Character Build Step Five:
Choose or Create Character Powers
Atomic RPG System Character Powers define a character’s “special moves”. Each Atomic RPG System character will have a set of Powers that they can use multiple times each day.
Powers are the core of the Atomic RPG System system and embody the infinite possibilities of the Atomic RPG System. Roleplay gamers are sure to love them, and players who are new to role play gaming will appreciate the ease of use!
Character Powers Can Do Anything
The Atomic RPG System system is meant to be able to be adapted to any genre and story you can imagine.
Atomic RPG System players just build the character they want to play, including whatever Character Powers that fit their character concept. Use the Atomic RPG System website and online tools to create and invent everything for a RPG game.
With Atomic RPG System Character Powers a player can describe the look and feel of the Power however they want. At its core, the Character Powers are built having specific effects as one component. The second component of a Power is the roleplay description of look and actions of a Power. In game terms, the mechanics dictate the numbers of the Power, what the Power actually does. Then the roleplay description is just how the character wants it to look, feel, smell, and taste.
Take for example a Power that affects 1 Target, 3 Spaces away, and does 3d6 Hit Points Damage. The player can describe those effects however they want to. Here are just a few examples of how to describe this Power.
- Rock Toss: You lob a rock at an enemy for damage.
- Call Lightning: You summon lightning from the sky and electrocute an enemy for damage.
- Mark Target: Lighting up your target with a laser range finder, your unseen drone drops a missile for damage.
- Blinding from Above: After speaking to your animal companion, it swoops down from sky, tearing at your enemies for damage.
- Verbal Lashing: In a loud and brutal tirade of insults, you sap your enemies' will to fight, doing damage.
- Silly Slap: Your elastic arms stretch out and slap your enemy for damage.
These are just a few examples, but they should illustrate the ability for players to create their characters exactly how they want. This is one of the key features that makes the Atomic RPG System system so revolutionary and fun to play. To get a better idea of what Character Powers can do, browse the Atomic RPG System Power Search page.
Boiled down to its rawest form, a Power is built and adjudicated according to these two key tenants:
- Power Stats (The Range, Targets, Duration, Effects): what the Power DOES, how it mechanically affects gameplay.
- Power Name/Description (Colorful description of how the character uses the Power): what the Power FEELS LIKE. Does not mechanically affect gameplay.
Atomic RPG System Character Disciplines
Atomic RPG System Power Disciplines are a player’s areas of expertise. The Disciplines are the starting point in determining exactly what a Atomic RPG System character can do. They can be thought of like spells from Dungeons & Dragons, but they are much more than that. Every Atomic RPG System character has Powers because Atomic RPG System Character Powers define the character’s “special moves”.
The Atomic RPG System Power System for Disciplines was designed to have almost infinite flexibility. Every character will use the same system, so every character in the game has equal power; they just apply it in different ways. One of the most difficult goals of a great RPG gaming system is balance between characters.
Instead of having a list of powers to choose from, players will have a certain amount of Power Points that they will use to build their character’s Powers. A player characters concept should be used as a guide in purchasing and designing a character’s Powers. Players will be able to pick from a list of Powers they can choose for their characters. A player can easily create their own Character Powers if they can’t find something that suits their character’s needs. Players can even just modify and rename existing Powers to have the flair and roleplay feel they want for their character!
Wondering what Powers affects can be? Click Below to Find Out!
Atomic RPG System Power Points for Character Powers
Power Points for a Atomic RPG System Character are calculated based off the Character Level and the Focus of the Atomic Character. The Character Sheet for the Atomic RPG System system will do all of the calculations for a character.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Power Points can be further modified by Specialties, Atomic RPG System Items, and GM Modification.
Using Power Points
One of the last things a player will do when they create or level up a Atomic RPG System Character is to use their Power Points to create Character Powers. This is done near the end of character creation and leveling because Atomic RPG System Items and Specialties can change total Power Points.
Power Points are not like money or credit that a player can hold onto. They cannot be saved to use at the next level, or in another pool, or as a reserve. Make sure to spend as many of the Power Points as possible on Powers. However, if there is a point or two left over after designing Character Powers, that’s fine. Players may be able to purchase an extra die of damage, another target or increase the range slightly to use up the last few Power Points. Although a few unspent Power Points will not affect the strength of the character. If 90% of a character’s Power Points are used, they’ll be in line with other characters of the same level.
At-Will Power
Every character will have an At-Will Power Pool.
Character Powers created in this pool are Powers that a character can use over and over without fear of losing or expending them. All the live long day!
- At-Will Power Pool has maximum Power Point Cap of 1/4th of the character’s Primary Discipline Power Pool rounded down.
- At-Will Powers can not be exhausted if used.
- At-Will Powers will have the same Aggression and Discipline as a characters Primary Discipline.
If a player wishes to split their At-Will Power Pool to create several At-Will Powers, this is possible. However, players should keep in mind that splitting this small pool will make several very weak At Will Powers.
All Characters Get a Basic Attack Power
All player characters and non player characters have access to a Basic Attack Power. This can have its own description but it works the same for every character in the Atomic RPG System.
Basic Attack Rules
- Increases as Character's Tier increases.
- Duration is Instant.
- Target is Space (1).
- Will use the players Combatant Attack and Damage or their Mystic Attack and Damage, whichever one is better.
- Benefit from any Specialty, Item, or GM Effect that modifies Attack, Damage, Dice, or any other basic element of a Basic Attack Power.
The Basic Attack Power should be used anytime a player character or non player character wants to use something unconventional when attacking.
Basic Attack Progression
| Character Tier | Character Level | Damage | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
1 |
1d4 |
2 Spaces |
|
2 |
5 |
2d6 |
4 Spaces |
|
3 |
9 |
3d8 |
6 Spaces |
|
4 |
13 |
4d10 |
8 Spaces |
|
5 |
17 |
5d12 |
10 Spaces |
Example of a Basic Attack in Use
Player: “My character picks up the bar stool he is sitting on and tosses it at the rude person there heckling the singer.”
GM: “What is your Character Tier?”
Player: “Character Tier 3.”
GM: “OK, you have a range of 6 spaces, so you can reach the rude person. Roll an Attack Check, if you hit you will do 3d8 plus your base damage. However, your Passive Social is high enough to know that such an action will likely start a brawl.”
Player: “Great! I am +15 to Attack and Damage, using my Combatant Attack and Damage numbers. As far as the brawl goes, I hope it does start. That singer is putting us all to sleep!” The Player rolls a d20 Attack Roll.
GM: Laughs seeing the player rolled a 17, which is a 32, easily hitting the unaware heckler’s Body Defense. “Looks like you are getting your wish! Roll Damage.”
Player: Rolls three eight sided dice for a total of 12. The player does a total of 27 Hit Point Damage to the heckler, starting a bar brawl.
GM: It’s now Battle Time, roll Reactions!
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Discipline Character Powers
Character Powers created using these separate Power Pools will only be usable once during any 1 encounter. If a player would like to use a Power more than once during an encounter, they can add the Power multiple times. A good example of this are Healing or Powers that help allies. These are often added multiple times so theycan be used several times during an encounter.
A player’s character building choice will determine if a character has access to all three Disciplines or just two. These choices will also determine how many base points a character will start off with in each of their Disciplines.
If a player decides to add or design the absolute most powerful Powers they can get, the character will end up with two Powers for each Discipline, for a total of 4 or 6 Powers. This is considering using the maximum of 1/2 the Power Points for each Power. More likely, and more advised, is that player characters will end up with 10-15 Powers for their character. This is considering having a couple Powers that may approach the maximum cost but then have many more weaker Powers to handle a larger range of situations.
Ultimately it is up to the player as to how they want to design their character’s Powers. One thing that all players need to know is that their Power choices are not permanent. In fact, players can easily change and swap out Powers frequently. It is up the the GM of course, but usually a player can change their character’s Powers with as little as having a Full Rest. Or at the very least, change up Powers when a character levels up. So if Character Powers seem to be a little overwhelming, don’t worry about it. Add prebuilt Powers for a character at the beginning. Then as players get more familiar with the Atomic RPG System Power system, they are encouraged to modify and then create Powers of their own.
The Atomic RPG System Powers is an amazing, fun, and infinitely flexible system to give players the characters they have always wanted to play. The amazing Character Powers that are made every day by creative Atomic RPG System players is a testament to how wonderfully the Atomic RPG System Power System works. If a player is new to Atomic RPG System Powers, they should head over to the Atomic RPG System Character Search and look through some of the great Atomic RPG System characters that have already been made. This will help to illustrate just how strong, flexible, and essential to a Atomic RPG System Character Powers are.