Effect: Trait
Action: Standard (active)
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fortitude (harmless)
Cost: 1-5 points per rank
You can improve a trait or traits temporarily. You can boost yourself or others by touch. Take a standard action to use Boost. Each rank improves the targeted trait by 1 power point. These temporary points fade at a rate of 1 per round until they are gone and the trait returns to its normal value (this rate can be slowed using the Slow Fade power feat). Temporary power points that restore a trait back to its normal starting value do not fade. You can boost the trait again before the temporary power points have faded, but you cannot add more than your Boost rank in power points to a trait. Boosts are not cumulative; only the highest-ranked one applies to any given trait at any given time. So combining Boost 3 and Boost 8 results in an increase of 8 power points, not 11, and applying Boost 10 to a trait after 5 power points have faded raises the temporary power points back to 10, not 15. The cost per rank determines the effect of Boost:
• 1 point: Boost improves a single trait, chosen when the effect is acquired (such as Strength, the Blast power, etc.). If the subject does not have the targeted trait they may gain it temporarily, at the GM’s discretion. To affect a list of specific traits, one at a time, acquire different Boosts as Alternate Power feats.
• 2 points: Boost can affect any trait suiting your descriptors, one at a time. If the subject does not have the targeted trait they may gain it temporarily, at the GM’s discretion.
• 3 points: Boost affects all of a group of traits at once (ability scores, skills, feats, or effects of a particular type or descriptor). Each affected trait gains the benefits of the Boost. The subject must have the targeted trait(s). • 4 points: Boost affects all of the subject’s powers at once.
• 5 points: Boost affects all of the subject’s traits at once. You cannot Boost permanent or innate effects. Boosted traits must generally remain within the campaign’s power level limits, although the GM should feel free to waive or modify this requirement as best suits the needs of the game (see Buffing Powers on page 120 for further discussion).
POWER FEATS
• Slow Fade: This power feat reduces the rate at which boosted traits fade. The GM may set a limit on ranks in Slow Fade to prevent abuse (such as boosts that take days or even longer to fade).
• Subtle: Boost is not Subtle by default and requires this power feat for its effects to go unnoticed.
• Triggered: This power feat allows you to set a trigger for Boost under a particular circumstance. Note that a Triggered Boost is only good for one use before the trigger must be reset. For a triggered type Boost usable over and over when circumstances recur, change the power’s action to a reaction with the Action modifier (see the following).
EXTRAS
• Action: Boost usable as a reaction can occur automatically in response to a particular circumstance, such as when you become angry or suffer damage, for example. Choose the circumstance when you apply the modifier.
• Affects Others: Boost Affects Others by default. If it only Affects Others, then it has a flaw (see Flaws, following).
• Alternate Save: You can change Boost’s save to Will to reflect a more mental-based effect.
• Duration: Boost’s duration can only be changed with the Slow Fade power feat and the Total Fade extra (see Total Fade, following). For long-lasting enhancements to traits, see the Enhanced Trait effect. • Range: Boost is normally touch range. A +1 extra enhances it to ranged, while a +2 extra makes it perception range. Personal range Boost has a flaw (see Flaws, following).
• Selective Attack: An Area Boost can have his extra, which is quite useful in ensuring only the user’s allies receive the benefits of the Boost.
• Total Fade: A Boost effect with this modifier does not fade slowly, but all at once when its normal duration is up. This is useful for “binary” Boosts that are on/off rather than fading slowly; one moment the Boost is full-strength, then it’s gone.
FLAWS
• Emotional (–1): Your Boost is limited to either when you are feeling a particular strong emotion or when others around you are, such as only when you as particularly angry, or only when you are surrounded by love, fear, or such. Among other things, this means your Boost effect may be countered (or enabled) by effects like Emotion Control. If your Boost activates automatically in response to an emotion, apply the Action extra to reduce it to a reaction instead; this flaw does not apply (since reactions are already limited by circumstance).
• Fades: This flaw is already a part of the Boost effect and cannot be applied to it (or removed from it).
• Others Only (–1): You can Boost other characters, but not yourself.
• Permanent: Since Boost’s duration cannot be altered this flaw cannot apply to it.
• Personal (–1): Your Boost is personal range and affects only you.
• Restorative (–1): A Boost effect with this flaw only improves traits up to their normal (purchased) values and is therefore only good for restoring power points lost to some other effect, like Drain. Traits restored to their normal value do not fade, just as with a normal use of Boost.
• Tiring: A Boost may represent some sort of superhuman extra effort (see Extra Effort, M&M, page 120). In this case, the Tiring flaw is appropriate, making the effect work just like normal extra effort by fatiguing the user.