[Powers] Making Powers Help

[Iskro]

Sorry for the dumb question, but I've tried reading the 4th edition powers book several times now and it's all very confusing to me. I'm going to be running a low power fantasy setting, and one of the character's power is to turn his arm into a spike. Just modifying this single part of his body into a natural weapon, no other benefits. The source is biological. Can someone please help me make this power, and tell me what rolls would be needed for it?

And if later he leveled up and wanted to be able to launch this spike, how would I make that power, and what dice would be rolled for that?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Iskro

Sorry for the dumb question, but I've tried reading the 4th edition powers book several times now and it's all very confusing to me. I'm going to be running a low power fantasy setting, and one of the character's power is to turn his arm into a spike. Just modifying this single part of his body into a natural weapon, no other benefits. The source is biological. Can someone please help me make this power, and tell me what rolls would be needed for it?

And if later he leveled up and wanted to be able to launch this spike, how would I make that power, and what dice would be rolled for that?

I'd do that as Impaling Striker (Limb, Arm, -20%; Temporary Disadvantage, One Arm, -15%) [6] and then launching the spike would be Impaling Attack (Temporary Disadvantage, One Arm, -15%) [6.8/per die], perhaps treating the Stirker as a Alternate Ability of the Innate Attack.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I'd do that as Impaling Striker (Limb, Arm, -20%; Temporary Disadvantage, One Arm, -15%) [6] and then launching the spike would be Impaling Attack (Temporary Disadvantage, One Arm, -15%) [6.8/per die], perhaps treating the Stirker as a Alternate Ability of the Innate Attack.

Pretty much this!

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If you want to understand Powers, it's really, really useful to grasp that its technical terminology defines something like the above as an "ability" (more precisely, two abilities or a set of alternative abilities). A "power" isn't a specific capability of this kind – or really a concrete item at all – but rather an abstract framework for tying together abilities that have similar origins and drawbacks (via a "power modifier"), and that benefit from a single aptitude (a "Talent"). Much of the confusion that others have had about Powers comes from seeing the word "power" on the page but interpreting it to mean what the book defines as "ability." You don't even need a power to have an ability; powers only matter if you have lots of related abilities that the GM wants to tie to some game-world concept such as magic, psi, or superscience.