[Powers] Are Multiplicative Modifiers Fairer?

[CarrionPeacock]

Thanks for the replies. I was worried about the this optiona rule because it never became anything more than a footnote on Powers but now I'm more confident about using it.

[Celjabba]

In Pyramid 70, Kromm have a small box about MM.

In particular,

The GM decides which model to use. The results aren’t the same (although they’re close for small modifiers), so using both isn’t recommended.
The additive model is a good “default,” but the multiplicative model can be fairer in campaigns where huge enhancements (like Cosmic, +300%) occur routinely.

This is a boxed-off “bonus item” because I’m not completely sure that we could have put it in the Basic Set. Adding it would have meant rethinking the value of every last enhancement and limitation – a matter of time more than one of space. If we had had more time, however, something akin to this rule would have made the cut.

So, You do need to check some modifiers. As suggested above, duration limitation are probably candidate for a revision under MM.
That sqid, I sometimes use MM and with a few "on the fly" adjustement, it work perfectly as long as you don't mix both systems.

[AlexanderHowl]

I think that MM is unbalanced if you allow for than one limitation or powerful limitations. For example, if I take a Crushing Innate Attack Backlash, Ecstasy, Resisted by HT (-50%), Cosmic, Irresistible Attack (+300%), Cosmic, No Dice Roll Required (+100%), Melee Attack, C (-30%), No Blunt Trauma (-20%), No Knockback (-20%), and No Signature (+20%), I end up with an additive modifier of +300% or a multiplicative modifier of around 2.15, which translates to a difference of 9 CP/level for an invisible power that will never miss and will ignore all armor (20 CP/level versus 11 CP/level)

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

I think that MM is unbalanced if you allow for than one limitation or powerful limitations. For example, if I take a Crushing Innate Attack Backlash, Ecstasy, Resisted by HT (-50%), Cosmic, Irresistible Attack (+300%), Cosmic, No Dice Roll Required (+100%), Melee Attack, C (-30%), No Blunt Trauma (-20%), No Knockback (-20%), and No Signature (+20%), I end up with an additive modifier of +300% or a multiplicative modifier of around 2.15, which translates to a difference of 9 CP/level for an invisible power that will never miss and will ignore all armor (20 CP/level versus 11 CP/level)

Actually, with MM, the cost is 6/lvl. You have over 80% of limitations, so you multiply by .2 the cost with enhancements (26/lvl).

A note : I would not allow 'no blunt trauma' on an attack that ignore DR. That limitation does nothing.
The additive would end a bit more expensive [21], no change for the multiplicative as you are above the limitation cap anyway

But the real point of MM is to make limitations actually worth taking :

Here, you have here a potent attack, yes, but one that have the potential of incapacitating you for several minutes each time you use it. Is the limitation worth it ?

With additives, If you don't take the backslash, the cost is 24 instead of 21 ... why take the dangerous backslash for such a small gain ?
With multiplicatives, the cost is [6] with the Backslash, [13] without ... Now it make sense to take the limitation !

Of course, you would need to reassign limitations values, per the Kromm quote, as [6] is a bit cheap indeed !