Effect: Array (Move Object)
Action: Standard (active)
Range: Perception
Duration: Sustained
Saving Throw: None
Cost: 2 points per rank
You can move objects of ferrous metal (iron, steel, nickel, and cobalt) like the Move Object effect at your power rank. Magnetic Control cannot move non-ferrous materials without an extra (see Extras in the following section).
COUNTERING
Magnetic Control counters other magnetic effects and may be able to counter electrical or electronic effects as well by creating interference that impedes the flow of electricity. More broad scale countering of electronics requires the Nullify effect (see Alternate Powers, following). Magnetism works best in cold and conductive environments. Heat and fire effects may impede and counter Magnetic Control.
ALTERNATE POWERS
• Attract/Repel: By controlling your own magnetic field, you can either attract or repel all metallic objects in a radius of (power rank x 5 feet) around you, a magnetic Touch Range Burst Area Move Object effect.
• Blast: You can project a blast of magnetic force as a Ranged Damage effect at your Magnetic Control rank.
• Bullet: You can accelerate small pieces of metal to bullet speeds and shoot them at targets as a Ranged Damage effect at your Magnetic Control rank. If you can shoot a cluster or number of such “bullets” at once, you may want to apply the Autofire modifier to your effect, reducing its effective rank to two-thirds your Magnetic Control rank. You can have both versions as separate Alternate Powers.
• Deflect: You can use magnetic force to deflect incoming physical attacks, a Deflect (slow and fast projectiles) effect at your Magnetic Control rank.
• Environmental Control: You can use your Magnetic Control to create distracting conditions by powerfully magnetizing small metallic objects and debris, sending them flying. Not enough to cause damage, but sufficient to provide quite a distraction.
• Machine Animation: You magnetically imbue movement in machines, operating them like puppets. You can use the Machine Animation power in this chapter at your Magnetic Control power rank.
• Obscure: While magnetism doesn’t affect senses like vision or hearing, it can effectively Obscure radio senses, creating powerful interference to block out radio communication,radar, and similar effects.
• Shape Metal: You can shape and mold magnetic metals as a Continuous Perception Range Transform effect at one-third your Magnetic Control power rank. So, for example, with Magnetic Control 12 and Shape Metal you can reshape 5 pounds of metal per round, like a rank 3 Transform effect.
• Snare: Using available magnetic materials, you can trap a target in bonds of magnetically enhanced metal, a Snare effect at your Magnetic Control power rank.
POWER FEATS
• Indirect: Magnetic Control often has the first rank in this power feat, but doesn’t necessarily have to; Indirect Magnetic Control assumes you can generate magnetic fields at a distance without having them emanate directly from your body. Instead, they essentially spring out of “nowhere.”
• Subtle: Like Indirect, Magnetic Control often has his power feat, making it undetectable except to magnetometers and similar things able to measure magnetic fields. Non-Subtle Magnetic Control usually has some visual effect associated with it, like your hands and/or eyes glowing along with the object(s) you are targeting.
EXTRAS
• Area: This extra allows you to exert your Magnetic Control on every ferrous metallic object in the affected area. Burst Area is the most common for Magnetic Control, but the Explosion modifier is also common, reflecting the magnetic attraction weakening with distance from its central source.
• Selective Attack: This extra is useful for Area Magnetic Control, allowing you to exclude certain targets from your power’s effects.
• Telekinetic (+1): Your control of magnetism is such that you can affect non-ferrous objects with it, essentially removing the “ferrous metals only” Limit on your power’s Move Object effect and allowing you to use Magnetic Control like the Telekinesis power.
ASSOCIATED EFFECTS
• Flight: You can fly using attraction and repulsion along magnetic lines of force, such as a planet’s magnetic field, giving you a Flight effect. If your Flight is significantly limited in some way (such as only being able to fly in straight lines towards large masses of metal), it may qualify for a suitable flaw.
• Force Field: You can surround yourself with a Force Field of magnetic energy. Normally, this is effective against all forms of damage, but it could be Limited to only physical attacks (–1) or even to only ferrous metal weapons (–3).
• Super-Senses: Suitable Super-Senses associated with the ability to sense and control magnetic fields include detect magnetism, direction sense (you’re a living compass), and radar.
• Super-Movement: The wall-crawling effect of Super-Movement, Limited to metal structures and super-structures (like steel-frame buildings) suits a magnetic controller able to stick to metal surfaces.
COMMON WEIGHTS
Here are the weights of some common metallic objects you can move
with Magnetic Control and the power rank you need to do so:
RANK WEIGHT OBJECTS
1 50 lb. 12-foot I-beam
2 100 lb. keg of nails or other hardware
3 200 lb. anvil
4 400 lb. full steel drum or barrel
5 800 lb. motorcycle
6 1,600 lb. compact car
7 1.5 tons luxury car
8 3 tons van
9 6 tons subway or train car
10 12 tons fighter jet, semi
11 24 tons armored personnel carrier
12 50 tons tank, locomotive
13 100 tons cargo jet
14 200 tons 747 airplane
15 400 tons drilling rig
16 800 tons small bridge
17 1,600 tons naval destroyer
18 3,200 tons freight train, nuclear sub
19 6,400 tons cargo freighter
20 12.5 kilotons naval cruiser, loaded cargo ship