How Powers Work

[Dark Bunny Lord]

In game-terms, a power is a collection of effects, possibly including certain modifiers, feats, and/or draw-backs, put together in a particular structure with one or more descriptors explaining what the effects are and where they come from in the context of the setting.
In broader terms, a “power” is any extraordinary trait not normally possessed by an ordinary human being. Generally speaking, “normal” humans don’t have powers. They may still be quite extraordinary—a “normal” with 150 power points to spend can have incredible abilities, skills, and numerous feats—and may be able to hold their own against foes who do have powers, but they still fall within a particular range of what’s possible.
Powers allow characters to “break the rules” of ordinary reality as we know it and do the sorts of amazing things you see in the comics: fly, walk through walls, lift hundreds of tons, shoot beams of energy that melt through steel, and much, much more. This chapter looks at how powers are put together and how they are used.

Power Components

Powers are made up of certain basic components: each power includes one or more effects and one or more descriptors of those effects and their source. A power may also include one or more modifiers—power extras or flaws—that change how the basic effect works, one or more power feats, particular stunts available to the power, and one or more power drawbacks, specific limitations or restrictions on the power. All these components are assembled in a particular structure to create the power.
---Effects:
The basic component of a power is its effect, what the power actually does. Effects are defined in game terms with little or no regard for the actual cause of the effect, what it looks like, or how it is described. The actual mechanics—what the effect does in the game—is the important thing. This means one game-system effect may encompass a wide number of “actual” effects. For example, the Damage effect is used for anything that causes damage, which includes a tremendous variety of damaging attacks, from more powerful unarmed strikes to melee weapons, physical projectiles, harmful energy emissions, chemicals, and so forth.
---Modifiers
Modifiers, much as you might expect, change the way basic effects work. They customize an effect, retaining most of how it works and adjusting a few things to suit a particular idea. For example, a modifier might change an effect’s default range, either improving it (allowing a normally touch range effect to work at a distance) or limiting it (forcing a ranged effect to only work by touch). Modifiers that enhance effects are called extras and increase an effect’s cost along with its capabilities. Modifiers that limit effects are called flaws and decrease the effect’s cost as well as its capabilities. Modifiers are permanent changes to an effect, essentially creating an all-new effect out of the base effect. So a power that needs an effect both with and without a modifier has to pay for two different effects rather than just one.
---Feats
Just as characters can have particular feats so can powers have power feats; stunts or special capabilities of a particular effect. Power feats work much like regular feats in that they are optional, things an effect can do, but which the power user can choose to use or not, as desired.
Power feats, as a general rule, tend to be less comprehensive and sweeping than modifiers, since they don’t entirely change how the effect works. Instead, they tend to provide more options or small benefits that aren’t significant enough to qualify as modifiers, or that are optional and better handled as feats or “stunts” of a power.
Power feats are also significant because characters can use extra effort to acquire them temporarily as power stunts (see Power Stunts).
---Drawbacks
Also just as characters may have drawbacks, some powers and power effects have drawbacks of their own. These are minor limitations on an effect, usually things that aren’t always a concern. Like power feats, power drawbacks tend to be things that aren’t significant enough to qualify as modifiers but still significant in the power’s use. A drawback reduces an effect’s cost by a particular amount, although generally not as much as a flaw.
---Structure
A power’s components are put together in a particular structure, away of assembling them to “build” a power. The normal power structure is simple: add up the value of the power’s effects and extras, subtract the value of its flaws to arrive at its cost per rank. Multiply by the desired rank. Add the cost of its power feats, and subtract the value of its power drawbacks to arrive at the final cost:
...Power cost = (effect + extras – flaws) x rank + (feats – drawbacks)
The normal power structure is used for most powers to one degree or another. However, the game also offers other power structures that provide more flexibility, particularly the ability to reconfigure a power during play, at the expense of certain disadvantages, additional power point cost, or both:
• Array structures have a common “pool” of power points that are shared among a number of different effects the user can switch between from round to round. Essentially, the power has a number of distinct “settings” that can be used one at a time. Arrays provide a way to build powers with a great deal of flexibility without a huge increase in cost.
• Container structures group a number of effects together into a single power and affect how flaws and other overall modifiers apply to them. They’re best suited for lots of effects grouped into a single power and usable (or at least accessible) all at once.
• Variable structures provide a “pool” of points much like Arrays, except those points can apply to any power of a particular descriptor, but with a greater cost than a comparable Array. Variable structures provide the ultimate in versatility with a commensurate cost, useful for building powers with highly variable effects (often dependent on circumstances).
---Descriptors
Lastly, powers have descriptors to tie together all the other components. A descriptor is a term that describes what the power is, how it functions, where it comes from, or some other aspect not covered by its other components. Effects, modifiers, feats, and drawbacks explain how the power works in game-terms. Descriptors provide the flesh for that mechanical skeleton, explaining what the power is in terms of the setting and the character wielding it.
Take the power to shoot laser beams, for example. In game terms, this is a Damage effect (since it inflicts damage). Let’s say it also has the Penetrating extra, the Improved Range power feat and the Full Power drawback. Now, a character in the context of the setting isn’t going to say, “I’ve got a Penetrating Improved Range Full Power Damage effect.” Instead, she’ll say, “I have the mutant power to shoot focused beams of laser light.” Terms like mutant, laser, and light (and, to a certain degree, focused) are the power’s descriptors. That same effect could also have the descriptors, “I can shoot armor-piercing spears over great distances” or “I have the magical power to summon talons of energy that can rend targets far away,” along with many others.
Descriptors allow the basic power components to create many different powers that have the same basic effect. So instead of a hundred types of energy blasts, for example, there’s a single Ranged Damage effect, with lots of possible descriptors. This saves space and provides a “common language” for powers.
Of course, descriptors are not solely for “color,” they also serve a function in terms of how any given power works. For one thing, certain effects are actually based on descriptors, such as a Nullify effect that works on powers of a particular descriptor, or Immunity to effects of a certain descriptor. Likewise, certain descriptors imply various side effects and common sense things about a power: an electrical power can conduct through water and certain metals, but is insulated by rubber and other materials, a biological power doesn’t work on robots or other un-living constructs, and so forth.
---Source
One particular type of descriptor is a power’s source, that is, where it derives its energy or effectiveness. In the laser beam example, the power’s source is a mutant ability, from a quirk in the character’s physiology, as well as light, since lasers are coherent beams of light.
A power’s source may be used to define certain things about a power, including how it interacts with other powers and how the character may lose (and regain) use of the power under certain circumstances.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Using Powers
The whole point of having amazing superhuman powers is using them—hopefully in the never-ending fight for truth and justice or for the darker of heart, vengeance, destruction, and greed. While the previous section looked at the basic components of powers, this section discusses how to use those powers in play.
“Using powers” technically refers to using a power’s various effects. For many powers, which have only one effect, this is the same thing, for others, it can make a difference since a power’s various effects can have different requirements in terms of action, duration, result, and so forth. For example, a laser light effect might be scattered by prisms or thick banks of fog or mist. This isn’t a power drawback per se, simply a consequence of the power’s descriptors.

Active And Passive Effects
Power effects can be defined as active or passive: active effects require an action to use, and often an attack roll or check. Active abilities normally only work when the user wishes them to do so, unless they are out of the user’s control (see Losing Control). Active effects are noticeable by default, having some kind of display associated with them. Examples of active abilities include attack effects (Damage, Fatigue, Stun, etc.), movement effects (Flight, Speed, Swimming, etc.), and some sensory effects (Concealment, Illusion, Obscure, etc.).
Passive effects do not require an action to use or maintain: this means they must have an action of reaction or none, and continuous or permanent duration. They work automatically (whether the user wants them to or not, if they’re permanent). Passive effects are unnoticeable by default, having no particular outward display unless otherwise dictated by the power’s descriptor in which case, the Noticeable power drawback applies. Examples of passive abilities include most defense effects (Immovable, Immunity, Protection, etc.) and some sensory effects (like Super-Senses).

Activating And Deactivating Effects
Activating or deactivating an effect takes a particular amount of time, with the type of action determined by the effect: none, reaction, free, move, standard, or full-round action:
---None
The effect does not require an action to use; it is always in operation. Effects like this are always passive and have either a continuous or permanent duration.
---Reaction
The effect operates automatically in response to some other circumstance, such as an attack. This is much like a ready action (see combat) except it requires no effort on the character’s part and does not count as an action (meaning a reaction is possible even if the character is stunned or otherwise unable to take actions). The circumstance that activates a reaction effect should be defined when the effect is acquired. A reaction can occur outside of a character’s normal place in the initiative order, and does not affect the initiative order.
---Free
The effect requires a free action to use or activate. Once an effect is activated or deactivated, it remains so until your next round. As with all free actions.
---Move
The effect requires a move action to use. For movement effects, the move action is part of the character’s normal movement that round.
---Standard
The effect requires a standard action to use. Since characters are limited to one standard action per round, this generally means you can only use one standard action effect per round. Rarely may you move a standard action to free, direct attacks especially may NOT be reduced below standard even with the appropriate modifiers, even other effects will almost never be allowed since doing so would allow easy exploits.
---Full
The effect requires a full-round action to use. Some effects require even longer than a full action to use, as given in their descriptions, although generally this is only the case for effects modified with flaws and power drawbacks.
Power modifiers may change the action a power’s effect requires.
If you’re unable to take the required action, then you cannot activate the effect. You can activate a full action effect by taking a standard action at the end of one round and another standard action at the start of the following round, but the second standard action must be your first action that round, or else the activation fails.
Generally, so long as you’re able to take the required action unhindered, the effect activates. In some circumstances, the BM may require a Concentration skill check to successfully activate an effect (certain events), but this is usually reserved for maintaining an effect under difficult circumstances (see Duration later in this thread).
Note that you can only activate or deactivate an effect in a round, not both. This is an important consideration for a variety of tricks, including deactivating a defensive power like Insubstantial (free action), making an attack (standard action), and becoming insubstantial again (free action), not normally an option.
---Multiple Activations
Activating effects is limited by your available actions, which usually means you can only activate one standard action effect and one move action effect, two move action effects, or one full action effect in a round, along with as many free action effects as you wish.
A set of Linked effects (see the Linked power modifier) may all be activated as a single effect with a single action (indeed, they must be activated this way). Container structures can also be activated all at once, although their effects can also be used individually.
The additional standard or move action granted by a surge use of a luck point can also be used to activate an effect, up to and including using it in conjunction with your normal standard action to activate a full action effect in the same round as a move action.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Power Checks
In some cases, you may be required to make a power check to determine how well an effect works. A power check is just like any other check: d20, plus the power’s rank, plus any applicable modifiers, against a Difficulty Class set by the situation, foe, or mod in charge of an event. Unlike skill checks, ability modifiers are not added to power checks. The results of various power checks are described in this chapter.

...Power Check = d20 + power rank + modifiers vs. Difficulty Class
---Taking 10 Or 20 On Power Checks
You can take 10 on a power check if you are not under pressure, the same as with a skill check. You can take 20 on a power check if you are not under pressure, there is no penalty for failure, and you can take approximately twenty times the normal time required, also the same as a skill check. If a power requires extra effort to retry (see the following), and imposes a penalty for failure, you can-not take 20 with checks involving that power.
---Retrying Power Checks
Retrying a power check is sometimes more difficult than just retrying an ability or skill check. Some effects require extra effort in order to retry them against the same target in the same encounter or scene (see Extra Effort). This does not usually apply to power checks in response to something else, such as the opposed power check to avoid having an effect countered or nullified. Specific instances of retrying power checks are detailed in the various effect descriptions.
When you have failed to successfully use an effect that requires extra effort to retry, you must either expend the necessary fatigue (possibly using a hero point to offset it) or you have to wait until the conditions change before trying again. Generally, this means until the current scene is over, however long that might be.
Power checks for passive effects (if any) are never subject to extra effort for trying again. Likewise, rolls and checks other than power checks are not subject to fatigue from trying again, such as attack rolls with a particular power, or skill checks involving an enhanced skill (which is also usually a passive effect, and already exempt).
---Opposed Power Checks
In some cases, usually when one power is used directly against another, an opposed power check is called for (see Opposed Checks). If a contest is entirely a matter of whose power is greater, a comparison check (see abilities thread) may apply: the character with the higher power rank wins automatically.
For a particular use of opposed power checks, see Countering Effects later in this section.
---Power Check Vs. Saving Throw
Some effects require compare the result of a power check against the result of the target’s saving throw to determine the result of the effect. The opposed check is made immediately when the effect is used.
---Power Vs. Skill Checks
On occasion a power may be opposed by a skill or vice versa. This is a normal opposed check, comparing the power’s check result against the skill’s check result. The same is true when an ability score opposes a power (and vice versa), such as the Trip effect, which is opposed by the target’s Dexterity or Strength check.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Range
Each effect has a default range at which it functions, that can be changed using modifiers. Effect ranges are: personal, touch, ranged, and perception.

---Personal
A personal range effect works only on you, the user. Personal effects are therefore usually beneficial in nature. For a personal range effect that works on others, apply the Affects Others extra to the base effect (see Affects Others in the Extras section of the powers thread).
---Touch
A touch range effect works on anyone or anything you can touch (which usually includes yourself). Touching an unwilling subject within reach requires a melee attack roll against the subject’s Defense, like an unarmed attack. Successfully touching the target allows the effect to occur, although a normal saving throw against the effect is permitted (if there is one).
---Ranged
A ranged effect works at a distance with a range increment of (rank x 10 feet) and a maximum range of (rank x 100 feet), normally ten increments. So a ranged rank 10 effect has a range increment of 100 feet and a maximum range of 1,000 feet. A ranged effect suffers a –2 penalty to attack rolls for every range increment past the first, to –18 at maximum range.
The Progression power feat can increase an effect’s maximum range, while the Improved Range power feat can increase its range increment (see Power Feats in the powers thread). So one Progression (range) power feat moves the effect’s maximum range from 10 increments to 25 increments (then 50, 100, etc.). One Improved Range feat moves range increment from 10 feet to 25 feet, then 50, 100, and so forth on the Progression Table. For effects without increased maximum range, this reduces the total number of increments the effect has; if range increment and maximum range are the same (the effect has only one range increment) then it takes no penalties for range out to its maximum distance.
---Perception
A perception range effect works on any target you can perceive with an accurate sense—usually sight—without any need for an attack roll. If the target has total cover or concealment from all your accurate senses, your perception range effects cannot affect it. Since perception range effects do not require attack rolls, they cannot score critical hits, nor benefit from traits that modify attack rolls, such as Power Attack.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Duration
Each effect lasts for a particular amount of time, which may be changed by power modifiers. Effect durations are instant, concentration, sustained, continuous, and permanent.

---Instant
An instant effect occurs and ends instantly, although its results may linger. Most attack effects are instant; the attack’s effect happens immediately, although it may take some time for the target to recover from it.
---Concentration
A concentration effect lasts as long as you concentrate on maintaining it. Concentration is a standard action and distractions may cause your concentration to lapse (see the Concentration skill for details). If your concentration lapses, the effect stops. Failing to take the necessary action to concentrate means your concentration lapses automatically.
You can maintain a concentration effect as a move action rather than a standard action for one round with a Concentration skill check (DC 10 + power rank). Make the check each round you maintain the effect as a move action. A failed check means the effect lapses.
---Sustained
A sustained effect lasts as long as you take a free action each round to maintain it. Since you are capable of taking as many free actions as you wish. If you are incapable of taking free actions (stunned or unconscious, for example) then the effect lapses.
You can maintain a sustained effect as a reaction (allowing you to attempt to maintain it if you are stunned, for example) for one round with a Concentration skill check (DC 10 + power rank). Make the check each round you maintain the effect as a reaction. A failed check means the effect lapses.
---Continuous
A continuous effect lasts as long as you wish, without any effort on your part. Once activated, it stays that way until you choose to deactivate it, even if you are stunned or unconscious. Continuous effects can still generally be countered or nullified to stop them from working.
---Permanent
A permanent effect is always active and cannot be turned off, even if you want to. Permanent may sometimes be countered and can be nullified unless they also have the Innate power feat.
---Involuntary Deactivation
There are a number of ways in which characters may lose the ability to maintain an effect: damage, distraction, or interference of some kind or another. If conditions cause involuntary deactivation of an effect, it occurs immediately, not on the user’s next action. So, for example, if you’re stunned by an opponent’s attack (and don’t successfully make a Concentration check), then any concentration or sustained effects immediately stop working. Lasting effects remain (see Lasting Results under the Result section), but they’re no longer under your control.
Once an active effect is deactivated (voluntarily or not) it must be reactivated normally once you’re capable of doing so. This is trivial for a free action effect, but can be significant for effects requiring longer actions, particularly ones with flaws adding other activation requirements.
---Losing Control
In addition to losing the ability to maintain an effect, it’s possible to lose the ability to control it, which is not necessarily the same thing. An out of control effect may deactivate, but could do other things as well.
A subject under Mind Control can be ordered to activate, deactivate, or use any power under his control. So you can order a mind-controlled thrall to lower his Force Field, for example, or stop maintaining any other effect. Targets may be strongly opposed to certain power-related actions: turning off your Force Field is one thing, shutting off your Flight power while high in the air is another!
You can’t use Mind Control to command a target to do something he can’t normally do, like turn off Protection (or any other permanent effect) or exert active control over a passive effect. Likewise, Mind Control doesn’t abrogate any modifiers on the target’s powers: if they don’t work at night, for example, then your control isn’t going to change that.
Power Control gives you control over all of the target’s active powers: just as with Mind Control, you can make the subject’s powers do anything they could normally do, but you have no control over what the target does physically. So you can activate your victim’s Blast power, for example, but you can’t aim it (since that’s a physical action), you could raise or lower a Force Field; you can turn off a target’s Flight so he falls, or turn it on so he hovers, but you can’t direct where he goes (since that’s also considered a physical action). You can, however, cause a subject to teleport to a place you determine, so long as it’s within his capabilities. If the subject has an Area effect, you can also set it off!
The Possession power gives you control of the subject’s physical traits, including powers, while you retain your own mental traits (including powers). So you can possess a target with powers like Blast, Flight, and Force Field, and use them all normally, but you can’t use the target’s Mental Communication or Mental Blast powers any more than you can use his Craft or Knowledge skills.
An effect with the Uncontrolled flaw is never under your control! Although it may sometimes do something useful, an Uncontrolled effect is always under a mods control (during an event) and is considered a passive effect. Among other things, this means someone usurping control of your powers doesn’t gain any more control over it than you have. It also means the effect may operate even when you’re normally incapable of using other effects.
An Unreliable effect, on the other hand, just doesn’t work sometimes. When you fail a reliability check, treat it as an involuntary deactivation of the effect: it stops working immediately (if it was active) and can’t be reactivated until you recover the effect in some way. (See the Unreliable flaw description for details).  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Saving Throws Against Effects

Active effects that work on other characters allow a saving throw to resist them. The type of save (Toughness, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will) depends on the effect and its modifiers. The DC of the saving throw is 10 + power rank. So the DC of a Reflex save against a rank 12 Snare effect is 22 (10 + rank 12). Toughness saves have a DC of 15 + the attack’s damage bonus (equal to the Damage effect’s rank). A successful save means the effect doesn’t work.
...Saving Throw Difficulty Class = 10 + power rank (15 + rank for Toughness)

---Harmless Effects
Some effects are listed as “(harmless)” after the saving throw type, meaning the effect is usually beneficial, but recipients may save against it, if they wish. A successful save against a harmless effect means the effect doesn’t work. This particularly comes into play with passive saving throw bonuses, like Immunity (see the following sections).
---Staged Effects
Some effects are listed as “(staged)” after the save type, meaning the amount by which the saving throw fails determines the outcome of the effect. The exact results of the failed save are given in the effect’s description.
---Forgoing Saving Throws
Willing characters can forgo their saving throw against an effect, if they wish. The player declares the intention to do so before the effect is used. This includes characters that think they’re receiving the benefit of a harmless effect, even if they’re not! You can’t forgo Toughness saves and there’s no such thing as a “harmless” Toughness effect.
---Immunity
The Immunity effect (see Immunity in powers) allows characters to automatically succeed on saving throws against certain effects. Moreover, since Immunity is normally permanent, the character cannot choose to forgo the save, even if the effect is harmless. Characters with continuous or sustained Immunity can choose to turn the effect off in order to forgo their save and receive the benefit of harmless effects, if desired. Even in those cases, you can’t forgo the save while Immunity is active, and it requires a free action to voluntarily lower your Immunity.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Result
The result of any given effect is given in the effect’s description, but effect results share certain common terms and systems, described in this section.

---Using The Progression Table
An effect’s description will generally say something like, “the effect begins at a value of X and each rank moves it one step up the Progression Table,” where X is the starting value of the effect’s result.
So, for example, the Flight effect starts out with a speed of 10 miles per hour (100 feet per move action) at rank 1. Each Flight rank moves speed one step up the Progression Table. Since the value after 10 on the table is 25, Flight 2 is 25 MPH, Flight 3 is 50 MPH, and so forth.
Note that not all effects start their progression at the rank 1 on the table; many start off with a higher base value and progress from there. If necessary, you can extend the Progression Table by following the same progression of 1, 2.5, and 5 then starting over, increasing by a factor of 10.
---Extended Range Or Area
An extended range power works at a particular distance (or over a particular area) determined by its rank, as shown on the Extended Range Table. Because the effect’s range or area is determined by rank, it cannot be changed using Range or Area modifiers. To alter range or area, increase or decrease the effect’s rank instead. If an effect does not have area based on rank, it uses the Area extra to work over an area.
Technically, extended range effects are personal, in that they affect the user, but their “reach” is given on the Extended Range Table. So, for example, ESP is a personal effect, in that it only modifies the user’s senses, but the distance you can displace your point of perception with it is based on the Extended Range Table. Likewise, Teleport is a personal effect—it allows you to move instantly from place to place—but the distance covered is based on its rank and the Extended Range Table. Extended area effects are generally not personal, the effect covering a particular area, either radiating from you (if the effect is touch range) or that you can center on a point within range (if the effect is ranged).

---Lasting Results
An effect with “(lasting)” listed after its duration means the target must recover from the effect by making additional saving throws, with a cumula-
tive +1 bonus per previous save. A successful save eliminates the lingering effect (and the need for further saves).
An instant duration lasting effect allows a new saving throw each round on the initiative count when the effect occurred. So an instant lasting effect that takes place on initiative count 12 of a round offers a new saving throw at initiative count 12 on the following round, even if the effect-user or the target’s place in the initiative order changes.
A concentration duration lasting effect allows a new save for each interval on the Time Table, starting one minute after the effect occurs (then 5 minutes, 20 minutes, and so on). The effect lasts until the target successfully saves or the user stops concentrating whichever comes first. If you stop concentrating, the subject gains a new save every round (like an instant lasting effect), with a +1 bonus per save, until the effect is eliminated. Once you stop concentrating on the effect, you can’t start again without an entirely new use of the effect.
A sustained duration lasting effect allows a new save for each interval on the Time Table, the same as with concentration duration, but does not require an action to maintain; its effects continue until the target successfully saves. If you concentrate during an entire time interval (taking a standard action each round), the subject does not gain the cumulative +1 save bonus for that interval. Once you stop concentrating on a sustained lasting effect, you cannot start concentrating on it again without an entirely new use of the effect.
A continuous duration lasting effect does not allow new saves at all; if the initial save fails, the effect lasts until countered or reversed in some way. The GM should carefully regulate sustained and continuous lasting effects in the game. Generally, there should be some reasonable way to reverse a continuous lasting effect other than countering or nullifying it, such as a medical treatment, folk remedy, other powers, or the like.
It should be boted that there is no such thing as a “permanent lasting” effect; continuous is as close as it gets, and the Permanent flaw does not apply to the duration of lasting effects. No effect should be completely irreversible unless it is a plot device controlled by a mod during an event.
---Extra Effort And Lasting Results
The Willpower option of extra effort (see Extra Effort under the characteristics thread) allows you to gain an additional saving throw to recover from the lasting result of a power. The save occurs immediately as a free action on your turn and does not count as one of the normal saves you make, although it does add to the cumulative save bonus if it fails. If you’re entitled to a normal save on that round, you get to make it as well. You can spend a hero point to negate the fatigue from the extra effort as usual.
 

[Dark Bunny Lord]

NOTICING POWER EFFECTS
The ability to notice power effects follows certain basic guidelines:

• Active effects are noticeable in some way: a visible display, an audible noise, a powerful vibration, and so forth. The exact display associated with the effect depends on the powers descriptor.
• Passive effects are unnoticeable, although they can be noticeable, if you wish (with the application of the Noticeable power drawback).
• If a passive effect’s duration is changed, it becomes noticeable, unless the Subtle power feat is applied. This includes passive effects added to an active Container structure. Active effects remain noticeable, even if their duration is changed, unless the Subtle power feat is applied to them.
• Sensory effects are by definition noticeable to the sense(s) they affect. So a sight-dependent effect is noticeable visually, and so forth. This means mental sensory effects are noticeable only to mental senses. The Subtle power feat can conceal the source of a sensory effect, but not its actual effect on the senses. A Subtle Visual Dazzle, for example, might use an undetectable medium to cause temporary blindness, but victims of the effect still know they’re unable to see. Likewise, the Concealment
effect is “noticeable” in that concealed subjects actually “disappear” from the affected sense, but they do not otherwise call attention to themselves.
---Noticeable Effects
Noticeable power effects are automatically detected by whatever senses are appropriate, depending on their descriptors. Normally, no Notice check is required. The DC of the Notice if for some reason the power is done out of view where it still has a chance of being noticed check is 10 (since observers can normally take 10 to automatically succeed).
---Sensory Effects
Sensory effects like Illusion and Obscure can conceal other effects just as they do anything else. So the flash of an energy blast is would be. Concealment hides personal range effects, but not others, so an invisible hero’s force field cannot be seen, but his force blast can, unless it’s Subtle.
---Mental Effects
Mental sensory effects are noticeable only to those directly affected by them (who sense them automatically) and to observers with a ranged mental sense, such as Mental Awareness. Unnoticeable effects become noticeable with an application of the Noticeable power drawback.

Subtle Effects
Subtle power effects are either noticeable only with a Notice check (DC 20) or automatically with a specialized sense other than the usually means a Super-Sense based in a different sense type (particularly detect, see Super-Senses). For example, an effect based on invisible radiation is noticeable to a detect radiation sense (or perhaps to infravision or ultravision, if it’s the right wavelength), but unnoticeable to other senses.
Noticeable effects can be made subtle with the application of one rank of the Subtle power feat.

Unnoticeable Effects
Unnoticeable power effects are truly undetectable by any sense, although their consequences may still be noticeable. So, for example, the Protection effect (which is permanent) is normally unnoticeable: you can’t tell by looking at or even touching someone with Protection whether or not they have an increased Toughness save. However, you can certainly see (or at least surmise) that someone has Impervious Protection when you see bullets bouncing off them! Likewise, although a Subtle Mental Blast may be completely undetectable, the power’s victim still knows he’s hurt (if the attack damaged him), as do others if the attack does enough damage to visibly stun the target or worse (although neither will necessarily know the cause of the damage).
Noticeable effects can be made unnoticeable with the application of two ranks of the Subtle power feat.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Countering Effects
In some circumstances one effect may counter another, negating it. Generally for two effects to counter each other they must have opposed descriptors. For example, light and darkness effects can counter each other as can heat and cold, water and fire, and so forth. In some cases effects of the same descriptor can also counter each other. A mod is the final arbiter as to whether or not an effect of a particular descriptor can counter another if two foes in combat disagree. The Nullify effect can counter any effect of a particular descriptor (or even any effect at all) depending on how it is configured (see Nullify in the powers thread).

How Contering works
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To counter an effect, take a ready action. In doing so, you wait to complete your action until your opponent tries to use an effect. You may still move, since ready is a standard action. You must be able to use the countering effect as a standard, move, or free action to ready it. Effects usable as a reaction do not require a ready action; you can use them to counter at any time.
Effects requiring a full action or longer cannot counter another effect in combat, although they may potentially counter ongoing effects (see the following section).
If an opponent attempts to use an effect you are able to counter, use your countering effect as your readied action. You and the opposing character make power checks (d20 + power rank). If you win, your two effects cancel each other out and there is no effect from either. If the opposing character wins, your attempt to counter is unsuccessful. The opposing effect works normally.
Example: Siren, goddess of the seas, is fighting the White Knight. The hate-mongering villain hurls a blast of white hot fire (a Ranged Damage effect of his Fire Control).
Having prepared an action, Siren’s player says she wants to counter White Knight’s fire blast with her Water Control (a Move Object effect). A mod, or the two players, agree the two effects should be able to counter each other, so he asks Siren’s player to make a Water Control check, while he makes a Fire Control power check for White Knight. Siren’s player rolls a result of 26 while the White Knight rolls a result of 19. Siren successfully counters the flame blast, which fizzles out in a gout of steam.

Countering Ongoing Effects
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You can also counter a maintained or lasting effect, or the lingering results of an instant effect (like flames ignited by fiery Damage). This requires a normal use of the countering effect and an opposed power check, as above. If you are successful, you negate the effect (although the opposing character can attempt to re-establish it normally).
Example: Mastermind has placed Johnny Rocket under his Mind Control. Lady Liberty has the power to break such bonds (the Nullify effect). She shines the light of liberty on her teammate and makes a power check (d20 + her Nullify rank). Mastermind makes a power check of d20 + his Mind Control rank. If Lady Liberty wins, Johnny is free of Mastermind’s control. If she fails, the Freedom League will have to come up with another plan to neutralize their super-fast teammate without hurting him.
If countering a lingering effect no longer under the user’s control, the countering character makes a power check as usual, but the Difficulty is simply 10 plus the rank or bonus of the effect, since there’s no real opposition.
Example: Freed from Mastermind’s control, Johnny Rocket sees a fire threatening people nearby. He uses his Super-Speed 10 power to create a strong enough backwash to pull air away from the fire and extinguish it. Johnny’s player makes a Super-Speed check (d20+ 10, his power rank) against 14 (the intensity of the flames, plus 10). Johnny wins and the flames are extinguished.

Instant Countering
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You can spend a luck point to counter another effect as a reaction using an effect that normally requires a free, move, or standard action, without the need to ready an action to do so.
Example: The witch Seven and her teammates face off against Malador the Mystic, who hurls a powerful spell at them. Seven’s player chooses to spend a luck point, allowing Seven a shot at countering the incoming spell with her own Magic before it hits. She and Malador make power checks (d20 + Magic rank). Seven manages to win and counter the necromancer’s spell... this time.
You can also apply a Surge use of extra effort to the action required to counter, although you still need to use that action to ready the countering effect, so this is less effective than spending a luck point for an instant counter.
Example: Siren uses extra effort to gain an additional standard action on her round so along with her planned attack and move, she can ready her Water Control power to counter the flame attack she’s expecting Pyre to make later in the round. When Pyre’s attack happens, Siren’s player says she’s using her readied action to try and counter it.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Power And Skill Synergy
In some cases, powers and skills may be able to aid each other, providing a bonus on checks similar to an aid bonus (see Aiding Another). This is for powers that don’t normally provide skill check bonuses; effects like Morph, for example, always provide a set bonus based on rank. Some examples of possible synergies include the following, although this list is by no means comprehensive. Players should feel free to come up with additional combinations as suits the circumstances of a situation with a BM's permission.

---Acrobatics
Movement effects can provide a bonus on Acrobatics checks to impress an audience or to handle certain difficult maneuvers (such as tricky aerobatics aided by Flight).
---Bluff
A properly planned Illusion can provide a bonus to back up a Bluff. Mind Reading can provide a bonus on Bluff checks by picking up what a subject is thinking at the moment and adjusting the story to match.
---Climb
While the wall-crawling effect of Super-Movement makes Climb checks superfluous, a power like claws (or a similar melee Damage effect) or a Snare might be grant a Climb bonus by cutting handholds or helping the user stick to a surface, respectively.
---Computers
Datalink allows you to use this skill at a distance but, if you’re close enough to operate a computer normally, it may provide you with a bonus by increasing your reaction and response time. Comprehend Machines may provide a bonus by providing useful information.
---Craft
Various matter and material shaping effects like Transform can provide a bonus to Craft checks or simply allow you to make checks in considerably less time.
---Diplomacy
A successful use of Mind Reading can provide a Diplomacy bonus by allowing you to tailor your message or argument to your audience. Emotion Control and Diplomacy can be a devastating combination for influencing attitudes.
---Disguise
Effects like Morph and Shapeshift provide a +5 bonus per rank on Disguise checks rather than a synergy bonus. Mind Reading can enhance your ability to act like whatever you appear as (see Bluff).
---Escape Artist
Elongation already provides its rank as a bonus to Escape Artist checks, while Insubstantial allows you to automatically succeed on such checks. Anatomic Separation may grant a synergy bonus or automatic success on an Escape Artist check, depending on the situation. For example, being able to detach your hands allows you to automatically slip out of handcuffs, but may only provide you a bonus in getting out of a straight jacket. Move Object either grants automatic success (if you’re able to see and affect whatever is binding you) or a bonus (if you can’t, but can still use your effect as “extra hands”). Shrinking may also provide automatic success on some escape attempts (shrinking out of bonds, for example) and no help on others (such as escaping from an airtight cage).
---Gather Information
Various sensory effects, including Mind Reading or Super-Senses, can provide a synergy bonus on Gather Information checks.
---Handle Animal
Comprehend Animals can grant a bonus by allowing you to actually talk to animals, the same for Mind Reading to pick up on an animal’s mood and reactions.
---Intimidate
Any number of flashy or impressive effects can provide a bonus on Intimidate checks, although effects like Growth or Shrinking already apply an Intimidate modifier by default.
---Investigate
Super-Senses, particularly microscopic vision and scent, can provide a bonus to Investigate checks to find evidence.
---Medicine
Diagnosis checks can benefit from Super-Senses, particularly X-ray vision. Move Object can provide a bonus on surgery checks.
---Perform
Flashy and impressive effects of any kind can provide a bonus on some Perform checks to impress an audience.
---Sleight Of Hand
Precise Move Object can provide a bonus for this skill, while being able to sneak up on someone unseen via a Concealment effect can do much
the same.
---Stealth
While Concealment and Obscure make this skill superfluous, other effects can provide synergy bonuses, like Super Senses to “scout out” your
surroundings, or some forms of Super-Movement.
---Survival
In addition to effects like Immunity abrogating the need for Survival
checks, various things can make Survival easier, from Super-Senses and
Super-Movement to detect and avoid hazards to attack effects to aid hunting.  

[Dark Bunny Lord]

Effects And Extra Effort
You can use extra effort to improve your effects (as described in
characteristics), at the cost of suffering some fatigue (or spending a luck point so you don’t suffer fatigue).
Generally speaking, you can only apply one benefit from extra effort to an effect at any given time. If using the optional rules for extraordinary or last-ditch effort, multiple benefits and stacked benefits may be possible (see Extraordinary Effort).
Extra effort only applies to active effects, since passive effects by definition don’t require effort. An active use of an otherwise passive effect might be eligible for extra effort, provided the effect’s duration is not permanent, since permanent effects cannot use extra effort regardless.

(For more on extra effort go here)

Power Stunts And Flaws
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An Alternate Power stunt of an effect with one or more flaws on it may remain limited by those flaws. At the very least, the Alternate Power will have fewer power points to work with: Ranged Damage is worth 20 points, while normal (touch range) Damage is worth only 10 points. So any Alternate Power of the latter cannot have a value of more than 10 power points.
It may be possible to perform an Alternate Power version of an effect without its flaws, using extra effort to temporarily overcome them. This depends heavily on the flaw(s), the effect’s descriptors, and a BM's judgment. For example, a power stunt that removes the Full Action requirement from the Damage effect mentioned previously, results in a Damage 5 effect (10 points). Alternately, it might apply another flaw (like Distracting) in place of the normal flaw; you can use the effect faster but suffer a loss of defense in this example.
A BM may decide some flaws cannot be overcome in this way. Uncontrolled is a particularly good example since dodges around it tend to invalidate how the flaw works. The same is true for flaws like Permanent (which prevents the use of extra effort anyway) and Sense-Dependent. Likewise, you may wish to set limits on the flaws that can be applied to Alternate Power stunts. Since the stunt is a one-time effect, flaws like Limited are highly situational. Limited to Men, for example, isn’t really a flaw if the intended target of the effect is a man and you don’t get to use it again without additional effort. As usual, the guideline is that a flaw with no real downside is not actually a flaw and does not reduce an effect’s cost.

Willpower And Lasting Results
The willpower application of extra effort allows an immediate new saving throw against the lasting result of an effect. This is regardless of the save required: Fortitude, Reflex, or Will (lasting results don’t require Toughness saves). You can even make your normal save for that time interval and, if you’re unsatisfied with the results, use extra effort to make an additional one immediately. Note this is not the same as spending a luck point to re-roll: the additional save result is whatever is rolled on the die plus your modifier; however, it does gain the cumulative bonus from previous failed saves (if any).
An additional save from willpower also comes regardless of when the effect normally permits new saves. So, for example, if you’re fighting a lasting sustained effect and you’re not due a new save for an hour, you can still use willpower to gain a new save immediately. This is particularly important for fighting off lasting continuous effects, which don’t allow new saves at all; willpower still gives you a save, even though you’re not otherwise allowed one.
If you are fighting some sort of outside control with a lasting result, such as Mind Control or Possession, the fatigue imposed by extra effort for additional saving throws isn’t applied until you are free from the effect. This is primarily to stop characters from simply using extra effort successively each round until they pass out in order to deny their attacker control. It also imposes a certain risk: Fatigue results beyond unconscious may be treated as actual damage, resulting in serious harm or even death once the effect ends if you’ve strained yourself to your limit. Otherwise, once you’ve accumulated enough “fatigue debt,” you simply can’t use extra effort for willpower any further: you’re limited to the additional saves the effect normally allows.

Effects And Luck Points
The uses of luck points include enhancing power effects (see characteristics thread). A primary use of luck points is overcoming the fatigue from extra effort, essentially making all of the extra effort options luck point options as well. Note, however, the character is still using extra effort in those cases, even if no fatigue is accumulated.
In some cases, the benefits of extra effort and luck points may be cumulative, such as using extra effort for a check bonus and spending a luck point to improve the roll by rolling twice and taking the better result, in which case the check bonus applies to the best check result. A particular example is the power stunt option of extra effort and the luck feat option of luck points, which can stack, allowing you to temporarily acquire two feats for one round, either two separate feats or two ranks of the same feat. Note that power stunts have to be power feats, while the luck feat option extends to any non-fortune feat available. So you can use extra effort to gain a Progression power feat and spend a luck point to gain another, for example.
Although you can potentially gain more than one Alternate Power feat, they’d have to apply to different effects, since you can only use one Alternate Power in an Array at a time. You can also use a power stunt to gain an Alternate Power feat and luck feat to make it Dynamic, so you only need to allocate some of the power points from the base effect into the Alternate Power.

Luck Points And Flaws
In addition to the option of using extra effort and a power stunt to acquire a version of a flawed effect without the flaw(s), players to spend a luck point to automatically overcome some flaws on effects for a round, using the effect at its full rank rather than the reduced rank of an Alternate Power stunt.
This option already exists to some degree: spending a luck point to avoid the fatigue of a Tiring effect, to re-roll the saving throw against a Side-Effect, or to succeed on a check for an Unreliable effect. This option just makes it simpler: the player declares and spends the luck point and the chosen flaw doesn’t apply for that round.

Combining Effects
On some occasions, characters may attempt to combine their powers in order to complete a difficult task. There are three ways to deal with this:
1) For individuals operating independently—such as a group trying to lift a large, heavy object—simply add their separate capabilities together. For example, three heroes with heavy load carrying capacities of 10 tons, 24 tons, and 60 tons working together have a heavy load capacity of 94 tons.
2) Groups coordinating their attacks to overcome an opponent’s defenses should use the rules for combined attacks (see Combined Attack). This applies to most effects involving a saving throw.
3) Finally, characters trying to combine their powers into a single, more effective, unit can use the following guidelines: the members of the group must all be in contact, either physically touching (each other or a common subject) or mentally linked (via Mental Communication). Coordinating the group in this way requires a move action on the part of each person joining in the effort.
One character—usually the one with the highest rank in the desired effect—is designated as the leader. Add together the ranks the rest of the group has in the effect with the same power source, then add half the ranks of effects with a different power source. Use this total rank for a single aid check (DC 10). A successful check adds +2 to the leader’s check, with an additional +1 for every 10 points the check exceeds DC 10 (see Aiding Another).
Example: In a case of unusual allies, Baron Samedi (Magic 12), Lantern Jack (Magic 14), Medea (Magic 11), and Seven (Magic 10) are aiding Eldrich (Magic 16) in casting a spell to prevent the Unspeakable One from entering (and destroying) Earth’s dimension. They are all gathered in a mystic circle, with Eldrich as the leader.
The other mystics pool their Magic power ranks for a total of (12 + 14 + 11 + 10) or 47. They then make an aid check, rolling a 12, for a total of 59. That’s enough for a +6 bonus to Eldrich’s Magic rank: +2 for exceeding DC 10 (which the circle would have done regardless), plus 4 more for exceeding the DC by 49; one point more on the roll and the bonus would have been +7. Although Overshadow is also present at the ritual, he does not possess the Magic power, and so cannot assist.
However, he is using his Ritualist feat and Knowledge (arcane lore) to secretly attempt to usurp control of the spell so he can claim the power of the Unspeakable One for himself...

Extra Effort And Luck Points
Extra effort and luck points are both usable when combining powers, but if the assistants wish to use a hero point to re-roll the aid check, they must all spend one. Extra effort can add to the effective power rank of the leader or an assistant; the improved rank has its normal effect, and an assistant’s improved rank counts towards the total rank for the aid check.

Disconnecting
An aiding character who is stunned, knocked out, or otherwise unable to assist is disconnected from the group and no longer counted towards the aid bonus. So, continuing with the previous example, if Eldrich’s first combined check failed and a mystic backlash rendered Seven unconscious, her 10 ranks of Magic would not count for the next aid check.
Stunned participants can make a Concentration check (DC 10 + rank of the cooperating power) in order to remain connected to the group.
Assistants relying on physical contact to combine powers are disconnected if they lose contact for any reason, including knockback, being pushed, pulled, or otherwise moved from their place. The same is true for participants using Mental Communication who lose contact due to sensory effects like a Mental Dazzle or Obscure (or just loss of the Mental Communication effect).