Anatomic Separation

Type: Alteration

Action: Move (active)

Range: Personal

Duration: Continuous

Saving Throw: None

Cost: 2 points per rank

You can split off parts of your body and keep all of them functioning (relatively) normally. The process of separation causes you no harm, although it can be disconcerting to watch. You can split off a number of segments equal to your power rank; so rank 1 might allow you to detach a hand, arm, or foot (or even your head). Rank 5 could allow you to detach all your limbs (including your head), and so forth. You choose how you separate when you acquire the effect and it cannot be changed. Separating or reassembling your segments requires a move action.

Your separate parts remain fully functional, so you can see out of a separated eye, manipulate things with a separated hand, and so forth. Separated parts are limited to whatever movement their form allows, so a hand can crawl and a leg can hop, for example, an eyeball can even roll, but a separated head or torso isn’t capable of much movement. You can use movement effects (such as Flight) in conjunction with your separated parts. Separate parts have modifiers based on their size (see Size, M&M, page 34) and retain your powers, so long as they’re related to that body part.

Each segment gets a move action each round, but you can only take one standard action among them, regardless of how many segments you break into. The GM assesses any suitable modifiers to your actions based on your current state of disassembly. Separated parts have your normal Toughness save, but any failed save renders a separated part staggered or disabled. A second failed save renders the separate part immobile. When the damaged part is reattached, remove its damage and add a bruised or injured condition to your character’s damage track. Your recover from this damage normally.

EXTRAS

• Affects Others: With this modifier, you can use this power on others, separating the body parts of another willing character. To affect an unwilling subject, you need the Attack modifier (see the following).

• Attack: An Anatomic Separation Attack allows you to forcibly remove someone’s body parts! However, the target retains control of any separated body parts, like a normal use of the Anatomic Separation effect. Although you control which part(s) separate, the target still controls them. For the ability to control body parts you separate from the target, increase the extra to +1 to represent the addition of a Linked Mind Control effect, Limited to the target’s separated body parts. This control has a concentration duration, independent from the Anatomic Separation Attack, which can be increased normally with the Duration extra.

• Range: An Anatomic Separation Attack can have this extra, allowing it to work at normal range. A +2 extra extends it to perception range. • Variable Split (+1): You can choose how you separate when you use the effect. So at rank 1, you can choose to detach any individual body part.

FLAWS • Action: With this flaw, separating your parts takes longer than a move action. A standard action is a –1 flaw, while a full-round action is a –2 flaw. Longer than one full round is a power drawback (see the Action power drawback).

• Permanent: If applied to Anatomic Separation, the Permanent flaw means you cannot re-combine your body into a whole; you are always separated into a number of segments equal to the effect’s rank. You cannot have the Variable Split extra, and maintaining any sort of secret identity is difficult, to say the least.

DRAWBACKS

• Involuntary Transformation: If you have circumstances where you lose control of your Anatomic Separation and literally “go to pieces,” apply this drawback. • One-Way Transformation: If you can freely separate your segments, but reattaching or reuniting them is more involved, requiring special tools or extra time, for example, apply this drawback.