Type: Trait
Action: Standard (active)
Range: Touch
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fortitude (staged)
Cost: 1-5 points per rank
You can temporarily lower one of a target’s traits: an ability, skill, feat, or effects, chosen when you acquire this effect. You must touch the target, making a normal melee attack roll, and the target makes a Fortitude save. If the save fails, the target loses 1 power point from the affected trait(s) for each point the save missed the DC, up to a maximum of the Drain rank. Lost power points return at a rate of 1 per round, except for inanimate objects, which do not recover drained Toughness; they must be repaired. Example: Totenkopf ’s “death touch” is a Drain
Constitution 8 effect. A target hit with the Nazi villain’s deadly touch makes a Fortitude save (DC 18 or 10 + 8 ranks), losing 1 point of Constitution per point the save misses the DC. So a Fortitude save result of 14 results in 4 points of lost Constitution. A save result of 6, however, would result in only 8 points lost (the maximum of the effect’s rank). Drain’s cost per rank determines the affected trait(s):
• 1 point: Drain affects a single trait (such as Strength score or Will save bonus), chosen when the effect is acquired. (To affect a list of traits, one at a time, use an Array of different 1-point Drains, see the Array structure in this chapter.)
• 2 points: Drain affects any one trait suited to its descriptors, one at a time, such as any one ability score, skill, or feat at a time, or any one sensory effect, fire effect, or mental effect at a time.
• 3 points: Drain affects all traits of a single type (ability scores, skills, feats, one type of effect, or all effects of a particular type or descriptor) all at once (subtracting its rank in power points from each).
• 4 points: Drain reduces all effects at once.
• 5 points: Drain reduces all traits at once.
Gamemasters should carefully control, and may wish to limit access to, the 4- and 5-point versions of Drain, since they are especially powerful.
DRAIN AND OBJECTS
Drain normally has no effect on inanimate objects, only creatures. Drain with the Affects Objects extra (see the Extras section) can work on inanimate objects, and Drain can couple this with the Limited to Objects flaw to work only on inanimate objects as a +0 modifier. As a general rule, most inanimate objects have only one trait (their Toughness) and Drain Toughness can weaken the Toughness (and therefore structure) of objects. Objects do not get saving throws against Drain; it has its full effect on the targeted object. At the GM’s discretion, held or carried
objects may gain a Reflex save from their wielder to reduce the Drain’s effect, representing pulling the object out of harm’s way at the last moment. Devices always get a save against Drain (see the following).
DRAIN AND DEVICES
Drain with the right descriptor(s) can lower the traits provided by a Device (see Device in the Power Structures section in this chapter). For example, a Drain that affects all magical powers could potentially drain the powers of a magical device as well. Likewise a Drain
affecting electrically powered equipment could drain an electrical device, and so on. This also applies to equipment, although it tends to have fewer traits to drain, and the GM should feel free to disallow any Device or equipment Drains that don’t suit the campaign or the power concept. For example, just because a Drain Damage effect is possible doesn’t mean a character should be able to cause guns to do less damage; this sort of thing is better handled by an all-or-nothing effect like Nullify (see its description later in this chapter).
POWER FEATS
• Affects Insubstantial: Drain with this modifier can affect insubstantial targets, even if the user can’t normally touch them.
• Extended Reach: A touch range Drain can benefit from the effects of this feat.
• Incurable: Drain with this power feat cannot have its effects countered by another power (such as Boost, Healing, or other effects) without the Persistent power feat; the target must recover from the Drain normally.
• Reversible: You can restore power points you have drained from a subject at will as a free action rather than having to wait for them to recover over time.
• Selective: A Drain effect capable of reducing more than one trait at once can have this power feat, allowing you to choose which traits are affected, while not affecting others. Note this differs from the Selective Attack extra, which allows you to choose which subjects an Area Drain affects (see the following section).
• Slow Fade: This power feat extends the time it takes for lost power points to return, one step up the Time Table per rank: 1 point per minute, 1 point per five minutes, and so forth.
• Subtle: Drain effects with this power feat are more difficult to detect. Since Drain is normally a touch range effect, and the actual effects (loss of power points) are usually apparent, a Drain generally has to be normal or perception range to gain much benefit from being Subtle.
EXTRAS
• Affects Corporeal: An incorporeal being needs this extra to use a Drain effect—like a “life-draining” Drain Constitution for a ghost—on a corporeal target.
• Affects Objects: Drain with this modifier works on inanimate objects, although the effect can still only drain traits the objects possess. This is most often applied to Drain Toughness for an effect that can weaken both creatures and objects. As a +0 modifier, the effect only works on objects (things with no Constitution), and not creatures with a Constitution score.
• Alternate Save: Certain Drains, particularly those affecting mental traits, may have Will as their saving throw rather than Fortitude. This might also be the case for Drain effects designed as mental or mystic powers.
• Aura: As a touch range effect, Drain can apply this extra, suitable for a character whose touch automatically causes a particular Drain effect.
• Contagious: This modifier suits a Drain effect based on a disease or similar contagion, or something like a draining substance that covers targets and can potentially affect anyone touching them as well. It’s often used in conjunction with the Disease modifier (see the following).
• Disease: Drain is the effect most commonly used for diseases, which typically weaken a victim’s abilities, and may affect other traits. A Disease Drain works like the guidelines given in Mutants & Masterminds (see pages 112 and 168). Disease Drains are often comparatively low-ranked, the effect building up over time.
• Poison: Like Disease, Poison is a common modifier for Drain, which is the basic effect of most toxins. Poison Drains tend to affect ability scores: Strength for weakness poisons, Dexterity for paralytic poisons, Constitution for lethal toxins, and mental ability scores for intoxicants, depressants, and similar neurochemicals. Poison Drains tend to be higher rank than Disease Drains simply because they act faster and take
effect only twice.
• Selective Attack: This extra can be applied to an Area Drain so it only affects some targets and not others. It can be combined with the Selective power feat (previously), allowing you to use an Area Drain to selectively drain certain traits only from certain targets.
• Total Fade: Traits reduced by a Total Fade Drain do not recover gradually. Instead, they remain at their reduced power point value until the entire trait would have normally recovered, at which point the trait returns to its normal value. So, for example, if a Total Fade Drain reduces
a trait by 5 power points, the trait would normally recover 1 point per round until it returned to its normal value but instead remains at the lowered value for five rounds, then regains all 5 lost power points at once.
FLAWS
• Limited to Objects: Drain with Affects Objects and this flaw works only on inanimate objects with no Constitution score.
• Requires Grapple: You must grapple and pin a target in order to Drain them (see Grapple in M&M, page 156, for details). The Drain effect occurs immediately once the target is pinned, but not until then.
• Side Effect: This flaw may represent a kind of Drain effect that “overloads” or even “feeds” on the user if it fails to drain the target! The side effect might be straightforward Damage, or a similar Drain effect against the attacker.