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Old 10-13-2021, 03:32 PM   #1
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default how do Reflexive and Unconscious Only interact?

Powers 106 and 156-7 contains some overview of how Uncontrollable works... and Powers 119 notable inclusive the combination of Reflexive+40/Uncontrollable-10/UnconsciousOnly-20

Reflexive (P109) is basically the -20 for "Reduced Time" with another -20 for what we might call "doesn't need conscious input". Powers 167 talks about how EITHER of these can allow for using a Power Dodge with switchable abilities that normally require a Ready maneuver to use.

Uncontrollable's basic function is abilities activating (albeit by itself) at undesired times in a period of stress: Unconscious Only makes those the ONLY times it can activate: you can't use the ability when you're not stressed.

It seems like if you have "Unconscious Only" the point to having "Reduced Time" on your Insubstantiality, since it doesn't reduce your maneuver cost (you don't pay a Ready maneuver anyway, the other sentience controlling your power does) would be to reduce the maneuver cost for the other intelligence (subconscious or otherwiuse) to allow a Power Dodge to be done with it. Otherwise there would be a 1-second delay for your Insubstantiality to react to stressful situations.

But what would be the purpose of paying the extra +20% that Reflexive costs atop of Unconscious Only? The "Uncontrollable" aspect seems to already include "my ability switches itself on".

If it's to buy "I don't need to be stressed out to activate my ability" that would seem to ignore taking "Unconscious Only" as a limitation (that Uncontrollability is the only operation).

It seems like we are introducing two pseudo-intelligences here:
1) the pseudo-mind which activates the ability under stressful situations where Insubstantiality might not be particularly useful (example: you have a fear of other people getting hurt, and a loved one is threatened: you might want to stay substantial to be a human shield or to carry them to safety)

2) the pseudo-mind which activates the ability (stressed or not) where you are in danger (example: some assassin trying to shoot you in your sleep)
You get a will roll to prevent "Uncontrollable" activations (stress but not necessarily attack) but it seems like there's no roll to prevent Reflexive activations (attack but not necessarily stress or awareness of being attacked) which could turn out to be a nuisance.

"under attack" could be pretty broad (ie is a mosquito bite an attack? on a technical level...) so I wonder if someone is awake, could they normally react to the ability turning itself on (even if they don't know what it's in response to?) and stop that?

IE can the Reflexive Insubstantial choose to get by a punch?

If that is the case then maybe "my ability is activating in response to an unperceived threat" could be considered a stressful situation which could trigger Uncontrollable? As might "I'm afraid of how this punch will hurt but need to let it hit me to maintain my secret identity" even in situations where you do perceive the threat?

I wondered at first "wait, if it's Unconscious Only, then how do you will yourself substantial again?" but checking B115 it only says "cannot consciously activate your ability" which I think means you can still consciously DEactivate it.

B116 is confusing regarding ongoing abilities though. "After each uncontrolled act, you get another Will roll to control" is simple enough for transient abilities like Jumper (one of the listed examples) but less simple for ongoing abilities like Flight (the other listed example) or Insubstantiality.

If this were a case where you had a finite duration (ie 1 minute intervals if you took Costs Fatigue or Limited Use) then you could assume you're forced into an insubstantial state for 60 seconds before getting a 2nd will roll, but what if you don't have limitations like that?

Maybe the switching-on is actually the "use" and remaining insubstantial is an "effect", so you could just turn it off right away (unless of course you took "Minimum Duration") but every second you remain under stress it'd just keep try to re-activate, requiring more and more will rolls each second?

If you had something like "requires recharge" that seems like it could possible require fewer will rolls since the other intelligence couldn't activate the ability once you turned it off?
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