Meta-Powers Power Profile

[King Snarf]

The main problem with 'Buffing' in mutants and masterminds is that it butts heads with the Power Level Limits.

The inherant difficulty in building this type of character with the system is exactly why I was hoping the Meta power profile would give some pointers on how to build one. Power amplification is an iconic power set that's rather hard to make workable in M&M, and I would really like to see Green Ronin tackle how to make a workable buffer.

Maybe that's why they added the "Ambient" modifier? You throw on a limitation for your power booster that states that it can only boost something so far, regardless of how many ranks he has.

[BedLlama]

Maybe that's why they added the "Ambient" modifier? You throw on a limitation for your power booster that states that it can only boost something so far, regardless of how many ranks he has.

Unfortunately that doesn't end up being very workable, because 98% of all PC builds I see hit all of their combat-related PL caps. Maybe a Variable power that lets you buy other people ranks of extras, buy off ranks of their flaws, or buy them linked effects? It's not a very elegant solution (and I'm not 100% sure if it's a legal build according to RAW), but the only other one I came up with is even less intuitive: buying ranks of perception-range debuffs, and just calling them buffs (ie. 'I'm not actually weakening that guy, I'm making everyone else more powerful').

[King Snarf]

Maybe that's why they added the "Ambient" modifier? You throw on a limitation for your power booster that states that it can only boost something so far, regardless of how many ranks he has.

Unfortunately that doesn't end up being very workable, because 98% of all PC builds I see hit all of their combat-related PL caps. Maybe a Variable power that lets you buy other people ranks of extras, buy off ranks of their flaws, or buy them linked effects? It's not a very elegant solution (and I'm not 100% sure if it's a legal build according to RAW), but the only other one I came up with is even less intuitive: buying ranks of perception-range debuffs, and just calling them buffs (ie. 'I'm not actually weakening that guy, I'm making everyone else more powerful').

Well, having reread the power, it appears that it only affects power ranks and extras. So even if the power IS capped already, there are still things that a booster can do. Adding on Area, Penetrating, Multiattack, could very help turn the tide of battle.

[EmanantVolition]

I feel like this Power Profile has caused me to become greatly confused about how the Nullify effect works.

Two examples:
1) Power Nullification (simply the base Nullify effect at 1pp/rank) says "you shut down a target's powers, rendering them unusable until the target overcomes your Power Nullification effect." This implies an ongoing effect that is resisted by the target, but as far as I understand Nullify, there isn't really any instance in which a target "overcomes" the effect since its an Instant Duration effect, and the target can simply turn on most if not all of their powers their next action. I suppose technically there is nothing incorrect about the statement since a target turning their powers back on could be read as "overcoming" the effect, but then there is also the next example...

2) Power Theft which is a Steal Power Descriptor for Variable linked to Nullify w/ a Fades (as target recovers) flaw. I think this is touched on earlier in the thread, but I cannot fathom an instance where this expensive power (9pp/rank!) would ever be desirable, as in nearly all instances the target would recover their powers upon reactivating them on their next turn (and thus Fade immediately), leaving you with an extremely limited window of opportunity to use the powers you have stolen. It doesn't even strike me as worth the hassle of assigning the variable points in the first place.

Both of these effects seem to imply a Nullify effect that works seems to work almost more like an Affliction, or more like the Weaken power. Since my understanding is that these profiles are written by the same folks who designed the game, it leaves me wondering if maybe I am misunderstanding how Nullify works. What am I missing?

[FuzzyBoots]

Nullify can have an increased Duration, I'm pretty sure, which allows it to linger for longer.

[EmanantVolition]

Nullify can have an increased Duration, I'm pretty sure, which allows it to linger for longer.

True, but those aren't figured into those powers at all. In fact, adding a duration like Sustains (because I dont think concentration would be very useful for an effect that also "steals" the powers of the target) to Power Theft would make it even more absurdly expensive, like 11pp/rank. And then I'm thinking you would run into an issue where the particular Fades flaw attached to the power no longer makes sense since it would only fade when you stop sustaining the Nullify (probably more quirk then Fades flaw worthy in those circumstances).

[JDRook]

I think the problem you're describing is only a problem if you are fighting solo and Nullification is your whole schtick.

Nullify is extraordinarily cheap, being a ranged attack that cancels out a power for a round at the base cost of 1p/rank. Knocking out someone's Strength or Force Field or Flight or all three at once, even for a few seconds, could be a fight-ender with a little planning and coordinating with other PCs.

As for the Power Theft, I quote myself from earlier in this very thread:

The Nullify version would be even simpler to track with the all-or-nothing effect, however I don't see anything in the build that stops the target from reactivating his powers on his next round (save possibly for having to take several actions to reactivate several powers). It seems to me that for this power to be effective it would need to be paired up with something that would take away the target's actions (stun, incap, paralyze, sleep, etc) in order to use the stolen powers for any appreciable length of time, unless the GM again opted to make it a Complication.

Again, another good opportunity to get help from a teammate, but failing that, I agree with you that increasing Duration on Power Theft would make it more usable if wildly expensive, and that the limited usefulnes of an instant Nullify should have been addressed in the power build.

[EmanantVolition]

I suppose it ends up being a matter of personal taste then. To me, a 9 pp/rank power is much too expensive to also be so conditional (did I also manage to afford an affliction that the target is currently suffering from, or did one of my team-mates manage to get an effect like this off this round against an opponent who I actually want to steal powers from?)

Ultimately I think it works fine if you remove the Fades flaw, and simply have it be that for the first round after the Power Theft, the victim is unable to access their powers but the Variable effect does not run out when the Nullify has ended.

Possibly writing up a Nullify effect as an Affliction similarly to how Illusion was created as an Affliction might be useful for that type of build as well.

Thanks for the insights and clarification.

[Greyman]

Possibly writing up a Nullify effect as an Affliction similarly to how Illusion was created as an Affliction might be useful for that type of build as well.

Basically, that's affliction as it was used in the first version of Power Theft.

Code: Select all

Cumulative Affliction (Resisted & Overcome by Will; Powers Impaired, Powers Disabled, Transformed—Powerless).