MTH:Weaknesses
Contents
WEAKNESSES[edit]
Not all superpowers function as effectively as they could; some of them rely on devices that a character could be parted from, others will not function (or only function) under certain conditions, and others simply have a shorter range or less kick than other powers of that type.
A power can have any number of weaknesses or limitations attached to it; doing so grants diminishing returns. The first class level dropped takes one Weakness, the second class dropped takes an additional two, and so on. A Gamma Power would take 3 Weaknesses to make into an Alpha Power.
The following is a list of general weaknesses that a power might have. This list is by no means comprehensive; players and Storytellers are encouraged to make up other weaknesses to add to it. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether any given drawback is significant enough to reduce a power's Class.
ACTIVATION COST[edit]
The power with this weakness is dormant, and requires an additional activation cost above and beyond any other normal requirements to be able to use it in at all during a scene. The cost can be nearly anything, and only needs to be paid once per scene. Generally cannot be combined with the Permanent weakness, though the Storyteller may allow it for particularly steep activation costs and certain powers. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether the cost is enough to qualify for a Class decrease. A low activation cost for a power that is normally permanent might count as an extra instead!
Common activation costs: Verve, bashing health levels, lethal health levels, aggravated health levels (one is almost always sufficient for the Class decrease), consumable items (used up when activating the power).
CONTINGENT ACTIVATION[edit]
A condition must be met to activate the power. Some examples include:
- A specific object must be in the character's possession. Examples: A trigger, wand, power suit, amulet
- The character must be in a kind of specific place. Examples: A holy site, indoors, in water, in an appropriate laboratory, with the sun shining on them
- The character must be in a specific emotional or abstract state. This must be represented by a Condition or Tilt.
- A specific event must occur. Examples: Dawn or Dusk, when another specific power is activated, when betrayed, while singing.
Lots of other possibilities exist. STs should make sure that the condition needed is neither too stringent nor too easy to deal with. If the player intentionally wants the power only to be usable very rarely, they may, with the STs permission, choose a very limiting condition which is treated as two Weaknesses.
An appropriate condition may involve something not being present, or the target not being a certain kind of thing. Having a certain Condition on you could block use of the power, for instance.
CONVERGENT ACTIVATION[edit]
This weakness must be applied to two or more powers. Those powers may only be activated together once this weakness is selected. All powers linked with this weakness must have the same duration.
If multiple powers linked with this weakness require an instant action to activate, this weakness may be beneficial, so choose one penalty when this weakness is first applied. The character either cannot move in the turn they are activated, or must give up all Defense (as if making an all-out attack) in the turn they are activated.
COSTS HEALTH[edit]
The power's activation cost is paid in health levels rather then Verve. This is advised only if the power has a one or two Verve activation cost or if it has a scene long duration. If neither is the case, then the cost is paid in health only the first time in a scene, after which the cost is paid normally.
Note: The conversion from Verve Cost to health cost prevents the Reduced Verve Cost extra from reducing the health levels taken! (we can't have people getting free lethal Force Bolts without any downside at all now, can we?) However, if the power only costs health the first time in the scene because of the expense, then the reduced cost will apply to further uses in the scene.
DEBILITATING[edit]
When the power is activated, it causes some kind of drain or loss of control. While the power is active, the character has three fewer attribute dots in one attribute. This can lower that attribute to zero for the purposes of rolls and resistance to rolls. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by two dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by one dot.
For a Class three power, the player can choose to take 'Highly Debilitating' as two weaknesses, lowing the power to Class one (an exception to the usual rule which only allows one weakness to reduce the Class of a power one step). This version of the weakness means the character looses 6 dots from no more then two attributes. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by four dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by three dots.
In both cases the weakness cannot be applied to attributes which would be rendered less then zero, or to powers with an instant duration.
DECREASED DAMAGE[edit]
The wounds dealt by this power are not as grievous as they could be. This weakness may only be given to powers that deal lethal or aggravated damage. If the power previously dealt aggravated damage, it now deals lethal; if the power previously dealt lethal damage, it now deals bashing.
Note: Since bashing damage to a character that is incapacitated spills over into lethal, this is still worth a Class decrease if used on a power that normally does lethal. If the player truly wishes to render their power unable to kill, this can be arranged, but that counts as an extra, which will remove the Class decrease.
DECREASED RANGE[edit]
The power simply doesn't work at long distances. This weakness can only be applied to a power with a Range given in yards. The power has its range halved, and its medium and long ranges decrease accordingly.
Astute readers will note that Decreased Range is not exactly the inverse of Increased Range. DO NOT COMBINE THEM.
DOUBLE-EDGED[edit]
The power's activation can backfire. This weakness may only be given to powers with a dice pool. Each 1 rolled in the power's dice pool deals 1 lethal damage to the character. This damage bypasses all forms of damage reduction.
INCREASED VERVE COST[edit]
It takes more than the usual amount of effort for the character to use her powers. The cost of using a power with this Weakness increases by 1 Verve. This may apply to powers which have no Verve cost to begin with.
LOW VELOCITY[edit]
The character's power manifests as a ball of energy, a shockwave in the air, or some other physical representation--a physical representation that's easy to see and doesn't move particularly fast. Whenever the character attempts to use this power on a target, the target's Defense applies as a penalty to the character's activation roll (or applies twice if it already applied).
OBVIOUS[edit]
The power's activation is very difficult to miss. It may be accompanied by brilliant pyrotechnics, glass-shattering noise, a small earthquake, or anything else the ST deems appropriate. Typically this effect is one that most people would not need a roll to notice if they are within a city block.
ONLY WORKS ONCE[edit]
The character's power needs time to recharge in addition to its activation cost. A power with this weakness may only be activated once per scene, and is automatically deactivated after one turn. This weakness cannot be applied to permanent powers.
PERMANENT[edit]
The character is unable to "turn off" the power when he wishes. Perhaps he steals health from everybody he ever touches, or permanently looks like a hulking pile of rock. The character's Verve pool is permanently reduced by the amount of Verve required to activate this power. Whenever a Permanent power would interfere with the character's actions, he takes a penalty equal to the number of dots he has in the power, or must make a roll to do something that normally wouldn't require one. This Weakness is not suitable for all powers - the player should decide with the Storyteller whether the Power may be made Permanent as a Weakness. Generally a duration of at least one scene is required before adding Permanent.
SLOW ACTIVATION[edit]
The character's power takes a non-negligeable amount of time to activate. This weakness may only be applied to powers that can be activated as a reflexive action. The character can activate the power only as an instant action, or possibly a dodge action if the power has an out-of-turn trigger.
UNRELIABLE[edit]
The power occasionally fails for no reason. Whenever the character wants to activate the power, he must roll Resolve, Stamina or Composure depending on the nature of the power, and cannot gain any bonus to this roll. If he fails, he does not activate the power that turn, but pays no cost and can take a different action.
