Aberrant RPG - Molecular Authority

[metaphysician]

I was rereading the writeup for Molecular Authority lately, and spotted something that made my jaw drop. One of the aspects of the power lets you increase or decrease the molecular cohesion of a target, effectively raising or lowering its soak and health levels ( one level per sux ). If you lower the health levels to zero, the target dissolves into random disassociated atoms. And you can make these effects permanent by spending three sux on it.

This power explicitly works on living beings. They get a willpower roll to resist. . . but any remaining sux still apply as normal, potentially resulting in permanent reductions to health levels. Even without the permanency ( normally it lasts a hour per dot ), however, it still inflicts what is effectively aggravated damage, except:

1. It has a small area of effect

2. Healing doesn't work on it, even stuff that heals agg

3. There is no common defensive power, or even a likely invulnerability

4. It inflicts soak reduction along with the damage

And to top it all off, its only one aspect of a larger, versatile power, meaning this is effectively a power technique.

Anyway, the net result is, say you've got Manip 5, Mega Manip 5, and Molecular Authority 5 ( which is not entirely maxed out, btw ). Against a target with Willpower 10, you average about 5 net sux. Use it four times on a single target, and they are at -20 health levels. . . which is more than enough to kill anyone not borged out on Extra Health Levels. Including Divis Mal, by the stats that are floating about the web. After all, this isn't a quantum-manipulating power, its a matter manipulating one, so his Invulnerability ( Quantum Manipulation ) wouldn't apply.

Okay, granted, in practice? Not going to work, he'll vape you after one hit. Nonetheless, this power does seem a bit over the top. Especially since its, by the book, extremely difficult to reverse if made permanent.

So, thoughts?

( P.S.: And this isn't even *touching* the other side of the coin- permanently buffing your own soak and health levels, along with all your friends. . . )

[Alex Green]

Effective Counters:

INV: BC: Willpower resisted effects.

Intuition + Probably having a higher init than yours and zapping you or teleport.

Disrupt (for Divis).

IMHO if something dies they don't reform as a living creature.

[metaphysician]

Disrupt would work, but only if it were either reflexive, or if you were aware of the target.

Intuition would counter easily enough, yep.

As for the Invulnerability, I actually wouldn't especially allow that one, mainly because what is resisted by Willpower includes wide and divergent types of powers, the usual types being mental powers and quantum-manipulating powers, neither of which is related to this one. Your mileage may vary.

That said, my Divis Mal Killer PC:

Q6

Node 5

Mega Manip 5

Molecular Authority 5

Clone 5 ( RQC )

Invisibility ( Improved; Mastery )

The basic gist: power up the Invisibility, make sure the sense groups covered include all the usual ones, plus precognition and a few other exotics. Clone, so as to have a bunch of copies. Get within range. Each clone uses Molecular Authority simultaneously. Target suddenly loses 20-25 health levels. Invisibility versus Precog counters Intuition and similar.

[Alex Green]

Not bad. IMHO this is the closest I've every seen anyone get. I think we have a winner. ::laugh

One slight quibble, you need some way to coordinate your attack so *everyone* gets the ambush attack and not just the first guy.

RE: INV:Willpower

This hits my radar as a Q-manipulating(ish) power, or at least it's closer to that than anything else. You're changing someone else's q-sig to be something else, sort of like a reverse Matter Chameleon. It's not an exact fit but it's closer than Disin.

On the other hand I'd say it's far enough from the other Q-manip powers that standard INV:Q-manip wouldn't work, but INV:BC:Willpower should. Also on the other hand I wouldn't give Mal INV:BC:Willpower. He's got lots of Psi-shield, he doesn't need it.

[metaphysician]

Yup. Between Psi-Shield and Inv: Quantum-Manipulation, he's already massively shielded from essentially every power that exists in canon, except for mega socials and empathic manipulation. The former runs smack into his own massively formidable mega socials ( and that enhancement that lets you resist with your Intelligence ), and the latter is probably useless on someone with that much taint, anyway.

"Invulnerability: Matter Manipulation" would be the best defense against this trick, its just, the power is specialized to the point of uselessness. The only thing remotely common it'd work against is many/most forms of Disintegrate.