Full Version: Can Adapts turn their powers off?
Read Killing hands. Read the poewrs that you buy, some of them clearly state you must turn them on,and others state they can be turned off.
| QUOTE (Wounded Ronin) |
| You just won't have any physads, and you'll be like one of those GMs who keeps screwing the players over on silly details whenever they fail to specify something. ("Well, you never said you closed the office door before you shot the exec, so everyone on the floor saw you.") |
You know, I don't disagree with you, but that's actually one of those little details a GM can be reasonably expected not to pick up for his players, assuming he's kept the level of detail consistent through the campaign.
| QUOTE (Wounded Ronin) |
| Okay, guys, if you want to go ahead and run a game where every time the physad with Killing Hands touches someone that person drops dead |
You mean aside from the part where it explicitly says that it turns unarmed attacks into physical damage?
| QUOTE |
| where they can't turn off their Astral Perception and become dual natured and get screwed over for that |
You mean aside from the part where it says you use all the normal rules for astral perception?
| QUOTE |
| where they can't turn off Nerve Strike and are forced to repeatedly attempt to Nerve Strike an elemental or something |
Again, read the description. You may use the power to do something. Now read, say, Improved Reflexes. See a "may", "can", or other conditional there? Didn't think so.
| QUOTE |
| where Suspended State won't stop working so it makes you go into a coma forever |
Today's lesson brought to you by the word "allows".
| QUOTE |
| and where Magic Resistance is trying to stop healing spells from affecting you, go right ahead. |
And once again, the book explicitly says that the power doesn't apply to anything you're not resisting.
Any power that can be turned off is clearly marked as such through the use of a conditional. Every other power cannot be turned off. Deal.
~J
Sorry for not responding in a timely manner I was on my way home after work and forgot all about this until I sat down at my desk the next morning. Thus no books to show the proof. But here's my extrapolation.
Adept powers are both Natrual and Magical to them.
Most to All Adept powers are extensions of something they were able to do before. Example great leap, is just an adept being able to jump higher, or further. Because Most to All adept powers are a step above a natrual ability in one form or another they are able to exhibit self control over it.
Just like when you move your arm to flip on a switch, even with I.R. 3 you are in control of how fast you want to do it. You can choose at that point to do it as fast as your superhuman speed allows or like a slow human. When you punch someone, you can extend your power of Killing hands to strike that much more dangerously, or simply do standard Stun.
Humans have the ability to control how much effort they put out when they do an activity. You click a mouse softly, and type softly not putting your full 14 strength from Improved Strength + Boosted Strength into it even though you could.
So because of a human's natrual ability to control how much effort and force they put into anything they do, Adepts can 'Deactivate' their powers. Deactivate meaning in this case that they are not performing to their maximum ability and toning it down. The power itself may still be active, just not being called on which is essentially the same thing.
Also When an adept gets injured and loses a Magic rating... If I'm not mistaken they get to choose which power is lost. When they had Bioware Virtual Magic loss, an Adept was able to suppress(Deactivate) certain powers to enable the use of others. I'm pretty sure thats how it worked. But anyways.
Just like you Kagetenshi can pick up an egg , doesn't mean your Adept with super strength forces him to crush it from the moment he touches it.
There I hope I made sense.
Oh and I could easily see that in the early months of developing adept powers it would be very dangerous to hang around an adept developing and just learning to control the degree of power they perform mundane activities with.
Adept powers are both Natrual and Magical to them.
Most to All Adept powers are extensions of something they were able to do before. Example great leap, is just an adept being able to jump higher, or further. Because Most to All adept powers are a step above a natrual ability in one form or another they are able to exhibit self control over it.
Just like when you move your arm to flip on a switch, even with I.R. 3 you are in control of how fast you want to do it. You can choose at that point to do it as fast as your superhuman speed allows or like a slow human. When you punch someone, you can extend your power of Killing hands to strike that much more dangerously, or simply do standard Stun.
Humans have the ability to control how much effort they put out when they do an activity. You click a mouse softly, and type softly not putting your full 14 strength from Improved Strength + Boosted Strength into it even though you could.
So because of a human's natrual ability to control how much effort and force they put into anything they do, Adepts can 'Deactivate' their powers. Deactivate meaning in this case that they are not performing to their maximum ability and toning it down. The power itself may still be active, just not being called on which is essentially the same thing.
Also When an adept gets injured and loses a Magic rating... If I'm not mistaken they get to choose which power is lost. When they had Bioware Virtual Magic loss, an Adept was able to suppress(Deactivate) certain powers to enable the use of others. I'm pretty sure thats how it worked. But anyways.
Just like you Kagetenshi can pick up an egg , doesn't mean your Adept with super strength forces him to crush it from the moment he touches it.
There I hope I made sense.
Oh and I could easily see that in the early months of developing adept powers it would be very dangerous to hang around an adept developing and just learning to control the degree of power they perform mundane activities with.
Not to mention our friendly new "elemental strike" addendum for killing hands.
What happens when your real-life-burning-hands adept tries to wipe his arse for the first time?
Hotbot...
What happens when your real-life-burning-hands adept tries to wipe his arse for the first time?
Hotbot...
Well that could be very troubling, as well as.
Adepts tend to develop their powers in their teenage years.
Teens also tend to discover a fondness for um... self discovery during those years.
That would be one way to develop your powers I suppose.
Adepts tend to develop their powers in their teenage years.
Teens also tend to discover a fondness for um... self discovery during those years.
That would be one way to develop your powers I suppose.
| QUOTE (CoalHeart) |
| So because of a human's natrual ability to control how much effort and force they put into anything they do, Adepts can 'Deactivate' their powers. Deactivate meaning in this case that they are not performing to their maximum ability and toning it down. The power itself may still be active, just not being called on which is essentially the same thing. |
Depends on the power. For instance, Improved Reflexes I agree. The Adept can't deactivate them and slow down, but that doesn't mean he always has to be making that many actions in three seconds. Likewise Improved Physical Attribute: Strength, just because he's got six points doesn't mean he'll be any less able to pick up a delicate teacup than the Troll with 12 Strength over there.
On the other hand, nowhere in Improved Sense does it state or imply that you can turn it off any more than you can turn off, say, your ability to see the colour green. Likewise for Combat Sense; you never lose that tingling on the back of your neck when danger's about, even if you might want to (barring magic loss). Interestingly enough, Mystic Armor cannot be turned off; for high values of that power, it could be reason for upping the price of surgery. Etc. etc. etc.
~J
Elemental Strike. (pg. 65 SOTA:2064)
"When the power is active,"
So no, an Adept with a fire secondary to his killing hands won't burn everything he comes across.
Simple action to create, lasts for Magic combat turns and can be de activated as a free action.
"When the power is active,"
So no, an Adept with a fire secondary to his killing hands won't burn everything he comes across.
Simple action to create, lasts for Magic combat turns and can be de activated as a free action.
You can easily ignore the tingly at the back of your neck. It's a non issue. Just because you sense it doesn't mean you have to act on it.
As for improved senses thats a bit more arguable. When you express the want to hear something more intensely, your hearing amp and sound filter might kick in. If you focus on the distance your eyes 'zoom' in for lack of a better word. If you want to use your improved scent, you actively take a deeper sniff. Some things are passive in senses and some are not.
The human mind natrually filters out a majority of every sensory imput to A) not drive you crazy and B) Allow you to focus on what is important.
Which happens to fall under the same category of 'deactivating' it. Hell with the right mods or surgury option or whathave you, your Sam can deactivate thermovision to focus on lowlight only if they wanted. So nothing says an adept can't have the same ability to control it.
Mystic armor wouldn't affect surgury at all mostly because you're helpless at the time of cutting, and because you're not actively trying to resist the damage of the cuts.
Armor Mystic, natrual, cybernetic or worn only applies to trying to resist damage. You can choose not to resist. I haven't seen anything that says you have no choice.
As for improved senses thats a bit more arguable. When you express the want to hear something more intensely, your hearing amp and sound filter might kick in. If you focus on the distance your eyes 'zoom' in for lack of a better word. If you want to use your improved scent, you actively take a deeper sniff. Some things are passive in senses and some are not.
The human mind natrually filters out a majority of every sensory imput to A) not drive you crazy and B) Allow you to focus on what is important.
Which happens to fall under the same category of 'deactivating' it. Hell with the right mods or surgury option or whathave you, your Sam can deactivate thermovision to focus on lowlight only if they wanted. So nothing says an adept can't have the same ability to control it.
Mystic armor wouldn't affect surgury at all mostly because you're helpless at the time of cutting, and because you're not actively trying to resist the damage of the cuts.
Armor Mystic, natrual, cybernetic or worn only applies to trying to resist damage. You can choose not to resist. I haven't seen anything that says you have no choice.
| QUOTE (GentlemanLoser) |
| Elemental Strike. (pg. 65 SOTA:2064) "When the power is active," So no, an Adept with a fire secondary to his killing hands won't burn everything he comes across. Simple action to create, lasts for Magic combat turns and can be de activated as a free action. |
I think he was referring to accidental activation at most inopportune times.
| QUOTE (GentlemanLoser) |
| Elemental Strike. (pg. 65 SOTA:2064) "When the power is active," So no, an Adept with a fire secondary to his killing hands won't burn everything he comes across. Simple action to create, lasts for Magic combat turns and can be de activated as a free action. |
Whilst I realised that my attempt to bring levity into what seems to be a seriously argued thread might not be universally liked, I did not expect anyone to misinterpret "wiping one's arse" and the linked commentary as a serious thought on game mechanics.
I own and have read the book.
I am not an idiot.
Perchance you are not up on British humour, so I'll forgive you, but I'd rather you didn't insult me by lawyering your way over the top of my honest attempts to lighten the mood amongst my all-too-serious gaming brethren.
Thankyou and goodnight.
I dug it D.B. I like them limey brits and their posterior biased humor.
God Save the Queen. Because God knows I wouldn't.
God Save the Queen. Because God knows I wouldn't.
Sorry DB, must have missed the smiley in your post...
If adept powers cannot be turned off, unless they state something to that affect, and adept can only have (magic attribute) power points activated at any one time..
Then:
Magic 6 adept, who bought 1 power point.. 6 power points active at any one time, 1 not active.
improved reflexes 3 (5 power points)
improved quickness (2 power points worth)
He can only have 6 power points active. None of the power points can be enabled or disabled in text.
So, for the (magic attribute) power points active to be a functional rule, adepts MUST be able to activate or deactivate powers -- otherwise you can end up with two rules in direct conflict.
ASIDE: Yes, this adept would be impractical. Yes, very few players would take said adept -- personally, I'd only consider it (or something similar) with a foot-racer-turned-runner. Might be interesting. Reacts blindingly fast, moves very fast.. but that's it.
Then:
Magic 6 adept, who bought 1 power point.. 6 power points active at any one time, 1 not active.
improved reflexes 3 (5 power points)
improved quickness (2 power points worth)
He can only have 6 power points active. None of the power points can be enabled or disabled in text.
So, for the (magic attribute) power points active to be a functional rule, adepts MUST be able to activate or deactivate powers -- otherwise you can end up with two rules in direct conflict.
ASIDE: Yes, this adept would be impractical. Yes, very few players would take said adept -- personally, I'd only consider it (or something similar) with a foot-racer-turned-runner. Might be interesting. Reacts blindingly fast, moves very fast.. but that's it.
power points purchased directly with karma do not cout towards the limit on active power points.
Ah, well, that negates the example nicely.. which would make the only thing that could give power points like that the adept focus.
A mage cannot disable a point of magic, yet if they break a geas they lose access to a point. It's possible for a power to be inactive without being able to deactivate it at will.
~J
~J
A mage can disable a point quite easily through drugs, stims, or self inflicted damage.
There would be no point in a mage disabling a point of magic.
They rarely actively use it for anything directly.
It does however affect spell effect radius so they can choose to lower the radius of effect by actively supressing their own magic. You can of course cast spells at lower ratings than your magic rating. You can mask at a lower effectiveness than your initiate grade if you so choose. You can choose not to use that extra foci that would put you above your self imposed Magic-1 rating.
So Kagetenshi what would be the purpose of not allowing Adepts to limit themselves?
Hell, Even in Stuporma... er Superman Comics Kent/Supes was able to limit his superhuman abilities to appear normal without any limitation. He COULD fly all the time, but he could deactivate it to walk around normally. He could see through almost anything, but he could control it. Ect. Ect.
Some things just make sense that they can't be suppressed. Fast Healing for example, I doubt anyone in the real world has any direct control on their body's natrual inclination to repair damage to itself.
Mind over body. That's how some adepts work, whole quasi magical thing of being in tune with your body and yadda yadda. RP it how you like.
I haven't seen a power barring a very few that you're not able to repress by natrual reflex, or a little training to some degree.
Once you're able to supress something to the point where it's not affecting you, then you can consider it Deactivated.
There would be no point in a mage disabling a point of magic.
They rarely actively use it for anything directly.
It does however affect spell effect radius so they can choose to lower the radius of effect by actively supressing their own magic. You can of course cast spells at lower ratings than your magic rating. You can mask at a lower effectiveness than your initiate grade if you so choose. You can choose not to use that extra foci that would put you above your self imposed Magic-1 rating.
So Kagetenshi what would be the purpose of not allowing Adepts to limit themselves?
Hell, Even in Stuporma... er Superman Comics Kent/Supes was able to limit his superhuman abilities to appear normal without any limitation. He COULD fly all the time, but he could deactivate it to walk around normally. He could see through almost anything, but he could control it. Ect. Ect.
Some things just make sense that they can't be suppressed. Fast Healing for example, I doubt anyone in the real world has any direct control on their body's natrual inclination to repair damage to itself.
Mind over body. That's how some adepts work, whole quasi magical thing of being in tune with your body and yadda yadda. RP it how you like.
I haven't seen a power barring a very few that you're not able to repress by natrual reflex, or a little training to some degree.
Once you're able to supress something to the point where it's not affecting you, then you can consider it Deactivated.
Look, the answer to this question, like all others, is answered simply enough.
Whichever hurts the players the most during this session is correct. Next session, we'll see.
Whichever hurts the players the most during this session is correct. Next session, we'll see.
That's harsh. Funny, but harsh...
oh, and GentlemanLoser: worry not, us Limeys (complete with bottom humour) are very understanding about the language gap, if somewhat prone to overreacting...
oh, and GentlemanLoser: worry not, us Limeys (complete with bottom humour) are very understanding about the language gap, if somewhat prone to overreacting...
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