Alternatives to Alternative Attacks

Alternatives to Alternative Attacks (aka Alternative Abilities as Enhancements) is an alternative approach to Alternative Attacks or Alternative Abilities. The primary title is a box on PU4p18
As written, AA are collectively always going to cost more than 1/5 the base price of the most expensive ability: that might be reduced to -80% and then the 1/5 price of an equal/lesser advantage tacks atop it.
Converting the AA to an enhancement allows it to fit within the 1/5 minimum by offsetting it by more limitations.
PU4 has this in:
*Ammunition Options
*Thrusting Blade
The latter is the simplest to explain. It adds an Impaling Attack (8/lev) of half as many levels as an alternative ability to a Cutting Attack (7/lev)
For example, Cutting Attack 20 [140] has Impaling Attack 10 [80] as an alternative ability.
1/5 cost of 80 would be 16.
16 is 11.4% of 140.
+15% is charged for this, so the cost is rounded up.
Ammunition Options are multifaceted and would need to be analyzed in more detail later.
==Powers==
The 'Swarm' enhancement for Diffuse in many ways does this by giving it a kind of Insubstantial, including the enhanced version which can affect material plane.
==Psionic Powers==
This is also basically seen in the use of Psi-Techniques which ONLY use Temporary Enhancements rules (2 FP, -1 per +10%) to actually impart certain advantages, rather than Using Abilities at Default (3 FP, -2 per 25%)
PP itself already uses a variant of the TE rules, since rather than making a preparatory maneuver and standalone roll prior to activating abilities, it folds the roll into the activation roll as a SINGLE ROLL. So rather than turning on an enhancement for 1 minute, it turns it on indefinitely so long as the activation roll keeps it active.
Category:Rules