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[M&M OW/Collab] Alpha World


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I'm working on a character concept at the moment.  Points are basically done and I have a rough outline for the back story.

 

Concept wise I used a slightly modified version of the Powerhouse Archetype from the quickstart random generator.  He manipulates his own density and is a budding gravity controller.  Mostly though he's a super dense brick that can leap tall buildings in a single bound :)

 

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So I'm back with a concept but I'd like to get some feedback before I commit. :)  I'm working on a mimic type character but I'm stuck; partially because my eyes are bigger than my stomach (metaphorically speaking) and partly because I have questions about just how to interpret the powers 

 

I am trying to decide between either an Object Mimic or an Animal Mimic.  Both powers really appeal to me and if I could come up with a reasonable scenario in which he could have both I'd totally do it (even though 2 variable pools is way too expensive to maintain).  Just what the variables can do though is a bit nebulous though and I want to be clear on what I can do with either.  Below are the 2 powers and the questions/concerns I have.

 

Animal Mimicry: Variable 10 (50 points, to mimicTraits of one animal at a time), Continuous (For 80 points).  What is tripping me up is the "Traits" wording.  Does this mean that the character can mimic attributes, skills, and advantages as well as powers?  Also, what about the purely physical powers?  The only examples in comics of this type of character that comes to mind are from DC; Animal Man and Vixen.  Neither of these characters physically changes shape when they use the power but that also means they can't mimic the small size of a mouse (as an example). Should that be the way it's interpreted here or should he be able to make physiological changes?  Also, should he be limited to ranks that the actual animals have? if it's yes to either or both of those then the pool then he really doesn't need 50 points in it to mimic most (if any) animals.

 

Object Mimicry: Variable 8 (40 points, for traits of object touched), Reaction (For 80 points).  Here what is causing my questions is the word "Objects."  Just what is actually defined as an 'object?'  Clearly he can turn in to any physical matter he can touch but what about liquids, gasses, or energy?  Can the character turn into water, gasoline, tear gas, air/oxygen?  What about energy?  If he gets hit with a fire blast can he turn into fire (Because the power only takes a reaction action to function).  Can he turn into air any time he likes because technically he's always touching it?  Can energy even be considered and 'object?'

 

Answers on how to handle these powers will ultimately determine which of them I take so I would appreciate opinions, particularly from the the games adjudicators.

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These are GM questions...and I am not the only GM, but I will give you my take on the questions at hand:

 

On Animal Mimicry:

Does this mean that the character can mimic attributes, skills, and advantages as well as powers?

In general, I would say yes. As for what 'in general' means, see the answer to the question about ranks.

 

Also, what about the purely physical powers?

The physical powers of animals would be fair game to this ability.

 

Also, should he be limited to ranks that the actual animals have?

This is a little thorny, since animals are quite low PL in general, and the power needs to be useful in the context of the game. So my general idea of how this would work is that the ranks available could be higher, but shouldn't be so high that they're no longer in-theme for the animal. Borrowing a rabbit's leaping could get you a couple of ranks of Leaping, but I don't want to see you jumping over skyscrapers. A cheetah can let you run faster than an actual cheetah, but lets keep it below the sound barrier.

 

I know, that's maddeningly subjective. The idea is that the gifts of the animals 'scale up' proportionally to the human, but remain essentially 'natural' abilities. If what you're doing seems overtly supernatural, it's probably too much. Like most variable-pool powers, this one requires an ongoing relationship with the GM, adjudicating the pool on the fly to make sure it doesn't get out of hand.

 

On Object Mimicry:

Just what is actually defined as an 'object?'

Is it alive? No? It's an object.

 

Clearly he can turn in to any physical matter he can touch but what about liquids, gasses, or energy?

He can touch gas and liquid too, and yes I'd count energy in that assessment. For the purposes of the game.

 

Can the character turn into water, gasoline, tear gas, air/oxygen?

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

 

What about energy? 

Also yes.

 

If he gets hit with a fire blast can he turn into fire (Because the power only takes a reaction action to function). 

If you pay for the Reaction modifier, then yes.

 

Can he turn into air any time he likes because technically he's always touching it?

Yes. Unless he's in a vacuum or something. But then I imagine he has bigger problems than 'I can't turn into air now.'

 

Can energy even be considered and 'object?'

Yes. Again, for the purposes of the game.

 

Basically, the limiting factor here is that there's a pretty narrow cross-section of powers you can really use this with. There's not much difference, mechanically, from being able to turn into air, and being able to turn into fire. Fire is, after all, pretty much just 'air that is also very hot.'

 

Because no matter WHAT you're turning into, you only get the abilities you can pay for out of the pool, this is nowhere near as nutty as it sounds. You can turn into solid plutonium, or diamond, or whatever, but you still have to spend the points on it, or it's just a fancy new paint job.

 

And again, like any Variable pool, adjudicating this has to happen on an ongoing basis...there's no one ruling I would be willing to plop down to just cover everything. You'd have to work with us as you went to make sure it wasn't too crazy. :)

 

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And for purposes of the game, some rules, boundaries, and endzones would have to be declared.

In  a setting like this it would be hard to do. As each of us have various interpretations as to what an "object" entails.

I always thought an "Object" in the game's view is something like a wall, or a ball, or something of that nature that is made up of a certain something. Something like a Table is totally an object, but the air around it is not.

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This is part of the reason I hate variable pools.  :banghead: Not to say I don't understand why they're in the game, they're just a PITA to deal with. 
 
From dictionary.com: Object - anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form.
 
From that, I would opt that air (and gasses in general), liquids, and energies are a no-go. You're looking at solid, well, objects. Things a normal person can pick up and manipulate fairly easily with their hands. If you want to turn into a gas, liquid, or energy, either take the Alternate Form power or power-stunt it off the variable pool, but if the base power is 'Object Mimicry', then I'd stick to solid objects. From my perspective, you should be able to mimic living things (think tree bark skin), so that's another place where Max and I would disagree. 

 

As for the rest of it, I'm pretty much right on board with Max's interpretations. And the two of us disagreeing isn't a huge stumbling block. You've asked questions without context. What do you want the character to be able to do? Why and how do their powers work? Those sorts of questions have a lot of bearing on what makes sense for the pool to be able to do. 

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I think that would help tremendously. Knowing the intent can help put the crunch together.

What it's sounding like at least with the Object Mimicry is you want to shape-shift between different object forms, then have access to their qualities/abilities. Right?

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I agree that it's wise, especially with variable pools but really with ANY power construction, to have a clear notion of what you want. Even if that notion evolves as you design, it still really helps to have a starting point. Systems like M&M offer a great deal of narrative wiggle room and interpretative freedom, which can lead to problems if you're not ready for that.  Unlike most coloring books, it expects you to draw your own lines; giving you only guidelines for how best to do that.

 

I'd be perfectly happy with Mala's interpretation too, for the record. I agree that the 'living or not' criteria does have some gaps in it when applied to sessile but living organisms. :)

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Okay for the record, the power is supposed to represent the ability to take on the properties or traits of an object touched.  The character touching a wooden bucket does not turn into a bucket that is wood, he gains the properties of wood (Turns into an animate wooden man).  For inspiration look at Absorbing Man for inspiration or the Molecular Chameleon power from Aberrant.

 

That aside, this is going to cause way too many headaches for me so I'm dropping it.  I'll come up with something less controversial rules-wise :)

 

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I don't know that I'd say it's controversial, but I can understand how it feels complex.

 

I'll just say one more time that a variable pool might not be necessary, or even the best way, to represent this?

 

Otherwise I'd be happy to see whatever else you come up with.

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