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Old 07-28-2017, 03:03 AM   #1
Pentaclegram
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Default Character Limitations & General Questions

Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster, yadda yadda. This is the first time I've been sufficiently stumped by a rules problem to ask for help from the experts.

Basically, I'm building a magical girl style character, complete with transformation sequence, but I'm having a lot of issues figuring out how the limitations on her powers would work. She's a normal girl most of the time, but gains a bunch of advantages after her transformation.

The problem is what limitations to use, and how to group up all the powers. My first thought was to tie them all together with the Link enhancement, but then the issue becomes which limitations apply to which powers?

For example, I wanted to have a running Energy Reserve cost while she's powered up, to indicate that she runs out of gas after a while. So I Link all her advantages together, and then what? Slap the Costs Fatigue limitation on one of the powers, or all of them? It seems to me like putting Costs Fatigue (2) on each one would mean it costs 2 extra FP for each advantage, which is a bunch. But if I don't put it on each advantage, then the point totals don't reflect their actual limitations. To clarify, all the advantages in question are passive, like Extra ST or DX.

The problem is even more confusing for active abilities that also cost fatigue. If her magic blast or whatever costs 4 fatigue per use, but can't be used unless she is using her other linked advantages, which have a fatigue cost, what is the limitation there supposed to look like?


Another question I had was much more general. This is my first time building a character over 150 points, so I wanted to know some general guidelines to the power level. For a 3-400 point supers character that's meant to be a melee lightning bruiser, how much damage/DR/HP is expected? Any sort of range would be really appreciated, as I've got no idea what I should be sitting at for combat stats, what is overkill, or what is too low.

For reference, this character currently does 8d+1 cut with her melee, with 60 ablative DR for beef, and 35DR active defense force field to stay alive. Is that too much for 350 points? Too little? Far too little? I've no experience at this power level, and I can't seem to dig up any sample or player-made characters at this point value for reference.


Anyways, thanks for your time.
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Old 07-28-2017, 03:32 AM   #2
Nereidalbel
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ellicott City, MD
Default Re: Character Limitations & General Questions

Make two character sheets. One is the magical girl with whatever your point budget is, and the other is a normal human with Alternate Form: Magical Girl. This also gives you a cleaner looking character sheet in play.
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Old 07-28-2017, 06:00 AM   #3
Anders
 
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Default Re: Character Limitations & General Questions

You don't need to Link all the advantages together, just the ones you intend to combine into one power. Drawing from an Energy Reserve is a special effect so it's no extra cost. I would add Costs Fatigue to the most expensive advantage you have linked together, but I don't know if that is RAW.
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Old 07-28-2017, 06:51 AM   #4
Harald387
 
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Default Re: Character Limitations & General Questions

For guidelines on power levels, have a look at GURPS Supers and its "Power Levels" guidelines on p.18. The point level you're talking about is probably going to slot into I-Scale - and the abilities you've described fit into that scale reasonably well, being about mid range across the board.
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Old 07-28-2017, 07:01 AM   #5
Anaraxes
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Default Re: Character Limitations & General Questions

Link is used to activate several abilities together as one action during a single turn, because they're really one ability.

I agree that a magical girl would usually just have an Alternate Form. (This, the werewolf, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are probably the textbook examples of AF.) The Alternate Form version of the character, built with its own separate budget, has all the abilities (however they're built), but they're likely not Linked to each other. The "normal girl" form might have a few abilities, if that's the way the character works. In that case, just put that ability on both character sheets.
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Old 07-28-2017, 01:53 PM   #6
Pentaclegram
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Default Re: Character Limitations & General Questions

You know, I've never even noticed the Alternative Form trait before, and you're right, it seems to be about perfect. I guess I need to study the Basic set more thoroughly... Well, thanks for the help, everyone!
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