Arrays and Containers [M&M 2e]

[SilverLeaf167]

I am new to the game, and only have the core rule book.
On many sheets, I've seen multiple remarks to some things such as power "arrays" and "containers". What exactly do they mean, and what book are they in?

[BladeSingerXIV]

Both concepts are in the book Ultimate Power. They are an additional way of constructing powers, and have their own "Power Structures" section.

"Array" is, simply put, just a set of alternate powers and their base power. Ultimate Power expands on the rules for that and gives another method of putting together the array that doesn't involve having a "base power".

Containers are kind of like Devices, and are in fact the broader form of the design Devices have. They cost 5 points/rank and can be modified by extras and flaws, and have 5 points/rank inside the container no matter what the cost of each Container rank was. They're used a lot for having some points separate from the rest of the character (like racial traits for a nonhuman), or a character that "powers up" like Captain Marvel (some containers take a free action to turn on).

[TricksyAndFalse]

I'm away-from-book, but I'm pretty sure there's a brief explanation of how they work in the core book. The Ultimate Power book just goes into a lot more detail about how they work, and is a great resource in general.

They plan to release a M&M3E soon-ish, though, so you might want to wait and upgrade to 3E if you're going to buy a new book, rather than track down Ultimate Power.

[SilverLeaf167]

Another question on the matter:
I don't really understand the advantage of alternate powers. I can see the disadvantage of not being able to use them simultaneously, but what's the good side? I think I'm just not reading it right...

[kamikasei]

Another question on the matter:
I don't really understand the advantage of alternate powers. I can see the disadvantage of not being able to use them simultaneously, but what's the good side? I think I'm just not reading it right...

Say you want two powers. Each would cost twenty points.

You can buy them separately, costing forty points in total. This has the advantage that you can freely use either, perhaps simultaneously depending on their durations or actions.

Or you can buy one as an alternate of the other, costing twenty-one points in total, with the disadvantage that you can only have one active at a time.

[SilverLeaf167]

Oh. That's definitely useful for my One Piece character... I had to spend most of the points on his powers, but Alternate Power fits the game, because that's a common weakness in the series... you know, lowering your defense etc. in order to attack or do something else.

[BladeSingerXIV]

The way I like to think of alternate powers is this: pick one of your powers and spend an extra PP on it. You are now allowed to spend those points again, on a completely new power (or even set of powers) with the note that you can't use both at once.

And yes, I know your problems understanding alternate powers. I actually wasn't able to figure it out at all from the book, and had to turn to the internet (and Green Ronin's forum the Atomic Think Tank, which you should check out) to wrap my head around it.

[Esser-Z]

Oh. That's definitely useful for my One Piece character... I had to spend most of the points on his powers, but Alternate Power fits the game, because that's a common weakness in the series... you know, lowering your defense etc. in order to attack or do something else.

Somebody actually using M&M for One Piece? I've been wanting to do that for some time now. Let us know how it works out?

[SilverLeaf167]

It's on Myth-Weavers. The only M&M game, currently.
I've been waiting a while for a reply to my app, but I'll post when something happens.

[SilverLeaf167]

Okay, I kind of have another question for this thread.

I'm not sure this character is going to be approved, mostly because we aren't allowed to use canon devil fruit for the characters (very limiting). My character has a gravity power, which is sort of similar to Blackbeard's, and if it's allowed is currently being debated.
So, just in case I need to make another character, what would be an interesting concept/devil fruit? So, it can't be canon (appeared in the series), and themes already in use should be avoided (picture animation, speed, kyuubi zoan, wind control, steam). I would like something cool and useful in battle.

My favorite idea so far is a Tiger zoan, recreated by Metamorph.

[hiryuu]

-- (Double post)

[hiryuu]

Power ideas, huh?

Let me see, off the top of my head, what have I seen...

This last game I was in, one of my players made a portal-using battlefield controller. He was basically a portal gun, but he made lots of them.

Before that, I've seen (or played):

A girl whose chest is an extradimensional space that acts as the den for a hive of foot long trilobite like creatures that could swarm out through a hole in her stomach and form human-size conglomerated bug monsters by holding onto one another.

A woman with the power to grow teratomas in her body to use as armor/weapons/etc.

A man who could transform his right arm into bees.

A man who was less capable of being affected the more his opponents hated anyone or anything (he used it to approach hate groups and members thereof peacefully, since they couldn't hurt him at all).

A man with extremely powerful telekinesis that only worked on coins (specifically, five 1938 quarters). He threw a bunch of alternate powers on it: flight for putting them in his shoes and holding them in his hands, blast for throwing them at people, etc... his name was "Two-Bit."

A girl who acquired powers or information that would be the most annoying for her to have or know dependent on who she was near. While really good at bringing down villains, she didn't do too well with normal life.

A woman with full and conscious control over her blood or any blood she was touching. She could make little tulpa/pelesit things, grow wings, make armor, creates whips, etc. Her name was "Iron Age."

A man who can grow (from wood that he's touching) hand-sized starfish-shaped creatures that can merge with locks and bolts in order to unlock them (and who can gang up on people if he's got enough of them).

A guy who can make gourds, corn husks, and twine into prosthetic body parts.

Edit: In our last game, I played someone with tentacles (that could shoot disintegrating blasts), dream control, illusion powers, the ability to make spawn, flight, and a weakness where they got knocked out and went into hibernation (but could still use dream control) if submerged in water. It was Kid Cthulhu.

[Tengu_temp]

It's on Myth-Weavers. The only M&M game, currently.

The only recruiting M&M game, you mean.

[SilverLeaf167]

Another question:
Is the upper limit of a power's rank equal to the Power Level of the campaign? If so, on what page can that rule be found?