Transferable Powers?

[Lisa Padol]

I've finally started a Smallville game. We're still working on
character creation, and the setting is New York City, a few years from
now.

One of the players would like to create an Alchemist character,
someone who could, say, give someone else a potion to let the other
person fly temporarily. We're trying to figure out how to do that.
Legacy? Gear? Any suggestions?

-Lisa

[Christopher]

The Watchtower Report book has some new triggers, one of which grants powers temporarily. I don't have the book in front of me, but I'll look and get back to you.

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[Kit La Touche]

There's a great section in the main book on temporary powers and de-powering. I don't have it handy, but you'll find it. It would be perfect for slightly unreliable alchemy.

[Christopher]

Page 73 of Watchtower report has the Grant benefit. As is the name, it
grants another lead a certain ability. On page 72, it talks about the
boost heritage. In brief, it steps up one trait - or a collection of
traits - by one step. It "only appl[ies] to a handful of Traits or a
Heritage’s connected Abilities..."

So what I would do is a Heritage Distinction. Give it linked abilities
that you want to grant/boost. For the d4 trigger, it's Grant a
connected ability at d4. The d8 trigger would be the ability to boost
any granted ability.

Choose any drawback you see fit, but I'd go with the d4 being add a d6
to trouble, and the d8 costing a Plot Point.

Heck, page 76 has the "vampire" heritage, where the d8 trigger grants
the heritage at d4, and "Watchtower may also use the empower rules
(see page 75 in the Smallville RPG) to grant a die rating in connected
Abilities."

All in all, I'd say Watchtower Report is just what you're looking for!

[joshroby]

That's an interesting question.

All mechanics aside (and below), I'd first of all worry about a player
who is setting themselves up to be a purely "support" character who
provides for others' awesome but doesn't have their own awesome. I'd
make sure that they have something else going on for them, even if it
is abilities that they have from using their own potions for a long
time or something, so they don't get backgrounded. (It's not as much
of an issue in Smallville as in more traditional supers games, but
still…)

You could implement this using Grant and Boost as suggested (and the
Trouble cost is I think spot-on).

Alchemy (Distinction)
You practice the quasi-scientific, quasi-mystical art of alchemy, the
study of transformations, transmutation, and discovery. While the end
goal of alchemy is the transformation and improvement of the self, the
path it takes concerns itself with more material things, like potions
and transmutations.
d4 Add a d6 to Trouble to give a potion to another character (or
yourself), Granting them any Ability at d4.
d8 Add a d10 to Trouble to Boost an Ability granted by Alchemy.
d12 Spend a plot point to Refresh your own Angry or Afraid stress.

I would make it really damn clear and explicit to the alchemy player
that not only will they be pumping tons of dice into Trouble, you'll
be tapping lots of rolled complications as unintentional side-effects
and fallout of all the potion-guzzling. ;)

[Lisa Padol]

> All mechanics aside (and below), I'd first of all worry about a player
> who is setting themselves up to be a purely "support" character who
> provides for others' awesome but doesn't have their own awesome.  I'd
> make sure that they have something else going on for them, even if it
> is abilities that they have from using their own potions for a long
> time or something, so they don't get backgrounded.  (It's not as much
> of an issue in Smallville as in more traditional supers games, but
> still…)

A couple of things.

First, and for my purposes, most critical, the player's dropped the
alchemist idea and is going with Magical Heritage and not worrying
about granting abilities to others on the perfectly reasonable grounds
that, as this is the first time we're playing, we really shouldn't be
trying to take the system apart and invent whole new mechanics.

Second, having played with her for years, I assure you that she's not
interested in being purely support -- she's thinking of the magical
equivalent of a gadgeteer, basically, someone who can make gear or
potions or whatever and use them herself OR give them to friends --
both options. But, we're not sure if Smallville's actually designed
with that in mind.

That said, thanks for the answers -- I definitely need to re-read the
core book and read Watchtower Report!

> You could implement this using Grant and Boost as suggested (and the
> Trouble cost is I think spot-on).
>
> Alchemy (Distinction)
> You practice the quasi-scientific, quasi-mystical art of alchemy, the
> study of transformations, transmutation, and discovery.  While the end
> goal of alchemy is the transformation and improvement of the self, the
> path it takes concerns itself with more material things, like potions
> and transmutations.
> d4 Add a d6 to Trouble to give a potion to another character (or
> yourself), Granting them any Ability at d4.
> d8 Add a d10 to Trouble to Boost an Ability granted by Alchemy.
> d12 Spend a plot point to Refresh your own Angry or Afraid stress.
>
> I would make it really damn clear and explicit to the alchemy player
> that not only will they be pumping tons of dice into Trouble, you'll
> be tapping lots of rolled complications as unintentional side-effects
> and fallout of all the potion-guzzling. ;)

Hm. This sounds workable, but I'm agreeing with the player that we
should try something simpler for the first game.

[Lisa Padol]

> There's a great section in the main book on temporary powers and
> de-powering. I don't have it handy, but you'll find it. It would be perfect
> for slightly unreliable alchemy.

Thanks -- I need to reread the book anyway!

[Lisa Padol]

> So what I would do is a Heritage Distinction. Give it linked abilities
> that you want to grant/boost. For the d4 trigger, it's Grant a
> connected ability at d4. The d8 trigger would be the ability to boost
> any granted ability.
>
> Choose any drawback you see fit, but I'd go with the d4 being add a d6
> to trouble, and the d8 costing a Plot Point.
>
> Heck, page 76 has the "vampire" heritage, where the d8 trigger grants
> the heritage at d4, and "Watchtower may also use the empower rules
> (see page 75 in the Smallville RPG) to grant a die rating in connected
> Abilities."
>
> All in all, I'd say Watchtower Report is just what you're looking for!

Thanks! The player's decided to go with a more simple mage, using the
obvious Magical Heritage, but this is definitely useful!