Bestowing Personality-based Powers

[Coinage]

I was wondering if anyone has any idea on how an entity could bestow superpowers based on a person's personality. Examples off the top of my headI have seen are the Hulk and other Gamma-based superheroes, Warren Ellis's comic book No Hero, and the Persona video game series.

I already think of having a version of Modular Abilities (B71), with Enhancements: any Mental or Physical [+100%] (B71), any Social [+50%] (P63), and Limitations: Limited, "Affliction, Advantage, Super-Powers", [-30%] (P64).

The Modular Abilities would be limited to Affliction [10/lvl] (B35) with the Limitation: Extended Duration, Permanent, no way to end the effect [+300%] (B104).

I am wondering, however, what the cost of the limitation so that the Advantage afflicted is limited to something regarding the person's personality.

In addition, I would probably have the targeted characters each take some sort of Mental or Physical Quirk or Disadvantage, which would influence what kind of power they get. For example, like having a Phobia (B148) or something.

[the_matrix_walker]

I would first build your basic Affliction, with everything but the "Added Advantage" enhancement.

Then take a Cosmic Modular Ability with the limitation "Only to add Added Advantage Enhancements to Affliction" or you can use the variable enhancement rules in PU 4: Enhancements (as a limited enhancement, Added Advantage enhancements only) to add to the Affliction.

Note that you are only modifying a single Affliction, so you do not need social. If your Affliction is a Malediction, you do not need Physical, as the power you are modifying is Mental, and if it is not a Meldiction, you only need Physical Only, +50% to modify your physical Affliction.

As for the limitation of the power being accompanied by a disadvantage, you can make a meta-trait based on adding the advantage to the disadvantage to afflict or include it in the power as a "Required Disadvantage" which will give you some points back, similar to a pact.

And if you do not want control over the results, that sounds like its own custom limitation along the lines of "uncontrollable+unconscious only" and will likely just be a judgement call, but I'd probably place it at about -30%

[Coinage]

Here is what I have:

-Affliction, Advantage 1 [10 / lvl = 10] (B35)
Enhancements
--Advantage, 500 points [+10% per point the advantage is worth, + 5000% = 500] (B36)
--Mental and Physical [+100% = +10] (B71)
--Permanent, cannot be removed [300% + 30] (B104)
--Variable Enhancement [x10 = 100] (PU4, p. 5)

Limitations:
--Accessibility: Advantages given must all be in response to pre-existing Mental and/or Physical Disadvantages [-50% = -5] (PU8, p. 4)
--Accessibility: Only once a year [-60% =-6] (PU8, p. 4)
Total: 644


The price for the Advantage was around 500 was chosen because it is the cost of various templates from GURPS Supers, namely the Biomorph [500], Blaster [500], Improviser [500], Kinetic [500], Man Plus [500], Mesmerist [500], Metamorph [500], Renaissance Man [500], Sifu [500], Shaper [500], Speedster [500], Superman [500], Techno [500], (see Supers, p. 41-56). Obviously I am wiling to change the point around.

Obviously, I was thinking of giving this to an NPC, probably a villain. I was inspired by the French tv show “Miraculous, les aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir”. The main villain in that show Hawk Moth ("Le Papillon", lit "The Butterfly", in the original French dub), has the power to turn any civilian into a supervillain if they have a bad day using akumas (literally "devil"), butterflies infused with dark energy.

How is it?

[the_matrix_walker]

Looks like you are crossing your streams a bit there.

The variable Enhancement is 10% per 1%, so if you want 500 points of ability, that is ten times the +5,000%, that's +50,000%.

I'd be super-generous and let you limit the enhancement with a "Added Advantage enhancements based on the subject's personality with no input from the user, -80%" to bring it down to +10,000%

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Having an Affliction work more than once on a subject during the duration is "Cumulative" which is a +400% enhancement. It is not a limitation to use this ability only once a year on someone.

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There really is no need to figure out a point value for an ability for an NPC, but it can be a fun thought experiment.

[Coinage]

Sorry, it doesn't work more than once on the same person (unless that person somehow loses their powres). Rather, it can only be used roughly once per year to empower a non-empowered person. If a person is already empowered, then they cannot be "re-empowered".

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I just wanted to know for sure how the ability is actually statted out. I'm the kind of guy who likes things spelled out clearly.

[Coinage]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Looks like you are crossing your streams a bit there.

The variable Enhancement is 10% per 1%, so if you want 500 points of ability, that is ten times the +5,000%, that's +50,000%.

I'd be super-generous and let you limit the enhancement with a "Added Advantage enhancements based on the subject's personality with no input from the user, -80%" to bring it down to +10,000%

Also, Power-Ups 4 says that "The value of Variable Enhancement is equal to 10x the cost of the enhancements that can be added (minimum final cost of +50%).".

The example given in the book is that a character takes Burning Attack 2d with a cost of [10]. With Variable Enhancement, the cost added is [+150% = +15], for a total of [25].

This does suggest that the cost is added to the base Advantage itself, not to the accumulated cost of the Enhancements added to the Advantage.

Basic does list the option to "Afflict Advantage" under the heading of "Special Enhancements".

Now, as far as I know, Enhancements are calculated from the BASE COST of the Trait. For example, let's say I take a Burning Innate Attack level 2 [10], with Cone [+ 50 = 5] (B103) and Cosmic [+50% = +5] (B103). If I want to calculate how much is added by taking the Enhancement: Cosmic, I take the base cost 10 and multiply it by 50% [5].

I don't add take the base cost of 10, add the cost of the enhancement Cone [+5], for a total of [15], then calculate the additional cost of Cosmic [50% of 15 = 7.5. 7.5 + 15 = 22.5, rounded up is 23].

The additional cost of the Enhancement is calculated based on the price of the base Advantage alone.

I thought the same logic applied for Variable Enhancement. The base cost of Affliction at level 1 is 10. RAW says that Variable Enhancement is x10 the cost of the Advantage. 10 x 10 = 100. From my reading, the special enhancement of "Advantage" for Affliction is an Enhancement, and would not factor into determining the additional cost accrued by taking the Variable Enhancement.

Or maybe I missed something? This does raise the question: For the purpose of calculating the cost, does the fact that the "Afflict Advantage" aspect of Affliction count as an Enhancement to the Advantage, OR is it part of the base Advantage?

[the_matrix_walker]

You add up all of your enhancements and limitations together before applying it to the base cost of the ability.

Afflicted Advantages are Enhancements on the Affliction Power.

A Variable Enhancement is ten times the value of the largest enhancement you can configure that Variable Enhancement into.

a 100% variable enhancement can be any +10% in applied enhancements
a 1,000% variable enhancement can be any +100% in applied enhancements

So if you want to afflict a 10 point advantage, it is a +100% enhancement
And if you want to afflict ANY 10 point advantage, you need to be able to vary that 100%, which would be a +1,000% Variable Enhancement.

You will not be taking an "Added Advantage" enhancement, as that would be fixed at the creation of the power. You need enough Variable Enhancement to buy the Added Advantage Enhancement you want at the time you use your power.

The Variable Enhancement does not let you use other existing enhancements for other things, it lets you improvise brand new enhancements on the fly

Does that help?

[Inky]

Isn't this a little like Dominance (the advantage that werewolves have to turn other people into werewolves)? Dominance is MUCH cheaper than Matrix_walker's +10,000% - it's 20 points plus the price of buying each victim as an Ally.

Dominance includes being able to control the victims. I'm not sure whether you want your villain to be able to control the victims or not. Maybe instead of being controlled directly by the villain they get Disadvantages along with the superpower package that make them cause trouble on their own initiative.

This power, unlike regular Dominance, allows for different powers to be given each time, so it should cost more, but it sounds as if the villain can't control which power, so not much more.

[Anders]

I'd use Wildcard power from Supers. Pay 4 times the cost for a power and you can use it for whatever the GM thinks is reasonable. Buy the most expensive power you want to be able to use, pay 4 times the cost and call it a day.

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by Inky

Isn't this a little like Dominance (the advantage that werewolves have to turn other people into werewolves)? Dominance is MUCH cheaper than Matrix_walker's +10,000% - it's 20 points plus the price of buying each victim as an Ally.

Dominance includes being able to control the victims. I'm not sure whether you want your villain to be able to control the victims or not. Maybe instead of being controlled directly by the villain they get Disadvantages along with the superpower package that make them cause trouble on their own initiative.

This power, unlike regular Dominance, allows for different powers to be given each time, so it should cost more, but it sounds as if the villain can't control which power, so not much more.

I had considered the dominance route, but he has not indicated that he wanted the afflicted folks to be Allies, which is part of the scheme...

Kromm discusses it here:

Originally Posted by Kromm

I'd argue that the way to do it would be to take Dominance (p. B50) at a flat 20 points and start buying Allies at the usual price. My reasoning for this is straightforward. The ability to give Allies powers is worth nothing to you per se. Two things are worth points, though:

1. Having Allies with powers. You pay for this when you buy Allies. If the Allies have enough powers, they cost more points as Allies. It's really quite irrelevant whether they had their powers originally or got them from you. What matters is their final point level after considering their powers.

2. Making new Allies whenever you have the points. You pay for this when you buy Dominance. The fact that you create willing Allies who lose their powers if they break a Pact, and not slave Allies per se, is a +0% special effect; the important thing is that they're in some way beholden to you. Likewise, the fact that your Allies' powers are something other than the ability to create new Allies for you is a +0% special effect; the important thing is that the Allies have some power that benefits you.

Only use Affliction when you can give anybody, Ally or not, powers. The game has rules for permanent Afflictions, and note that Extended Duration, Permanent costs +300% instead of +150% unless it has a built-in terminal condition . . . so certainly, if you can go about granting advantages to people who aren't Allies, it's easy enough to rig. "Doesn't obey a Pact" is an entirely valid terminal condition -- and it can screw you, since unless you have infallible subjects, they'll inevitably violate their Pact in some small way and suddenly end up powerless even when you would have forgiven them their indiscretion. More important, your enemies can tempt your empowered pals to stray, thereby disempowering your bodyguards and followers.

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Originally Posted by Anders

I'd use Wildcard power from Supers. Pay 4 times the cost for a power and you can use it for whatever the GM thinks is reasonable. Buy the most expensive power you want to be able to use, pay 4 times the cost and call it a day.

But 4 times what? do you mean to price the "added advantage" as "Appropriate template" and then charge 4x for the affliction, without a defined basic ability?