Should extra Alternate Power slots be allowed to be bought with Variable?

[Wheeljack]

I did an Iron Man writeup for someone who wanted to represent his many suits. I added in a Variable 1 (Slow) to do things like a 5 point Immunity (Cold damage for arctic armor, etc), or additional movement. It struck me that by adding a few slots to the strength/unibeam/ repulsor rays alternate power setup, I could do War Machine... gatling gun, missile launcher, laser blade.

Is this legal? Moral? The Slow would keep it from being abused... and then it'd be no different than spending a hero point for another alternate power. Thoughts?

[Alresu]

Pretty new to this, so do not take my words for more than the opinion of a beginner:

I do not think, that's was variable is for. It seems to be supposed to catch the things you can not with the normal AlternateEffect.

One of my players has a Power that gives him different armours and we represented that with an array of three armours, that have fixed powers, since this is, how he trained them.

In MCU-Terms: For the Suits that Stark used in the different movies, i would use a big Array of Alternate effects, since they all are different armours. For his Nano-Suit in Infinity War and Endgame a Variable-Power would make sense, since it's the suit itself that changes not Stark who changes the suit.

[jmucchiello]

I'd call this minor GM warning kind of thing. The issue is Variable has a built in cost of 7 PP for 5 PP and you are circumventing it for "some" effects allowing them access to the full 7 PP at a cost of 1 PP. If you buy four or five alts, it might be cheaper just to raise the Variable power by one rank and just call those "alts" standard settings.

[FuzzyBoots]

I don't think there's anything technically preventing it, but I probably wouldn't allow it in my game except maybe with a player that I know won't abuse it. For example, if they were always only using those alternate power points to tweak weapons systems (modify their rocket-launcher to instead launch mini-missiles to swap Area for Multiattack, for example), then that could make sense. Other players, who try to argue for that letting them swap out their rocket-boot Flight for Super-Movement (Dimensional Travel)...

You know, actually, the more I think about this, the more it feels like this is more an argument for general constraint of Alternate Effects to follow a theme. Some players get that and some don't.

[jmucchiello]

That's the thing. They spent the 7 points. Variable just gives them added flexibility within a theme. There's probably nothing wrong with it as long as you define what's legal in the variable power to coincide with what's legal in the array/alt effects.

What I love about the game is you hear this and you're first reaction is it must be illegal. But M&M by raw is very loose in what a power is or isn't.

[Madwand]

Yes, this is perfectly legal to do and it even sounds like an appropriate use of Variable. Really good idea.

[Wheeljack]

Here's the writeup in question. Actually, I only did War Machine with the alternate attacks on Variable, but the underwater armor would work for them too... torpedos, ink screen, etc.

Iron Man

PL 10 150 points

Attributes 24 PP
Strength 0/12
Agility 0
Fighting 0
Awareness 5
Stamina 2/10
Dexterity 0
Intellect 5
Presence 0

Defenses 11 PP
2 Dodge 2/8
2 Parry 2/8
- Fort 2/10
- Tough. 0/12
5 Will 10

Repulsor Rays +8 to hit/12 damage
Unarmed Combat +8 to hit/12 damage
Unibeam 10 damage, Area Line

Skills: 15 PP 30
Expertise (Engineering) 10 (+15)
Expertise (Everything else) 0/5
Insight 0/5
Perception 5 (+10)
Technology 15 (+20)


Advantages 7 PP
Eidetic Memory
Improved Initiative 1
Inventor
Feature Wealth 4 Multi-Millionaire
Skill Mastery (Technology)


Powers 92 CP

2 Tech Genius - Quickness 6 Technology Tasks Only

Iron Man Armor 90 CP Removable (113 CP)

30 CP Weapon Systems
Transistor-powered servomotors - Enhanced Strength 12 Enhanced Skill Unarmed combat 8 (28 CP)
Repulsor Rays - Ranged Damage 12 Accurate 4 (28 CP)
Unibeam - Close Damage 10 Area Line Penetrating 6 26 CP + Environmental Control Light 1 (Sunlight level), Cone instead of Radius -0 2 CP (28 CP)

18 CP Boot Jets Flight 9

28 CP Armored Exoskeleton - Enhanced Stamina 8, Protection 2, Impervious Toughness 10

12 Combat Computer Enhanced Dodge 6, Parry 6

9 Sealed Systems Immunity Life Support, still needs to eat/drink -1

9 Sensory Systems (Accurate Radio (Radar) Extended 3, Infrared Vision, Tracking (IR vision), Distance Sense



1 Feature -Technology tools


6 Variant Armors and armor mods Variable 1, Slow

Complications
Forthcoming

Armors and armor mods

Armors and armor mods




War Machine

Laser sight Enhanced Advantage 2 precise attack 2 ranged cover & Concealment

Alt powers on Weapon Systems 3 CP

Laser blade Close Damage 10 Accurate 5 linked to Weaken Toughness 10 objects only imp crit 3 Gatling gun Ranged Damage 6 multishot, Accurate 7 penetrating 3

Radar guided Missiles Ranged Damage 10 Accurate 5 Increased Range 1 Homing 2 Radar


Undersea Armor

Hydro Jets – Alternate Power on Boot Jets, Swimming 10, Subtle 1, Environmental Adaption (Underwater) Concealment 2, All Hearing, Passive

Refractive Coating Immunity 5 Laser Damage

Mind shield Immunity 5 Half effect from all mental powers (or full immunity from Mind Control)

Polarized filters Immunity 5 Sensory effects

Magma Armor Immunity 5 Heat Damage

Polar Armor Immunity 5 Cold Damage

Fallout Armor Immunity 5 Radiation damage (or half effect from all radiation effects)

Insulated Armor Immunity 5 Electrical Damage

Stealth Armor concealment 1 Radio, concealment 2 Normal Sight, Passive, Subtle 1 on Flight

Space Armor Life Support includes food/water, Flight 4 Distracting

Exo-Armor Lifting Strength 3, Impervious Toughness +2