Nice approach to power balance!

How has it served you over the years?

I have a less elegant stab at the same thing here:
http://vanguardhq.blogspot.com/2008/12/detailed-rules-for-superhero-character.ht...

I used a similar method for character creation.
Though some players still liked to use the random just to see what odd combos they would come up with.

Such as the PC Alloy... who had Stretching and Invulnerability (Basically like the Metal Men).
He was tough... and because of his stretching hard to hurt. He actually used the chara very stealthly and loved to fight normal criminals. Because of his abilities apprehending bank robbers or Jewelry store heists was a breeze for him... cause he could blanket the area with himself and protect pedestrians and attack. Who would have thought that a stretching chara could be that much fun!

But the other players prefered a bigger hand in creating what they wanted to play. (You know... Brick, Scrapper, Artillery, stealth, mentalist, speedster then finally the unusual).

I know with PC Titan he basically chose his powers. Though he ended up TOO strong and I depowered him a bit after discussing the problem with him and coming up with a solution (He was nearing the Behmoth range of strength... in a group like the Crusaders... that was more strength than necessary and most foes could hardly stand up to him). Fortunately for him the solution was simple. The villain that created his powers (OD) and him got into another fight. His transmutation powers again mingled with his unusual physiology and it depowered him to a more managable level.

I know the PC for the cosmic space hero Thunderstar probably couldn't have rolled what he thought it would take to make that type of chara. So the method you mentioned above worked for us very well.
My favorite aspect of him was his Cosmic Awareness... as he could foretell some emergencies or crimes just as they were about to happen or maybe a little before it, IF he sat and sifted cosmically he might get an even larger breadth of time to intervene.

The backgrounds you mentioned were also used in the exact same manner as you stated for yours... kinda weird for someone to make up an techno-armored chara... and end up with mysticism. LOL

Nice job Polarboy... you might make the team yet! LOL

G7

I really prefer the random method of power generation.  I would never make someone play a character they didn't like at all, but we have come up with some of the coolest combinations that we would never have selected up front. 

I've mentioned I just started playing again with my kids, and I wanted to play a "low level" campaign.  I had them roll 1 roll on the powers table, and 2 on the skills table.  I was hoping for at least one heightened ability and a skill, with their power being the "focus." 

It worked out pretty well, we did end up with one character who's main power was heightened senses, but we enhanced them to the point that he became pretty much the go to guy for everyone.  He listened in to distant conversations, told them when people were lying, or not.  He was able to detect hidden and danger, so he became the alarm system for the group, and ended up being a lot of fun to play...  Having said that, I don't know who would set out to play a character with only Heightened Senses as a power... Daredevil excluded.   He did end up with some martial arts weapons, and didn't do to badly.