ABSORPTION (PHYSICAL/ENERGY)
Effect: Trait/Defense
Action: Reaction
Range: Personal
Duration: Continuous
Cost: 4 points per rank
You can absorb a particular type of damage and use its energy to improve a trait or heal yourself. Choose physical or energy damage. Subtract your
Absorption rank from the Attack Roll of the affected attack. If the remaining roll is reduced to 0 ignore the attack’s damage completely, otherwise your Absorption rank counts as a bonus to your AC for the affected attack.
After absorbing damage, as a reaction, you can immediately use
Boost on a particular trait or
Healing on yourself, at a rank equal to your Absorption rank or the absorbed attack’s damage bonus, whichever is less. Choose which effect you want during character creation; if you choose
Boost, you must also determine what trait it will be applied to.
Your
Boost can increase a power you don’t normally have—such as
Blast—granting you temporary use of that power. If an
Absorption Healing attempt fails, you can try again the next time you absorb energy. You can acquire the other effect of Absorption as an Alternate Power feat, but you can’t use both at the same time. So if you have the ability to
Boost, you can acquire
Healing as a power feat, but have to choose one effect or the other (
Boost or
Healing) each time you absorb energy. You can also acquire different forms of
Boost as
Alternate Powers, or apply
Boost modifiers to your
Absorption for a broader boosting effect. See
Boost for details.
Power Feats
- Energy Conversion: You can convert absorbed energy from one type to another (sound into light, or kinetic energy into heat, for example). This allows you to absorb one type of energy and project another, if you have a Blast power (or if your Absorption Boost grants you a Blast power).
- Slow Fade: This power feat reduces the rate at which your stored energy fades.
Extras
- Both Types (+1): You absorb physical and energy damage, not just one or the other.
- Energy Storage (+1): You can “store” absorbed energy. Each attack gives you energy equal to the damage bonus your Absorption stops. You can have up to (rank × 10) energy points at once (excess energy dissipates harmlessly). Stored energy harmlessly “bleeds off” at a rate of 1 point per round. You can reduce this rate with the Slow Fade feat. You can use your stored energy points to fuel your other absorption effects (Boost or Healing) as desired on a 1 point per rank basis. The Progression feat (see page 110) increases your storage capacity by one multiple per application (×11, ×12, and so forth).
- Power Magnet (+1): You can absorb energy from suitable sources (such as bonfires, generators, speakers, and so forth) at a distance of (power rank × 100 feet) with a ranged attack roll. It takes a standard action to absorb energy in this way. Reduce the power source’s output that round by your power rank and gain energy equal to its rank or your power rank, whichever is less. This extra allows you to use Absorption to counter powers or the appropriate type at a distance and absorb their energy.
ADAPTATION
Effect: Alteration
Action: Full
Range: Personal
Duration: Continuous
Cost: 6 points per rank
You can adapt to changing conditions. When you encounter a hostile environment, you acquire the powers you need to function in that environment, up to (rank × 5) power points worth. No adapted power can have a rank higher than your
Adaptation rank. So you might acquire aquatic traits when submerged in water, for example. Immunity is a particularly common
Adaptation power. You can suggest
Adaptation powers, but the GM has final approval. Your
Adaptation only functions once per round; it can’t adapt to changing conditions faster than that. It takes a full round to adapt to a new environment, during which you cannot take any other action. This means you can’t adapt to attacks, because the power doesn’t react quickly enough.
Extras
- Reaction (+4): You can adapt to any harmful effect, including attacks, once per round as a reaction. Usually, you acquire Immunity to that effect, provided the required Immunity rank is less than or equal to your Adaptation rank. So if you are hit with a flame Blast, you adapt Immunity to Fire, for example. If you’re hit with multiple harmful effects in the same round, you only adapt to the first one. You can choose to delay your Adaptation (consciously overriding it) if you wish to adapt to a later attack in the round.
ADDITIONAL LIMBS
Effect: Alteration
Action: Reaction
Range: Personal
Duration: Permanent
Cost: 1 point per rank
You have one or more additional limbs, such as arms, legs, tentacles, or a prehensile tail. You have one extra limb at rank 1. Each additional rank moves the number of extra limbs one step up the Time and Value Progression Table.
Additional Limbs do not allow you to take extra actions in a round, although they do provide the benefits of the Improved Grapple feat and may make you more resistant to trip attacks (if they make your stance more stable). All limbs except your dominant limb are considered your “off-hand.” If you have the Ambidexterity feat, you have no off-hand penalties with any of your limbs.
(ALTERNATE) FORM
Effect: Alteration
Action: Free
Range: Personal
Duration: Varies
Cost: 5 points per rank
You can exist in a form other than mere flesh and blood, giving you additional traits. It requires a free action to change into or out of your Alternate Form and you can do so once per round.
You have 5 power points per Alternate Form rank to apply to powers related to your form. Once you choose your Alternate Form’s traits, they are fixed and do not change. No Alternate Form power can have a rank greater than your Alternate Form rank. Your non-Instant Alternate Form powers must all have the same duration, which determines your Alternate Form’s duration.
- Energy: You are made up of energy, such as fire or electricity. Apply your points to Blast, Flight, Immunity, Insubstantial 3, Strike (Aura), and Teleport (Medium –1).
- Gaseous: You are a cloud of gas, like fog or mist. Apply your points to Concealment, Flight, Immunity, Insubstantial 2, and Suffocate.
- Ghost: You are incorporeal and invisible, largely unaffected by the physical world. Apply your points to Concealment, Flight, Immunity, and Insubstantial 4.
- Liquid: You are made up of liquid (such as water) apply your points to Blast, Concealment (Limited to underwater –1), Elongation, Immunity, Insubstantial 1, Suffocate, and Swimming.
- Particulate: Your body is composed of a granular or particulate substance like sand, dust, salt, and so forth. Apply your points to Blast, Elongation, Immunity, Insubstantial 1, Strike, and Super-Movement (slithering).
- Shadow: You transform into a living shadow. Apply your points to Concealment (visual, Limited to areas of shadow –1), Fatigue (chilling touch), Immunity, Insubstantial 4, and Super-Movement (slithering, wall-crawling).
- Solid: You are made up of a hard substance like stone or metal. Apply your points to Density, Immunity, and Protection.
- Swarm: Your “body” is actually thousands of other tiny creatures: insects, worms, even little robots. Apply your points to Blast, Flight, Immunity, Insubstantial 2, Strike, and Super-Movement (slithering, wall-crawling).
- Two-Dimensional: You can flatten yourself to become almost infinitely thin. Apply your points to Concealment (visual, Limited to one side –1), Insubstantial 1 (for slipping through narrow spaces), Strike (Penetrating), and Super-Movement (slithering).
ANATOMIC SEPARATION
Effect: Alteration
Action: Move
Range: Personal
Duration: Continuous
Cost: 2 points per rank
You can split off parts of your body and keep all of the parts 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 power and it cannot be changed. Separating your segments, or reassembling them, 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 powers (such as Flight) in conjunction with your separated parts. Separate parts have modifiers based on their size.
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 dis-assembly.
Separated limbs take damage normally, but do not receive any bonuses to armor for armor not protecting that specific limb IE: a hand, arm, or head would not receive the AC from a breastplate.
Extras
- Variable Split (+1): You can choose how you separate each time you use your power. For example, at rank 1 you can choose to detach any one body part.
ANIMAL CONTROL
Effect: Mental
Action: Standard
Range: Perception
Duration: Sustained (Lasting)
Cost: 2 points per rank
You can exert mental control over animals (creatures with Int 1 or 2). Make a power check against the result of the animal’s Will saving throw. If you succeed, you control the animal’s actions. If you fail, there is no effect. You can try again, but the animal gets a cumulative +1 on Will saves for each successive attempt in the same encounter. Issuing a command to an animal you control is a move action and requires you to speak or gesture. You can only issue simple commands an animal can understand, like “go there,” “stop,” or “attack.”
Animals get a new Will save for each interval on the Time and Value Progression Table, with a cumulative +1 bonus per save. Animals commanded to carry out an action against their nature get a new Will save immediately with a +1 to +4 bonus, depending on the type of command. Success breaks your control. Obviously self-destructive commands are automatically ignored, but do not break your control.
Power Feats
- Mental Link: You can give commands to controlled animals telepathically over any distance (with no need to speak).
Extras
- Sensory Link (+1): You can perceive everything one of your controlled animals does. Your own senses are inactive while you are using your sensory link.
Flaws
- Limited (–1): You can only control particular kinds of animals, such as avians, sea-life, or reptiles.
ANIMAL MIMICRY
Effect: Trait
Action: Free
Range: Personal
Duration: Continuous
Cost: 9 points per rank
You can gain the traits of any animal. You get the animal’s physical ability scores and skills bonuses (if they are higher than yours), feats, and powers, up to a total of (rank × 5) power points. No bonus or rank can be higher than your power rank. You can change animal subjects once per round as a free action. So one round you can mimic the speed and agility of a cheetah, then the strength of an elephant, the claws of a tiger, and the soaring flight of an eagle on subsequent rounds. You can only mimic one animal at a time.
Extras
- Extra Subject (+1): You can mimic the traits of two animals at once. Multiple traits of the same type do not stack, use only the highest bonus. Each additional application of this extra moves the maximum number of animals you can mimic at once one step up the Time and Value Progression Table (5 subjects, then 10, 25, etc.).
- Stacking (+1): Your mimicked traits stack to a limited degree. You gain the highest mimicked trait and increase it by +1 each time you mimic the same trait. So, if you mimic three animals, all with great Strength, you take the highest Strength rank and add +2 for the other two subjects. The total stacked bonus still cannot exceed your power rank.
Flaws
- Subject Required (–1): You require an animal subject to mimic, so you cannot mimic any animal, just those within (power rank) miles of you. Your power is very effective in a jungle or zoo, less so in a downtown urban environment.
ANIMATE OBJECTS
Effect: General
Action: Standard
Range: Ranged
Duration: Sustained
Cost: 3 points per rank
You can imbue objects with animation and a semblance of life, making them constructs under your control. Create the object as a construct with (rank × 15) total power points. Constructs are subject to the campaign’s power level limits. The object gains movement according to its form: statues can get up and walk, for example, rugs can crawl, balls roll, cars drive, etc.
Power Feats
- Progression: Each time you apply this feat, move the total number of objects you can animate at once one step up the Time and Value Progression Table (2, 5, 10, etc.). You can still only animate one object per standard action.
Extras
- Additional Type (+1/+2): You can animate things other than solid objects. Choose one of the following: gases (including air), images (pictures, including drawings, paintings, and photographs), liquids (including water), and shadows. For a +2 modifier you can animate all of these other types of things. You are still limited to animating things with a power level no greater than your power rank and power points no greater than your rank × 15.
Alternately, you can substitute an additional type for solid objects for a +0 modifier, making your power into Animate Images or Animate Shadows, for example.
- Horde (+1): You can animate your maximum number of objects with one standard action. You must have the Progression power feat to take this extra.
Flaws
- Limited (–1): You can only animate one type of object, such as corpses (creating zombies), machines, natural earth and stone, and so forth.
ASTRAL FORM
Effect: Sensory
Action: Standard
Range: Extended
Duration: Sustained
Cost: 5 points per rank
You can separate your astral form—your mind, spirit, or life force—from your physical body. Your body sinks into a coma while your astral form is free to move about on its own. Your astral form is invisible and incorporeal, immune to physical effects, and able to pass freely through material objects.
You can move a distance away from your body based on your power rank on the Extended Range table. You can move anywhere within your maximum range instantly as a move action. Others can sense the presence of your astral form (a general sense of a presence or being watched) with a Notice check (DC 10 + rank), unless you have the Subtle power feat. Characters with Mental Awareness can perceive your astral form automatically (as if you were visible) unless it is Subtle. Your astral form has your normal visual, auditory, and mental senses.
While in astral from, you can become visible at will and mentally speak with other people. This is a mental effect, visible only to creatures with all three mental ability scores. You can apply the Selective feat to make your astral form visible and audible to only some people and not others. Mental and sensory effects work on your astral form, and you can use your own mental and sensory effects on the physical world while in astral form.
While your astral form is away, you are unaware of your physical body, although you immediately know if your body suffers any damage. You can return to your body instantly at any time as a free action.
Power Feats
- Dimensional: Your astral form can travel to other dimensions: one other dimension with one application of this feat, a related group of dimensions with two, and any dimension in the setting with three.