wirehound
2013-12-18, 12:02 PM
It's my first time building a hero for M&M 3e, and I'd appreciate some advice or suggestions regarding how to structure a particular power:
Our hero can create "quantum bubbles" to various effect. They manifest as a perfectly spherical soap bubble, but are much tougher than they look.
The bubbles have 4 main functions:
1. Shield our hero (and optionally nearby allies).
2. Shield another person or person(s) at a distance.
3. Capture an opponent inside a bubble.
4. Allow our hero to float or fly while in a bubble.
5. Allow anyone within the bubble to become invisible to those outside.
6. Protect anyone in a bubble from environmental hazards.
My first instinct is to use the Create effect and make the bubbles actual physical objects. E.g. Quantum Bubble: Create 15, Impervious, Movable, Stationary, Limited: Only Hollow Spheres. 46 Points
Then add Flight 4 (30mph) and Concealment 2 (Visual, Affects Others, Increased Range 2: perception, Shapeable Area 10). Both of these only work when enclosed in a bubble.
Building the power this way brings up a few questions:
1. How is the volume of the Create effect calculated? Is it the volume of "stuff" created, or the volume enclosed by the "stuff". For example, a solid sphere 8ft across is 268 cu. ft. A hollow sphere 8 ft across and 1" thick is only 17 cu. ft. of "stuff", but it encloses the same 268 cu. ft.
2. How many bubbles can our hero create at once? This isn't specifically addressed in the Create effect. Create 15 gives a maximum volume of 32,000 cu. ft. Does that mean one can create multiple objects up to that maximum volume, or only one at a time? Would multiple objects require the Continuous modifier?
3. How to handle requiring a bubble for Flight and Concealment? This doesn't seem like enough of a drawback for the Limited flaw. Perhaps a Quirk like Quirk: Only Inside Quantum Bubble.
4. Since the Create effect would make a presumably airtight solid object, would it protect those inside from poison gas, bad smells, high winds, vacuum, etc. as part of the Create effect? Or would this require Immunity (Environmental, All Suffocation, Affects Others, Increased Range) with the same Quirk as Flight and Concealment?
If it's not done with Create, the other option would be to do it with Protection, Snare, Flight, Concealment, and Immunity. The problem with this is how to protect others. If I add Affects Others and Increased Range to Protection, do I run into PL problems with adding Protection 15 (Impervious) to a teammate who already has Protection 10? I liked the Create option because it doesn't feel like cheating since the protected person can't attack while they're protected by the bubble.
I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions on how to structure the power. I'm not sure whether Linked powers or Alternate Effects would be appropriate in this case, but I'd like to hear from someone with more experience.
Thanks!
As a side note, it appears to me that the Distance and Volume ranks are disproportionate. For example, one rank of the Burst Area modifier is a 30ft radius (Rank 0 distance) sphere, which is 113,000 cu. ft. (Rank 17 volume). One rank of the Shapeable Area modifier is a 30 cu ft. volume (Rank 5), which is just under a 2ft radius (Rank -3 distance) sphere. Two ranks of Burst is 60ft radius (Rank 2 distance) and 904,000 cu. ft. (Rank 20 volume), while two ranks of Shapeable is 60 cu. ft. (Rank 6 volume) and 2.4ft radius (still Rank -3 distance).
Our hero can create "quantum bubbles" to various effect. They manifest as a perfectly spherical soap bubble, but are much tougher than they look.
The bubbles have 4 main functions:
1. Shield our hero (and optionally nearby allies).
2. Shield another person or person(s) at a distance.
3. Capture an opponent inside a bubble.
4. Allow our hero to float or fly while in a bubble.
5. Allow anyone within the bubble to become invisible to those outside.
6. Protect anyone in a bubble from environmental hazards.
My first instinct is to use the Create effect and make the bubbles actual physical objects. E.g. Quantum Bubble: Create 15, Impervious, Movable, Stationary, Limited: Only Hollow Spheres. 46 Points
Then add Flight 4 (30mph) and Concealment 2 (Visual, Affects Others, Increased Range 2: perception, Shapeable Area 10). Both of these only work when enclosed in a bubble.
Building the power this way brings up a few questions:
1. How is the volume of the Create effect calculated? Is it the volume of "stuff" created, or the volume enclosed by the "stuff". For example, a solid sphere 8ft across is 268 cu. ft. A hollow sphere 8 ft across and 1" thick is only 17 cu. ft. of "stuff", but it encloses the same 268 cu. ft.
2. How many bubbles can our hero create at once? This isn't specifically addressed in the Create effect. Create 15 gives a maximum volume of 32,000 cu. ft. Does that mean one can create multiple objects up to that maximum volume, or only one at a time? Would multiple objects require the Continuous modifier?
3. How to handle requiring a bubble for Flight and Concealment? This doesn't seem like enough of a drawback for the Limited flaw. Perhaps a Quirk like Quirk: Only Inside Quantum Bubble.
4. Since the Create effect would make a presumably airtight solid object, would it protect those inside from poison gas, bad smells, high winds, vacuum, etc. as part of the Create effect? Or would this require Immunity (Environmental, All Suffocation, Affects Others, Increased Range) with the same Quirk as Flight and Concealment?
If it's not done with Create, the other option would be to do it with Protection, Snare, Flight, Concealment, and Immunity. The problem with this is how to protect others. If I add Affects Others and Increased Range to Protection, do I run into PL problems with adding Protection 15 (Impervious) to a teammate who already has Protection 10? I liked the Create option because it doesn't feel like cheating since the protected person can't attack while they're protected by the bubble.
I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions on how to structure the power. I'm not sure whether Linked powers or Alternate Effects would be appropriate in this case, but I'd like to hear from someone with more experience.
Thanks!
As a side note, it appears to me that the Distance and Volume ranks are disproportionate. For example, one rank of the Burst Area modifier is a 30ft radius (Rank 0 distance) sphere, which is 113,000 cu. ft. (Rank 17 volume). One rank of the Shapeable Area modifier is a 30 cu ft. volume (Rank 5), which is just under a 2ft radius (Rank -3 distance) sphere. Two ranks of Burst is 60ft radius (Rank 2 distance) and 904,000 cu. ft. (Rank 20 volume), while two ranks of Shapeable is 60 cu. ft. (Rank 6 volume) and 2.4ft radius (still Rank -3 distance).