Phase Shift as a Modifier

[arch2ngel]

I thought Phase Shift in the core book didn't work very well, and I see that people agree with me, as I see a new form of the Action in the 2.0 rules. However, I'm not too keen on this form of Phase Shift, either. (I truly dislike the idea that a phase shift of less than 9 could get hurt by a physical attack - that's not exactly phasing, in my opinion. It also has the unfortunate work around that the character could remain phased indefinitely if they took Self-Contained Life Form. I will say, though, that I LOVED some of the options given to Phase Shift!) So, rather than just whine about it, here's my solution: turn Phase Shift into a (costly) Modifier.

Phase Shift 20w

Phase Shift is the power to slide through solid objects and matter, moving through the spaces between atoms or through an alternate dimension. While phased, nothing physical can affect the character, and the character cannot affect anything physically. This allows the character to walk through walls, ignore everything from punches to bombs, and generally makes life safer. Unfortunately, the character is likewise unable to physically attack or even pick up physical objects (such as food.) Phased characters can affect each other as though they were solid. It costs one stone of energy per panel to remain phase shifted.

Options
+5w = Phase Stun. Though typically a defensive and evasive power, Phase Shift can be used in conjunction with physical attacks to a variety of devastating effects. The character is now able to make physical attacks (usually Close Combat) against non-phased opponents. Such attacks are extremely painful for the victim and cause stun damage instead of conventional damage. Moreover, the character's physical attacks ignore Toughness and penetrates armor. In panels where the character is making such an attack, they are only partially phased, so physical attacks can be made against the character, though any damage that gets through the character's other defenses is halved.
+10w = Phase Attack. A superior and more lethal version of Phase Stun. This Option works in the same manner as Phase Stun, but also allows the character to deal real damage instead of stun damage by physically disrupting the victim's body. Such horrendous attacks automatically gain the 2x Damage Advantage and are morally questionable at best. As with Phase Stun, the character's physical attacks ignore Toughness and penetrates armor. In panels where the character is making such an attack, they are only partially phased, so physical attacks can be made against the character, though any damage that gets through the character's other defenses is halved.
+5w = Disrupt Electronics. You can disrupt or even destroy electronic devices by phasing through them.
+10w = Phase Mind. While phased, your mind is particularly difficult to contact with mental powers such as Telepathy. While the character is phased, any mental effects that penetrate your mental defenses are halved (This happens even if the character willing lowers his mental defenses.)
+10w = Phase Soul. While phased, you are particularly difficult to affect with magical powers. While the character is phased, any magical effects that penetrate your magical defenses are halved (This happens even for beneficial spells.)
-5w = Cannot Breath. The character does not need to spend stones to remain phase shifted, but must hold his breath while phased, as the character is unable to breath while phase shifted. The character can hold his breath for a number of panels equal to his Durability. Beyond this, the character stop recovering energy and automatically lose one stone of health per panel until he unphases. (The character must remain unphased for at least one panel, plus an extra panel per stone of health lost.) This Disadvantage cannot be taken if the character has Self-Contained Life Form.


In addition, I would add the following Advantage, available to any attack power:

+3CL = Affects Phased. Actions with this Advantage can affect phase shifted characters and objects as if they were solid.


So...what does everyone think? I'm especially curious about thoughts on costs... Too high? Too low?

[takewithfood]

Phase Shift is definitely a troublesome power. However, I don't think that this really solves any problems - actually, it creates a couple.

For starters, anything that requires you to spend stones is technically an Action (it requires an Action box to hold the stones). That also means spending an Action on Phase Shift, which is what helps balance it to some extent.

The version of Phase Shift that I wrote doesn't allow Phasing characters to be truly damaged by attacks. Even if you have Phase Shift 3 or something, attacks are still going to pass right through you; only, they'll disrupt you enough to be uncomfortable (stun damage, which is just energy lost). This is to reflect the way that phasing characters often have difficulty/discomfort when phasing through some substances (e.g. adamantium).

It's a noble effort, but I'm just not sure this works.

~TWF

[arch2ngel]

Hmm... Good point. I really don't want to move it to Actions (since it doesn't have an AN), though I liked the idea of not being able to remain phased indefinitely (as shown by needing to spend one stone to remain phased). Still, for 20w, I'm willing to drop it, and just let them remain phased indefinitely (saying they need to concentrate to remain phased, so they'll need to unphase to sleep, or eat, etc.) Would limiting phase shifted characters to one action per panel to demonstrate this required concentration make it seem like an Action as well, even though no stones were spent?

Or maybe just moving the whole thing to Actions and requiring the one stone be spent, but not have an AN?

Or change it directly to the Disadvantage Cannot Breath, and allowing for potential abuse by combining with Self-Contained Life Form?

I'll have to think about this - but I DO think Phase Shift works better without an AN or MN.

[takewithfood]

Yeah, that's some of the trouble that I encountered with Phase Shift, too: What does the AN represent?

~TWF

[dorkknight23]

Here is my attempt to re-do phase shift (which involved hitting it 5 or 6 times with the old Nerf Bat until it sparked an smoked a little but still ran when I turned it on.) I tried to mitigate the Action Number, and also make it slightly less awesome than it usually is (this may or may not have to do with seeing multiple people abuse phase shift in ridiculous ways...) Anyway, take a look, and you're welcome to use/tweak for 2.0:

Phase Shift
Cost Level = AN+2

Phase Shift allows the character to become a living ghost, passing themselves through matter (and most physical enemy attacks.) You can be phased for one panel for one stone spent. This does, however, have limitations. For one, other phased characters can still target another phased character of equal or lesser AN. For another, mental and magical attacks can still affect them. Thirdly, phasing puts a great physical strain of the character. Regardless of their AN, they cannot stay phased for longer periods than their (undamaged) Health score they will return to their solid state and be knocked out. They must remain unphased for at least one full panel, they can then return to being phased again. Fourth, increasingly dense materials are more difficult to phase through. Take the hardness of the material and subtract it from the Phase Shift AN. If the result is greater than 0, then you can’t pass through the material (or, if you spend a drama point, can pass through but be knocked out in the process for a number of panels equal to twice the difference [or 2, whichever is more.]) If the result is a positive number, you can pass through it by spending 1 stone per panel passing through it (so you should be careful trying to phase through something like a whole building, or the whole Earth, you’ll have to come up for air eventually!)

For example: Kitty Pryde has Phasing of 8 (with options,) and wants to phase past some Secondary Adamantium, which has some hardness of 9. She can do it, but only by spending a drama point and by being knocked out afterward for 2 panels. However, she can pass through anything of Hardness 8 or lower easily.

High ANs thus, are important, to pass through denser materials, avoid other phased things, and phase for periods at least equal to your health.

Options:
-1 cost level for being able to pass through tiny cracks, but being unable to escape airtight or waterproofed containers.
-2 for still being vulnerable to attacks while passing through objects
Disrupt Electrical Systems: +1 cost level, limited to complexity = AN.
Walk on Air: +1 cost level, max Speed 1
Phase Others by Touch: +2
Phase Attack: +3, as before
Phase Stun: +2, as before.

[Neros]

arch2ngel
I don't think this would work either.. It might be better to just buy physical invulnrability which is constantly active and allows you to eat you're sandwhich at the same time..
At the moment, I feel that version TwF threw together is the best..

Dorkknight23
So if you had a AN of 8, you could spend 8 stone and phase for 8 panels, if you had 8 stones of undamaged health that is.. Seems rather weird to create a limitiation which is limited by another limitation... But with those limitations, what is important is allot of health or High ANs won't really do that much..

I can imagen that Kitty might have 2 or maaaaybe 3 health (I don't think she is peak human).. So she could phase for 2 panels.. Also, if you wanted to create a weak person, her/his health would have equal his Phase Shift AN to make any real use of it..

[arch2ngel]

Invulnerability would only cover Physical, not Energy as well. (It also doesn't include phasing through walls, etc. - all the non-combat uses of the power.) And when you see how much it'd cost to phase through the harder items with TwF's version, it comes out to about the same. (The only real difference is how many stones you have to spend to perform the action.)