drains, UP, VPPs, MPs

[Quiller]

Character A has an MP with the UP limitation that includes a blast. But he is not using it at the moment.

 

Character B has a VPP with the UP limitation that can include a blast but doesn't in its current configuration.

 

Character C has a drain blast power that he unleashes on A and B.

 

According to the rules Character A instantly loses points from everything connected to his MP blast slot by the UP lim even if he isn't using it. Straightforward, logical.

 

What about character B? Does he instantly lose points from all powers connect with his VPP because it MIGHT have a blast in it? Is he completely unaffected because he doesn't have a blast active? If he does activate a blast in his VPP while the drain is still in effect does he suddenly lose points from everything connected with the UP lim?

 

Neither interpretation seems particularly satisfactory.

 

Should UP not be allowed on VPPs? Is this completely an SFX issue? Has asking this question opened a rift into a realm of chaos and madness?

[Steve Long]

First, by "UP" I am assuming you mean the Unified Power Limitation. If that's not your intent, it will affect my answer.

 

A character may try to use a Drain of a specific Power (such as Blast, Resistant Protection, or Invisibility) against a character who has a Multipower with a slot built with that Power, or a VPP that could build a slot with that Power. If this occurs at a time when that Multipower slot hasn’t had any reserve points allotted to it, or when that VPP hasn’t used that Power to build a slot, the Drain has no effect at all. The fact that the Power Framework could or might be used for a slot built with that Power doesn’t mean it should always be considered to have that Power “active” for purposes of being Drained. As always, the GM is free to tweak this rule based on the nature of his campaign or his personal preferences.

 

The issue of whether Unified Power should be a valid Limitation for Power Frameworks, or Power Framework slots, is a separate one. Given the way Adjustment Powers interact with Power Frameworks (see 6E1139-40), that’s an issue best left to the GM to resolve. As a default guideline Unified Power generally shouldn’t be applied to Frameworks or their slots, but if the GM wants to allow it because he believes it would be a legitimate Limitation, he certainly can. If so, he can determine how the rules interact.