affect the target. However, the character loses all “connection” to it. He cannot change levels of effect, feed it END to prevent deterioration, or the like. (On the other hand, if a character becomes Desolidified, continuing-effect Mental Powers being used on him remain in full effect and can be altered or enhanced normally; as noted above, Mental Powers affect Desolidified characters.)
POWER TRICKS:
DESOlIDIFICATION
Here are some example “tricks” (related abilities) that characters with Desolidification might buy:
Disrupt Electronics: While intangible, the character can pass his hand through an elec- tronic device and disrupt it. It shuts down, requiring repair or re-activation before it will work again.
Dispel Electronic Device 12d6, Variable Effect (+½), Affects Physical World (+2) (126 Active Points); No Range (-½), Linked (to Desolidifica- tion; -¼). Total cost: 72 points.
Intangible Touch: While intangible, the char- acter can plunge one of his hands into another character’s body (typically the chest or the head), thus disrupting the metabolic processes and causing intense pain.
Blast 4d6, NND (defense is PD Resistant Protection or Density Increase; +0), Affects Physical World (+2) (60 Active Points); No Range (-½), Linked (to Desolidification; -¼). Total cost: 34 points.
Semi-Solid Form: When not fully intangible, the character decreases his density to the point where he’s only semi-solid, which makes it hard to hurt him.
Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 + 30 = 60 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½), Lockout (can’t use this while using Desolidification; -½). Total cost: 15 + 15 = 30 points.
Walking On Air: The character has enough control over his intangible form to literally “walk on air” as easily as a normal person walks on the ground.
Flight 12m (12 Active Points); Linked (to Desolidification; -½). Total cost: 8 points.
THE DRAWBACKS OF INTANGIBIlITy
Being Desolidified causes some problems. First and foremost, a Desolidified character cannot affect the physical world in any way. He cannot touch, lift, or move solid objects. His attacks against the physical world have no effect. He can’t even affect solid targets with Mental Powers or Sense-Affecting Powers (though solid characters can affect him with them). If he wants to attack, he has to become solid (and therefore vulnerable) or have abilities bought with the Advantage Affects
Physical World (see below).
Although a Desolidified character can walk through solid objects, he can’t breathe while in a solid object unless he has appropriate Life Support. He can’t consume solid food or drink, either; it’s possible for a character to starve to death if he can’t turn his Desolidification off for some reason.
A Desolidified character falls at normal velocity (see 6E2 140). He takes no damage from impacting the ground... but he doesn’t stop at the ground, he just keeps falling into and through it! This could cause serious problems if he doesn’t have Life Support or a Movement Power that can counteract the fall. He can use the same “force of will” that lets him walk on the ground to stop his fall when he hits the ground, but he takes normal falling damage.
If a Desolidified character solidifies inside a solid object, he takes damage (and the object usually does as well). The GM should roll the damage on the Teleportation Damage Table (6E2 29).
Ordinarily a moving character cannot acti- vate his Desolidification. Activating a Power is a Zero Phase Action, and the criteria for when a character can perform a Zero Phase Action are listed on 6E2 18 — typically a character couldn’t perform one in the middle of performing another action (e.g., making a Half Move with Running). However, in the interest of common sense and dramatic sense, the GM could certainly allow a character to turn on his Desolidification in mid- move if he feels that wouldn’t unbalance the game.
POWERS
Defense Powers: Desolidification doesn’t count as a “Defense Power” for purposes of the rule that triples the cost of such Powers for Automatons with the Takes No STUN Power. However, acti- vating it usually qualifies as a “defensive action” that a character can Abort to.
Barrier: A Desolidified character can create a Barrier to protect himself from any attack, or to englobe a Desolidified target. He can’t use it to protect anyone else or englobe solid targets unless it has the Affects Physical World Advantage.
Deflection: If a Desolidified character doesn’t apply the Affects Physical World Advantage to his Deflection, he cannot use it to Deflect Ranged attacks made by solid characters. (Of course, most solid attacks directed at him are just going to pass
right through him anyway.) He could use it to Deflect attacks from other Desolidified characters, unless the GM ruled otherwise.
Duplication: If a character who’s Desolidified wants to be able to create Duplicates that are solid, he must have the Affects Physical World Advantage on his Duplication.
Extra limbs: A character cannot buy Extra Limbs with the Affects Physical World Advantage as a way of affecting the solid world — to affect the physical world while Desolidified with normal touch, a character buys Affect Physical World for his STR. That way he can use any of his limbs, even if he has extra ones, to touch and manipulate physical objects while he remains intangible.
mind link: If a character establishes a Mind Link with someone, then becomes Desolidified, the Mind Link remains in effect. However, once Deso- lidified a character cannot establish new Mind Links with solid characters unless his Mind Link power has the Affects Physical World Advantage.
Reflection: Unless he buys Affects Physical World for his Reflection, a Desolidified character cannot Reflect attacks made by solid targets, and cannot Reflect attacks made by other Desolidified charac- ters at solid targets.
Summon: Summon requires the Affects Physical
World Advantage if a Desolidified character wants
to Summon solid beings while Desolidified. If the character can only Summon other beings who are permanently Desolidified (e.g., ghosts), he doesn’t need Affects Physical World, but the GM can require it if he feels that’s necessary to maintain game balance (such as if the Summoned being can easily affect solid beings).
Telepathy: The rules for Mind Link (see above) apply to establishing/maintaining mental contact with Telepathy. Once the character Desolidifies, he can no longer spend END to keep Breakout rolls against his Telepathy from improving, make rolls to change the level of effect, or the like, against a solid target.
ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
Affects Physical World (+2): A character who wants to use a Characteristic or Power to affect the physical world while he’s Desolidified must buy that ability (not the Desolidification itself) with the +2 Advantage Affects Physical World. Characters who can become Desolidified and still affect the physical world can be very powerful; the GM should carefully review characters with such Powers before letting them into a campaign.
Applying Affects Physical World to a char- acter’s STR allows him to use all HTH Combat and Martial Maneuvers on solid targets, and to use Skills that require physical contact, such as Lockpicking. (He can’t just buy the Advantage for, say, his Extra Limbs; it has to be bought for all the STR he wants to use to affect solid objects.) It doesn’t let him use ranged Maneuvers, like
Multiple Attack or Haymaker with a Ranged attack, though at the GM’s option it might let him pick up and Throw mundane objects. If he performs a maneuver that he takes damage from (such as Move Through), he still takes that damage even though he’s intangible. However, Affects Physical World on a character’s STR applies only to that STR. It doesn’t allow a character to pick up weapons while Desolidified and use them on solid targets, or take any similar Actions — it only allows him to use his standard STR and Combat/ Martial Maneuvers as an attack. He can pick up solid objects, but he can’t wield them as weapons. He can’t pull the trigger of a gun, remove a firing pin from a grenade, flip a switch that activates a weapon, or anything like that with the direct or indirect intention of affecting solid characters.
Area Of Effect (personal Surface — Damage Shield): A Desolidified character may have an Area Of Effect (personal Surface — Damage Shield) that Affects Physical World even though he can’t be touched.
Variable Special Effects: A character cannot apply the Variable Special Effects Advantage to Desolidification to change, from use to use, the phenomenon he’s still vulnerable to while Deso- lidified. However, a GM who trusts a player not to abuse it could certainly allow it, especially if he restricts the range of special effects the character can access.
lImITATIONS
Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-½): This Limitation represents a form of Desolidification that doesn’t provide true intangibility; it simulates mist form powers, malleable bodies, and similar abilities. The character can squeeze through very tiny openings, but cannot actually pass through physical objects. He’s still immune from damage as per standard Desolidification (though many powers with this Limitation also take the Doesn’t
Protect Against Damage Limitation).
Example: Dr. Mist purchases Desolidification to represent his power to transform into a cloud of vapor. Because he cannot travel through physical barriers, he purchases Desolidification with a -½ Power Limitation, so it costs him 40 x 1/(1+½)= 27 Character Points. If Dr. Mist wants to attack solid enemies while Desolidified, he has to buy Attack Powers with a +2 Power Advantage. Thus a Blast 4d6 — to simulate lightning, for example — would cost 20 x (1+2) = 60 Character Points.
Doesn’t Protect Against Damage (-1): Desolidi- fication with this Limitation offers no protection against damage. All attacks affect the character as they would normally; he specifies “any attack” as the “reasonably common group of attacks” that can affect him when he’s intangible. The standard restrictions on what a Desolidified character can do still apply; this Limitation doesn’t grant the character an Affects Physical World Advantage for free.
POWER EXAmPlES: DESOlIDIFICATION
Cloud Form: Deso- lidification (affected by wind, fire, or cold) (40 active points); cannot pass through solid objects (-½). total cost: 27 points. Energy Body: Deso- lidification (affected by similar type of energy); linked (-½), only in alternate identity (-¼) (total cost: 23 points) plus Blast 5d6, area of effect (personal surface — Damage shield; +¼), constant (+½), affects physical World (+2), reduced endurance (0 enD; +½) (106 active points); only in alternate identity (-¼) (total cost: 85 points). total cost: 108 points. Super-Contortionist Skill: Desolidifica- tion (affected by any attack) (40 active points); Doesn’t protect against Damage (-1), requires a contortionist skill roll (-½). total cost: 16 points.
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Focus: If a character buys Desolidification through a Focus, typically that Focus becomes Desolidified when he does (just like the character’s other Foci). The GM can change this (or reduce the value of the Focus Limitation) if he believes it may cause game balance problems.
Only To Protect Against [limited Type Of Attack] (-1): A character can purchase a limited form of Desolidification to obtain protection from a particular type of attack. For example, a char- acter might buy Desolidification Only To Protect
Against Fire. This offers near-total immunity to
damage from fire (especially if made Persistent), but still allows any attack with a different special effect to affect the character normally (he speci- fies “all attacks other than [defined attack]” as the “reasonably common group of attacks” that can affect him when he’s intangible). The character doesn’t take Knockback from that form of attack, but would suffer both damage and Knockback if the attack were bought with the Affects Desolidified Advantage.
Normally, because the character is still techni- cally solid and able to interact with the solid world freely, he must buy Affects Physical World for his STR and all Powers that can affect physical objects (unless the GM gives permission otherwise). This makes Desolidification a very expensive form of defense. However, at the GM’s option, a character with a limited form of Desolidification doesn’t have to buy Affects Physical World; he can touch and affect the solid world automatically.
Side Effects: Side Effects created by a character while Desolidified do not need Affects Desolidi- fied to affect him; they apply automatically as normal. If they affect the environment around him, they do so without the need to apply Affects Physical World to them (but the GM may change this if he feels it’s abusive or the character tries to use his Side Effects as a “weapon” rather than as a legitimate Limitation).
COmPlICATIONS
Dependence, Susceptibility: A character who’s Desolidified receives no protection or immunity from his Dependences or Susceptibilities; he still takes the regular damage or effect from them.
HDISPEl
Type: standard power/attack power Duration: instant
Target: target’s Dcv Range: 10m x Base points Costs END: yes
Cost: 3 character points for every 1d6 of Dispel
A character with Dispel can turn off another character’s power. Some examples of Dispel include spells designed to disrupt or “break” other spells, light-based powers that can Dispel Dark- ness fields, or the ability to destroy or ruin gadgets.
Each 1d6 of Dispel costs 3 Character Points. The character must specify what Power he can Dispel when he purchases Dispel. Dispel costs END to use.
uSING DISPEl
To use Dispel, the character must declare what power or ability he’s trying to Dispel, then make an Attack Roll. If he succeeds, he rolls and totals the Dispel dice and subtracts the target’s Power Defense (if any). If the remaining total exceeds the Active Point total of the target power, the target power is Dispelled — that is, it stops working. Dispel is an all or nothing attack: it either completely turns off a Power or it has no effect.
The victim of a Dispel may “restart” the Dispelled power, but he has to start from scratch — he must perform any preparations again. This means Dispel is more effective against powers that are difficult to turn on or take a long time to acti- vate (like many Fantasy spells) or against objects (which must be repaired, recharged, or rebuilt).
Dispel can dispel any Power, even Dispel (don’t think about it too much — you’ll hurt your brain). However, Dispel cannot affect Characteristics; use Drain for that sort of effect. Nor can Dispel affect Skills, Perks, or Talents unless the GM specifically permits it to. A character can make a power harder to Dispel with the Difficult To Dispel Advantage (6E1 333). Characters cannot Dispel Automata, Bases, Computers, or Vehicles (anymore than they can Dispel living characters), but can Dispel the abilities possessed by such objects.
Dispelling incoMing attacks
A character can use Dispel to protect himself from incoming attacks, but he must have a Held Action. Assuming the Dispel applies to the attack, he uses his Held Action to “attack” the incoming attack with his Dispel. He rolls his Dispel dice (he doesn’t have to make an Attack Roll, though this does constitute an Attack Action). He Dispels the attack if the total of the Dispel dice exceeds the Active Points in the attack. The Power Defense of the character making the incoming attack (if any) doesn’t apply to reduce the Dispel effect roll.
Example: Arkelos the mage purchases Dispel Magic 12d6 which works against any single power with a magical special effect. This costs (36 x (1 + ½)) = 54 points. A necromancer attacks Arkelos. Knowing he’s faster than his opponent, Arkelos Holds his Action and waits for the necro- mancer to make his move. The necromancer casts a Blast 8d6 spell. Arkelos uses his Held Action to cast his Dispel to try to stop the incoming Blast spell. Arkelos rolls his 12d6, achieving a total of 42 Points of Dispel. Since the Blast was only 8d6 (40 Active Points), the Dispel succeeds, dissi- pating the Blast.
POWERS
Adjustment Powers: In the case of a Charac- teristic or power that’s been negatively Adjusted (via Drain, for example), a Dispel takes effect if it exceeds the current (Adjusted) Active Point total of the Characteristic or power. However, the char- acter whose Characteristic or power is Dispelled must make note of the total on the Dispel dice and compare it to the Active Point total of his power as the Adjustment Power wears off. As soon as the Characteristic or power regains enough points so that its current Active Point total exceeds the Dispel’s effect, the Characteristic or power returns to the character (at its current, Adjusted but partly recovered, level).
In the case of a power that’s been positively Adjusted (via Aid, for example), the Dispel takes effect if it exceeds the current (Adjusted) Active Point total of the power. If it fails to take effect, it fails altogether; the character doesn’t have to keep track of its effects.
Constant Powers: If a character wants to Dispel a Constant Power (such as Change Environment or Darkness) maintained by a character, he targets the character who activated and maintains the Power (typically by spending END). He attacks against that character’s DCV, and the target’s Power Defense applies. However, if the Constant Power isn’t maintained by a character — if it’s Uncontrolled, on Continuing Charges, or the like — then the character using Dispel targets the power itself, attacking against DCV 3 (and the Power Defense of the character who activated the power doesn’t apply).
Defense Powers: When a character uses Dispel against a Defense Power such as Resistant Protec- tion, he must Dispel the entire Power, both its PD and its ED. He cannot choose to, for example, Dispel only the ED. However, if a character defines his Dispel as, say, Dispel ED Resistant Protec- tion, then it applies solely to the type of defense it’s defined as affecting. Characters cannot buy a Dispel against one of these Defense Powers and then restrict it to just PD or ED with a Limitation.
Instant Powers: Dispel cannot affect the lasting effects of Instant Powers. For example, a character cannot use Dispel to “heal” the damage caused by a Blast, reverse a Transform, or to get rid of an existing Entangle — Blast, Transform, and Entangle are Instant Powers, and once they’ve been used and taken effect, there’s nothing for the Dispel to “turn off.” (If such powers are made Constant via the Constant Advantage, or if they take the Can Be Dispelled Limitation, Dispel works against them as usual.)
However, in some cases, the GM may wish to allow Dispel to work against certain types of lasting effects. For example, in a Fantasy Hero campaign, maybe a wizard could use Dispel Magic to “undo” a Transform brought about by an evil spell or a curse.
Endurance Reserve: A character can use Dispel against an Endurance Reserve with the same rules as for Adjustment Powers (see 6E1 206). Once a character “restarts” an Endurance Reserve that’s been Dispelled, the Reserve typically has same amount of END that was in it when it was Dispelled (but the final decision is up to the GM, based on special effects, game balance, common sense, and dramatic sense).
POWER EXAmPlES:
DISPEl
Spell Of Rusty Doom: Dispel resistant protec- tion 15d6 (45 active points); oaF (enchanted wand of rusty iron; -1), gestures (-¼), incanta- tions (-¼), requires a Magic roll (-½), only affects Metal armors (-½). total cost: 13 points. Dispel magic Spell: Dispel Magic 12d6, variable effect (any one Magic power at a time; +½) (54 active points); oaF (athame; -1), gestures (-¼), incanta- tions (-¼), requires a Magic roll (-½). total cost: 18 points. Fire Extinguisher: Dispel Fire powers 10d6, variable effect (any one Fire power at a time;
+½) (45 active points); oaF (-1), limited range (6m; -¼), 12 charges (-¼). total cost: 18 points
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ADVANTAGES AND ADDERS
Expanded Effect, Variable Effect (6E1 142):
Dispel can take these Advantages for Adjustment Powers so that it can affect multiple abilities at once, or any ability of a given special effect one (or