[GURPS General] A "seesaw pool" power?

Stelknecht · 03-19-2016, 09:00 AM

Good day!
I'm hoping for some help with a power idea, currently just a concept, but maybe for a supers game. The character has a 'pool' of TK (or magnets, or flame, or whatever) that he can apply to various attributes.
The specific example I'm thinking of is a telekinetic, who can use small lightweight junk to armor himself, and/or increase his strength and speed. He would have a "seesaw pool", so if he put all his pool into armor, he'd have no enhanced ST/Spd, and vice versa, on a sliding scale. This would enable him to be a heavily defended tank with no offense, or a glass cannon, or a moderately defended, moderately aggressive state. The idea was inspired a little by the Great and powerful turtle (wild cards) and a bit by DC's superboy from the 90's.

How could this work? Can you build a modular power pool with only 2 or 3 options, and if so, how much discount would that offer? Modular seems like a really expensive way to build this. Alternative abilities would work, I think, but would lock the player into various specific point values, and require a lot of precalc, although I realize this is going to be precalc heavy no matter the build.

To be as concrete as possible: He could have +6 ST and +3 Basic move (Psionic, linked) for, what, around 105 points. Or, +2 ST and +1 Basic move, and 12 DR, around the same value. Or 21 DR and no ST and no MV. I'm not working this, just doing it in my head, but it's a ballpark.

I'd like to include a few specifics that may be beyond the scope of this; maybe if he puts all of it into move, he can do telekinetic flight, or all into ST he can do super-effort. I'd also like to require extra time to 'build' his defenses up, as he gathered junk, but enable him to drop them instantly as he moved his pool towards ST/Spd.

The last thought is that the character would have cowardice, and would have to often balance protecting himself vs. helping the team.

03-19-2016, 09:00 AM	#1
Stelknecht Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Montana	[GURPS General] A "seesaw pool" power? Good day! I'm hoping for some help with a power idea, currently just a concept, but maybe for a supers game. The character has a 'pool' of TK (or magnets, or flame, or whatever) that he can apply to various attributes. The specific example I'm thinking of is a telekinetic, who can use small lightweight junk to armor himself, and/or increase his strength and speed. He would have a "seesaw pool", so if he put all his pool into armor, he'd have no enhanced ST/Spd, and vice versa, on a sliding scale. This would enable him to be a heavily defended tank with no offense, or a glass cannon, or a moderately defended, moderately aggressive state. The idea was inspired a little by the Great and powerful turtle (wild cards) and a bit by DC's superboy from the 90's. How could this work? Can you build a modular power pool with only 2 or 3 options, and if so, how much discount would that offer? Modular seems like a really expensive way to build this. Alternative abilities would work, I think, but would lock the player into various specific point values, and require a lot of precalc, although I realize this is going to be precalc heavy no matter the build. To be as concrete as possible: He could have +6 ST and +3 Basic move (Psionic, linked) for, what, around 105 points. Or, +2 ST and +1 Basic move, and 12 DR, around the same value. Or 21 DR and no ST and no MV. I'm not working this, just doing it in my head, but it's a ballpark. I'd like to include a few specifics that may be beyond the scope of this; maybe if he puts all of it into move, he can do telekinetic flight, or all into ST he can do super-effort. I'd also like to require extra time to 'build' his defenses up, as he gathered junk, but enable him to drop them instantly as he moved his pool towards ST/Spd. The last thought is that the character would have cowardice, and would have to often balance protecting himself vs. helping the team.