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Old 09-28-2013, 08:47 AM   #1
Peter Knutsen
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Default General model for learned control of inborn supernatural abilities

Power Control is a Skill with 8 levels (8th indicating that grand mastery has been achieved and no further learning can happen), particular to each Power (e.g. you have Power Control: Necromantic Power, Power Control: Divine Healer, and so forth). The idea is to simulate, over time, how characters gradually gain improved control over their inborn Powers, with this gain of control being able to have happened entirely during character creation, or entirely during play, or some of each.

This model is for active use type Powers, rather than for Passive Powers that are primarily about Sensing or Detecting something (including so-called Quasi-Psionic Powers, such as Danger Sense, Empathy and Intuition) or Item Creation Powers. QPs and other Passives don't involve learned control, and Item Creation Powers need their own much simpler learned-component four-dimensional progression system.

At each skill level, 2 Benefits out of a total list of 16 are chosen, the order of these having been pre-chosen during character creation by the player. Each benefit removes a "gimp" from the Power, making it more useable in a particular way.

I'm considering various options for shaping the learning curve of this kind of Skill (including one that involves 16 mini-Skill levels so that Benefits are gained 1 at a time, avoiding the "lumpy feel" of D&D-shaped character or class level advancement). I may write a post about that on the FFRE-discussion mailing list in a day or two, but right now I am primarily interested in hearing if there are any cool, nifty or potentially dramatic gimps that I have overlooked.

Skill levels
1. Pick 2 benefits
2. Pick 2 more benefits
3. Pick 2 more benefits
4. Pick 2 more benefits
5. Pick 2 more benefits
6. Pick 2 more benefits
7. Pick 2 more benefits
8. You get the last 2 benefits

Benefits sometimes come in "ladders" where one is obviously the prerequisite for another, and these prerequisites must be respected. Furthermore, 2 benefits from the same ladder may not be chosen for the same Skill level, except in cases where there are no other options left (irrelevant options, that give no benefit in the case of a particular Power, can be ignored), which may occur when the character is close to the maximum Skill level.

Note that the order of Benefits below is not advisory in nature, except insofar as Benefits that have prerequisites are always listed immediately after the Benefits that are their prerequisites. It may indeed often be a good idea to take the Full Power Benefit fairly early, at Skill level 1 or 2, for instance, even though it is listed last.

1. Reduced Inefficiency
2. Removed inefficiency
3. Improved fine control
4. Great fine control
5. Impact not weak
6. Semi-natural use
7. Natural use
8. unGimped Range
9. Can use MP abilities
10. Can use UP abilities
11. Better Sensing I
12. Better Sensing II
13. Milder Fumbles
14. Better Focusing
15. Reduced Effort
16. Full Power

Also note that for some Powers, some Benefits are completely irrelevant, in which case they can and should be skipped. This means that for some Powers, the maximum Power Control Skill level is 7 or even 6, or perhaps in some cases 5.

[description of Benefits moved from here to a reply post, due to lack of space]

I might have liked to include some kind of Reduced Item Dependency and Removed Item Dependency Benefits, but that fits some Powers (such as Divine Powers, where the Item is a sanctified Holy symbol) less badly than it fits many other Powers (Item Dependency makes very little sense for a Royal Power, Bardic Power or Virgin Power, or even Lunar Power).

Besides, I'm not particularly sure Item Dependency even fits well for Divine Powers. I'm not visualizing Jesus of Nazareth wielding (or even touching) a cross or (more plausibly) a star of David, when he performed his very first miracle, as a child or a young teenager (or whenever it was - for Ärth's version of Jesus, it was probably never documented except in very obscure and profoundly heretical apocrypha).

Still, it makes sense in some contexts, including more "crystal-based" world envisionings of how psionics are shaped... Or for that matter Julian May's Pliocene torcs, although in that world achieving Item Independency is a massive boon, and should be much more than just a two-step process (here, Sagatafl's Mysticism/Slot rules could be apt).
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Old 09-28-2013, 08:48 AM   #2
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: General model for learned control of inborn supernatural abilities

1. Reduced Inefficiency
Before: All normal active uses of the Power costs 4 times as many Power Points as normal. If you cannot afford the increased POP cost of a usage, you can never attempt it (notice that this primarily affects so-called low-tier Powers, which have relatively few POP but regenerate them fairly fast).
Benefit: All normal active uses of the Power costs twice as many POP as normal.

2. Removed inefficiency
Before: All normal active uses of the Power costs twice as many POP as normal.
Benefit: All normal active uses of the Power costs the normal POP amount.

3. Improved fine control
Before: You have very little fine control of your Power. It is a blunt instrument (which for some Powers, and for some situations, isn't a problem at all, while for other Powers, or in some situations, prevents or thwarts many otherwise very gainful usages). Mostly it is a roleplay thing, handled by the GM, but if it matters, then you function as if you have a Power Precision stat, for this Power, of 0d12, which translates to 1d12 +1 Roll Dificulty, as per the usual rule for rolling zero dice.
Benefit: You now have some degree of fine control, and your Power is no longer a very blunt instrument. When it matters, your Power Precision stat is 2d12.

4. Great fine control
Before: You have some degree of fine control over your Power. It is no longer a very blunt instrument, and when it matters, you have a Power Precision stat of 2d12.
Benefit: You have a great degree of fine control over your Power. You can now wield it as a precision instrument when you wish, and when it matters you have a Power Precision stat of 4d12.

5. Impact not weak
Before: Your Power's effect has reduced "oomph". If it causes damage, the damage die is reduced (e.g. from 1d8 per Success to 1d6/S), if it can exert a physical force (such as a telekinetic Strength stat, or an amount of mass that can be levitated or pushed) then that force is reduced (a Strength stat is 2 lower, a mass rating is reduced by 2/3). If there is a Saving Throw for some or all types of targets of this Power, the Roll Difficulty is lowered by 2. If your Power has a Power Effect Strength roll, then its RD is increased by 2.
Benefit: Your Power's effect has its full "oomph". Its damage effect is unreduced, any physical force it may be able to exert is unreduced, and any Saving Throw that the target may make is unmodified. If your Power has a Power Effect Strenth roll, then its RD is unmodified.

6. Semi-natural use
Before: You must devote your full mental energies to using the Power. If you try to do something physical (such as walk) or verbal (such as speak a short sentence), you must make a Mental Bandwidth Saving Throw vs RD 10, raised or lowered depending on how demanding your other activity is (e.g. speaking a couple of long sentenes would be at least RD 11, maybe even RD 12). If this save is a Partial, your Power fizzles out. If the save fails, you must roll on the Power's Fumble Table.
Benefit: Your default Mental Bandwidth Saving Throw for this Power is now RD 8. The GM might want to allow the player to skip the roll if the modified RD is very low, such as 4 or maybe 5.

7. Natural use
Before: Mental Bandwidth Save RD is 8.
Benefit: Mental Bandwidth Save RD is 6. The GM should usually allow the player to skip the roll if the final RD modifier is negative, meaning a bonus, lowering the RD to 5 or less, as the dramatic potential is minimal.


8. unGimped Range
Before: Power usages that have a Range of Touch instead require Close Touch, meaning you must more or less embrace the target in a fairly intimate fashion (which is likely to make the target suspicious and/or uncomfortable, and might well trigger some Animosity, such as Homophobia, in the target or in any onlookers, or other Flaws (perhaps some flavour of sexual jealousy) or impulses).
Power usages that have a Range greater than Touch, or a Range Increment, now have a Range of (non-Close) Touch, although you can use them at 1/10 their normal Range (or RI) if you expend double Effort (roll on the Effort Table for the Power, using the Double modifier or Double rule) and pay triple the normal POP usage cost (this tripling is cumulative with the normal tripling or doubling of POP cost, above, if you lack certain other Benefits).
Benefit: Power usages are all at the stated Range or RI, and do not require Effort. Depending on what your Power is about, you may be able to expend Effort to increase the Range or RI beyond the normal value, as per the normal rules for doing so.

9. Can use MP abilities
Before: You are advised not to choose to try to use Power abilities that cost Megapower Points. If you do so anyway, you pay twice the MP cost (you must have sufficient MP, else you can't attempt this) and you have a 50% chance of your ability fizzling, the MP having been wasted.
This has no effect on non-ability uses of Megapower Points, such as spending 1 MP to recharge your normal POP (that still costs only 1 MP), nor does it affect using MP to boost your POP-based abilities in terms of Range, RI or Duration (that still costs the normal MP), except in cases where MP expenditure renders the effect permanent (then it costs double MP, and has a 50% chance of fizzling so that the effect isn't permanent after all).
Benefit: You are free to use Power abilities that cost Megapower Points.
Note that if your Power has no abilities or usages that cost MP, or if your Power Level is so low that you won't ever gain any MP or any such abilities, you can skip this step.

10. Can use UP abilities
Before: As above, but with abilities that cost Ultrapower Points to use (such as Resurrect Dead or Early Sunrise), plus you are even more strongly advised not to attempt to use them.
As above, this has no effect on non-ability uses of Ultrapower Points, such as spending 1 UP to recharge your MP up to their max value. That still costs only 1 UP and has 0% chance of fizzling out.
Benefit: You are free to use Power abilities that cost Ultrapower Points.
Note that if your Power has no abilities or usages that cost UP, or if your Power Level is so low that you won't ever gain any UP or any such abilities, you can skip this step.

11. Better Sensing I
Before: If your Power has one or more Sensing abilities, such as Sense Holy/unHoly or Detect Fire & Heat, each Sensing Ability has its own Sense or Perception stat of 1d12. If your Power has no such abilities, then can and you should skip this Benefit.
Benefit: Each Sensing ability that your Power has (many have none, or only one) is improved to 3d12.

12. Better Sensing II
Before: Sensing abilities are all 3d12.
Benefit: Sending abilities are all 5d12.

13. Milder Fumbles
Before: Apply the Worse Fumbles modifer whenever you roll on the Power Fumble Table for this Power.
Benefit: Don't apply the Worse Fumbles modifier.

14. Better Focusing
Before: Whenever your Power requires you to perform a Meditate or Concentrate Timed Maneuver, you must use half a Time Scale Step longer time, e.g. 2 Hours instead of 1 Hour (the same goes in case of any oddball Power that requires an Observe Timed Maneuver). If you most focus mentally or something, and must make Will rolls to ignore distractions, your RD is increased by 2. Other rolls of the same type should be similarly penalized. Flaw rolls have their RD reduced by 2 (making them *more* likely to trigger) for very pertinent Flaws, and -1 RD for peripherally relevant Flaws.
Benefit: Your Meditate/Concentrate times are not increased, and your Will rolls and other rolls of that type to ignore distractions are not increased, nor are your Flaw roll RDs modified.
Please note that this has nothing to do with Focus items, which pertain to Spellcasting.

15. Reduced Effort
Before: Whenever you expend Effort to boost your Power, in any of the ways that it can be boosted, you apply your Power's special rules for Effort, rather than its normal rules.
Benefit: You apply your Power's normal rules for Effort.

16. Full Power
Before: Your Power functions as if its Power Level is 2 lower than the value you bought, during character creation (with DP), but to a minimum of PL2. This bars you from all the benefits of your full (bought) PL, including access to niftier usages and a higher Power Effect Strength roll. Note that if you only bought PL2, you can skip this Benefit.
Benefit: Your Power functions as its full Power Level.
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Old 10-01-2013, 01:19 PM   #3
MatthewVilter
 
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Default Re: General model for learned control of inborn supernatural abilities

What game system is this for?
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Old 10-02-2013, 11:08 AM   #4
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: General model for learned control of inborn supernatural abilities

Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewVilter View Post
What game system is this for?
It's for Sagatafl, my homebrew RPG design.
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Old 10-02-2013, 11:39 AM   #5
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Default Re: General model for learned control of inborn supernatural abilities

Well I (obviously) don't know the system. I will say that it seems like you would want a somewhat different list for each power. Maybe have one big list of benefits and then have different list/tree for each power?
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Old 10-02-2013, 03:05 PM   #6
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: General model for learned control of inborn supernatural abilities

Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewVilter View Post
Well I (obviously) don't know the system. I will say that it seems like you would want a somewhat different list for each power. Maybe have one big list of benefits and then have different list/tree for each power?
That may be necessary, but I hope it won't be. At least I'm hoping I'll be able to create a general-purpose system for active inborn type Powers.
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Old 10-02-2013, 04:04 PM   #7
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Default Re: General model for learned control of inborn supernatural abilities

Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen View Post
That may be necessary, but I hope it won't be. At least I'm hoping I'll be able to create a general-purpose system for active inborn type Powers.
If that is your goal then it's probably doable (and this seems like a good start). You will just always have some oddities (like with Better Sensing).
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