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Power Frameworks
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General Info
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Power Frameworks in Hero
A power framework is, in effect, a way to make a set of powers with a similar theme or mechanic cheaper and/or more flexible. It is against the rules to put one framework inside another. (This doesn't mean you can't do it, you just shouldn't. :-)
An "Elemental Control" (EC) is a bunch of powers that get a cost break for being part of a theme or element. They will almost always share a special effect and will frequently share limitations. The archetypical elemental controls are things like "Flame Powers" or "Wind Powers" -- frequently an attack, a defense, and a movement power.
- 30pts: Elemental Control (The base pool.)
- 30pts: Flame Blast 12d (normally costs 60pts.)
- 30pts: Force Field 20rPD/20rED, 1/2 END cost (normally costs 60pts)
- 32pts: Rocket Flight 21", NCM x2^2, 1/2 END cost (normally costs 62pts)
- 122pts Total, instead of 182. All powers can be used at full effect at the same time.
A "Multipower" (MP) is a bunch of powers that have a maximum effect defined in each "slot" and the maximum amount limited by a "pool" of points. Frex, assume you have a Multipower with three "slots" -- an attack, a defense, and a movement power. Your "pool" is represented by ten pennies. Every time your character takes an action, you get to decide where those ten pennies go. You might put 4 in defenses, 3 in attack, and 3 in movement. You might put 6 in defenses, 4 in attack, and 0 in movement. You could even put all 10 in attack, and nothing in defenses or movement.
- 140pts: Multipower Pool of 140pts
- 12pts: Flame Blast slot: up to 12d (normally costs 60pts.)
- 12pts: Force Field slot: up to 20rPD/20rED, 1/2 END cost (normally costs 60pts)
- 12pts: Rocket Flight slot 21", NCM x2^2, 1/2 END cost (normally costs 62pts)
- 176pts Total, instead of 182. You can't use more than 140pts of powers at any one time.
What you'll see most commonly is a combination of an EC for powers that get used together, like defenses, Force Wall, Senses, Movement, etc. and a MP for different forms of attack. That way, the character can have several different types of attacks without having to pay Way Too Much just to change the type of damage their attack does. The question of how the points in the MP pool get allocated is moot: the answer is "all of them go into one slot, every time." This also further reduces the cost of each slot.
- 60pts. MP: Fire blasts
- 6pts. Fire blast slot. Up to 12d
- 6pts. Fire blast slot. Up to 6d, radius 6"
- 6pts. Fire blast slot. Up to 12k (4d KA)
Think of it this way. You pay 60pts for the first attack type, but it can't be used in any other way. Later, you pay another 12pts (for two 6pt slots) and can now use it in one of two ways. From that point forward, every time you add a new way to use your Fire Blast (i.e. add a new slot, with a new power) you pay 6 more points. Nothing says the new slots can't be non-attack powers, either. With the GMs permission, you could add something like:
- 6pts. Space Heater
(Change Environment: Warm. ED vs Cold. Power DEF vs Cold, Area Effect, Usable by others)
A Variable Power Pool (VPP) is like a Multipower, but you can redefine what slots you have under certain conditions. It's expensive, and I would not suggest it for beginning players. Some limited uses are quite easy, though. A "Gadget Pool" where you can "go back to the lab" and swap your current equipment load for other stuff. A "Spell Pool" where you can go back to the lab and swap your current spell list for others in your spell books. Small "special effects" pools that serve to make interesting (but broad) powers possible.
As an aside, a multi-power with enough slots is actually cheaper to build as a VPP with a limited number of possible powers. Off the top of my head, from my dusty memory, it's somewhere in the range of 12 to 15 slots. Proof is left as an exercise for the reader. :-)