Weird Detective Mystery Adventures New Edition

The following will be the new format for powers in the game:

POWER NAME

A description of what the ability is supposed to simulate, how it functions, examples of its use in character descriptions or genre literature. A short history of the ability’s origins in literature.

Base Cost: a number  Min Link: a Basestat level from Good to Omega Suggested Link: Three Assigned Basestats Ability Type: Game Mechanics description of how the power can be applied Ability Class: A worded designation disclosing the power’s utility. Equipment Discount: Percentage of discount and the conditions in which it may be allowed. Other Provisions: Usually a listing of other abilities that may be related or required.

Attributes: Describes the power’s functions in game terms. Discloses bonuses to Derived Basestats, such as additions to HTK, STUN, MPS and REC.

·         Bullet points may explain the power’s individual functions. Other functions may be listed under their Own Bold Headings.

·         Bullet points, numbers or letters may be used to describe power attributes, such as Range, Damage caused or Duration.

·         Powers may also have listings for Power Additions or Options. These usually involve extra character allocation point expenditure.

·         Some powers have Alternative Powers listed with them. These are separate abilities, related in some way to the core listing.

Activation: Only some powers have activation requirements. This line would explain the conditions on the power’s deployment and indicate under what time frame the odds of activating the power are governed by. Typically states that the power is bound to a cycle of 24-hours.

• Bullet points may describe what may trigger the activation of the power.
• Bullet points may also disclose the type of stunt roll required to activate the ability, such as ‘First attempted application Double Ones Roll’.

Power Name: What the power is generally known as. We have attempted to give the powers designations which closely resemble their function, although some of them come off as garage band names. At times we are bound by what the ability has been called in the literature, especially in the case of the defined PSYCHIC POWERS. And we have occasionally resorted to Gamer Shorthand, such as with the listing for NRG BLAST. The game uses ‘NRG’ as shorthand for Energy.

Base Cost: This is the number of Character Allocation points required to account for possession of this ability. This cost may be added to by increasing the power’s attributes. Typical additions would be for extra Range or Damage inflicted.

• Base Cost may scale up depending on the level of the basestat the power is linked to. This is generally expressed as ‘Base Cost: 25 plus SAVE’ or ‘Base Cost: 40 plus ACT’. This means that the SAVE Total or ACT Value in points are added to the cost.
• Occasionally the base cost will reference a multiple, such as ‘Base Cost 25 plus Double SAVE’. This indicates that a multiple of either the ACT or SAVE should be added to the number when factoring the base cost.

EXAMPLE: Nat has the power NRG BLAST which he has linked to his CON basestat of Mutant level (ACT 10 SAVE 35). The listing for NRG BLAST reads ‘Base Cost: 20 plus SAVE’ which means that the power’s allocation cost is 20 + 35 = 55 points.

Min Level: The minimum level required for a basestat to be linked to this ability. The basestat must be this level or greater. The abilities are an expression of various extraordinary character attributes. All listed abilities are at least somewhat unusual. Abilities rated from Good to Heroic are ones that a normal, though exceptional person could be endowed with. Abilities requiring a Mutant or higher level are ones that no normal person would possess. This door bouncer ranking is necessary for game balance.

Suggested Link: Any power can be linked to any basestat, provided that the basestat is at least the minimum level. Our suggested links are optional, included to give the judge or player a possible guideline on a power by power basis. Listed are the first three basestats which the designer believes apply to the ability. All abilities need to be linked to a basestat. You may generally link an ability to only one basestat.

Ability Type: Deals with how the ability is generally applied. Is it always on or do you turn it off and on—and then how many times in a given span of time may you do so. Following are the designations and their meanings.

1. At Whim: Power is not always on, but activates on a hair trigger or like a blink reflex. Powers of this type may be applied at any time during the action—before, during or after the character’s initiative order in the action. This is a rare and special property endowed to only a select number of abilities.

2. At Will: Most abilities are listed as At Will. They are not always on. They may be activated at any time. In combat, the power activates on the character’s initiative. They are slower to activate than At Whim abilities.

3. Innate: Ability is considered to be always on. If deployable as an attack, they go off on initiative order as per an At Will attack. Most abilities of this nature are defenses, such as ARMOR or INVULNERABLE. Such defenses always function, regardless of the character’s initiative or activity status.

4. Limited: Ability is restricted to so many attempted deployments over a specific time frame.  The chance of successfully activating the ability decreases during the time period specified. Most require an activation roll. Limited abilities otherwise deploy on the character’s initiative during an action. Limited abilities may also require the successful completion of some sort of activity.

5. Triggered: Some condition outside of the user’s direct control creates the circumstances necessary for the activation of this ability. You cannot sense danger when there is no danger present. Most triggered abilities are also Limited in some sense.

Ability Class: A general indication of what the ability is useful for. All abilities have a focus, an application, a primary utility. We have classified our abilities as follows

1. Attack: Ability is primarily a weapon, a means to cause bodily damage or impairment.

2. Bonus: Ability bestows a bonus to derived basestats, such as DEFL, REC or MPS. It may also provide Conditional Advantage to certain stunt rolls, increasing the likelihood of success with certain stunts. It may also create or boost a basestat level for the performance of certain tasks.

3. Control: Ability’s focus is in the control of people, places, things, time or the nature of reality.

4. Creative: (Creative) This is an imagination ability. Most focus on the custom creation of an effect or producing things out of thin air.

5. Defense: (Defense) Ability is focused on the user’s personal protection.

6. Family: (Family of Abilities) This listing contains a number of separate powers, related either by theme or game mechanics. Usually the character will only allocate for one ability under the listing.

7. Form: (Fantastic Forms) An ability intrinsic to the character’s body, generally detailing an extraordinary physical function or malleability.

8. Feat: Possession of a unique trait or advantage. Capability in a narrowly defined grouping of activities. Can also relate to ownership of special equipment or any ability which does not quite fit into our other classifications.

9. Info: (Information Gathering) Primarily psychic powers or abilities conveying enhanced perception. Provides directions or advise or details.

10. Suite: (Ability Suite) An assortment of supernatural functions all relating to a single theme.  Although we do not have set classes in this game, we do have quick set ups for certain character archetypes. The suites themselves can be broadly defined, such as MOLECULAR CONTROL, which could apply to ghosts, robots and super speedsters, or narrowly, as in the case of UTILITY BELT, which is a stock trope for all comic book and pulp heroes.

11. Travel: (Travel Power) Fantastic methods of getting from one place to another. Travel powers may have some applications in combat, but they are primarily a method of transportation.