Alternate Form always on

[Santaj]

I have a character that I've made that has Alternate Form (Liquid) as a power. How can I make that always on or permanent? I want him to always bein liquid form. Also, I want him to be able to form himself into a humanoid shape and be able to physically pick things up and otherwise be able to interact with the physical world. Any advice?

[DeanH]

That would be a level of Insubstantial with the permanent and innate modifiers.

[JDRook]

I have a character that I've made that has Alternate Form (Liquid) as a power. How can I make that always on or permanent? I want him to always bein liquid form. Also, I want him to be able to form himself into a humanoid shape and be able to physically pick things up and otherwise be able to interact with the physical world. Any advice?

If you read the entire first paragraph of the Insubstantial Effect, there's a section that directly addresses this:

The default is that substantial is your “normal” form, but the GM may permit you to make Insubstantial your “normal” form, in which case remaining solid is a sustained duration for you!

So your "permanent" Liquid Form with the option to turn "normal-looking" costs exactly the same as normal to temporary solid form. In practice, this would be a Sustained Duration, so you could remain solid as long as you can use Free Action, but being Stunned or Incapacitated would mean you immediately turn to liquid.

Also, if you read Insub 1 - Fluid, you'll see you don't actually lose the ability to lift or touch things:

You can exert your normal Strength and can still push or carry objects, although your manual dexterity may be limited (at the GM’s discretion).

You also don't have any Damage Immuities at Rank 1 like the higher ranks.

What you may want for your liquid form is actually Insub 2 (Gaseous), which does not allow you to use your STR and does make you Immune to Physical Damage. I know that the names are suggestive of other attributes, but fictional liquid characters usually display traits more like Gaseous Form, and Fluid Form is actually more commonly seen in stretchers and shapechangers (Plastic Man, Mr. Fantastic, Clayface, etc) and even those are sometimes portrayed as being immune to at least some types of physical damage.

Always remember that the names of the Effects or other traits, though evocative, do not always match what might be your concept of how a power with a similar name might work. In short, read how the power works and don't be fooled by the names. It's a little counter-intuitive, but it does allow you to design powers and characters that work the way YOU want and are ultimately more satisfying to play.

[Santaj]

Thanks for the info, folks! I am just getting back into M&M after a fairly long hiatus and trying to get back up to speed on rules and how to build certain types of characters.