Modular Abilities?

[citadel97501]

Hello all,
I was just wondering if anyone uses this ability as it seems very expensive for a fairly limited suite of powers?  Now I do think it could be useful to simulate a series of different pieces of equipment if you wanted an Iron Man style character but frankly it just seems kind of meh for anything else?

[Baron Hazard]

... a limited suite? I mean within reason but so far ive seen it used with one pc and ive used it myself, both times it proved very powerful, not overly so (dependant on allowances, theme and refresh) but a very useful utility power.

[Haru]

I'm using it for a shapeshifter with various forms. It's really powerful if you use it right. The 2 point surcharge is expensive at first, but it's totally worth it. Though it's probably not a power to take with lowlevel characters, where you simply don't have the refresh to spare.

[Taran]

It's more worth it with higher refresh.

[MijRai]

It starts to hit its stride at -6 total; at that point, you can pick up Supernaturals, which really makes things powerful.  'Oh look, I'm hurt after the fight?  Supernatural Recovery, that'll be gone shortly'.  'The fight has started!  Now to pick between Speed, Strength, and Toughness...  Or get two of them at Inhuman!'

[Haru]

'Oh look, I'm hurt after the fight?  Supernatural Recovery, that'll be gone shortly'.  'The fight has started!

That's kind of up for debate. I think you need to have the recovery power while getting the consequence you want to heal with it. I look at consequences taken when not having recovery as satisfying the catch.

Switching between powers depending on what kind of fight you are dealing with is definitely a plus.

[Hick Jr]

I'm a huge proponent of modular abilities, if my sig didn't make that painfully obvious.

Yeah, the -2 surcharge is painful at lower Refresh, but the power level jumps pretty dramatically as soon as you can drop six+ Refresh on form points, cause then you get Mythics. I like it because it adds a hell of a lot of versatility to a character. And I like playing skinwalker-type builds.

[dragoonbuster]

I'm a huge proponent of modular abilities, if my sig didn't make that painfully obvious.

Yeah, the -2 surcharge is painful at lower Refresh, but the power level jumps pretty dramatically as soon as you can drop six+ Refresh on form points, cause then you get Mythics. I like it because it adds a hell of a lot of versatility to a character. And I like playing skinwalker-type builds.

Same here. Once you're looking at 8-10 or more starting refresh, Modular becomes very, very fun. Like others have said, the power of Modular is in the flexibility you have when you go into a conflict. Probably has become my favorite single power, if I had to choose one.

That's kind of up for debate. I think you need to have the recovery power while getting the consequence you want to heal with it. I look at consequences taken when not having recovery as satisfying the catch.

As far as the healing goes, I like what's in the margins next to the power description: Powerful shapeshifters, when not focused on something else, can focus their abilities on healing. Just maintain a constant Catch (or have none at all). Compels can be used if for some reason the GM needs to make some consequences stick to them. I get the healing paradigm of "only heals those consequences taken while Healing is active" for balance, but at the same time that makes little narrative sense to me. Plus, that's part of what that -2 initial cost is for. Ultimately I think it should be decided game to game, depending on the GM's needs and preferences.

[Haru]

As far as the healing goes, I like what's in the margins next to the power description: Powerful shapeshifters, when not focused on something else, can focus their abilities on healing.

In game terms, I see that more as "are allowed to take recovery without it being restricted by human form". But I can absolutely see it being used the way you describe, so it all comes down to personal preference.

[solbergb]

Modular abilities and skill shuffle (in any form, from beastform to true shapeshift) are the most powerful non-spellcasting abilities in the game.   

Just as a very simple example, 3 points in modular shapeshift lets your character fly, swim underwater, become tiny or gain a wide variety of enhanced senses limited only by your aspects/fluff on your shapeshift.  If you can't figure out how to use that, you're not trying hard enough

Likewise, even beastform alone lets you have a "physically awesome" form and one of the following (socially awesome, nerdy-awesome, jack of all trades) with a side of vast resources or contacts if you like that in your human form.   Give it true shapeshift and you've got more ways of being physically awesome (stealth form, dodgy-form, tough-form, max-damage-form).    Combine modular with beastform or true shapeshift and it really gets ugly.

Now for similar refresh you can be a full wizard, and at the levels you can start pulling SU or Mythic stuff + shift quickly the wizard has a stack of refresh.   But if you're looking at bang-for-refresh, fill-any-role types of characters full spellcasters or shapeshifters are pretty much where it's at in DFRPG.   It's possible to shine better in a single role than either with a pure mortal or something like a focused super-speedster build (where mythic speed is just a starting point for stunts/powers that build on the theme) but the generalist using magic or shapeshifting will be in shouting range, plus able to do other things (subject to aspect compels of course).

[Haru]

Likewise, even beastform alone lets you have a "physically awesome" form and one of the following (socially awesome, nerdy-awesome, jack of all trades) with a side of vast resources or contacts if you like that in your human form.   Give it true shapeshift and you've got more ways of being physically awesome (stealth form, dodgy-form, tough-form, max-damage-form).    Combine modular with beastform or true shapeshift and it really gets ugly.

Yeah, that's what I like to do with beast change. Human Form specialized in social/knowledge stuff, beast form specialized in physical stuff, usually fight.

There's a custom form of modular abilities that only costs 1 surcharge instead of 2 and allows you to create 2 sets of powers. I used it to power 2 beast forms in a pbp. Funny enough, none of them is a fight form. The raven form is all quick and sneaky, while the dog form is more about infiltration and social stuff (to the degree dogs can be social, of course).

[Taran]

You have to be very careful with modular abilities otherwise it becomes the 'I am a one man show'. Modular abilities should be attached to a specific theme and the player and GM should decide what powers are available. 

I had a character who was a spirit of air with MA.  In one combat they wanted to switch to physical immunity with the justification that they were becoming pure air. I ruled against it and told them they could become gaseous instead.

I let them take mythic speed when needed but capped their toughness at supernatural and recovery at inhuman because I didn't feel mythic toughness and recovery suited air.

I wouldn't allow modular abilities let you take spell casting abilities either(or at least combine them with physical powers).  That just leads to situations where a character can be a combat monster in one scene who then use thaumaturgy in the next.  There's, literally, no obstacle thaey can't overcome and there is no draw-back.  There is never a need to weigh one power against another. As a full round action, you can do whatever you want.  Part of the fun, IMO is having limitations and trying to work with/through them.

[MadAlchemist]

The way I have interpreted Modular Abilities was a predetermined pool of available powers for that PC. I have allowed discounts for particularly limited versions, for example;
Player Alice wants to make a character that can borrow some animistic traits from the natural world. She does not want this to extend so far as to make the changes visible, so she selects the full physical building block set up to inhuman, Pack Instincts, Echoes of the Beast, Cloak of Shadows and (Super)natural Sense. I drop the surcharge by one for this pool and we have a reasonable power. 
Player Bob wants to make a Physical Adept biomancer in a high Refresh game. Mythic levels in the building blocks are being restricted to Major NPCs and maybe one per PC if they have an appropriate High Concept. So Bob selects the full pool of creature features, Beast Change and physical building blocks up to supernatural. Pays the base two Refresh for this setup.
Either way I, as the GM, know ahead of time what they can take and so do they. If they want to have a catch for available toughness powers that is chosen when they buy Modular Abilities and can apply it to the toughness portion of their pool. I do let them apply Recovery at any time but the Catch still matters, even retroactively. Any custom powers need to be pre-approved before going on the list, updates to the list at milestones. I even allow pre-selected stunts that fit physical alterations.

[Sanctaphrax]

This seems relevant.

[Quantus]

This seems relevant.

Nice!  Bonus points for the "Talisman of Shendu" (a Jackie Chan Adventures reference if Im not mistaken )