Power Profiles: What do YOU Want?

[Steve Kenson]

So, thanks to James Dawsey over at Vigilance podcast, the word is out about Power Profiles, our upcoming PDF series looking at different types of super-powers in Mutants & Masterminds game terms.

Each Power Profile will look at a particular type of powers, its associated descriptors, and offer a range of sample powers showing how to combine the game's effects and modifiers. The Profiles will also look at power-related complications along with different miscellaneous bits and pieces involving powers of that type. There's only one thing missing at this point.

You. Namely: what powers do you want to see covered in the series? What favorite or challenging power effect or type have you been waiting for? While I can't promise we'll cover every request, I can promise we'll take them all into consideration as we move forward with getting Power Profiles ready to roll for 2012.

So let's hear it! (And, as always, let's keep things polite, to the point, and productive. Thanks!)

[Zenbubble]

1/ Weird takes on basic powers

Anybody can have a "Blast", but when Billy Batson grabs somebody and then call's down the lightning, it's seriously cool and scary - I guess that would be an Indirect Blast?

2/ Weird Powers

Your basic Strength/Protection/Flight buidl is easy. An Elemental, or a ShapeChanger, offer so many different possibilities.

Just the first thought off the top of my head,

-Chris

[UnkindMirror]

Not necessarily my personal favorite, but I think Mimic/Power Theft could use some in-depth treatment.
What do you get, how much of it, how do you even know what's up for grabs, that sort of thing.

Maybe Shapeshift, as well. Some discussion about how it's restricted by the basic descriptor-limitation of all Variables, and what should constitute a Limit beyond that, would be much appreciated.
Also some clarification on potential freebies, does it come with free Morph, does it still allow to re-allocate points from physical Abilities.

Area-auras (i.e. stuff that emanates from the character and moves with him) are something I'd like to see detailed as a mechanical concept.

And I think Senses are often underused, so that could be fun. Basic and exotic Detects, what information they actually convey, and how they interact with the normal Perception rules (Detect Minds seems to come up regularly in the forum), some examples of Analytical for a few Senses, and so on.

[Jameson]

I have a personal soft spot for teleportation and related powers/effects ...

I think a discussion on Summon and when it should be used and not used would be nice. I know there was a sidebar in the core rules but something expanding that might be useful.

I'd like to see an in depth discussion on create.

Healing usually a straightforward power so seeing some real variation on that theme might be nice.

[Shadowbourne]

Concealment and the Attack build that is used for creating Obscure. This power has become a problematic issue for some GMs.

[JonL]

For those of you who've posted so far, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what we have planned.

Keep the ideas coming!

[Jameson]

A question rather than a suggestion: Was it always the plan (such as "the plan" may have existed) to do the Threat Reports for 1 year only and then transition to something new/different? Or have the sales numbers for the TRs declined over time (possibly due to NPC saturation & soft economy) which prompted a decision to look at changing the model to keep things fresh?

This is more a curiosity thing for me, because looking back through the year, and looking forward to the Power Profiles, I kinda wish we could have seen an alternating release schema from day one with a TR one week and a PP the following.

[Shock]

More detail on Features.

Repulsion attacks.

[Steve Kenson]

A question rather than a suggestion: Was it always the plan (such as "the plan" may have existed) to do the Threat Reports for 1 year only and then transition to something new/different?

Largely, yes. Threat Report was, at least partially, proof-of-concept, showing a small, regular electronic product could be sufficiently profitable to be viable. That allowed us to put together plans for Power Profiles, which are a bit more ambitious and not necessarily something we would have wanted to start with.

We're not wrapping Threat Report because it's no longer profitable, just because we don't want to drive it into the ground and we want to focus on Power Profiles for a time (and have limited capacity in terms of putting out weekly product releases).

[badpenny]

Seconded for more detail/examples of Features. A sample list of them (and at various points, e.g. one-point Features, Two-point Features, etc).

Something like Hero Games' UNTIL Superpowers Database that listed sample powers based on Descriptors instead of the powers themselves. Just a few for each Descriptor goes a long way to helping me riff on my own ideas. Example: Acid powers, Air and Wind, Animal, Body Control, Chaos and Entropy, Cosmic, Cyberkinesis, Darkness, et al.

[Goldar]

This is a great idea and I can't wait to see it begin! Thanks for thinking of it and actually doing it which is sure to help out many of us. So here are some of the powers I would be interested in seeing Power Profiled:

1. Invisibility
2. Force Field generation (natural ability)
3. Telekinesis
4. Telepathy
5. Possession by powerful alien/super-powered entity with energy abilities
6. Magic
7. Energy wielder (maybe fire) who when "powered up", has an energy (fire?) aura

Thanks!

[JetstreamGW]

A comprehensive weather control suite, preferably with a discussion on changing the weather for the positive. I've asked in the forums how people would go about it, and I've gotten a couple different responses. I'd like to see how GR would do it

Also a Cyberkinesis build would be nice yeah.

[UnkindMirror]

Incidentally, what I really want to see right now - purely in the interest of better adjusting my own suggestions, of course - is a sneak preview on how the PPs will work, what level of (mechanical) detail they will have.

I don't suppose you guys have a rough draft for one example floating around... ?

[Jameson]

A question rather than a suggestion: Was it always the plan (such as "the plan" may have existed) to do the Threat Reports for 1 year only and then transition to something new/different?

Largely, yes. Threat Report was, at least partially, proof-of-concept, showing a small, regular electronic product could be sufficiently profitable to be viable. That allowed us to put together plans for Power Profiles, which are a bit more ambitious and not necessarily something we would have wanted to start with.

We're not wrapping Threat Report because it's no longer profitable, just because we don't want to drive it into the ground and we want to focus on Power Profiles for a time (and have limited capacity in terms of putting out weekly product releases).

Thanks for replying Steve. I kinda figured that after 40+ weeks thus far and 50+ at year's end you guys were looking for something new to keep things fresh, and I love the idea of breaking an Ultimate Power type concept up for pay-per-content distribution.


Oh, and a suggestion:

Removable & Quirks as they apply to powers dependent on non-unique equipment. Or maybe a better way of saying it is: Powers for the ultra skilled weapon master character archetypes and a discussion of when power can be removable without having to be a "device"

[krypt0nian]

Love to see something on Pantheon Powers that focuses on the portfolios of maybe the Greek, Norse and Japanese gods. Or just Gods in general.