Modular Abilities Expanded

[Sanctaphrax]

Not sure exactly what you mean. Could you please explain further?

[Lavecki121]

Not sure exactly what you mean. Could you please explain further?

The cost would be lower if you had secured option sets as opposed to a bunch of abilities you can choose from.

[Sanctaphrax]

Yes, of course.

[Mojosilver]

modular abilities is a power that can let a player be anything and everything. but alot of people when you tell them that. they can't think of anything. a player in my group has this power. the player has four builds she uses defender, striker, stealth, and a perception build.
what i am saying dispite the fact she could be alot more that all she plays as.(and all she whats to play as). so if i where to change modular abilities i would make it two fold. how many builds you could have. 1 point two builds, 2 points four builds and so on. then i would point pool to spend on the builds. so say i spend 5 points. 1 point for two builds 4 point pool.
my character have one build of inhuman strength and inhuman speed and another of inhuman toughness and inhuman recovery for example. thats my two cents.thanks bye.

[Lavecki121]

I agree with you 100%

[Sanctaphrax]

Actually, that possibility is already included in what I have. Just pick a small number of Options, and make each option consume all of your form points. Depending on how many Options you pick and how much they overlap, the cost will vary.

I'd rather not nail myself down the way you're doing, since a fixed-formula cost is easy to abuse.

[Lavecki121]

Thats true Enough. I dont know anymore 

[ways and means]

I don't see the way modular powers currently works as overpowered the two refresh modifier is pretty substantial and the closest the system comes to broken is using modulating recovery and toughness to free up six refresh (4 refresh sans modifier) at mythic levels (mythic toughness on in combat recovery on outside of combat). As long as the pc and gm agree on the list of options in advance I don't see a any reason why it needs to be modded.

[Sanctaphrax]

...I don't think I said anything about it being overpowered.

The issue is that it doesn't have as many possibilities as it could have. There are so many things that could be done with something Modular Abilities-like, and so many of those things can't be done with canon Modular Abilities.

[Lavecki121]

...I don't think I said anything about it being overpowered.

I think most of us were under the impression thats what you were saying. I know I was and thats what most of my arguments were geared towards.

Now that I understand a little better I think the way you proposed before would be good. However it would have to be up to the GM to go with what you said or Cannon. Some people like the Cannon version because it limits the modular abilities. To be honest I like your proposed one for IoP's. It could make for some interesting weapons.

[Sanctaphrax]

I was talking to ways and means, sorry if that was unclear.

[Sanctaphrax]

How's this look?

VARIABLE ABILITIES [-varies]
Description: You have some method of changing what Powers are available to you at any given time.
Note: Variable Abilities is not one Power; it's a whole collection, with each list being a different Power. If you don't trust your ability to create new Powers, stick with the lists provided here. If you do feel capable of writing new Powers, feel free to create your own lists using the ones here as a guide. Remember that if the abilities on the list are all useful in different situations it makes the list more powerful.
Skills Affected: Many.
Effects:
Option List. You have a list of Powers and upgrades and Stunts that you can give yourself with this Power. Your list may be of any length, and it may contain conditions like "Power X and Power Y must be taken together" or "Stunt X can only be taken if Power Y has been taken". Each list has a Refresh surcharge. A list's surcharge is proportional to its length, its flexibility, and the amount of variation among the Powers on it.
Form Points. Once you've paid the Refresh surcharge of your list, you may spend as many additional points of Refresh as you want. For each additional point of Refresh you spend, you get a form point.
Function Follows Form. As a full action, you may allocate your form points to abilities on your list. Each form point is worth 1 Refresh worth of abilities. You must abide by the conditions of your list, but you are under no obligation to keep all (or any) of your form points invested at any time.

I'll put up some lists later.

[Tedronai]

Form Points. Once you've paid the Refresh cost of your list, you may spend as many additional points of Refresh as you want. For each additional point of Refresh you spend, you get a form point.

I think this might be worded wrong.
It sounds like you have to pay the full cost of all potential powers before you pay for the form points by which you actually gain access to those powers.

[Sanctaphrax]

Good point!

I just tried to fix that in the laziest possible way. How's it look?

And now, some lists. If multiple abilities are listed under one bullet, they must be taken together.

1 Refresh:

Fire And Ice
-Channelling (Fire) [-2], Refinement [-1] (staff focus, +2 offensive control and power), Immunity (Fire) [-2].
-Channelling (Ice) [-2], Refinement [-1] (staff focus, +2 defensive control and power), Immunity (Cold) [-2].

Omni-Weapon
-Whatever variant of Natural Weaponry you want, with whatever upgrades you want.

2 Refresh:

General Shapeshifter
-Up to two levels of Strength.
-Up to two levels of Speed.
-Up to two levels of Toughness.
-Up to two levels of Recovery.
-Natural Weaponry, with or without Potent, Venomous, and Ranged upgrades.
-Diminutive, Hulking or Titanic Size.
-Spider Walk [-1].
-Wings [-1].
-Aquatic [-1].
-Extra Appendages, with or without upgrades.
-Damage Shield, with or without upgrades.
-Feel No Pain [-3].
-Amorphous Form [-1].
-Swarm Body [-3].
-Superhuman Acrobatics [-1].
-Magical Compartment [-1].
-Cloak Of Shadows [-1].
-Superior Hold [-2].
-Any Echoes Of The Beast, within reason [-1].
-Supernatural Sense, possibly with Strange Senses, from a pool of 3 possible senses.

Double Were-Form
-Beast Change (Bear) [-1], Echoes Of The Beast (Bear) [-1], Limitation (Strength, Toughness, and Claws, only when transformed) [+1], Inhuman Strength [-2], Inhuman Toughness [-2], Claws [-1].
-Beast Change (Bat) [-1], Echoes Of The Beast (Bat) [-1], Limitation (Size, Wings, Cloak and Speed, only when transformed) [+1], Diminutive Size [-1], Inhuman Speed [-2], Wings [-1], Cloak Of Shadows [-1].

3 Refresh:

Wannabe Listens-To-Wind
-True Shapeshifting [-4], Variable Abilities (General Shapeshifter) [-6].
-Evocation [-3], Thaumaturgy [-3], The Sight [-1], Soulgaze [-0], Wizard's Constitution [-0], Refinement [-3], with fixed focus slots and specializations.

Talismans Of Shendu
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little rooster trinket) [+1], Telekinesis [-3], Wings [-1].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little ox trinket) [+1], Inhuman Strength [-2], Inhuman Toughness [-2].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little snake trinket) [+1], Cloak Of Shadows [-1], Enhanced Invisibility [-3].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little sheep trinket) [+1], Projected Spirit Form [-4].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little rabbit trinket) [+1], Supernatural Speed [-4].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little dragon trinket) [+1], Potent Ranged Area Natural Weaponry [-4].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little rat trinket) [+1], Incite Restrictive Physical Effect At Range (Object Animation) [-4].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little horse trinket) [+1], Supernatural Recovery [-4].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little pig trinket) [+1], Supernatural Sense (Thermal Vision) [-1], Potent Ranged Natural Weaponry [-3].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little tiger trinket) [+1], Something Something Something [-4].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little monkey trinket) [+1], Sponsored Magic (Transformation) [-4].
-Item Limitation (all variable abilities, you need a little dog trinket) [+1], Undying [-0], Supernatural Toughness [-4].

[Mrmdubois]

Just want to make sure I'm getting this right Sanctaphrax, you pay a 1 Refresh surcharge and can thus access the Fire and Ice list by paying another 5 Refresh (-2 for Channeling, -1 for Refinement, -2 for Immunity to Fire/Ice)?  And then you can switch between Fire and Ice?