Overpowered/Underpowered Super Abilities

[Mercdog]

Well, as I noted in my thread on Extraordinary speed, I think that it's a little off.

Likewise with Copy Animal Abilities from Powers Unlimited 1, especially getting Sonic Speed for copying a cheetah. What cheetah in the world has broken the Sound Barrier?
Really, if choosing this one Major power can imbue you with several other powers at once (typically 2-4 depending on the animal copied) and said powers are being drawn from a normal animal, they should at least be limited to Minor powers.

[Her0man0]

i dont think CEF Fire can actually create fire, thats why ive always considered it underpowered.

holographic memory projection is way weak, same with control static electricity and clock control, intangability, and that alter metabalism power. i love that weapon energy extensions power but the size is only 6" per level? that means that your character could create a 5ft long weapon at level 10, a bow 7ft bowstaff at level 15.

Id say that APS metal and stone is overpowered, 800 sdc and an ar of 18? really? and invulnerabiltity makes your character indestructable, provides SH strength and alot of sdc and hp, create force field has alot of sdc, if the character has something like force contol or magnetism than they could be untouchable while they mop the floor with everyone else through the force field.

[The Baron of chaos]

Uhmm well this is tied on the concept of the given superpower and game mechanics. In HU we just got Major Powers and Minor, plus the feeble attempt to balance things out. In fiction superpowers are never that equally balanced. There ar epowers that are unbelievable powerfull and other that are overestimated or plain ridiculous if you think about it. with some suprise. Come out tha tan healing factor with othe rpowers or skill to support it means only you going to be a punching bag. And that precognition is not all that cracked up. And is sad the fate of all water related superpowers and relative heroes(ask poor Aquaman, poor bastard. Even making joke and puns about him is not more fun as it was and is more depressing.).
Sure there are powers that ar emore effective than others, but againthis happen. Generally is only matter of thinking out of the box or finding new trick(in this sense japanese autohrs are better than western as they find new and weird way to use a special power of ability...The author of Jojo's bizarre adventure , hirohiko araki ios maste rof findingin enw tricks for an old power.)
Example CEF Water. You need water to use it? Well caryr it with yourself in giant unr you carry on shoulder. Mind control fish and acquatic animals? Is time it invest money in Mutant animals. Living Anatomy? Study biology and assaination techniques, like vital points and poison, and start killing people(because living anatomy is all about killing the living better). And healign powers...well kets just say that interrogaiton , Jack Bauer style, became vicious with these powers, as you can keep on going forever withtou risk of your subject to die...
Oh psionic note. Well they are the cinderella of Megaverse, with very few books that give them justice. Poor regeneration of Psionci power , compared to mages, few powers really worth of getting, and in BtS even a limited full power usage for them. And this not talkng about MDC worls, yes one got the feelign that powers that be do not love psionics at all.

[Steeler49er]

Japanies writters are Not better per-say than, say, American writters. I've been into japan love since I was 4 years old (30+years now) and as much as I loved asian culture, I have (in resent years) noticed a trend for Anyone who loves what they love to tend to Gloss over the center of their loves 'short-commings'... and fans of everything asia being some of the biggest offenders tend to think that. For instance, when asian movies like Ju-On (the grudge) and or The Ring hit the market, people (mainly the Asian fans I knew) were so into everything oriential that they would DIS-anything, in this case movies, American as "inferior to" asian films. Plus, since Bush was in office and the Progressives were bashing everyone and thing that was america, everyone elses nations figured Now was the time to take the US down a notch ("Hey, if the stupids in the US are doing it, lets jump in too!"-kinda attitude) and Anime fans and their ilk were some of the Wrost.

Now that said Japanimation, Manga, and Novelists ARE very good at inventing new and creative (if not way over the top) uses and applications for; Super Powers, Super Tech, Psionics, Martial Artist CHI/Chakra powers, and anything that is the Supernatural.
BUT, they have for years (and are only Resently getting past this flaw) utterly Lacking in True Character chemistry in their films/movies and TV. Asians tend to be Overly dramatic, Underdramatic, or unreal in their portrails of Real life people.
They've gotten a Heck of allot better in resent decades but still often fall short.
And in Movies where the "Acting" and NOT the powers are the central crux of a story, American made films tend towards the High quality.

[The Baron of chaos]

Japanies writters are Not better per-say than, say, American writters. I've been into japan love since I was 4 years old (30+years now) and as much as I loved asian culture, I have (in resent years) noticed a trend for Anyone who loves what they love to tend to Gloss over the center of their loves 'short-commings'... and fans of everything asia being some of the biggest offenders tend to think that. For instance, when asian movies like Ju-On (the grudge) and or The Ring hit the market, people (mainly the Asian fans I knew) were so into everything oriential that they would DIS-anything, in this case movies, American as "inferior to" asian films. Plus, since Bush was in office and the Progressives were bashing everyone and thing that was america, everyone elses nations figured Now was the time to take the US down a notch ("Hey, if the stupids in the US are doing it, lets jump in too!"-kinda attitude) and Anime fans and their ilk were some of the Wrost.

Now that said Japanimation, Manga, and Novelists ARE very good at inventing new and creative (if not way over the top) uses and applications for; Super Powers, Super Tech, Psionics, Martial Artist CHI/Chakra powers, and anything that is the Supernatural.
BUT, they have for years (and are only Resently getting past this flaw) utterly Lacking in True Character chemistry in their films/movies and TV. Asians tend to be Overly dramatic, Underdramatic, or unreal in their portrails of Real life people.
They've gotten a Heck of allot better in resent decades but still often fall short.
And in Movies where the "Acting" and NOT the powers are the central crux of a story, American made films tend towards the High quality.

I was not talking about Japanese author in general, as for me an author whatever his ethnic origin is valued only about how good his work is. Period.
No I was talking about how more sensed Japanese manga are when dealing with superpowers than Western comics. But I think depend on the fact that generally there is only one Author working on given manga, that on genral rule had a definte story, wiht a begin and an end. Western comics often have multiple authors each with their particular vision of how a character power would work. Add to this the fact that perception of workd and common knowledge change with time(now we know that spiders DO NOT have dangers sense, and stick to surface NOT WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC power as example). So yeah...
And now enough wiht East vs. West. I spit myself in face to have used that argument(even if I think Naruto is the best explanation about how magic work i've ever read in a fiction and I think is shame we cannot post conversion anymore). So let's stop.

Oh before I go back I repeat. Psionics got horribly mistreated in Megaverse. Seriously.

[Steeler49er]

Now on to POWERS

CEF: Earth is NOT overpowered, it is Way under powered and utterly lacks True flexability. All of the given Techniques are drab and Poorly geared towards combat. There are no Really truly useful utility powers and All of the given techniques are limited in scope and function and have Very little if Any growth potential.

The power is just Dry. There is No room for Helpful Heroics with this power, and heroes are about the saving and Not the slaughtering of life! Even villians will find this power weak in the kill dept.


CEF: Fire
This power has Erked me fer years. The Idea (as you said Baron) for CEF powers is that you Control, and not create the Element of your suit, CEF goes totally against that. In No way should you be able to Create the fire. Listen, unlike CEF Earth and Water, Fire is easy enough to carry around with you in you pocket in the way/form of Matches or a Lighter, where as Earth or Water would weigh a Ton to pack around with you. Sure CEF Fire should allow you to Boost a flame, but Creation from nothing is the Perview of Pyrokinesis or Thermalkinesis.

Additionally, the listed Techniques of CEF Fire are totally lame! Where is the ability to Create a Fire Cage or animate the flame into other such useful forms? Control should imply Shaping of said element, it'sa a Nat direction fer the power. As is, it's dwarfed by the Usefulness of 'APS: Fire' which can do Much of the same stuff.

CEF: Water
More of the same, you can Barly see this power as being 'all that'. The waves are small, you cant really shape them into useful forms, and since the power description doesn't allow for real flexability... You can't be to creative with this power past the most obvious of meassures.
Again, as in the case of CEF: Earth, the Amount affectable, ranges, & areas of effect are VERY short and show little to NO growth over the levels and that sux allotta monkey ####!

It seems that Much of the CEF powers are Gimped to be less than what they could be. They are inflexible, slow to grow in power, and dwarfed by other powers.

Listen, if you're Heroes and NOT Crime Fighters & Vigilanties, than your job is to Save life much like an EMS worker (Fire & Ambulance...etc), so your CEF: Powers should be helpful in creating things like Land bridges and not just creating temporary Small versions of a land bridge but rather one that sticks around... And CEF: Water should allow you to stop Tsunamies (not the whole thing, but a few hundered feets worth of it would be nice) and you can even do that. And what about putting Out fires with CEF: Fire, that'd be nice but, just like the other two, you areas of effect are small and minimal.

You're a Hero that ain't that great and will never really grow much...
•By level 15 a villian should be able to Flood a small city and a hero Should be able to stop Miles of coastline from a tsunami.
•By level 15 a Villian should be able to produce enough heat from Fire so as to melt though a Bank Vault in a miniute or less and creat Fire storms, and a Hero should be able to, in time (like minitues) be able to put out a small Forrest fire...
•By level 15 a villian should be able to Level building and towns in miniutes with CEF: Earth-quakes, and heros Should be able to halt volcanic eruptions, And the common Anarchist Should be able to create a Permanent Stone Castle. A Crime Fighter Should be able to create a Stone prison, and a Vigilanty Should be able to Throw Stone Razor Discs that take off that Above Bank robbers head in One shot.


AS TO....
APS: Metal is NOT over powered... Yeesh
Come on man, you're made of 100's of pounds of Metal... You Should have 800 SDC, a tough skin, heal faster than humans, and have EX PS... It's metal.
My issue with INVULNERABILITY is that it keeps getting Gimped-Down or Buffed-Up as the years roll on... It's a MEGA-POWER and should be that way. YES it should make you invulnerable to ALL energy and kinetic force (short of odd ball super rare alien tech), even partical beams since they are just heavy amounts of Energy that they also pack some kinetic force behind it as well.... But the Invulnerable guy should NOT have SH lifting strength, heal faster, or have resistance to poisons.
Sure you should lift more than you're normaly capable of (20-50% sounds fair), but that's it. And Sure you should be resistant to a few small other things such as air and water pressure, but that is it!

[Steeler49er]

Yes, I also agree with you on your manga points and about Psionics in PB as well (which will be a point I bring up down below).
I stopped watching Naruto when It turned into Shippuden and just seemed to drudge on about Sasuke-KUN. Couldn't wait fer the Next ep to come out either...

Ive Just started to watch some of it in English this past year (The english voice actor aren't half bad, in fact they are down right great)... Still not used to watching it in english but it's like watching all over again a-newed. Never read past the first three mangas since the anime kame out in Nippon not to long afterwards and, it was (The show) updated faster than I could get the mangas...


As such I'm Not aware of any explainations given (in the shows or the Manga) about magic & Chakra that i've not heard elsewhere. I'd like to hear more about this.

[Steeler49er]

Now on to MY pick for Best and Worst powers...

Starting with---
HYDROKINESIS
The Original write up in HU was great, you could summon water from around you, create Fog/Mist/Steam, direct water better and allot of it, and creat very big waves... Just as Hydrokinesis Should be if you want it to compete with powers like TK for usefulness...
THEN came the Revision
HydroKin was NERFED to high heaven... Or should I say Burnt to H3LL over the fires.
At best it can Only now shoot hot Water up in your face from your cup of coffie... It soooo ganked it's Bad, just plain Bad. Worse yet is that it is listed as a Super-Psychis power now!!! You're kidding me right?


Next UP
GRANT SUPER POWERS.
This could have a great and super fun fun add to palladiums line-up of powers but instead it got SOOO badly GIMPED before seeing print in PU3 that it is a Horrible, pathetic, and down right Leathal "STAND ALONE POWER". It's got sooo many Limitation that it is Only now equal to a Minor power in usefulness.
LIMITATION:
A) High HP loss
B) Bad Range
C) Absolutly HORRID duration at 3 miniutes per level.
D) Absolutely NO control over what powers you Grant others (unless you have powers, then you grant Very weakened version of your abilities to others)
E) It ONLY works on normal NON-powered people. Even those with No innate powers but who have advanced training see only a little benifit.

ALL of this equals out to a Truely weak power (Having just ½ of these weaknesses lost or even reduced would be helpful), but as is this power in too weak to use unassisted.
EXAMPLE:
Due to the Many limits on this power A normal stated (Attributes & HP/SDC) person with Just the 'Grant Powers' ability would Only have enough HP to use this power 2 times (3 tops) in a day, then He/she/it would need Many days of down time under proffessional care to get that MUCH needed HP back. Giving up just a Little of that HP can put you in a danagerious possition. And since you can Only give powers to normals, you're vitually useless to Most super teams. Even If you have a friend on the team that Isn't a super, you can't control what powers you give and manytimes (not that you Have all that many times to use this power at Twice a day max) the powers will be utterly useless and what IS useful only last for a few miniutes.Additionaly the person given the powers does not have the time (and often the understanding) as to figure out what powers they have! In many cases They may Never know what their Granted gift does.

WORST of all is that in many cases the powers given may, in fact, be DETIMENTAL to it's user [the person given the powers] or those around him/her/it!!! Many power are often cursed with downside that may make them dangerious to use, and given that you don't know what is you get, you may End up destroying your clothes (Immolation powers, Chemical secretion powers, Spike growth), Burning down a place (EE: Fire), Hindering your crew (a Minor Smoke generation power, a confusion creation power, or One that creates an Oil slick), Harming yourself and others that are Vulnerable to the new power, Getting yourself found out (Glow or Sound Generation when trying to hide), or Even permanently injuring or KILLING someone (Spit acid, EE: Electricity, or Create Saron Gas).

You may get a power that can Utterly destroy your ability to fight, For example you're fighting in a small house or hallway and you gain the minor power of Giant, which forces you to push into your friends and makes waking and moving impossible. Or maybe you gain the LAME power of "BONELESSNESS" and all of a sudden you can't fight anymore... (You're Silly Puddy Peter Griphon).

So this is one of the worst powers out there...
Short as cr@p duration, nill range, No control, and it can Kill you to use (in addition to a limited number of uses). Sure, together with a power like Regen Ultima, Invulnerability, or other powers that grant you healing powers (Then you can give the gift of life to All Mortal mankind and still heal yourself). Or when you have powers like "Godlike HP", "Invulnerable Essesnce", or MDC, sure you are a great help to your fellow man, BUT Only then.


More to come....???

[Incriptus]

Totem Energy Aura --- You grab one major power that gives you a +1 Attack, +2d6 damage, Forcefield with 50 sdc per level, Speed increase to x2 the normal animal. While that is decent in and of its self you get to add Copy Animal Abilities [a power that has been sited as overpowered already]. Given that animals have anywhere between 3-6 minor powers, and some have Major powers.

Bend Light --- Very good invisibility & defense vs lasers. I've got a Rifts super spy with that ability

[The Baron of chaos]

Talking about nerfed down psionic powers
Telepathy - originally allowed multiple communication and even extended telepathic probe...and now....yeah
Ectoplasmic Arm was a really awesome psionic power but was replaced wiht Ectoplasm(nothign against it, but Ectoplasmic Arm was awesome)And not forgetting Mind Control, that was replaces wiht possession. Now Possession is cool power and part of psionci mythology, but same is true of Mind Control, that is not the same thing as hypnotic suggestion. By the way there wa samjor version of Hypnotic Suggestion as well.
And Empathic Transmission....shessh it was sensed and good that could influence more people at once spending slightly More ISP. With one attack. Now to use empathic transfer with a crowd of enemies you need a ****load of ISP and lot of attack per melee. And considering that saving throw is a 50/50 chance to screw things up and that ISP regenerate slower than my pet turtle cross my room...yeah
And once time Pyrokinteic fireball cost was just 4 ISP....how in heaven they thought would be cool and right put it at 25 ISP when the average opponent is not mad eof combustible material and more often than not wear a goddamned armor(if is not outright invulnerable and/or has thousand SDC points).
Of course nothing beat the sheer madness tha tis Mind BOlt in MDC universe. 2d4 for 40 ISP.....in an universe where the tough part is to have people not wearing MDC armor even under the shower....and witht eh CRIPPLING SLOW regeneration of ISP...

yes Kevin hate the GUTS of Psionic characters. He seem to hate them and probably is uncomfortable having them part of his MEgaverse. ther eis no othe rexplanation of this non sense. Also compare this to the megaversal love of magic users. PPE pretty easy to regenerate, **** of spells of the most various effect(including recently some that simulte, BETTER, psionic powers..), and some TRULY badass variants(Mystic Knights just to name one of the most badass).
Yes the way Psionic were shot in their kneecaps and nerfed down, pissed me off very badly..

[Reagren Wright]

Just getting ready to post another NPC when I noticed this thread. Yeah I agree with many
of you guys with the major nerfing of powers, especially Mind Control and Telelpathy from
revised 1st edition. However, powers like CEF-Earth has been updated sort of with PU 3
Earth Possession. To me it gives your the blueprint if you wanted to do more with any of
the CEF powers with G.M. permission of course. I also think we have to remember we are
trying to do a game with a certain amount of playable perameters and mechanics. Doing
what is done in comics is way off. Games that have tried to do that like the old Marvel
Super Heroes game where unrealistic (those lame Karma point that prevented you from
using the powers the way you wanted too). Kevin's way provides realistic balance yet there
are plenty of wiggle room to do some realy nasty things when left up to your own
imagination and what the G.M. will allow.

However, Mephisto I will object and say Slow Motion Control is not overpowered but
completely LAME. First of all it does is reduce combat bonus by half. Well what if you
don't have any combat bonus, say all your attributes are 13 and your 1st level H to Hand
basic. It doesn't do anything to you. Well you have only 2 attacks. But the person has the
same chance as anyone else hitting you with a gun. If you only had SMC and say Advance
Sight, Energy Resistance, and Extra MA you've got nothing that gives you a significant
advantage when fighting normal people. Hey if you use the rule of HU rule of pistol, the guy
still has a +1 to aim to shoot you, +2 if he has a handgun (normally +3 or +4 with
handgun). I think SMC should be done in a way that allows you a clear advantage (and not
a +3 to auto dodge). What the difference if the car that's going to hit you is going 100 mph
is reduce to 50 mph? On a simultanious actions you still get hit.

I think what should be done is how Aaron Oliver (aka Dream Fox) conceived the power
Control Elmental Force: Time back in Rifter One. That power also effected combat dice rolls.
That means 1D20 dice roll is also reduced by half. So that natural 20 you rolled is a 10. Roll
of 8 and below are automatic misses. Now THAT's an advantage that when combined with
the +3 auto dodge and other physcial skills, hand to hand bonuses, and other combat
bonuses gives this power a clear advantage when using it. And there's no saving
throw unlike the other two time powers in PU 3, which I would be willing to give to living
beings.

[Steeler49er]

AKKKKKKK....

Where the #### IS Aaron???
I haven't seen him here on the Boards in Years!
I have to know if My Suromak RCC that I'm playing can Trueform Copy a Nightspawn, Reshaper, and or Nightlords
And WHAT happens if if Trueform a Vampire (not get turned but actually Copy them)?

Reagren, I agree wit Everything you say, except Marvel FASERIP... I love and still play that game and everyone I know luvs that niffy little game. I don't mind that I've never gotten all that powerful, since I'm always having fun finding New and exciting power stunts and uses fer my Colorization super power.

That aside, I too enjoyed playing a super once with Aaron O's (DeamFoxes) 'CEF:Time' power. I thought it was Very well written.
I HATE that The Adrenaline power from RIFTER#1 got Horribly Nerfed, Then Gimped, then Utterly DESTORYED when it got ported over to PU1.

Adrenaline Surge Allowed you to play a character that got a Little more tough in combat as you got beat up...
Since powers like 'M.D.C.' didn't exist at the time, I saw no possible cheatting and, the bonuses were Pretty hard to get.


ANOTHER RIFTER PORT...
EE: Explosive Charge was an AWSOME power in Rifter #1 and I actually played a merc with the Major version of the power in Rifts. I hunted Xiticix for bounty and fully enjoyed this power. BUT, when it got ported over into PU1, it was Asolutely a peice of ####! The New rewite was SOOOOO bad, that I inked it out of my PU1 book with a Black Sharpy permanent marker!



The Baron of chaos, You hit the Truth with a 'Nuclear Nail' on the Head with yer post...
It Should be noted that the Only great version Ectoplasmic Arm was found in TMNT Transdimesional...
I loved it 15 years ago when peeps were bashing EPA and saying that could be used to kill cuz they thought it was just too munchkiny, then the always awsome Marryann came outta nowwhere and Smacked down the flame posters with a "Yes it can... Cuz that is life and Sometimes you just get Shot by a bullet, and it (gasp) actually kills you!"... Go Maryann.

The Psychic powers in PB have gotten soo badly gimped. I waited fer years fer Psyscape to come out and it smelt like donkey *** when i read it. I was ****** that it was Nothing more than COPY PASTE from "Nightspawns Beyond the Shadows" and everyone (who at the time had no idea what Nightspawn/bane was, or if they Did, they thought it sucked) was touting how cool Psyscape was just the same.
WORSE, Psi-Scape didn't even Bother to port all of those new powers over, thus making NS-Between the Shadows a superior book to psi-scape by 20+Times since NSBtS had Actually bothed to FULLY explain the Astral Plane... Something most people didn't even know at the time.
Frankly, the Zapper PCC and the Amorph RCC were some of the few high points of the book.
Telepathy is Totally Gutted in the books now!
Biomanipulation nolonger has the Death eye ability.


And worsed of all, the Worst thing to * over psionics... MAGIC!!!
Magic was Always much more powerful than psionics but, it took so long to cast that it balanced out with psionics, which could be used as fast as you had attacks per melee, this was one of the psychics best draw. BUT, so many Video game players (Final Fant fans I'm looking Your way) got used to being able to cast spells as powerful as Palladiums 'Spells Of Legend' in mere seconds that they felt Palladium was in need of this same thing.
Sure the Combat spells and Many others needed to be a bit faster to cast, but that was a/THEE Only downside to Magic... Now you can cast even High level spells in seconds!!!
PLUS you can Create spells (Something you Cant do with Psychics).
Add int all of the Major nerfing Against it, and psychics are now Just, Plain, Lame.


FYI-The Super Hypnotic power was only allowed (and created for) Vampires. Which I always thought that sucked.

EDIT: In the future, please properly censor out any vulgarity. - NMI

[Incriptus]

Oh if you want an over powered psionic ability look no further than Bio-Manipulation [Paralysis]. Roll to save vs Psionics, you failed, ok you've lost [for the vast majority of characters]

[Steeler49er]

EDIT: In the future, please properly censor out any vulgarity. - NMI

ERP

I thought I did... Well at least I was creative about how I swore anyway...
Guess not.

[Incriptus]

***EDIT***

I have no idea how that ended up attached to this subject

Well also remember it says "instills the character with power that he alone commands". If you ask me that means that the super ability / magic is accessable regardless if you're armed with the weapon or not.

[Steeler49er]

Ok, I have to add Stretching to this list of OVERPOWERED super abilities. You can wrap up an opponent, which isn't that bad. But the power states that in order to break free, the snared person needs to have a PS of 4 times higher than the character using the stretching ability. An average PS for any character, based on dice rolls and skill selection, is going to be somewhere around 13-15. You're telling me that I have to have, either with or without help, on average, a PS of 52-60 to break free of this? Seriously? And even if you've got the PS to break free, it takes 1d4+1 rounds to do so. Which gives the stretching character the opportunity to continue to wrap you up and keep you from breaking free.

Sorry Leon but, that's life in a super world!
Would you perfer the super to have a "Leathal" Range energy attack like that of which comes from Radiation Control? It can give you and everyone in the area cancer... No savings throw. Not to mention that it has outright damage dealing abilities that can kill the Average mortal in one to three blasts!!!
That is "DEAD", not just tied up! As I recall, death Trumps tied up any day of the week.
'HECK', a minor sp like EE: Energy or Kinetic can do the same.


In real life, Bullets shot from a gun of a 'skilled' marksman are generally a One Shot, One kill issue. Short of a dodge, there are No savings throws. You can't 'Wish' or 'Will' a bullet from hurting you. In reallity (our reallity) fairness doesn't even exist. The simple FACT of the matter is that a super person with This paticular power would, in fact, have such an ability if they existed in Real life.
You are a 'living Rope' made out of 'Ultra' flexible AND constirctive molecular Muscle... In the Real world each time you loop a rope around someone, the overall Tinsel Strength that must be applied to the rope inorder to 'Snap Free' of it increases exponentially, meaning that a rope that would Ordinarily require 200lbs PSI to bust, would, after just two loops around, require something like 400 to bust. Three loops May increase that to something like 800lbs... And so on (FYI I'm guessing Badly at those numbers).

A person with Elongation is going to go Well beyond those levels, so X's 4 PS is a sound number. You're gonna be VERY hard to break free from since you are MUCH more powerful than a Constrictor or Anaconda. Remember that your Muscles AND your Molecules are working intandum as Every molecule in your body is now a muscle, giving and stretching at over 4 times it's normal length. That makes you VERY strong compaired to a normal human (at least as long as you are actively stretching).

And let's not forget that this isn't an attack that does damage, so the book doesn't give what the target number is to wrap up an opponent on a d20 roll. And while I'm using a fairly high target number (14), it's still easy enough to ensnare your opponent. And it only costs 1 melee attack to do it. You can effectively just launch yourself at your opponent, and if you hit, combat is over because your opponent is rendered helpless.

Sounds about right to me, you just roll to strike and maybe a grapple roll vs. the persons generally Much weaker PS.

Granted, that's just the combat application of the power. But anything that can essentially end combat in less than 1 round without rolling a natural 20 or getting extremely lucky is over powered in my opinion.

Where as to I Don't see that kind of math in favor of the Elongator, I must say that (for a normal nonpowered human) it 'SHOULD' be about this hard, if not harder, to fight someone trained in the use of this power.

Frankly, Nekira created a simle power combo 1000X's nastyr when she put ASP:Water and the minor power of Hyper Density together!!! Without teleportation, NOONE can escape from being engulfed in water that is Hyperdensified, not ever the most powerful munchkins or Rifts level MDC tech brought into HU (remaining MDC), or anyone.

NOW THAT IS AN ULTIMATE MUNCHKIN POWER COMBO.
She's got my vote fer best power combo of the last few years.

[Steeler49er]

My choice fer one of the worst gimped PB powers of all times...

APS: Copy
This power is help by only a few supers in the comic world (Absorbing Man and MetalHead from X-Men 2099 to name just two), but it has become one of the favorites amoung fans for its' equal amount of limitations And strengths and it was one we all wanted to see in PB.

But when we got it... Well, it kinda really sucked royally.
Sure everyone likes to bring it when someone is talking about trying to create a True shape changer and It is one of the powers brought up that is needed to make such a combo work, but the truth is that is a Horrid power fer accomplishing that goal due to the Overwhelming numbers and harshness of it's overdone 'Limitations' (This power consitutes as having some of the worst and Most amount of limits in PB).
Let us take a look!

►First up, this power requires that you are in contact with a minimum of 1lb+ of the chosen matterial you wish to copy. That is, I would say, a very fair and logical limit.

►Secondly, the power has a short Duration at 5 minutes per level... Okay, that's not sooo bad, in fact it is kind of reasonable.

►Thirdly, this power is Nowhere near as powerful as True APS: Powers which grant you Many Amazing powers, including but not limited to Minor control over said elements. BUT HEY, you trade of Power fer versitility---Right?

► You are limited to NO control over what aspects of matter you can copy. That such but is fair as well.

►Next up, it take a whole 15 seconds [One melee Round] of contact fer the power to work... Ummm kay, kinda lame and deadly... Not very reasonable, especially in combat or in an emergancy like falling to ones doom! At max velocity of about 200mph falling speed, that equals out to about 4 fiths of a mile! In 15 seconds you you'll likely have been dead for about 10 of those seconds before your power works...
Not increadibly great but, "HEY", stand alone with the above weaknesses, it's not sooo bad.
Let's move on.

►NEXT up is the time between changes! FIVE MINUTES!!! I #### you not about this! That mean you are powerless fer 5 whole minutes (Better hope you have Much more useful powers to save your buttox). Listen, one min is bad enough but really now, FIVE, you've got to FraCkINg kidding me now! With the above weaknesses this is just down right Abusive.
PC Fairness at tiz worst.

►FINALLY (unless I have gorgotten some), you can Only use the power SIX TIMES ANY HOUR!!!
Yeah, you heard me, 6X'stime a FraCking hour! Which When combined with ALL of the above...
Makes fer a REALLY garbage power.

Because of All of the potential for abuse that this power has, one is not afraid (Even a munchkin would agree) that this power needs some serious limiters so as to balance it out, but Come one, this is WAYYYY over the top and down the road 4 or Five blocks past Nerfed to death.
SO, as you can see, this power just plain suchs after you REALLY consider it's flaws and limiters.



The round Robin moral of the story is, When attempting to be "Fair and Balanced" Too much fairness becomes Unfair...

[GBAnnihilator]

I gotta say that the one power that jumps out of me for being overpowered is flight:insect. I get to shrink to a foot in size or smaller and can fly up to 10,000 feet? And it's a minor power? Sign me up!

As far as powers that are too powerful or not powerful enough, I have stated in other threads that it isn't the ability, it's the person using it. If your character is trying to be Predator or Deadpool, anything that doesn't make you the end all be all is going to be underpowered. If that is your playing style, have at it. You prolly aren't going to do well vs. a character with a defensive power or two (or a power that can be used defensively). Mr. Stretchy is gonna ruin your day, and the guy with control force field or darkness control? Good luck! I however enjoy finding unique ways to use powers or power combos.

On the other hand, Mr. stretchy is gonna think twice about wrapping you up when you turn on that ee:electrical field. Of course, IMHO, most players prolly see that power as useless.

Nothing says creative like a RANDOM character.

Every power has some sort of foil, be it invulnerability, SN sterength, APS: plasma, whatever.

Sorry... just had to rant for a moment.

Best comment I've read on this whole thread!
I created a character with Control Kinetic Energy, Create Force Fields and Energy Absorption. All I had to do was sit there and shoot them to death with my pistol (sped up with CKE), or paralyze them with a full body shield.

[say652]

Negate Super powers.
Multiple Selves.
Invulnerability.

Experiment level 1.

[Jefffar]

Locked due to thread necromancy.