Power Help.

[Inscribed]

Ok, got an idea for a character, or rather I have returned to an idea for a character. And I am looking for some aid in making his most important element, a magical cloak. It does some minor things as well, but the big thing is this: The character can pull out a magical object. Sometime something akin to legendary objects, sometimes something clearly magical object. Like pulling out Excalibur(A wonderful weapon), A Bottle of Sunshine(with actual sunshine you can let out, maybe to blind your foes.) or Cupid's Bow(Who's arrows make people fall in love rather then getting hurt), depending on what he wants or needs.

I've approached the power with both a Variable Effect and an array, but still looking for some fresh minds to give it a go. The only thing I am fairly certain of, is that the Cloak is Removable. It cannot be simply pulled of, but once the character is unconcious or helpless, it can be removed as usual. Still, the objects he does pull out would essentially be Easily Removable, but got no idea how to work that in propperly.

As for objects that it might pull out, I've come up with loads more then the three I've written down so far, after fiddling a lot with arrays for this. So I am kinda leaning towards prefering a Variable for the real versatility...

[Captain Werewolf]

What are the limitations concerning what he can pull out of the cloak? Does he have a particular collection of "favorite" items that come out more often?

[Inscribed]

I was intenting for a pretty high versatility from the cloak, but he might have some favorites to some degree. But I have a pretty large list for things I might want to use with some frequency...

One limitation would be that the items are always hand-held. No cars, magical or not. No suits of armor. No items that just provide passive effects while held, in all likelihood, although a shield to protect against the fiery dragon's breath seems like the sort of object he might pull out...

[Shadowchaser]

If the objects he pulls out don't vanish when he takes them out, that means he can't produce something new when he has a current object taken away, right?

Sounds like an array or a variable, with that in mind. The power would have the 'Removable' drawback, but you could put a complication on the character (power loss) stating that if one of the items is snatched from his grasp he can't use the power again until he recovers the item and returns it to the cloak.

[Inscribed]

Yeah, that is alot of how I want it to work. The objects can't be given away, or won't work for anyone else at least, and if he does lose one it has to be brought back before he can get a new one. So array or Variable, no surprise there...

But it does give me another question, regarding an array. Switching between powers in the array is a free action, but since it's basically put away and take a new item, how could I increase that to a move action?

[JDRook]

Variable Arrays are Standard actions to change by default, so you'd need an Extra to make it a move action.

Longer actions for Arrays isn't discussed anywhere in 3e, but the 2e ruling in Ultimate Power was that each step was a Drawback (a Flat Flaw in 3e parlance) and emphatically NOT a full Flaw, so if you chose to go with a Cloak Array you'd apply the -1 Flat Flaw to the cost of the Array make it require a Move action to change slots.

[pawsplay]

I would treat a move action to switch as a case of Increased Action on the power (see Alternate Form for another example).

[ursinethemadbear]

I would say a Removable Variable with the Action extra to make it a Move Action to switch, and a complication that the item being used could be taken from you, and would need to be in hand in order to switch.

If you decide to use an Array, then increasing the action to swith the Array slot would be a quirk.

[Doctor Devious]

Have a think about what the items pulled out actually do (i.e. their effects): if the range of effects can be cut down to a reasonable number, then a dynamic array where switching between powers is limited to only "when brought forth from cloak" might work out: the character may pull out a device that is essentially {strike | Blast | effects insubstantial | all others zero pp} but the player can describe that instance of power use as The Dark Blade of Razzghoul or Shazam's Blaster or whatever - so long as the effects match, let 'em play (within reason) with the descriptors.

You've also got the possibility of a Nemesis device generator: i.e. the GM makes up the item according to the specified target (or potentially task) when drawn from the cloak, so no switching on a change in target until returned. The player might give a preference for what they are going for that the GM can choose to heed or ignore as they see fit ("I see if I can pull out a magical blade to take on the evil knight": GM creates a morning star instead 'cos swords have been out far too often of late or whatever).

There is an implied "no giving your items to others" unless they pay points to do so.

[Inscribed]

Don't think the array would be dynanic, cause there should only be one item pulled from the cloak at a time.

I think I'll stick to a Removable Variable with the Move Action Extra, and a complication for losing the pulled objects. Seems simple enough, at least.