Racial Power Talents for Supers Games

[Christopher R. Rice]

So to elaborate a little, how would you (collectively) feel about a Power Talent (ala GURPS Powers) that included abilities the race was known for and that they could purchase. Obviously, the PM modifier would be -0%, any thoughts or pitfalls I'm overlooking?

[roguebfl]

Have you look at the Biological power source in GURPS Powers [p.26, 175] ?

[Refplace]

Like say ...

• Kryptonian
• Daxamite
• Martian
• Braalian (Cosmic Boy)
• Imsk (Shrinking Violet)

I would say there is precedent enough, though it wont always be a 0% PM

[Phantasm]

I'm with Refplace on this. It won't always be a -0% power modifier, if there are various countermeasures in the setting.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

So to elaborate a little, how would you (collectively) feel about a Power Talent (ala GURPS Powers) that included abilities the race was known for and that they could purchase. Obviously, the PM modifier would be -0%, any thoughts or pitfalls I'm overlooking?

Honestly I'm dubious about getting "being a Martian" as a Talent. That's like getting a Talent at Being Super and I slap people who do that. If the powers of a Martian have some thematic unity with no odd outliers then you can get a Talent with them, sure, but then you should probably use the theme of the powers as their power modifier.

[scc]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

I'm with Refplace on this. It won't always be a -0% power modifier, if there are various countermeasures in the setting.

If the -0% PM is just a stand in to say this is a Power and not an advantage then it's not really a Power, so it should be something OTHER then -0%

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Honestly I'm dubious about getting "being a Martian" as a Talent. That's like getting a Talent at Being Super and I slap people who do that. If the powers of a Martian have some thematic unity with no odd outliers then you can get a Talent with them, sure, but then you should probably use the theme of the powers as their power modifier.

Think of it this way: All of DC's Martians have various shapechanging abilities, flight, superhuman strength, and some other abilities. Some Martians, f'rex J'onn J'onzz and M'gann M'orzz, will naturally be better at these abilities than others of their kind. Assuming that all Martian powers are covered under a single Martian Power, a single Martian Power Talent would be acceptable to cover Disguise, Mimicry (Voice), Aerobatics, and Lifting (among other skills that may not be Power Skills).

However, if the shapeshifting is one Power, and flight and strength another Power, then multiple racial Power Talents may be viable.

Likewise, Marvel's Skrulls have only the shapeshifting power as part of their racial makeup. A Skrull Shapeshifting Talent would be viable for those members who are especially gifted at shapeshifting.

Purely passive abilities (DR, IT:DR) or physical mutations that could be part of a Power may have a -0% power modifier if there are no countermeasures, or -5% if they can be negated through technological or pharmaceutical means, or if they have an Anti-Power, or -10% if there's both a technological/pharmaceutical countermeasure and an Anti-Power. The pharmaceutical negation I like to call Passive Biological as the power source modifier.

Clear as mud?

[Wavefunction]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Honestly I'm dubious about getting "being a Martian" as a Talent. That's like getting a Talent at Being Super and I slap people who do that. If the powers of a Martian have some thematic unity with no odd outliers then you can get a Talent with them, sure, but then you should probably use the theme of the powers as their power modifier.

I don't think there's any problem with it, since the GM specifies the abilities that the races have, and defines which are aided by Talent. They could be completely unconnected, but it wouldn't be exploitable since the GM defines what they were.

It might be a bit iffy if a character said 'I'm playing a race that can blast fire, erect force-fields, and fly, and I want a talent that adds to all of them.' But provided they don't get to dictate it, there's no real problem.

In this case, the thematic unity is 'the powers that all Martians have', for a supers game, that's a valid theme all by itself.

It wouldn't even be too much of a problem for a fantasy game, if the GM is careful to include a range of traits in the racial template, the one for Elves might add to Bow, but all Musical Instrument and Singing, the one for Dwarves might add to Axe and Shield, but also Carousing and Armory.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

So to elaborate a little, how would you (collectively) feel about a Power Talent (ala GURPS Powers) that included abilities the race was known for and that they could purchase. Obviously, the PM modifier would be -0%, any thoughts or pitfalls I'm overlooking?

I just think it'd end up being overpriced at 5/level. That's the only risk I can see.

In theory I could see something like a Catfolk or Felinoid Talent, or a Dwarf Talent, but they tend to have so few innate powers, in most fantasy (or space opera) settings, that 5 points per +1 bonus to using those powers would feel overprived.

The Faeries in my Ärth setting has an innate illusion power, and can learn arcane magic in addition to that same as Humans and Dwarves and others can, but it makes little sense for me to, if I were to write them up in GURPS, to include a Power Talent.

You're talking Supers, of course, rather than fantasy/DF/space opera, but I still can't see how a species in a Supers world can have enough species Powers for such a Talent to be worthhile. That'd be an extremely unusual species.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Wavefunction

I don't think there's any problem with it, since the GM specifies the abilities that the races have, and defines which are aided by Talent. They could be completely unconnected, but it wouldn't be exploitable since the GM defines what they were.

It might be a bit iffy if a character said 'I'm playing a race that can blast fire, erect force-fields, and fly, and I want a talent that adds to all of them.' But provided they don't get to dictate it, there's no real problem.

In this case, the thematic unity is 'the powers that all Martians have', for a supers game, that's a valid theme all by itself.

Actually, that's a worldbuilder decision, not a GM decision.

Originally Posted by Wavefunction

It wouldn't even be too much of a problem for a fantasy game, if the GM is careful to include a range of traits in the racial template, the one for Elves might add to Bow, but all Musical Instrument and Singing, the one for Dwarves might add to Axe and Shield, but also Carousing and Armory.

Species Talents are a significant element in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. But those are Skill Talents. The OP is talking about a different game mechanic, Power Talents.