The Ability
The character has a natural ability to conjure, sculpt, and control a magical material to create physical objects. These objects are lasting, but the character has a set limit to how much can be conjured simultaneously.

This is limited heavily, however, by the following factors;
- The object made must be structurally simple to create or emulate with a mallaeable material (rigid melee weapons, clothing); or thoroughly understood by its owner that they could craft it normally (a rifle if they possessed sufficient Armoury [Small Arms], a Lockpick if they possessed sufficient Machining). This could just be done with a limitation that requires, at GM discretion, either a simple IQ test; or an appropriate IQ-based skill?
- The object can only be made of set, conjured variants of materials (reduced DR, HP, Weight)
- The objects count against a total, currently arbitrary, limit (could be 'complexity' as represented by the item's wealth; could be mass; could be volume; could be limited by non-regenerating Energy Reserve, etc)

Other limitations on this are easy to stat so only listed briefly;
Costs Energy Reserve; Takes Extra Time; Requires All-Out.

The Options
On one hand I considered Snatcher; but Snatcher comes with some hefty base costs and modifier costs to obtain some of the perks - and given the limited usefulness of many of the potential creations (firearms would be too brittle to fire any but the most under-powered of loads; barriers could be broken in seconds; armour would be thick and cumbersome long before being useful, etc), seems excessively expensive for what is more of a 'tool kit' ability.
On another, I considered Cosmic Modular Abilities to create, of all things, Signature Gear, in this case pairing the 'limit' to the item's physical worth (which could be handwavium'd to 'complexity') by virtue of each point of Signature Gear being worth 10% of the campaign's starting / base wealth.
The last I considered Gizmos, but the overall X/Day usage and other details about it seemed to make me think I was well off the mark on that one.


Does anyone have any thoughts on what they feel would be the best way to pull this off? If any?

[Kax]

Originally Posted by DingoSoulEater

Hey All,

I'm struggling with making an ability for a point cost that seems reasonable for what one will get out of it; and wondering if anyone had any ideas, or refinements or thoughts on my own.

The Ability
The character has a natural ability to conjure, sculpt, and control a magical material to create physical objects. These objects are lasting, but the character has a set limit to how much can be conjured simultaneously.

<snipped>

Illusion, with the mods that allow it to be physical in various ways from here: http://www.ravensnpennies.com/2016/0...l#.WWVi3jqweHt

[DingoSoulEater]

I had a look at illusions and I couldn't quite get it to work - largely due to the detail of objects being physical and real, rather than fakes; it works fine as long as said objects are only used by the caster, but providing simple tools to allies out of fabricated materials, providing makeshift, temporary clothing to civilians or the like was limited.

That said, I've Tried to coax Create and Control to my service, seeing that these attributes actually.. Match it well. Somehow I missed these attributes; but if someone can tell me if I'm doing something wrong it'd be greatly appreciated.

Mana Constructs
Create (Solid Mana Constructs {Magesteel, Magefiber}; Small Group) 15
- Linked +20% {Control}
- Magical -10%
- Cannot Create Wealth; Effective Max of 10CP at once -10%**
- Takes Extra Time II -20%
- = 15.75 [16]

Control (Solid Mana Constructs {Magesteel & Magefiber}) 10
- Linked +20% {Create}
- Costs 1 FP -5%
- Takes Extra Time II -20%
- Magical -10%
- Only matter created with Create -40%
- Cosmic, Rule Exception {No extra time to create complex objects} +50%
- = 8.5 [9]

Create After concentrating for 4 seconds; the character can create 10lb of magically conjured metal or fiber, costing 2 FP and requiring a successful IQ roll. This matter lasts for 10 seconds, however up to 100% of the campaign's starting wealth can be maintained perpetually at any given time. All material dissipates immediately in a Low Magic zone, and can be dispelled with a successful Dispel Magic vs IQ roll.

Control By concentrating for 4 seconds; the character can alter up to 10lb of a mass of magically conjured metal or fiber into any simple shape, or with a successful crafting role appropriate to the resulting object, any physical object. This can only influence the caster's own magically created materials, not those of other magicians or magical creatures.

** By default this ability requires a seperate Creation Pool to sustain creations, however Powers mentions in a game where economics is unimportant, these costs could be waived in exchange for a vow / GM Pact not to use it to create wealth. At these goods are made of an obviously magical material that is therefore transient; these items couldn't be used to make or acquire wealth as none would buy it, thus deemed it an appropriate limitation (with a 0pt 'quirk' to limit its total usage to effectively 10CP worth of creation anyway).