[Pyramid] Replacing Claws and Teeth with Natural Weapons

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Whether it takes a Ready or not is based on if its the same kind of power.
So swapping between attacks is a Free Action,
but so would swapping say sensory powers,
or at least Detects,

P11

To change settings requires a Ready maneuver.
After switching to an attack,
switching to a different attack is a free action.

PP54

the additional second of delay built into alternative abilities that aren’t attacks

PU8p8

To change out a slot requires a Ready maneuver.
After switching to an attack,
switching to a different attack in that slot is a free action.

I can't seem to find which book may have amended this to include free-action Detect swaps, do you recall?

Chinese Elemental Powers seems to have contrary evidence:
CEP21 "Inner Awareness" is a form of Detect (Chi)
CEP33 "Inner Discrimination" is another form (has Analyzing w/ Requires Preparation)
"You may take a Ready maneuver to switch between the two abilities"

Can't say I really understand why you'd pay 38 points for these as alternate ablities though...
Doing a limited enhancement "Prep Required Analyzing +80%" would cost 16 extra points to IA's 18: a total of 34...

But then I guess you'd need Selectivity +5% too, which would cost 1 more point (so you could turn Analyzing on and off, to turn Prep Required on and off) for a total of 35.

That still saves 3 points though. Am I missing something here?

[Sorenant]

I use KYOS so the Increased Damage and Swing-Capable are not really a problem in my games. The player that used it most did so with a "arcane weapon master" sort of character that could conjure up weapons of pure magic, using multiple natural weapons as alternative abilities, and he only used the two enhancements to adjust the damage value of said weapons to match its mundane (albeit fine) counterpart.
Even if that were not the case, I don't think those enhancements would be any more troublesome than DR, Innate Attack and Striking ST, it just requires some GM oversight.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Plane

P11

To change settings requires a Ready maneuver.
After switching to an attack,
switching to a different attack is a free action.

I just checked Power Ups 8 and Powers and didn't see it so might be a Kromm quote. I am sure I read it somewhere but no need to take my word for it.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Refplace

I just checked Power Ups 8 and Powers and didn't see it so might be a Kromm quote. I am sure I read it somewhere but no need to take my word for it.

Could be hidden somewhere in a later book or the forums, yeah, will keep an eye out.

I always thought it would be reasonable to allow buying "Reduced Time" on all underlying abilities solely dedicated to this, to allow it to make that a free action.

Possibly even something cheaper with it only being a -5% limitation on Ammo Options (PU4) to req a ready to swap between piercing types.

[Anthony]

My assumption is that changing between alternate abilities means you immediate have the other ability, but it is off, and thus you will need to use a ready action to turn it on. As innate attacks don't require an action to turn on, they switch immediately. That also means you can use Reduced Time to eliminate the ready action.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Anthony

My assumption is that changing between alternate abilities means you immediate have the other ability, but it is off, and thus you will need to use a ready action to turn it on.

I think it seems like a fair requirement that AA only be allowed for switchable abilities and that it requires turning the ability off first before switching away from it, which also means the new one begins in an off state and must be turned on.

If we didn't do that then AA could be a very cheap way to get around "takes a long time to turn on or off" abilities like Shapeshifting (use AA to ignore the 10 second requirement) instead of buying Reduced Time.

Originally Posted by Anthony

As innate attacks don't require an action to turn on, they switch immediately.
That also means you can use Reduced Time to eliminate the ready action.

As-written the 'Ready to Swap' policy seems like it would apply to "free action" abilities like Mind Shield though.

So even though Mind Shield is already free-action switchable (there's no incentive to buy Reduced Time for it) maybe it should require buying Reduced Time for it to allow a free-action swap-to or swap-from like an attack?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Plane

As-written the 'Ready to Swap' policy seems like it would apply to "free action" abilities like Mind Shield though.

So even though Mind Shield is already free-action switchable (there's no incentive to buy Reduced Time for it) maybe it should require buying Reduced Time for it to allow a free-action swap-to or swap-from like an attack?

Eh, placing defensive abilities in alternate abilities is already not very efficient, I probably wouldn't be concerned.