Speed and alt powers.

[Mister Astounding]

One of my players is playing a speedster and has added some alt powers to the effect; one of a ranged affliction and the other a damage. His argument however is that he still would have his full movement when using those alt powers, and declared the power 'broken" as a result. Would this be correct?

[UnkindMirror]

No.
Alternate powers are mutually exclusive. There are some very few specific and explicit exceptions, but the default state is that the benefits of one effect disappear when you switch to an Alternate Effect.

So the speed would go away.

That said, if you time your effect usage correctly, you can use both AEs in one round if one of them only takes a Move Action.
I.e. move, switch array, attack.
Next round: attack, switch array, move.
rinse and repeat.

Which is why I don't like to AE effects with different Actions.

[saint_matthew]

One of my players is playing a speedster and has added some alt powers to the effect; one of a ranged affliction and the other a damage. His argument however is that he still would have his full movement when using those alt powers, and declared the power 'broken" as a result. Would this be correct?

This is correct. If he wants an alternate effect that he can use while still running you want to build it as a Dynamic Alternate Effect. Dynamic Alternate effects are explained in the extras section of the powers chapter but essential works by allowing both powers to function at the same time, but at different degrees of success. So if you have a Super Speed that cost 60 points, then you have a pool of 60 points to pull from to actively use to power your Dynamic Alternate Effects. So if the speedster is using 30 of those points to power a ranged attack for example, then his speed is reduced by however much 30 points would account for, until he stops using that energy to power his attack.

Did that help any? I'm not sure i'm explaining it very well.

[pawsplay]

A power in 3e is composed of one or more effects. Thus, a speedster would probably have a level of Speed and perhaps Improved Initiative as some effects, and then another effect representing his or her base "trick." Then the trick would have alternate effects. Look at the Flash for an example. A PL 10 poor man's version might look like this:

SUPER SPEED
Speed 10 • 10 points
Quickness 10 • 10 points
Enhanced Advantage (Improved Initiative 10) • 10 points
Insubstantial 4 • 20 points
• Immunity 3 (friction heat, own slam attacks); Movement 2 (Wall-crawling, Water Walking), Limited (while moving at high speed only) • 1 point
• Air Control: Move Object 10, Area (burst), Directional • 1 point

[CelticREI]

Another option ye could bring to the player is having some of his or her Speed outside of the array and some of it inside.

Speed 4

Speed Tricks Array
-Speed 6 (Stacks with Speed 4)
-Area Attack
-Ranged Attack
-etc

It allows the character to still have some speed while doing other things or to 'focus' on pure speed and really run.
It can apply to other powers as well, Flight, Mental Communication, 'Aura' damage powers, etc.

[FuzzyBoots]

It may also be worth mentioning that, back in 2E, Super-Speed was a 5 pp/rank power that gave you Speed, Quickness, and Improved Initiative at rank as well as a separate "speed power" worth 2*rank points which could get additional APs. If he's been looking at 2E ORQs, or in the books, he could easily get confused (moreover, I wouldn't be horribly surprised if some of the text they copy over from the 2E books now or in the future might refer to the 2E version).

But yes, the rule for every power (except Continuous Create) is that you cease maintaining the power the moment you switch the array. That could mean anything from it halting immediately (like Create or Force Field) to lingering but not under your control (Afflictions, for example).