Welcome to the forum (and I love your name, Thanoseid!)

As for Absorption, it is one of the trickier powers in the game.  Even recently (and I've been GMing this game regularly for over 30 years) I've had to work with a couple of PCs in toning down their characters, both as a result of this power.

My simplest recommendations would be:

- Require it to cost an action to absorb (preferably a "saved action" by the character).

- Set hard limits in what can be absorbed (and what happens if that limit is exceded).

- Don't allow this to combo with Heightened Agility or Heightened Speed (which allow for more actions, which lead to abuse).

- Until you've got a great grasp on the game, I'd hold off on allowing the absorption of other super powers.  If you do allow it, you might consider limiting it to a single one at a time (to avoid serious power creep).

One of our current PCs started out a character with Absorption that required him to have a saved action or to successfully hit (HTH) with a special attack.  This proved too weak, and when he finally returned to playing the character I allowed much more.  To date he can hold three super powers, and to give you an idea of how powerful he is, he just chose to drop Power Blast x2 (which started at 2d20 damage).

So it's one of those that you really need to be cautious with.  And be careful (like you mention) with the other open-ended powers, too, in combination with it.

If you like random character making then check out Traveller.

The thing about the open ended powers is that if the gm agrees to it, it's legal. that said they should always have the ability to tweak it as needed or change how it works altogether(you don't want a character so strong that it makes it less fun for everyone).

I made a character that can absorb sunlight and other radiation. Between every turn, if in strong sunlight he can gain his level (max 5) in power, also any damage that is light or radiation in origin will add its damage to his power.

To offset how strong this is i built his absorption into his weakness. If you overcharge him he will end up taking damage between turns instead of gaining power (basically the radiation burns him up from inside) and will have to burn it off before he dies (losing all HP while overcharged will kill him)

This is a power I found so far

1. Absorption: Energy Absorption, Powers/Abilities, and Memories: R=Touch. Note: Absorbed powers fade after 24 hours (they gradually become weaker), but, he retains his victim's memories.
2. Absorption: Life Force Energy (Hit Points): Absorbed hit points go to boost his own.
3. Transformation: Shapeshifting: Linked to Absorption. Parasite can mimic his victims down to the genetic level.

Note: Absorbed powers fade after 24 hours (they gradually become weaker), but, he retains his victim's memories.


Energy Absorption: By spending an action Prism can absorb energy based attacks, storing the energy for later use. Absorbed damage is stored as additional Power. The maximum amount of damage that may be absorbed is = to his Power score. Absorbed damage is stored as Power, and may be used in one of two ways.


Absorption: Kinetic Energy: Absorbed energy can be used to boost his STR and END. The exact limits of his powers have not been tested, but it is know that a powerful enough blow will incapacitate him

Powers has to touch flesh, and last E turns and can only absorb as many powers as he has levels.  I 20 is rolled, looses all absorbed powers, AND absorbs ALL weakness of target.

Keep in mind that is harsh in my game as you spend movement to roll will punches 1:1 ratio, and each time you use evasion, you also spend that amount of movement as you get a minus.  So movement points are not to be spend willy nilly. [/quote]

Speaking of spending movement, if one has heightened speed does that count with let's say ice power armor. Example when a character has 75 ground movement, with heightened speed +100 let's say and the ice power. When he puts up armor can he put up only 75 and still can move at a 100 or can put up 100 armor and can move only 75. Your comments are always useful. Thanks

Technically the book doesn't differentiate what types of damage one can absorb, but I know John likes to run a tight ship. That being said even if you can absorb ALL damage the rules are pretty specific about using a saved action to be able to absorb incoming attacks so one has to pick between attacking and absorbing. Also, since it is based on saved actions if you are attacked more times than you have saved actions you can't absorb the additional damage.

I have a hero in a PbP game that can absorb ALL damage (except for mental/gas) and hold a potential up to 3x his hit points (he has 36 hp). He can spend it 3 different ways; a powerblast-like attack that costs 5 points of stored damage for 1d10 and 10 points of damage for 2d10, a straight damage bonus to HTH attacks of 1 point of stored damage per point of damage bonus (with a 15 point cap for amount released), or increasing his carrying capacity for 1 turn which costs 1 damage point per 100 lbs. of additional carrying capacity. I know that sounds like a lot but he still has to make decisions and can be overpowered by attacks beyond his saved actions.

Also this guy only has 3 powers (Absorbtion, Heightened Agility A, and Willpower A) so the GM was willing to work with me to tweak the few powers he has. The GM also started the group at level 4.

I posted this one cuz it sound familiar to yours except you al get hit points. Bout to post another I found with this one.

Thanoseid wrote on May 14^th, 2013 at 4:08pm:


You're welcome, and sorry I wasn't able to answer this sooner (was sick yesterday).

I agree with Descrud, FWIW - I'd avoid absorbing things that muck with S and E (or anything else that changes HP) to avoid tons of bookkeeping at the table.

The way we came up with a maximum number was establishing that it was based on his Intelligence.  So 1/10th Intelligence.  He used to be in the lower 20's, but he's trained in I to get it to 25 (to round up to 3).  That's just something the player and GM (me) established back when making the character.

If you build ice armor, you spend movement. Now that movement point doesn't come back until the ice is gone.

So if you spend 50 movement  points to build 50 adr, that movement doesn't come back until you lose the armor.   

Think of it like this, you are slow and plodding due to the layers of ice caked up on you.

Lol yea we've noticed. He actually came off noticing that right when I started cheering ice power with my Neutral character Lilith. She's deadly and was my first ice power character. So I was flying around cuz she has wings and was starting to realize  how deadly ice was. I put on ice armor thinking cuz I have a lot of speed with my flight and having the armor would just help me not take damage. Once he realized that I was not getting hit and was able to fly around he mad it so that my ground speed is the only thing that my ice armor is based off so no cheese there. But ice is by far one of the deadliest powers

Or, you can giver her the same power!

Rogue of the X-Men vs Rogue of the X-Men!   

Back in the day (early 80's) our V&V team fought the X-Men, and Rogue was indeed a powerhouse.

One tactic that for some reason she never really did in the comics (at least not regularly; I think she might have done something similar once): She could use her Absorption to go around and take just enough to gain the superpowers of each teammate.  Thus she could control the weather, teleport, regenerate, have super strength, optic blasts, etc.! 

Keeping PCs from using the same tactics requires there to be some built-in conditions or safeguards, for play balance.

Yeah, we do random as well (but limit it to true "powers", so eliminating skills, devices, and the like from the possibilities).

I wouldn't allow one PC to go around absorbing all of their teammates' powers.  I'd simply tell them that "curiously enough, it only seems to work when you're truly attacking someone on the field of battle, and then it only works against opponents".    Otherwise you can end up with the situation like what you describe with Rogue. 

Majestic wrote on May 22^nd, 2013 at 5:09pm:


From a game-balance standpoint I think this makes sense. I've thought about similar limitatations on characters who might absorb incoming damage to gain stronger; it only works when the character is attacked by opponents.