From: dvandom@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dave Van Domelen)
Subject: Hero Magic and Fantasy Stuff
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 16:01:04 GMT

Back to the accusation that Heroic level campaigns should get no limitation for
a stun-only or RP attack: that reasoning assumes the players are trying to 
AVOID killing.  How many fantasy campaigns have that limit?  Also, how many 
foes are difficult if not impossible to KO and must be killed?  An RP attack is
pretty useless versus a Skeleton or other automaton foe.  Sure, in superheroic 
games you generally wish to avoid killing, so a -0 for No BOD can be justified,
but in a fantasy or spy game the objective is to kill the bastards, so No BOD 
would be worth at LEAST -1/2.
     Okay, on to Mages.
     The major problem with powerpool mages is that many powers have built in 
checks and balances that pools bypass, like Dimension Travel or NNDs.  Why 
spend 40 points to travel to multiple dimensions when you can buy a pool, 20 
points, limit on control cost Only for X-Dimensional Travel (-1/2 or -1)?  So 
if you have a mage with a pool (or ANY pool user), it's a good idea to require 
the player buy the "any" advantage on all powers that can have it (like 
Transform).  And then limit the pool size to 35 if you don't want X-Dim Travel,
for example.  Alternately, have them define at the start the effects they can 
do, such as 20pt X-Dim will be to Jotunheim only or Major Transform will be 
people to ice (+1/4 gives Anything to Ice) and so on.  This would provide some 
of the specialization mentioned without totally limiting the mage.  But if he 
wanted to go outside his normal Special Effect, he'd have to buy Variable SE 
advantage.  My hypothetical Ice Mage would have Cold as the SE on all attacks, 
but for +1/4 could use Heat, Wind or Water (closely related in some thematic 
group to Ice), and for +1/2 could use any SE.  That way they still have the 
flexibility vital to a support character (face it, Mages are NOT main battle 
tanks...they will almost always support the powerhouses in combat) but have an 
area of specialty.
     If the player wants his SE to be "Magic", then he would need VSE to use 
Magic Fire (+1/4) or anything nonmagical (+1/2) in case he meet someone with 
extra armor just versus magic.  His base attack will be the kind of wierd 
lights and shapes associated with comicbook magic.
     Mages, as I said before, are support characters.  Any player wanted to 
take a mage to the front of the fray will soon be making up a new character.  
However, the mage can be the most tactically important member of the team.  
Especially with the advantage Usable By Others on a power in the pool (in fact,
you might want a mage who has a pool that REQUIRES Usable By Others on all 
powers).  Give the team Mentalist N-Ray Vision (not thru magic barriers unless 
variable special effect bought).  Give the Brick extra DEX.  Give Flashed 
characters Targeting Hearing or Radar Sense. And so forth.  Of course, since 
villains will be quick to catch on to this, the Mage had better enchant himself
up some focused protective garb. }->  It does take a certain type of player to 
run a character like this, since there is less "glory" in such a role.  Often 
it's a good role to give an experienced player (who can think up neat spells on
the spot) who is getting tired of being team powerhouse (and getting pounded 
into the turf by the end of Segment 12 by all the villains).
     Oh, one other possible limit on Pool Mages you can use is to require they 
have a "repertoire" prepared.  If you (the GM) don't have a copy of a spell 
they want to use in front of you before the game, they can't use it.  Composing
spells is a long process, after all.  This would have more flexibility than a 
multipower still, but since you can approve all spells beforehand (or nix them)
you won't see the Mage becoming a Deus Ex Machina. ("Gee, only a Dispel Force 
Wall could save us!  Mage?")  Players would have to THINK in advance.
     Dave Van Domelen, Mages teleporting into enclosures with Main Campaign 
Villains alone deserve the BODY they take