GURPS Power-Ups 4: Enhancements

[Kromm]

The basics can work
But some powers just have to
Go to eleven

— Some hack

After a bit of a pause in the GURPS release schedule and the GURPS Power-Ups series, e23 is proud to present GURPS Power-Ups 4: Enhancements. Jason "PK" Levine brings you the first volume in the series by an author other than Yours Truly – and he really powers things up! Inside is an expanded treatment of enhancements that rivals even GURPS Powers. You get scads of new general and attack enhancements, of course . . . but that's not all. Other contents include:

• extensive detail on the Cosmic enhancement, including many new versions
• alternative and declining enhancements that allow abilities to change dynamically
• meta-enhancements
• rules for enhancing "innate" scores such as active defenses and ST-based damage
• new special enhancements for Affliction

And since we would never sell something this powerful without suitable instructions, there's also plenty of advice to accompany all this stuff. Whether you're a player looking for a new trick to defeat your PC's old nemesis, or a GM trying trying to keep the lid on a high-powered game, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements is sure to enhance your gaming experience.

[Refplace]

It is a very good book.

[Mark Skarr]

Why does the cool stuff that I want always come out when I'm broke. Oh well, I had a little bit to grab it. I'll have time to read it, tonight, at work, when it goes dead.

[Refplace]

152 downloads already.
Most of the talk about this was started in other threads, see Cosmic defenses and Alternative Enhancements for example.
I have a message for this one and a question.
The question is "Will you use or do you see the ST and Melee based enhancements replacing Imbuements?"
The message is there was a lot of cool stuff in this issue but one that I noted and was especially happy to see was the Density Increase and Slower Move enhancements for Afflictions and side effects.
Finally there is a way to build density increasing powers in GURPS!
Now do I need to repeat the question?


PS:Yes that was a silly reference, feeling that way today.

[zoncxs]

Originally Posted by Refplace

152 downloads already.
...
The question is "Will you use or do you see the ST and Melee based enhancements replacing Imbuements?"
...

I don't think so,sure you can now add enhancements to your unarmed strikes and stuff but it cost anywhere from 3pts to 40pts+, the upside is not needing to pay FP for it, the down side is that if you want to add another effect you need to build it as such. if you want to use it like imbuements then each effect must also have link +20% so you can use them together if you want to. also note that adding ranged to your unarmed attack is not allowed by the book normally. though I would allow it with the follow-up +50% (making it +90% enhancement to allow it). Not only that but you don't have to recalculate imbuements when your ST goes up. using the enhancment versions require you to buy them at a certain lvl, if your thrust damage is 3d then you buy enhancements for a 3d crushing attack and do the math, but if your ST goes up and your thrust turns to 3d+2 your old enhancement is only good for up to 3d.

for example, adding ranged (with the cosmic follow up to allow it) cost 11pts on a person who's thrusting ST is 3d.

if his dmg was 3d+2 it would cost 17pts!

so, even though enhancements are a great tool now its not as flexible and doesn't have that "variable" like imbuements (which I love).

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by zoncxs

If you want to use it like imbuements then each effect must also have link +20% so you can use them together if you want to. also note that adding ranged to your unarmed attack is not allowed by the book normally.

No, you don't. That's mentioned nowhere in the book, and doesn't really make sense for enhancements. At worst, you might have to pay for Selectivity +10% (on the assumed cost of your ST-based damage or whatever) so that you can always decide which enhancements are in effect and which are not.

[zoncxs]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

No, you don't. That's mentioned nowhere in the book, and doesn't really make sense for enhancements. At worst, you might have to pay for Selectivity +10% (on the assumed cost of your ST-based damage or whatever) so that you can always decide which enhancements are in effect and which are not.

I know its not in the book saying "use link". but when you want to ba able to use certain things together then you need link, its why it was created (so you can use X and Y together).

lets use the example in the book, kaytee has the armor divisor enhancement for 28pts

she then buys Affects Insubstantial which is a separate enhancement, who's cost is 3pts

you now have 2 separate abilities that enhance your power but from what I understand its like you have 2 separate innate attacks with the ST based mod on it. can you use 2 separate innate attacks at the same time without link? unless its meant to be seen as all one thing which would need Selectivity which raises the cost by a few points (2 for the above example). where as imbuements has all that in it. and again there is a lot of things you can not add using the enhancements that you can do with imbuements (explosions for one).

and now that I think about it, its the same difference, if they are meant to be used all together then you add Selectivity, if they are all separate then add link.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by zoncxs

I know its not in the book saying "use link". but when you want to ba able to use certain things together then you need link, its why it was created (so you can use X and Y together).

No, Link was created so you can activate two abilities that require an action to activate together. Critical distinction, because all kinds of things can be used together already since many are always on, or can be activated as a free action (sometimes at a significant penalty to a die roll of course, or only after having Reduced Time applied to them).

Doesn't make much of a difference here, as enhancing a weapon or unarmed attack is exactly like putting enhancements on an innate attack - the enhancements don't have to be activated to be used (unless you've limited the enhancements themselves). If you want them to be mutually exclusive, there's a limitation for that, called Exclusivity.

[zoncxs]

Originally Posted by Bruno

No, Link was created so you can activate two abilities that require an action to activate together. Critical distinction, because all kinds of things can be used together already since many are always on, or can be activated as a free action (sometimes at a significant penalty to a die roll of course, or only after having Reduced Time applied to them).

Doesn't make much of a difference here, as enhancing a weapon or unarmed attack is exactly like putting enhancements on an innate attack - the enhancements don't have to be activated to be used (unless you've limited the enhancements themselves). If you want them to be mutually exclusive, there's a limitation for that, called Exclusivity.

that makes more sense now!

[Astromancer]

When I am less broke, this and Power-ups 3, will be bought. Then I'll take some of these to Ditto's and make easily readable books out of them.