(M&M 2nd ed) how do I make these effects?

[Sir_Chivalry]

Specifically two inventions, one which is a dart that hijacks tech like move object or datalink, and another being a series of droids that allow me to search a wide area (telelocation, but an area?)

The issue is the specifics of the effects really

[The Rose Dragon]

The dart is just Communication (for inanimate, immobile objects), Move Object (for inanimate, mobile objects) and Mind Control (for constructs, modified appropriately) in an array, requiring an extra attack roll.

The droids depend on whether they can be interacted with physically or not. If they are just a descriptor, area-based ESP. If not, Summon with communication link with you.

[Beleriphon]

The dart is just Communication (for inanimate, immobile objects), Move Object (for inanimate, mobile objects) and Mind Control (for constructs, modified appropriately) in an array, requiring an extra attack roll.

You might also try Summon, with a limit to only working on nearby objects.


The droids depend on whether they can be interacted with physically or not. If they are just a descriptor, area-based ESP. If not, Summon with communication link with you.

Area ESP is the way to go, I'd never use Summon this way unless the summoned creatures do a bunch of other stuff.

[The Rose Dragon]

Area ESP is the way to go, I'd never use Summon this way unless the summoned creatures do a bunch of other stuff.

If someone can just take a hammer to one of the droids, countering ESP with Strike is really counterintuitive, and it makes sense to make them creatures one can interact with.

The Summon power is more of a magical or "supertech" machine animation thing, rather than simply remotely commanding machines, so I did not see the need to mention it. It is a possibility for a technopath, though.

[tensai_oni]

Area ESP is doable, but as a game master I'd ban it for being too broken. Imagine a player buying a few ranks and going "I see everything in a 10 mile radius" each time they use it. And you thought DnD divination was broken.

I'd either use normal ESP + search rules, or just Summon Minion.

[Beleriphon]

The Summon power is more of a magical or "supertech" machine animation thing, rather than simply remotely commanding machines, so I did not see the need to mention it. It is a possibility for a technopath, though.

Summon is still the simplest method though, I try not to get hung on the name of the effects. I prefer to look at what the effects actually do, in this case Summon gets you a "creature" with whatever stats you want. You can limit it however you like and you can make it pretty generic. Move object does both more and less than what you'd want to do with a "control spike", and as I recall the Summon power is even how similar characters are written up in Freedom City so its not like using it that way has no precedent.

Keep in mind that the manipulated objects are just the descriptor for the power itself. You could just as easily use a damage effect if all you did was have the controlled stuff ram people.

You want to know what the end effect is going to be for each power. Sometimes it is obvious, like heat vision being some manner of damage, other times not so much. Using move object and such is perfectly valid, I'm just trying to point out that there's a much more straight forward way to do this.

[The Rose Dragon]

in this case Summon gets you a "creature" with whatever stats you want.

And this is the problem I'm having, because you get a creature. It is no longer treated as an object, and is subject to an entirely different set of rules. Using Communication and Move Object does not change the classification of the target, and are more elegant than figuring out what the exact stats of an object should be when turned into a creature.

[Beleriphon]

And this is the problem I'm having, because you get a creature. It is no longer treated as an object, and is subject to an entirely different set of rules. Using Communication and Move Object does not change the classification of the target, and are more elegant than figuring out what the exact stats of an object should be when turned into a creature.

Its not a creature any more than any other construct, in fact the only difference between a rock and robot in the rules is that the rock can't move. By and large most objects turned into constructs are going to have ranks of speed (or flight, or swimming) toughness and a strength score, those are the only things you need to worry about. In fact you can have a few prebuilt to represent different sized objects.

In fact Ultimate Power even suggests using Summon to create an animate objects type of power, it also has a whole bunch of different constructs of varying sizes prebuilt for your convenience.

[The Rose Dragon]

Constructs are creatures. Anything animate is technically a creature. Only inanimate objects (entities with no Wisdom, and in fact no stat other than Toughness) are considered objects by the rules (page 32 under Nonexistent Ability Scores - seriously, why did they not place it under a more reasonable heading?).

And here's the thing: it is far easier to say "I force the conveyor belt to activate with Move Action" than to turn it into a construct and give it stats to simulate a conveyor belt. Forcing a conveyor belt to actually slap people is more than just hijacking it, in which case yes, you use Summon. When someone says "hijack", I consider its mundane use, not someone giving a machine the ability to perceive its surroundings (as noted by the Wisdom stat) and move about in defiance of its normal operation.

[smuchmuch]

Summon minions is more versatile and more appropriate than move object here, in my opinion, due to the variety of macines that could be controlled.
It's more complicated to use though, as you'd need to make an apropriate build for every machine you'll control everytime you use it.

For the rest, as mentioned previously, the dart is basicaly the datalink power with the 'control machine' feat and an alternate power: ranged attack mind control limited to maachines.

For the scouting drones things, depending on how many 'drones' you have, aera ESP (visual, auditive) + a bunch of linked supersenses (after all your dronesmay possess some aditional sensors that sjut a mic and camera) that works as indicated previously, or just buy a rank the feat 'minion' for a couple of low pl drones ich you'll have contact with.

If you go the ESP route, you could alway add the 'distracting' flaw if you're drones need to be controlled real time (make sense, while you are busy controling your drone security feed, you aren't looking around you. And it's a nice way to balance the potential overpowerness above)

[Beleriphon]

And here's the thing: it is far easier to say "I force the conveyor belt to activate with Move Action" than to turn it into a construct and give it stats to simulate a conveyor belt. Forcing a conveyor belt to actually slap people is more than just hijacking it, in which case yes, you use Summon. When someone says "hijack", I consider its mundane use, not someone giving a machine the ability to perceive its surroundings (as noted by the Wisdom stat) and move about in defiance of its normal operation.

Well yes, if all you're doing is turning something on sure, but if the objective is to remotely do something like drive a car then summon is a better choice. Using both is easy enough with alternate powers. I'd always include an AP of Summon for anything that allows the player to directly control a machine that is mobile only because its easier to use Summon to simulate things like cars driving themselves.