Modular Abilities and Alternate Abilities

[Anders]

When do I use what? In most cases AA would probably be cheaper, but I assume there's still a niche market for Modular Abilities.

[Nereidalbel]

AA if you know exactly what you want to do; MA if you intend to improvise.

[The Benj]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

AA if you know exactly what you want to do; MA if you intend to improvise.

That's about the size of it. Modular lets you do a very wide variety of stuff, but AA is much cheaper.

[McAllister]

To be a little more specific:

Modular Abilities costs somewhere between 2 and 5 points per point (I'm ignoring the per-slot cost). That means, for the same price, I could either get a 50 point MA, or I could get a 50 point ability and 5-25 AAs.

So, if reconfiguring your MA is slow, expensive and subject to outside interference (the criteria for paying 2 points per slot), you have to ask yourself, am I going use more than 6 different abilities in this MA? Because otherwise I can save myself a lot of hassle by going for AAs.

If reconfiguring your MA is more convenient than the sample above, it has to contend with even more AAs. This typically makes MA look like a really bad deal... right up until it gives you the solution to a problem you never thought you'd have.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by McAllister

If reconfiguring your MA is more convenient than the sample above, it has to contend with even more AAs. This typically makes MA look like a really bad deal... right up until it gives you the solution to a problem you never thought you'd have.

Which is why the most expensive one is 10 points per point in your MA pool. If you buy that, you'd better have some serious imagination going!

[McAllister]

For the record, I was using the guidelines in Powers, and I'm pretty sure the Cosmic MA ignores those guidelines. I'd use Cosmic MA if I had 1,000 points left over after building a demigod and was too lazy to spend them better... and that's about the only time.

[MagnetoHydroDynamics]

Modular abilities work well to model "cantrip" superpowers.

I am working on a power concept based around having a ridiculous amount of small powers (and subsequently using them for maximum game-breaking effect.)

With the "Physical +50%" enhancement, a lengthy catalogue (6 points per slot) and switching abilities taking upwards of a minute of concentration and up to half an hour before they come "on line" (takes time, 5 points per MA point,) a power limitation "Super power -10%" and some other stuff like "Unreliable (inexact) -30%" and "Super powers only -10%" and multiplicative modifiers the price is quite fair.

It enables the character to have a number of probability manipulation abilities, a number of odd combat powers, charisma and chamelion, improved physique and many, many, many other abilities.

[Anders]

Ok. That's clearer. The more restricted the set of possible powers is, the better Alternate Abilities fits.

[the_matrix_walker]

Note that if you're nit-picky, The rule is "Alternative Abilities" not "Alternate".

While everyone knows what you mean, using the proper terminology will help people with similar questions find threads like this when searching the board for answers.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Note that if you're nit-picky, The rule is "Alternative Abilities" not "Alternate".

While everyone knows what you mean, using the proper terminology will help people with similar questions find threads like this when searching the board for answers.

*shrug*

I actually originally used Alternative, but discovered that the tag was Alternate so I went with that.