ALTERNATE EFFECT
This Extra allows you to swap-out the effect for an entire other, alternate, effect.
POWER ARRAYS
A single or multi effect power with the Alternate Effect modifier has another configuration for that power’s Power Points. A power with one or more alternate effects creates an array of powers, also known as a power array.
Think of alternate effects as different “settings” for a power usable one at a time. Alternate effects cannot be used or maintained at the same time as other alternate effects of the same array. They are mutually exclusive, unless they are also Dynamic.
CONFIGURING ALTERNATE EFFECTS
An alternate effect can have a total cost in Power Points no greater than the base power the alternate effect extra is applied to, not counting the Alternate Effect extras value. So a power costing 5 Power Points can have alternate effects with a cost of 5 Power Points or less each.
Once again this cost does not include the cost of the modifier itself, which should be applied separately. So if the 5 point power has 5 Alternate Effects (making the final cost 10 points), each Alternate Effect is still limited to a total value of 5 points, that of the base power.
The powers in an array can have any rank, or combination of modifiers, within the Power Level limits of the campaign. Alternate effects may also have different descriptors, but are usually thematically linked. This allows you to have two versions of a Damage effect, such as a fire blast and an ice blast, for example. Permanent effects cannot be included in an array, since they can’t be turned on and off.
Like any power, an alternate effect is made up of one or more effects, with their own modifiers, but their total cost cannot exceed the Power Point cost of the primary power.
DYNAMIC ALTERNATE EFFECTS
For 2 ranks in the Alternate Effect extra, an alternate effect is dynamic; it can share Power Points with other Dynamic Alternate Effects, allowing them to operate at the same time, but at reduced effectiveness. So you must have two Dynamic Alternate Effects for this
option to be useful. You decide how many Power Points are allocated to the effects once per turn as a Quick action using the Switch Alternate Effect action. Making the primary power of an array Dynamic requires 1 Alternate Effect rank.
USING ARRAYS
Switching between alternate effects in an array requires the Switch Alternate Effect action, which is a Quick action. If anything disables, nullifies, or drains a power in an array, all of its powers are affected in the same
way. The action to switch between alternate effects is separate from, and in addition to, any actions required to use those effects.
MAINTENANCE
Powers in an array are maintained in the usual way. If a character switches to a different alternate effect in the array, they can no longer maintain other alternate effects: They immediately switch off. So, for example, if a character has a Flight or Sustained Protection power
in an array, and switches to a different alternate effect, those power effects immediately end when the switch takes place. This generally means including Sustained or Continuous effects in an array limits their utility. Effects with the Independent modifier are effectively Instant in duration and can continue even after an array is switched to a different power.
DYNAMIC MAINTENANCE
A Dynamic Alternate Effect can be maintained so long as it has a minimum number of Power Points assigned to it to allow it to function, although it does so at a reduced level of effect. So a character can maintain the Dynamic Alternate Effect for their Flight so long as at least 2 Power Points are assigned to it, but their Flight speed is
then limited to 1 rank of Flight.
CREATING ARRAYS
Arrays are one of the more complex and important power configurations and require some special care in
terms of their creation. Take the following into account when creating characters with arrays, and approving them for Game Masters.
The main reason for arrays is to allow a degree of flexibility in terms of a character’s power effects within the cost restrictions laid down by having a finite number of Power Points. It’s based on the assumption that a wide range of powers has a diminishing return in terms of value, since characters can only use so many effects at once. A power with various “settings,” usable one at a time, is more valuable than a power with only one, but not necessarily as valuable as various effects all usable at the same time or during the same turn.
However, arrays can be abused to try and squeeze the most “efficiency” out of a character’s Power Points, gaining the most effects for the lowest cost. The guidelines for alternate effects are intended to help limit this somewhat, but there is no way they can eliminate the possibility entirely and still provide all the benefits of flexibility they’re intended to offer. Some Game Master oversight is therefore necessary when it comes to the creation and use of arrays.
It is wise to ask, “Is an array really needed for this concept?” Some concepts, such as a variety of different attacks, clearly call for an array. Others, like a power with a few rarely used alternate effects, may not call for an array. Such a power may be better served by acquiring such occasional effects through using the Alternate Effects benefit of the Surge action, rather than the creation of a permanent set of Alternate Effects. That is what the Surge rules are for, after all: so you do not have to fill up character sheets with long lists of minor Alternate Effects a hero will rarely ever use.
If you decide an array is appropriate, the first thing is to determine its overall theme and associated descriptors. Is it an array of different attacks, like a “weapons array” of a battlesuit? Is it a collection of regular power effects for a themed power like earth control, or spells for magic? Is it a series of alternate forms for a metamorph? And so forth. Arrays should have some unifying theme beyond “all the powers I want my hero to have,” and Game Masters should feel free to veto inappropriate arrays lacking a suitable theme.
