Physical Control Powers

Unlike physical enhancements or physical weaponry, physical control powers are generally active abilities. They tend to function only when concentrated on, though this is by no means a constant. This is because the thirty known physical control powers involve direct manipulation of one's body, whether changing their voice or their very shape, and a body tends to revert to normal when no longer affected by these abilities.

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A

Age Control / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: age control / others, longevity, regeneration, regenerative armor.

The curious ability of age control allows its possessor to, for all intents and purposes, alter his or her apparent age. One may do so, in either direction, by a number of years equal to this power's rank number. There is no upper limit to the age a character can assume, though certain extremes can be increasingly dangerous. Advanced age makes one particularly injury-prone, while a prenatal state makes one helpless.

While at a differing age, one gains all the benefits and penalties of such a change. One might receive a senior citizen discount while roaming around as a centenarian, but they'd be more likely to fall and break a hip. Similarly, being incredibly young might let someone get away with things that an adult otherwise couldn't, though they're also less physically capable at the same time.

If a character possessing longevity uses this ability, their age will be altered as if they did not have that ability in the first place (otherwise, the two powers would be mutually exclusive).

Animal Hybridization / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: animal hybridization / others, animal sympathy, plant hybridization, shape change.

Animal hybridization is the process of transforming oneself into another creature. This involves an innate familiarity with the biological processes of said animal, which lets the character with this ability mold their bodily functions and anatomy until it changes from its original state into the new one. Such transformations may be partial (adopting some traits of the animal) or complete (adopting the full form of the animal).

Complete transformations allow the wielder of this ability to use all of the creature's ability scores and special powers - including its Health points. Visually, the character will appear to be a perfectly normal specimen of the animal species, though they'll retain the same scent, still being genetically human (or whatever their original form is). The character will also retain their original intellect while transformed.

Even if this power involves changing one's form into a non-sentient creature as a general matter of course.

Partial transformations allow the wielder of this ability to pick and choose which facets of his or her anatomy are changed. One might simply want the claws of a lion, instead of changing into one outright. This allows one to use animal hybridization more discreetly if desired, either adopting specific physical capabilities or simply changing one's appearance for purely cosmetic reasons (like wearing a mane).

When this ability is first gained, its possessor may originally only transform into one specific kind of animal, but may adopt additional transformations (into different animals) as a power stunt for each. Typically, 'powers' gained by the use of this ability are limited to the animal hybridization rank in effectiveness - save for powers such as physical weaponry, which have no specific rank.

Aura
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 2 points per rank
Related Powers: various energy and matter generation powers.

An aura is a protective sort of shell that a character may produce around their body. It can be comprised of either matter or energy, as is desired, but a character typically only begins play with one form of aura. To acquire more auras, a character must either purchase them as weak enhancements to this power during character generation, reducing its power rank by -1 CS for each, or develop them later as power stunts.

If material, an aura can consist of any form of matter desired, though the power cannot produce a protective coating with a material strength greater than its own power rank. For example, a Typical (6) ranked aura could readily concoct an ice or wood cocoon around its possessor, but could not do so with titanium steel. An aura can simulate materials of a higher MS than its power rank, but its MS is capped at this intensity.

An energy aura, on the other hand, can be any form of such extant in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine. An energy aura can be comprised of anything, from lightning to darkness to spectral flames to antideionic life force! Such an aura will inflict its power rank in damage, of the appropriate type, upon direct physical contact with others - which makes an energy aura a great aversive defense.

The form of matter or energy that comprises an aura will determine any additional effects the power can provide, if necessary. Fire, for example, will have a tendency to cause things in the character's vicinity to ignite, while buckyballs will make someone almost impossible to grapple. Effects that would neutralize or commandeer an aura (a fire extinguisher, or perhaps the appropriate matter control) must defeat its power rank to work.

Characters with an aura can move normally while it is active. The possessor of this power subconsciously shapes their aura around their body when movement is required, preventing it from harming them (if applicable). Alternately, the power can produce uncontrolled, 'jointed' auras, resembling a suit of armor made out of whatever the aura is comprised of, though this creates holes in the protection it provides (weak limitation).

If made of energy, an aura will offer its possessor power rank protection from assault per a personal force field (possibly modified by its energy type). On the other hand, a character with a solid aura will receive like body armor - if their aura is at least two inches thick. If one's aura is smaller in thickness, it cannot fully protect its possessor from injury, and thus provides -1 CS protection from attack instead.

If an aura is destroyed, the character may simply make another one, which takes up a full action. This may not be immediately possible if the cause of the previous aura's demise is still present (a character with an aura of fire being doused in fire retardant foam). If taken over by other powers, one must either build their aura anew or reclaim control of it from whoever stole it.

B

Blending
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: color control, disguise, light control, shape change, vocal control.

The power of blending allows its possessor to match his or her coloration to that of their surroundings, to a precise degree. By matching one's hue to perfectly reflect that which is directly behind them, a blender can achieve a makeshift form of invisibility. While completely motionless, a character with blending will appear to be a perfectly normal component of their surroundings, disguising themselves with power rank skill.

Unless, of course, the background itself decides to move.

Whether the blender or the background shifts, a discontinuity between the character's appearance and the background will arise, allowing an Intuition (alt) ACTION roll at +2 CS to detect the blended individual. Thus, it's ideal to use blending against walls and other flat surfaces, where movement is unlikely - as is something passing behind the blender to betray their presence.

A variant form of blending allows its possessor to make their body almost entirely transparent, instead of merely sinking into the background of a vista. While the outline of a character rendered translucent is still visible if one looks for it, the power allows 'live' updates to the appearance it generates, since the light behind a character passes right through them while blending is active.

A character may adopt either form of blending when beginning play, but may develop the other as a power stunt later on, if desired.

Naturally, blending works better in some environments than others, but a character can limit the power to functioning under only one such condition as a limitation. Only functioning at night or while cloaked in shadow counts as a weak limitation, for example. Similarly, a strong limitation on blending prevents its possessor from applying the power to his or her possessions - only their body blends in with one's environs.

Body Doubles
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 4 points per rank
Related Powers: energy doubles, imaginary doubles, matter duplication, mental doubles, organism generation.

This quirky ability allows its wielder to create duplicates of themselves. As opposed to other, similar abilities, body doubles are not illusory or energy-based; no, each double this power creates is identical to his, her, or its creator! At any one time, this power may support a number of doubles equal to its power rank number. An Excellent (20) ranked body doubles power, for instance, could create twenty clones of its wielder.

Creating a body double counts as one action, but the power may function in one of two distinct fashions. It may either require that all doubles come from the character possessing this power, or doubles may create still more of themselves. The latter is considered a weak enhancement of the power, and gives its wielder the ability to geometrically increase his or her numbers (until reaching their maximum amount, that is).

When building body doubles, a character can also duplicate some additional matter alongside their bonus selves; this is why body doubles don't show up naked, you see. The maximum amount of matter a body doubler can generate alongside his or her clones is a number of pounds equal to their power rank. That Excellent (20) ranked body doubler, above, could copy up to twenty pounds of material with each clone!

Body doubles are semi-permanent creations. Once made, they can persist indefinitely if desired, though feeding that many versions of oneself may take a considerable amount of resources. Thus, doublers may reincorporate a copy into themselves at will, though this generally requires physical contact. On the other hand, a body doubler can acquire this ability within Very Near distance as a power stunt or strong enhancement.

One tricky point when doing so is the fate of any matter duplicated when a body double is first created. If this material is in contact with a double upon its reincorporation into the character's body, it is simply nullified. However, if such material cannot be reabsorbed, it is rendered permanent per the matter duplication power, and will cost the wielder of this power one Health point (as would normal matter duplication).

Speaking of Health, when a character reincorporates a living double into themselves, his or her Health will assume an amount equal to the average of the two. Thus, a heavily wounded character absorbing a perfectly healthy body double will see an immediate increase in their Health. In fact, with enough such doubles handy, one could easily erase almost any harm that has befallen them using this technique!

This does not occur, however, when a body double has died. When one's double shuffles off this mortal coil for whatever reason, reintegrating it will not change one's Health any - this would likely kill a character each time they tried it! A body doubler can nonetheless 'clean up' his or her messes, though, saving them the trouble of disposing of a corpse that is seemingly them each time a double dies.

Finally, one issue with body doubles is the retention of whatever experiences they may have had. Though precisely the same as their creator upon their creation, body doubles experience things differently from that point on. When a character and a body double reunite, their memories will overlap, potentially causing confusion until these differences are all ironed out in one's head.

At the same time, however, sending a number of one's doubles through differing college courses is a great way to acquire a large number of talents quickly!

D

Density Control / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: density control / others, flight, gravity control, intangibility.

This versatile ability allows its possessor to manipulate their body's mass. One does not gain or lose volume as a result of this power's use, but their apparent density will dramatically change when it is in play. Wielding density control, a character can either increase or decrease their total mass; limiting it to either counts as a strong limitation, while making the power permanent (in either direction) is an extreme limitation.

When increasing one's mass, treat the power rank of this ability as a multiplier. For example, a man with this ability at Amazing (50) rank who weighs 200 pounds can increase their weight to ten thousand pounds - five tons! This allows a character to readily pin down almost anyone who lacks super-human Strength, and can often be enough to immobilize some vehicles - or at least slow them down dramatically.

A character with increased mass may move normally despite their added weight. This ability cannot be used to inflict more damage with weaponry and the like, but it can substitute its rank for Endurance when charging. Similarly, in a state of heightened mass, a character with this ability develops body armor of the equivalent rank, their seemingly denser frame acting to shrug off damage much better than before.

On the other hand, the character has a deleterious effect on their environs. Concentrating this much mass into the size of a human being (or whatever) often does a number on artificial structures, most of which are not designed to withstand such weight. If at a state of increased mass, the surface one is standing on, if artificial, must pass a material strength check or the character just might fall through it!

When decreasing one's mass, treat the power rank of density control as a percentage to subtract from one's weight. The above, Amazing (50) ranked power could reduce that two hundred pound man's weight by half! Once a character reaches Unearthly (100) rank with this ability, he or she effectively has zero mass while the power is active, and higher ranks actually apply a negative mass to their person, allowing them to float.

The advantages of lowering one's mass are numerous. This ability can dramatically improve travel efficiency, causing one to expend less energy when walking, improving one's jump height, and so on. Furthermore, one can approach the speed of light more easily with a decreased mass, eventually reaching it with this power at Unearthly (100) rank, and even exceeding it if at all possessed of negative mass!

Detachable Parts
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: dyad, flight (for the detached bits or overall), reformation, shape change, telereformation, transformation / self.

As the name of this ability implies, detachable parts allows its possessor to disconnect one or more portions of his or her anatomy, without undue harm to themselves. When such parts are detached from one's body, the wielder of this ability retains a neurological link to the disembodied bits, allowing control of them anywhere within Near distance of their person. Even better, these parts are primarily self-sufficient.

Detachable parts includes something akin to environmental independence, allowing disconnected body parts to persist despite a lack of oxygen, sustenance, and the like. This self-sufficiency also functions at detachable parts' power rank, meaning that one's disembodied chunks can last quite a while if they have a high enough rank in this ability - which can be a good thing if you misplace your hand somewhere inconvenient.

Parts of the character which have been detached operate as if they were still in their proper location. Disconnected eyes still let the character see normally, if at a strange perspective compared to the norm, and so on. The trick is that one's parts, in and of themselves, do not acquire any other abilities as a result of this power's use - those disconnected eyes aren't going anywhere unless they're placed on something that can move.

Which leads to strange mental visuals of detached eyeballs mounted atop detached hands via Sticky Tack ™, and so on.

Mind you, if one has access to other powers, he or she can readily couple them to this ability. Flight is a great option for this power, since it lets disconnected parts float around willy-nilly. Shape change allows any part to transform into any other part - or any other thing, really. In fact, one could transform their body into a cloud of things if desired, ranging from interlocking machinery to an insect swarm to a pile of loose change.

Dimensional Displacement
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: dimensional transit, teleportation, time travel.

Dimensional displacement is the ability to shunt one or more of a body's dimensions into the Between.

Most often, this is used to displace one's spatial dimensions (length, width, or height). When one of these dimensions is so displaced, the character with this ability can easily slip through conventional matter, as they're actually far thinner than mere atoms. This can have a devastating effect on matter, however, the passage of the character with a displaced dimension downgrading its structural integrity.

When moving through something with displaced spatial dimensions, a character will inflict AI Edged Attack damage on it. Furthermore, inanimate objects may be destroyed if they fail an MS check against this power's rank (a check which is never automatic), while living targets will usually suffer SD damage as well; this is caused by the disruption of biological systems by this power, excessive bleeding, and so on.

Shunting temporal dimensions is trickier. By displacing one's fourth dimension, a character can skip forwards in time, as if using a highly constrained time travel power. While bereft of the fourth dimension, a character experiences no time, instantly traversing the temporal gap they have created. In other words, one must decide how much time to skip in advance - and they better be sure, because this is a one-way trip!

A fifth-dimensional displacement is even stranger, as it suppresses the mooring one has to a specific timeline. When shunting one's fifth dimension, a character will slip out of his or her timeline entirely, usually landing in another - which may not be an improvement in their situation. Furthermore, the character has no control over this travel, and must develop such if they ever wish to find their way back.

Finally, a sixth-dimensional suppression has the effect of dislodging a character from the universe they currently occupy. This aspect of the power may drop someone in another plane entirely - though again, the character has no control over precisely which reality they'll manifest within. Without developing such control (as a power stunt, perhaps), the dimensionally displaced character must find another way home.

Mind you, this all assumes one is displacing only one of their physical or temporal dimensions. One can compress their existence into naught but a single point if desired, though this is considered a power stunt. When in such a state, one cannot interact with anything else in the multiverse save for other entities that have achieved a zero-dimensional state - making it a great way to hide from everything!

Disguise
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: blending, eidetic memory, power duplication, prehensile hair, prehensile skin, shape change, vocal control.

A specialized form of shape change, disguise allows characters the heightened capability to assume the forms of other, similar beings. A human could, for instance, take on the appearance of other humanoids, while a dog with this skill could imitate other quadrupeds. Any similarly sized being can be replicated by this ability, within the limits of one's own volume - this power alone can only shift such by fifty percent either way.

When using disguise, one can imitate all the physical characteristics of another being, from raw physical appearance to their voice, their scent, and even their very mannerisms! This requires a bit of study first, equal to 1d10 turns of intense scrutiny, during which time the entity to be duplicated must be seen, heard, and smelled, all while in action to some extent, no matter how minimally.

Fooling others requires a power ACTION roll against their Reason, Intuition, or Psyche, whichever is less - or their nonapparent vision. Disguise is excellent for a variety of clandestine purposes, from gathering information to appropriating favor and resources on the fly. Of course, the person so imitated may eventually figure out that they've been copied, and investigate just who is tarnishing their image!

E

Elongation
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: plasticity, prehensile hair, prehensile skin, shape change.

The power of elongation allows its possessor to extend some or all of their body to a truly fantastic degree. This can be done without a loss of leverage or effective Strength, the elongated body part(s) performing as if they were in their normal state, even at their maximum length. When wielding elongation, a character can stretch their body (or any part therein) anywhere within Near distance of their person.

For example, a hero with Remarkable (30) elongation can extend their arms, legs, or whatever up to eight areas! Such feats allow one to attempt melee combat against non-adjacent foes, as long as they are within range of the elongation power. Foes attacked in such a fashion can only oppose body part(s) invading their personal space, and not the elongating character's main body - unless they approach him or her directly.

Elongated parts, depending on their nature, may be immune to Slam, Stun, or Kill results in combat. Hacking off an extended finger cannot directly kill a character, no matter how much it may smart. Of course, slicing an elongated character in two while their torso is stretched to its utter limit is a different matter entirely. Severed bits immediately return to their normal physical dimensions.

Environmental Adaptation
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 2 points per rank
Related Powers: learned resistance, situational adaptation, shape change, universal digestion, universal respiration.

A specialized, reflexive capacity, environmental adaptation will directly and physically alter the body of its possessor when it is subject to a new, abnormal environment. When immersed in a new location that is hostile to his or her existence, this ability can adapt a character's physiology to survive, if not thrive, no matter how antithetical to life it may be.

The exact nature of the resultant changes depend on the environment a character finds themselves in. When finding oneself at the bottom of the ocean, a body could definitely use gills to extract oxygen from the water. At the same time, the intense pressure, low temperatures, inability to see, and relative lack of mobility are serious concerns to keep in mind as well.

This is where one's environmental adaptation rank comes in. While it determines how potent powers temporarily acquired through the use of environmental adaptation are, its rank also determines how many adaptations a character can manifest at once. For each rank in environmental adaptation above Feeble (2), a character can add an additional adaptation which allows them to function in their new locale.

So, if our hero possesses Feeble (2) environmental adaptation, he or she may only be able to develop those gills, but is otherwise out of luck on the ocean floor. Alternately, with Excellent (20) environmental adaptation, they can gain gills, denser cellular structure to better withstand the pressure, thick body fat to avoid the cold, webbed digits to move about more freely, and finally a sensory replacement for their vision. Perhaps sonar?

Adapting to a new environment requires from one to ten turns, depending on how severe a change is required to keep the character functioning.

If stuck on an earth-normal world with a hostile atmosphere, it may simply be a matter of altering one's lungs to process the different gases available - and perhaps a small biochemical modification. On the other hand, persisting in space might require a whole bevy of biophysical alterations, changes which may render a character unrecognizable as a human being... or even as an organic life form!

Keep in mind that this ability is primarily reflexive in nature, and the player has little control over what changes environmental adaptation will inflict on his or her body to keep their character alive. Such changes are normally within the realm of Judge's fiat, but players can override a given change with a red ACTION roll, if they think they have a better idea regarding what can keep them going.

Of course, they could prove to be wrong. Fatally wrong!

G

Growth / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: density control / self, environmental independence, growth / others, shrinking / others, shrinking / self.

Growth is the ability to increase one's effective volume dramatically. This power functions relative to the normal human size, which is approximated in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine as six foot tall (it makes for easier math). All characters are assumed to be at this height (give or take a few inches, obviously) unless they possess quirks to the contrary, or some sort of ability (like this one) to change their size.

Much larger entities will possess this power as an explanation for their size; say our heroes encounter a race of giants, all of whom are twenty-four feet tall! Such individuals would have this power as a permanent, always-on ability, one that cannot be neutralized by powers which affect super-human skills. These particular giants have Good (10) ranked 'growth' at all times to showcase their size relative to normal beings.

A character at a larger than normal size may very well be subject to size factors. For every doubling of human height an entity possesses, they shall receive a +1 size factor (our giants, above, would have a +2 size factor). This size factor entails a combat adjustment to an enlarged foe when facing off against normal-sized opponents - and one for normal-sized opponents when tackling beings possessed of super-human volume.

How this works is that a normal-sixed foe attacking a much larger opponent gains +1 CS to hit for every +1 of size factor his or her foe possesses, but inflicts -1 CS damage. Conversely, a giant-sized foe suffer a -1 CS to hit normal-sized foes for each +1 size factor they possess, but they also receive a +1 CS to the damage they inflict against their (relatively) diminutive enemy.

For example, say a hero is facing off against a giant, extra-terrestrial robot that is forty-eight feet tall. Since it is eight times a normal human's size, this robot has a +3 size factor. It is at -3 CS to hit the hero, but benefits from a +3 CS to its damage when it does connect with them in battle, as well as 3 CS of damage reduction against their (effectively) smaller attacks. The hero, on the other hand, gains a +3 CS to hit that huge foe.

Similarly, each increment of size factor a character possesses adds an effective +1 CS enhancement to their lifting ability. Such characters have more 'muscle' to lift or otherwise apply force to objects, even after taking their increased mass into account. This isn't an actual Strength increase (it does not raise Health in and of itself), but better simulates a larger character's effects on their environment.

For instance, a hero with Good (10) rank growth and Good (10) rank Strength can quadruple their height, giving themselves a +2 size factor. While so enlarged, this hero benefits from a +2 CS to their Strength for lifting purposes, allowing them to heft up to one ton when necessary. Note that this does not further increase the damage an enlarged character inflicts in melee; that bonus was already described, above.

When dealing with characters who both possess a size factor, simply subtract the smaller character's size factor from the larger one to determine a net difference. If we pitted our alien robot against our giants, we'd have a size factor of 3 (the robot) versus the size factor of 2 (the giants) for a net difference of 1. The robot would deal with the giants (and vice versa) as if its size factor compared to them was but +1.

The standard explanation for growth is that its wielder acquires the mass necessary to expand their volume from an extraplanar source. This simply means there's more of them than there was before, as this generic mass is used to fill in the blanks to expand the growing character to their new volume. This allows a character using growth to function normally, immense size notwithstanding, in their environment.

Being 'stuck' at the size offered by growth is an extreme limitation, allowing for a four point reduction in the cost of this ability (point-based character generation) or a +4 CS in the overall power rank (random character generation). This is 'extreme' because it means the character cannot interact with human-sized objects at all, and must have all gear (including clothing!) made for someone of his or her immense volume.

Also: so much for that secret identity!

Gyration
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: cyclone, deflection, gliding, missile generation, super digging.

Gyration is the power to spin one's body at seemingly impossible speeds! When invoked, the character with gyration will begin to rotate at a velocity that is too fast for the naked eye to follow, causing its wielder to appear like unto a living whirlwind. By leaning in a specific direction while spinning thus, a gyrator can easily achieve power rank velocities, as is defined on the land/sea speed table.

Rotating that quickly has a number of defensive benefits, as well. A gyrator can see in every direction simultaneously, thanks to their rapid rotation, and can thus benefit from the effects of circular vision. Furthermore, the power of gyration naturally gives such characters immunity to vertigo whilst spinning so, whether induced by their own motion or efforts by others to physically or psionically cause a loss of balance.

Offensively, gyrating characters can inflict power rank damage in melee, and may block, brace, or avoid grappling attacks with gyration's power rank if it is higher than the normal base for such maneuvers. Furthermore, a gyrator can fling objects, either at a single target or at everyone within their current area, inflicting damage of the appropriate type equal to their power rank or the MS of the flung objects (whichever is less).

Gyration is a natural complement to a variety of other powers, which can either be taken with it or developed as power stunts. These include the cyclone power, which involves the creation of a vortex of spinning air, super digging, which involves drilling through the earth or other impediments to one's progress, or even gliding, using one's rotation to defy gravity - at least for a little while.

H

Healing / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: harm, healing / others, recovery, reformation, regeneration, regenerative armor, revival, stasis.

This ability infuses a character's body with essential, recuperative energies, which allows them to recover lost Health. Regardless of the nature of the harm, from minor scuffs to severed limbs, healing will undo the damage inflicted upon one's body. Each application of healing allows a character to recover their rank number in lost Health points, up to their usual maximum amount.

While healing is good for a body, at least in practical terms, it is nonetheless taxing on the system. This vast pulse of regeneration should be used sparingly - only once per day - or else it may push one's system too far. For every additional healing a character attempts upon themselves within a twenty-four hour period, they lose one rank of Endurance due to metabolic overload - which must then be recovered normally.

But when you're bleeding to death, that doesn't sound all that bad, now, does it?

I

Imaginary Mass
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: density control / self, kinetic energy control.

The imaginary mass ability allows its possessor to dynamically apply artificial mass to his or her person, in response to external stimuli. What this means is, when force is applied to the character with this ability, they can reflexively increase their apparent mass to directly oppose said force. The character doesn't actually become heavier, but they sure seem like it to those attempting to move them.

For example, say someone shoves the possessor of imaginary mass. When this force is applied to them, the character immediately applies opposing force to keep themselves in place. Moving a wielder of the imaginary mass power requires overcoming its power rank first, as if the character had a similarly ranked weight. If the applied force cannot overcome the imaginary mass rank, its wielder won't budge.

Imaginary mass works equally well against brute force, telekinesis, kinetic control, or even gravity control. By itself, it is not useful against actual physical attack, though a resistance to such can be developed as a power stunt.

Inaudibility
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: inodoriferous, intangibility, invisibility / self, mental invisibility, sound control, vibration control.

Something of a complement (or alternative) to invisibility, inaudibility prevents a character from making noise. While inaudibility is active, its possessor is protected from the emission of sound at its power rank - no racket he or she makes with a volume equal to or less than inaudibility's rank will escape from them. Furthermore, the power's effects extend to anything its wielder is in physical contact with.

Thus, inaudibility is an excellent means by which one can sneak up on others unaware. They, their clothes, and even their equipment will make no sound to reveal their presence, and even a lesser intensity of inaudibility will mask the firing of a weapon if it is equipped with a silencer! Any sound a character makes with an intensity that exceeds this power's rank (firing off a mini-gun, for instance) is reduced by that amount.

In addition to muting sound issuing forth from a character, inaudibility also dampens ambient sound that comes in contact with him or her. In other words, sonar devices aimed at inaudible individuals are as negatively impacted as a character's own, inherent cacophony, and while inaudible a body should possess power rank resistance to sonic attacks (whether the actual damage component or any Stunning aspects of such).

Characters that are inaudible don't generally inflict a penalty to be struck upon others - unless such individuals rely upon their sense of hearing above all else. Instead, they inflict a like penalty on being detected in the first place: -4 CS. Each additional sense that a character can negate (say, if they're also invisible) adds an additional -1 CS to others trying to spot him or her.

Inodoriferous
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: inaudibility, invisibility, intangibility, mental invisibility, pheromones, redolence.

Being inodoriferous implies a complete lack of scent. Something of a complement of (or possibly an alternative to) invisibility, inodoriferous prevents a character from being smelled by others. No matter how (un)pleasant a character's scent may become, the power of inodoriferous allows them to pass by almost all ordinary humans (and even some humans with enhanced senses) without having their scent picked up at all.

In essence, inodoriferous provides its power rank in protection against detection by a sense of smell - whether natural or artificial in origin. Even a lesser rank of inodoriferous generally works well against most beings, only coming into question when particularly aware characters encounter the inodoriferous individual - who must pass an Intuition (alt) ACTION roll against its rank to smell them at all.

The only serious threat to an inodoriferous individual being detected by scent is when they have been tagged with something particularly malodorous - or if they themselves have achieved such a state somehow. The power of redolence in particular, whether wielded by a skunk or an ascendant human, is a great way to 'light up' an inodoriferous character to later track them down by scent (by whatever means).

By itself, inodoriferous does not inflict a combat penalty on others - unless they primarily rely upon their sense of smell, at which point said penalty is -4 CS. On the other hand, others do suffer a -1 CS to notice an inodoriferous character in the first place, a penalty which is added on top of others that character may possess - particularly if they also wield inaudibility or invisibility!

Intangibility
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: density control / self, dimensional interface, environmental independence, inaudibility, inodoriferous, invisibility / self, mental invisibility.

Laughing at conventional physical boundaries, this ability confers the power to actually pass through other solid objects! While intangible, a character can walk through walls, other people, and even the ground if he or she feels the need. They can pass through any solid object, though the stronger it is (or the more powerful a force field is) the more difficult passing through it may prove to be.

This works by attempting an ACTION against its MS (or power rank of a coherent energy field) upon attempting to pass through it. Failed ACTIONs simply cause a seemingly intangible character to deflect off of the item as if they were not in such a state, while success indicates they may pass through it normally. The automatic ACTION rule should be in effect here, or the intangible character will have to roll every turn they use this power.

On the other hand, objects attempting to pass through an intangible character will automatically do so, no matter how great their material strength may be. This makes intangible characters invulnerable to physical and energy attacks, though they are still affected by the other six attack vectors (magic, psionics, and so on).

A character in an intangible state may not breathe, and must either bring a supply of air with them or hold their breath; if no air supply is available, the time they can hold their breath determines the duration of this ability.

One of the dangers of intangibility is re-materializing within a solid object. If this occurs, the character must immediately roll a Kill check; failure indicates that they suffer damage equal to the MS of the object they materialized inside, and may cause it to break or, worse, be trapped in their own molecular structure! Furthermore, they will fall unconscious, and begin to lose one Endurance rank per turn.

Intangibility lends itself to power stunts. They include rendering others intangible (whether inside them or not at the time), making only part of one's body (in)tangible (usually requiring a red ACTION each time), disrupting energy fields by passing through them (a separate stunt for each type), and lightning strikes, becoming tangible only long enough to attack (only attacks attempted at the same initiative connect).

Internal Universe
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: body doubles, clairaudience, clairvoyance, dimensional interface, energy doubles, imaginary doubles, pouches, soul control.

The name of this power is something of a misnomer, as the character with it does not actually bear an entire universe inside his or her body - they simply serve as an access to one. The character is a doorway which leads to an all-new space-time, of finite size, that the character either discovered or created upon gaining this power. This new universe is a permanent entity, which persists whether or not the power is active.

At any given point in time, the character with an internal universe can open the door to this new reality, which causes their body to become a rift between the internal and external plane. It can be opened in a manner that allows travel in, travel out, or both, at their discretion. Anything touching the character while their doorway is open can be drawn through the portal with power rank strength.

The great advantage of this power is that its wielder can store away anything - or anyone - that they deem dangerous. Unless things that are pulled into one's internal universe have the ability to cross dimensions, they aren't going anywhere once they're drawn in. This can be anything ranging from a pleasant vacation (after a fashion) to a horrible death sentence, depending on the conditions within one's internal realm.

But just what is this internal universe, you ask? It can have any physical properties the character with this power desires (limited to power intensity effects). These properties are generally static, being decided either when it is first discovered or created. The universe itself is of finite size, consisting of a number of cubic miles equal to its power rank number - but can be a curved space so that it appears to go on forever.

A character with this power generally cannot visit their internal space. They can look in on it through themselves, gaining a limited perspective of events transpiring inside, but that's about it - at least, without powers such as clairvoyance, or some means of making duplicates of themselves (either real or imagined). Other than this, however, one must acquire help if they need to handle situations transpiring in their universe.

Invisibility / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: inaudibility, inodoriferous, intangibility, invisibility / others, light control, mental invisibility.

Invisibility is the ability to render oneself completely transparent to the standard, visible light spectrum. While this ability is active, the character who wields it reflects no light at all, one hundred percent of such harmlessly passing through him or her. This has the added benefit of making one immune to light-based damage, which typically comes in the form of laser fire.

It is assumed that a character may make anything he or she is touching or wearing invisible as well, so that they may carry accessories and wear clothing. One could assume otherwise when first acquiring this power as a weak limitation; this doesn't cause difficulties with the power so much as a variety of awkward situations involving disrobing and redressing.

This ability can render invisible an amount of mass outside its wielder's body equal to their own weight, but any more requires use of invisibility / others.

While invisibility is highly advantageous, it is important to note that it does not render one immune to detection in and of itself. While the invisible cannot be seen as a general matter of course, it can still be heard or smelt (or tasted or felt). Similarly, an invisible character can be doused in rain or paint or the like, and be seen in that fashion (before their power 'absorbs' such into the invisibility effect).

Another consideration is that invisible characters are subject to viewing in other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum - infravision in particular is the bane of the invisible. Invisible characters may extend their optical transparency into additional portions of the spectrum as a power stunt for each kind. Complete EM invisibility takes effort, but is definitely worth it in a world where some people can see all wavelengths.

Other stunts one can develop with invisibility involve making only a portion of one's body invisible, or alternately making invisible objects in contact with the character visible (requiring a power ACTION against the intensity of whatever else is making the invisible object or person invisible).

The power rank for invisibility otherwise only comes into play when faced with another ability that can defeat it somehow (say, light control, or against another invisibility power which is trying to make one visible). Striking an invisible individual you know is present (but still cannot see) is done at a -4 CS to the applicable ability score or power.

K

Kinetic Focus
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: force blast, force field, kinetic energy control, object charge, psychokinesis, telekinesis.

Using kinetic focus, one can almost instantaneously concentrate vast amounts of potential energy about their body. This potential energy takes the form of a powerfully modulated kinetic field, which will be released upon bodily contact wherever the energy is stored. This energy can be retained anywhere the character likes, though they can limit it to one location (fists, feet, or even the forehead) as a weak limitation.

Thus, when punching or kicking or body checking one's foe, the character with kinetic focus can disregard the normal damage their Strength or Endurance would do, and instead replace it with power rank Force damage. Alternately, one can contain the release of this potential energy until after contact has been made with someone or something, allowing the character to apply force - as if they possessed a like Strength score.

There is absolutely no finesse in this simulation, though, in that all of the energy pulses out from the character at once. However, it can be a great way to give someone a boost, push a car off of some hapless pedestrian, or otherwise get a large weight away from oneself in a jiffy.

M

Metabolic Focus
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: special
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: ability boost, power boost.

Something of a self-destructive ability, metabolic focus allows one to cannibalize their own bodily energies to enhance their capabilities. For each point of Health the wielder of this ability sacrifices, they may add a direct, one point boost to the rank of any ability or power they desire. This lost Health is gone, and must be healed normally (a good reason to also have regeneration, or to hang out with a healer).

The duration of this enhancement, regardless of what it is applied to, is 1d10 turns - most often enough to last for the duration of a battle, but not always. There's no limit to the number of times one can enhance a power with metabolic focus, though the amount of enhancement per use is limited to either the metabolic focus power rank or the enhanced power's rank +1 CS, whichever of the two is higher.

P

Plant Hybridization / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: animal hybridization / self, plant hybridization / others, plant sympathy, shape change.

Plant hybridization is the process of transforming oneself into flora of any type. This involves an innate familiarity with the biological processes of said plant, which lets the character with this ability mold their own bodily functions and anatomy until it changes from its original state into the new one. Such transformations may be either partial (adopting some traits of the plant) or complete (adopting the full form of the plant).

A partial transformation allows the wielder of this ability to pick and choose which facets of their anatomy are changed; one might simply want the redolence of the carrion flower, instead of changing into one completely. This allows one to use plant hybridization in a more exacting fashion if desired, either adopting physical capabilities or simply changing one's appearance for purely cosmetic reasons (like assuming leafy 'hair').

A complete transformation, on the other hand, lets one totally change their body into the desired plant form. In this state, the character with plant hybridization may wield any of the inherent 'powers' a plant possesses (such as poisonous personal weaponry, or damage-resistant bark). The transformed character typically won't possess physical statistics, but will retain their mental characteristics.

Despite having adopted the form of something that, as a general matter of rule, lacks a brain entirely.

When first gained, this ability's possessor may originally only transform into one specific kind of plant, but may adopt additional transformations (into different plants) as a power stunt, for each, at their leisure. Typically, 'powers' gained by the use of this ability are limited to the plant hybridization rank in effectiveness - save for powers, such as personal weaponry, which have no specific rank to speak of.

R

Redolence
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: special
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: image projection, imaginary doubles, inodoriferous, pheromones, poison.

The power of redolence allows its possessor to generate various scents at will. This ability is most infamous in nature as the spray of a skunk, which wards off predators and can be mildly disabling, but redolence need not be limited in such a fashion. Strictly speaking, redolence can be used to generate any number of distinct scents if desired, from the horrible to the surprisingly pleasant.

Using redolence, a character can instill any intensity of odor, whether pleasant or not, of up to their power rank in potency. The intensity of a scent determines how difficult it is to get rid of it; Feeble (2) strength odor will scrub off easier than one of Shift Y (200) intensity. Tagging an object (or entity) with redolence requires an Agility ACTION roll.

Whether generating the scent of fresh bread or rotting meat, characters with redolence may tag any object in their environment they choose, as long as it is within Very Near distance of them. Mind you, the actual scent used will readily carry, eventually radiating (the direction of the wind notwithstanding) such that everyone within Near distance can easily detect it - if not precisely where it issues forth from.

Redolence's duration is determined by a second ACTION, made after it connects with something. White ACTIONs indicate a scent sticks around for only 1d10 turns, while a green ACTION allows it to linger for a number of turns equal to the redolence power rank number. Yellow redolence ACTIONs lengthen this duration to a number of minutes equal to its rank number, while red ACTIONs make it persist for a like number of hours.

The actual effects of redolence, on the other hand, are a bit harder to pin down. The power excels in producing an aversive defense; to act in the face of truly awful, overpowering smells, one must pass an Endurance (res) ACTION roll against its intensity - probably at a severe minus in the case of an enhanced sense of smell. Pleasant odors might simply be distracting - which makes for a great diversion.

Less obvious uses for the power involve 'erasing' one's normal scent to waylay trackers using either a super sense of smell or super tracking (if that power works via scents), or when improving the effectiveness of other powers which fool the senses, such as illusions.

S

Shape Change
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: animal hybridization / self, blending, detachable parts, disguise, dyad, elongation, environmental adaptation, evolution control, growth / self, plant hybridization, plasticity, reformation, shrinking / self, situational adaptation, topological control, transformation / self.

The shape change ability allows a character to radically alter their very form. A shape changer can assume the form of literally anything they can think of, whether this is an abstract geometric shape, a plant or animal of any sort, or all manner of inanimate objects. This ability is bound by four major constraints, each of which can be worked around with the liberal use of power stunts or other super-human abilities.

Of course, the main consideration while shape changing is that of relative accuracy. A white ACTION allows a shape changer to assume the general form they were aiming for, though they're clearly not the real deal (a television covered in flesh). A green ACTION gets them near the target shape, though a close inspection will reveal the truth (those knobs on the television look like toes). A yellow ACTION allows for a perfect duplication.

Nominally, a character who has changed shape will retain that form indefinitely. It only takes a few seconds to actually change one's shape (one action), but the results are permanent - at least, until the shape changer wishes to return to their normal form. They can do this automatically, unless this ability is negated somehow. If this happens, one may be stuck in their new form until shape changing capability is restored.

Shape change is a gateway of sorts to acquire a large variety of physical powers, but each of these must be mastered as a separate power stunt. Learning how to harden one's bits so they can function as physical weaponry - without breaking and causing oneself injury upon use - isn't easy. But a shape changer can 'learn' how to simulate anything from natural weapons to flight to body armor to whatever else makes sense.

The second constraint of shape change is that its wielder is bound by their own volume. They can transform into a perfect replica of a Giganotosaurus carolinii, but will still be about human (or whatever) sized. Shape change alone cannot alter one's volume by more than fifty percent either way, but growth or shrinking (as either power stunts or separate abilities altogether) can ignore this limitation.

Shape change's third constraint is a matter of anatomical cohesion. They can turn into a mess of clockwork gears, but a shape changer cannot actually separate into distinct bits; the gears will actually be one solid piece, though the illusion of motion can be created with a constant application of shape change. This limitation can be bypassed with the detachable parts ability (as either a power stunt or a separate power).

Finally, shape change cannot, by itself, transform the nature of one's biology. One can turn into a maple tree, but that tree will still bleed upon being pierced, instead of oozing sap. Animal and/or plant hybridization can cover gaps such as these, while transformation / self allows a shape changer to literally turn into a specific material instead of just faking it (as with body armor, above).

These abilities, per the previous, can be learned as power stunts of or be used with shape change, if a character has them as independent powers.

Shrinking / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: density control / self, environmental independence, growth / others, growth / self, shrinking / others.

Shrinking is the ability to decrease one's effective volume dramatically. This power functions relative to the normal human size, which is approximated in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine as six-foot tall (it makes for easier math). All characters are assumed to be at this height (give or take a few inches, obviously) unless they possess quirks to the contrary, or some sort of ability (like this one) to change their size.

Entities that are naturally smaller will possess this power as a justification for their size; say our heroes encounter a band of pixies, all of whom are four inches tall! Such individuals would have this power as a permanent, always-on ability, one that cannot be 'neutralized' by powers which affect super-human skills. Pixies in particular have Good (10) ranked 'shrinking' at all times to showcase their size relative to normal beings.

A character that is at a smaller than normal size may very well be subject to size factors. For every halving of human height an entity possesses, they shall receive a -1 size factor (our pixies, above, would have a -4 size factor). This size factor entails a combat adjustment to a shrunken foe when facing off against normal-sized opponents - and one for normal-sized opponents when tackling a being possessed of such small stature.

How this works is that a normal-sized opponent attacking a diminutive foe suffers a -1 CS to hit for every -1 of size factor that foe possesses, but they also receive a +1 CS to whatever damage they inflict. Conversely, a tiny-sized foe receives a +1 CS to hit normal-sized foes for each -1 size factor they possess, but suffer a -1 CS penalty to the damage they might cause.

For example, say a hero is facing off against a swarm of super-powered, inch-long Australian bulldog ants. Being about 1/64th of a normal human's 'height', the ants possess a -6 size factor. The hero is at -6 CS to hit them, but benefits from a +6 CS damage boost upon striking them. They, on the other hand, may strike the hero at a +6 CS to hit. They may inflict -6 CS damage, but there's a whole lot of them!

Similarly, each decrease in a character's size factor applies an effective -1 CS reduction in their lifting ability. Such characters have less 'muscle' to lift or otherwise apply force to objects, even after taking their own, decreased in mass into account. This isn't an actual Strength decrease (it does not lower Health in and of itself), but better simulates a smaller character's effects on their environment.

For instance, a hero with Poor (4) rank shrinking and Good (10) rank Strength can quarter their height, giving themselves a -2 size factor. While so diminished, this hero suffers from a -2 CS to their Strength for lifting purposes, allowing them to lift only one hundred pounds (instead of four). Note that this does not further reduce the damage a shrunken character inflicts in melee; that penalty was already described, above.

When dealing with characters who both possess a size factor, simply subtract the smaller character's size factor from the larger one to determine a net difference. If we pitted those pixies against our bulldog ants, we'd have a size factor of -4 (the pixies) versus the size factor of -6 (the ants) for a net difference of 2. The pixies would be treated as if they were of a normal size, and the ants as if they had a 'mere' -2 size factor.

Fun Fact 1: the smallest thing the human eye can see is .1 millimeters in size, or approximately .004 inches. Shrinking beyond Shift Z rank will reduce a normal human below this size, and anything this small or smaller is not directly visible. Of course, if they're glowing with energy this may mitigate the problem some, but foes that are effectively invisible because of size are at a further -4 CS to be hit.

Fun Fact 2: shrinking of Class 1000 rank reduces a normal human to 1.8 micrometers in size, smaller than most cells. Class 3000 shrinking makes a human about 1.7 nanometers in height, enabling interaction with individual molecules, and Class 5000 shrinking reduces one to 1.6 picometers, allowing them to rest easy inside the structure of an atom. Further shrinking shifts someone into a femtoverse.

The standard explanation for shrinking is that its wielder contracts his or her volume by storing their mass in an extradimensional space of some sort. This simply means there's less of them than there was before, as their bodily mass is stowed away to reduce the shrinking character to their new volume. This allows a character using shrinking to function normally, tiny size notwithstanding, in their environment.

The loss of mass and atoms will not be readily apparent at first, at least until a character is reduced by Class 1000 shrinking, at which point their very form becomes simpler as far fewer molecules are left to represent it. At Class 5000 rank, the character will consist of a single remaining particle, and further shrinking will blip them off into a random femtoverse, a subatomic space where physics may be bizarre indeed.

Being stuck at the size offered by shrinking is considered an extreme limitation, allowing for a four point reduction in the cost of this ability (point-based character generation) or a +4 CS in the overall power rank (random character generation). This is 'extreme' because it means the character cannot interact with human-sized objects at all, and must have all gear (including clothing!) made for someone of their tiny volume.

Situational Adaptation
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: environmental adaptation, environmental independence, learned invulnerability, shape change, super synesthesia, universal digestion, universal respiration.

A specialized, reactive ability, situational adaptation allows a character to quickly manifest new, temporary characteristics which give him or her the potential to survive a sudden, hostile turn of events. This works by immediately (and possibly drastically) altering one's body to persist in the face of the new situation, and then changing it back as soon as the danger has passed.

Situational adaptation can counter a sudden uncontrolled vertical movement (such as falling) by manifesting things such as wings, a gliding surface, or even pockets of lighter than air gas. It can also work against various attack forms by physically altering the body to counter each one, momentarily transforming one's skin into steel under a hail of bullets, or perhaps into asbestos to ward off repeated gouts of fiery doom.

Situational adaptation can conceivably handle almost any threat imaginable, but it is not without its limitations.

For one thing, it is not instantaneous. Devising a defense against a given threat or situation will take a full turn for the character with this power, during which time they will suffer damage normally. Secondly, a character can only produce one defensive adaptation at a time. This power will devise defenses against most threats, but multitasking is beyond it.

Third, adapted defenses are limited to this power's rank in effectiveness. For instance, if a character with Excellent (20) ranked situational adaptation is trying to adapt to an Amazing (50) ranked heat source, they can only manage up to twenty points of protection from it (from this power alone). Finally, characters have no control over the precise nature of their defensive adaptations - they are reflexive, after all!

One thing a character with situational adaptation can control, though, is just what their power is countering in the face of multiple threats. If suffering from both fire and radiation, they can choose the form of their demise. To suffer third degree burns or cancer, that is the question!

Super Synesthesia
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 4 points (flat cost)
Related Powers: situational adaptation, any sensory power.

Technically speaking, synesthesia isn't a super-power, so much as a neurological disorder where sensory input of one type is processed by the brain using another sensory system entirely. Numbers or letters might always appear as colors, words may evoke flavors in one's mind, or in the extreme certain sights and images may consistently induce the perception of sounds for the person with this disorder.

Super synesthesia, on the other hand, is an entirely voluntary process. This involves the wielder of this ability momentarily rewiring their brain such that one form of sensory data may be interpreted by a different sensory processor. They might hear colors, or perhaps see scents, or maybe even taste temperatures. The person using this ability may do so in a fashion that allows them to more easily process data in an alternate fashion.

The practical benefit of this is that, when studying phenomena of some sort, the character with super synesthesia can look at it in a multitude of ways, possibly gleaning information in this fashion that wouldn't readily be apparent otherwise. When seeing sound, for instance, one might more readily pick out noise in certain frequencies if they can see the disturbance it causes, rather than trying to play it by ear (so to speak).

The 'game' benefit of super synesthesia can be tricky to nail down, depending on the situation, but if all else fails, simply apply a +1 CS to applicable Intuition ACTION rolls made with this ability.

Super synesthesia, in its standard form, costs four points. Each step of limitation applied will reduce this by one point (to the normal minimum of one point).

T

Transformation / Self
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 2 points per rank
Related Powers: detachable parts, shape change, transformation / others.

Transformation is the ability to radically change the molecular makeup of one's body. When this ability is first gained, the character possessing it may transform into any one material or energy of their choice. Additional forms, if desired, must be acquired either as power stunts or as additional 'versions' of the transformation ability. Transformation gives a character the physical characteristics of whatever they transform into.

Transforming into a solid material gives one an effective material strength (and thus, body armor) equal to either its MS or the transformation rank, whichever is less. While in a solid state, the character may move about and behave normally, even though they're made from an otherwise rigid material. They may have unanticipated effects upon the environment, however (a person made of lead is very, very heavy).

A character who transforms into a liquid can flow like a fluid, easily moving through tight spaces and around objects as is necessary. Characters in a liquid state can readily change their shape, approximating a human form or pooling up however else they wish. While liquid, a character gains the benefit of 1 CS damage reduction against physical attacks, as much of the energy of such will flow right through the character.

Transforming into a gaseous material allows one to move through tight spaces much like a liquid can, with the added option of flight. A gaseous character can fly at any speed, with a maximum equal to this power rank. Gaseous characters benefit from 2 CS of damage reduction against most physical attacks (see below). They can billow out to fill an entire area, or condense their bodies into a generally human size.

Finally, a character may transform into a coherent energy field. When energetic, a character may wield a transformation rank -2 CS version of the appropriate energy generation power, no matter what kind of energy is transformed into. An energy state has the benefit of being able to fly as if moving through space, and possesses 3 CS of damage reduction against physical attacks of any variety.

While transformed, a character may also possess special abilities based on their new form's composition. Ice is brittle, but the character in an ice form can emit waves of numbing cold. Acid can dissolve many materials, particularly metallic ones. Uranium is inherently radioactive, and the character can release it in battle. Poison gas can easily kill a room full of people. Light can fly at light speed. And so on.

These abilities work at the transformation rank or their 'usual' rank, whichever is appropriate (one cannot rationally reduce light speed, for instance). The other benefit to transformation is that, while transformed, the character so changed has nothing even close to a standard biology, and thus may forego eating, drinking, breathing, and even sleep as if they wielded similarly potent environmental independence.

On the other hand, a transformed character is also vulnerable to attacks that would easily damage their new form's composition. An ice man would wilt before a blast furnace, while one made of metal would easily buckle against a splash of acid, and another made of air would be blown asunder by strong winds. Such attacks affect the character as if they possessed a level 1 allergy against them (they inflict +2 CS damage).

When taking damage in a transformed state, a character can visibly show serious damage, and even be split apart, but can transform back to a normal state as long as they're not slain. They may be a bit worse for the wear upon changing back (Health point loss, and so on), but such damaged characters will otherwise be fine. A transformed character's 'core' usually rests with the largest mass of their material.

One trick transformers can attempt is to only partially transform their bodies. This is considered a power stunt, but allows the character to pull off certain maneuvers when a full transformation would otherwise be inconvenient. Making one's fingertips change into flames is a great trick at parties, for example, not to mention a way to start minor fires without completely igniting oneself.

V

Vocal Control
Type: Physical Control Power
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank
Related Powers: blending, disguise, mesmerism, sonar sense, sound control, sound generation.

While many characters can easily manipulate their voice to some extent, altering its pitch or sometimes producing a relatively accurate impersonation of someone else, the power of voice control enhances this ability to a super-human degree. This allows the character with vocal control to engage in all manner of feats with their voice that are seemingly impossible - or that usually require a lifetime of training.

The simplest trick one can produce with vocal control is audio mimicry. A mere green power ACTION roll allows a character with vocal control to precisely reproduce any sound they have ever heard. The best sources of sound to mimic are live, as recordings invariably introduce some manner of distortion to the sound. However, most human ears cannot discern such in digital copies of sufficient quality.

Instead of just reproducing sounds one has heard previously, vocal control can also simulate similar noises. This derivative use of vocal control can create original sonic events, which is a great way to speak in someone else's voice if they haven't uttered the precise words one wants them to say. Others are allowed an Intuition (alt) ACTION, opposed by the vocal control power rank, to see through such a ruse.

Another valid use of vocal control is the fine art of speech throwing. By subtly altering the output of their vocal chords, characters with this power can create the illusion that sounds issuing forth from them are, in fact, coming from elsewhere. This use of vocal control also allows an Intuition (alt) ACTION to detect such trickery, but can be used anywhere within Very Near distance of its wielder.

It's important to note that while a character with vocal control can produce all manner of sounds, they are still limited in the overall volume of such that they can produce. Without additional powers (such as sound generation), a vocal controller cannot produce inherently damaging noise; imitating the sonic attacks (or whatever) of another character will simply produce their racket at a non-damaging level.

Return to the Transnormal Treatise!

Questions or comments? Contact the author at your convenience!