Core Powers

Core powers is about using standard Hero power constructs for all abilities, including equipment. The basic tenets are:

    • If it benefits the character, it costs points.

    • If it is ubiquitous in the setting, then it is fundamentally free, but only at a basic level

    • Abilities can change over the course of the campaign. Changing abilities takes either significant downtime (1 week/cp) or training (gold and 1 day/cp)

    • Magic items are enablers - they allow character to learn new abilities

    • Equipment is broken into categories which are paid for, with points, and built as skills to represent the likelihood of having the perfect piece of equipment

Power Skill

Each character should have a power skill that reflects the source of his special effects. It does not need to be at a specific level, but in order to push/stretch/perform power stunts with his powers the skill will need to be high enough to support such efforts, typically at -1/10 Active Points and -1 per 1/4 advantage or limitation shift. Examples include:

    • Spellcasting

    • Channeling

    • Mentalism

    • Martial Mastery

    • Rogue Tricks

    • Bardic Lore

    • etc....

Powers

    • All powers cost END, but can be reduced to 1/2 END. Utility powers (i.e. non-attack, non-special, non-defense) can be 0 END with GM permission

    • Multipowers are the norm; All powers in a multipower must share the same special effect and focus (if it uses a focus). It is not required, but is suggested, that attack powers and defensive powers be separate multipowers.

    • All powers must have -1 worth of limitations and have an underlying special effect of either Magic or Skill.

    • Each mulitpower can have an associated Power skill for performing power stunts, such as overcoming limitations and such. Two multipowers for attack and defense powers of the same special effect can share the same Power skill, otherwise it is one skill per multipower. 4-point skill levels can be purchased to provide a bonus with all Power skills.

    • Acquiring a new power(including reallocating points) costs 100gp per Active Point in training and takes 1 day per 10 Active Points to learn with instruction.

    • Learning a power on your own requires an item with that power and 1 day per 10 Active Points to learn it as a personal power or 1 hour per 10 Active Points to study the item and learn how to use it. Acquiring the power as a personal power consumes the item.

    • Evolving an existing power (i.e. removing limitations, adding advantages, increasing active points) requires a Focus Elixr at 25gp per Active Point of the new power and 1 day per 25 Active Points or no money and 1 day per 10 Active Points.

    • Skills may increased by +1 after an adventure if an unmodified skill roll was made by less than half of the skill level.

    • Skills may not be unlearned but can be increased outside of adventuring by spending time, money, and of course points.

* Total of CSLs that apply

** Cost for Background skills is 25% of listed cost

*** More than this is only possible on your own

Campaign Limits

1 Active Point per 5 Total Points

Assume 1st level = 100 pts. Generally 15pts = 1 level (which includes magic items, otherwise 12.5 without)

Special = Special Powers, Movement Powers, Defensive Powers (by category/type).

Core Powers.xlsx

Defenses

Defenses are purchased per category and are limited by the active points in the Special At-Will column on the same line as the defenses.

Scene and epic defenses are allowed, but in the case of rPD they can only add the difference between the base at-will power and the scene or epic limits, regardless of actual rPD.

Example: 250pt Wizard (rPD 6 rED 12, limit 21 active points, scene limit 28) can create a Scene rPD defensive power of 7 active points. He can also create a scene rED power at full limits.

Max rPD is only achievable with the limitations OIF: Armor -1/2 and Heavy Armor (28kg) -1

Medium rPD is only achievable with the limitations OIF: Armor -1/2 and Medium Armor (14kg) -1/2

Light rPD is only achievable with the limitation OIF: Armor -1/2 and Light Armor (7kg) -1/4

Real Armor -1/4 limitation can be applied to represent time necessary to donn/doff.

Example: 250pt Heavy (rPD 12, limit 21 active points) has 10 rPD Hardened (19 AP) plus 10rED (15 AP) plus +6 rED vs. Fire (9 AP, Fire Only -1/2) plus Resistant Physical Damage Reduction 25% (15 AP). Because his armor has 10 rPD with a maximum of 12, his armor must take the OIF: Armor -1/2 and Medium Armor (14kg) -1/2 limitations.

CV

Offense: Max OCV or OMCV from skills and base characteristics.

Martial Arts: Counts as 2 CV towards Offense limit

DCV: Only dedicated DCV skill levels, DCV characteristic, or Overall Skill Levels apply to this maximum.

Example: 250pt Heavy (Max OCV 12) has an OCV 5, +1 OCV w/ Sword, +2 CSL w/ Blades, +2 CSL w/ HTH, +1 CSL w/All Combat, and +1 Overall Skill Level. His DCV max is 10.

Standard Powers (At-Will, Scene, or Epic)

Only consider effect enhancing advantages when comparing to these limits (e.g. AP, Area Affect, Autofire). Advantages such as Reduced Endurance or Trigger do not affect these limits.

Scene Powers

These powers can be used once per scene (Charges 1, Recoverable -1 1/4), still Cost Endurance (generally).

Epic Powers

These powers can be used once per adventure (Charges 1, -2) or with GM approval and still Cost Endurance (generally).

Epic powers cannot have a base effect greater than a Scene power.

Example: 250pt Wizard (At-will/Scene/Epic 50/67/117) cannot build an epic Blast that does more than 13d6N or 4d6+1K damage (65 active points) since his scene power limit is 67. However, he can make it AE 16m radius (+3/4) which brings it to 114 active points. That should do the trick.

An Epic Power can be made Reliable as a +1/4 advantage, meaning that if the power misses the charge may be used again. This advantage is effect enhancing.

Building Scene & Epic Powers

These powers can be built as stand alone effects, or they can be defined to extend powers in an existing framework. Either way they should include the Unified (-1/4) limitation to reflect that they are an extension of the power they are associated with.

Mundane Equipment

    • Tools - offset no tool penalty

      • This includes ropes, healing kits, thieve's tools, etc.

    • Light Weapon: 1/2d6K or 2d6N, STR Min 5

    • Medium Weapon: 1d6K or 3d6N, STR Min 10

    • Heavy Weapon: 1d6+1K or 4d6N, STR Min 15 or STR 12/Two-handed

    • Light Armor/Heavy Clothing: 1 rPD/1 rED, 7kg+

    • Medium Armor: 3 rPD/3 rED, 14kg+

    • Heavy Armor: 5 rPD/5 rED, 28kg+

Special Equipment Pool

Special equipment that enhances your abilities (i.e. gives a bonus or effect) must be paid for with points. Points invested in these types of items can be reallocated at any time.

    • If equipment gives you a bonus you a bonus, you MUST pay points for it.

    • Points spent on items with the Focus limitation can always be realigned to new items or abilities.

    • Special Effect: Mundane Equipment

    • Items can be replaced/swapped out of the pool with an appropriate expenditure of money.

Treasure

Items found during an adventure (i.e. in between XP awards) can be used without spending any character points. If they are consumable items (potions, etc.) then they are essentially free. At the conclusion of the adventure, the items can be kept but cannot be used. They can be sold to acquire different items, or simply retained until a future adventure when they are exchanged for other common items the character has.

Example: Eltar normally adventures with his Ring of Swimming. It often comes in handy and is worth the points. However, the characters are planning an adventure to the elemental plane of fire. He decides it might be more worthwhile to spend some coin and acquire a Ring of Fire Protection instead.

Example: While adventuring through the Palace in the Wastes the group finds a Necklace of Adaptation. For the rest of the adventure someone in the group can use the Necklace at no cost. However, at the end of the adventure it either goes into the player's castle for future adventures, someone pays points for the Necklace, or someone uses the Necklace to internalize its power. Whatever happens however, the Necklace is accounted for in some fashion.

Potions

Potions must be paid for with points. The potion metagame limitation is a gp expenditure to an appropriate source or merchant to recharge/refill. All potions are universal foci and it is this aspect that also limits the power of the potion. A magic flask may have no more than 4 doses (charges) as a metagame limitation.

Magic Flask

A magic flask can turn any liquid into a specific potion. The bearer need only fill the flask and 24 hours later a potion will be ready. For effect, if the power supports it, a weaker potion may be available earlier.

Trigger (Quaff, +1/4), Focus (OAF, Universal, -1), Perceivable (Drinking, -1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV or DEX roll if moving, -1/4), Extra Time (Extra Segment, Cannot activate other powers while activating, -3/4) (this also means it is always a Half Phase action to activate), Charges (1 = -2, 2 = -1 1/2, 3 = -1 1/4, 4 = -1, no special recovery conditions), Gestures -1/4, Unified Power (liquids and alchemy -1/4)

Active Limits: Standard = 66, Special = 24

Limitations Total: 1 charge = 4.75, 2 charges = 4.25, 3 charges = 4, 4 charges = 3.75

Suggested Build/Doco (in HD): Trigger (Quaff, +1/4), Focus (OAF, Universal, -1), Potion (-1 3/4), Charges (1 = -2, 2 = -1 1/2, 3 = -1 1/4, 4 = -1, no special recovery conditions)

Potion

This is a standard consumable potion. The cost to replace the expendable focus is in the table below.

Trigger (Quaff, +1/4), Focus (OAF, Fragile, Universal, -1 1/4), Perceivable (Drinking, -1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV or DEX roll if moving, -1/4), Extra Time (Extra Segment, Cannot activate other powers while activating, -3/4) (this also means it is always a Half Phase action to activate), Charges (1 = -2, Recover through use of Alchemy/Purchase -1), Gestures -1/4, Unified Power (liquids and alchemy -1/4)

Active Limits: Standard = 66, Special = 24

Limitations Total: 1 charge = 6

Suggested Build/Doco (in HD): Trigger (Quaff, +1/4), Focus (OAF, Fragile, Universal, -1 1/4), Potion (-1 3/4), Charges (1 = -2, Recover through use of Alchemy/Purchase -1)

Standard Power Limit and Costs per Dose (Charge, ap = active points, rp = real points)

To carry more doses of the same type of potion, the 5-point doubling rule applies. Double the number of potions for 5-points or buy individual potions one for one, whichever is cheaper.

The Cost, in gold, is the cost to replace the charges in town.

Scrolls

Scrolls are semi-universal foci. They can only be used by characters that share your same Power Skill. No more than 4 scrolls of any one type can be carried as a metagame limitation.

Scroll

Focus (OAF, Fragile, Restricted - Same Powers) -1 1/4, Charges (1 = -2, 2 = -1 1/2, 3 = -1 1/4, 4 = -1, Recover through use of Scribe/Purchase -1), Requires Light -1/4, Gestures (2 hands) -1/2, Incantations -1/4, Concentration (1/2 DCV) -1/4, Extra Time (Full Phase)* -1/2

* This is a minimum, more complex scrolls can have a longer time to cast

Time to scribe is 1 hour per 10 active points.