The Difference and Meaning of Enhanced Abilities and Normal Abilities

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Harnos
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The Difference and Meaning of Enhanced Abilities and Normal Abilities

Post by Harnos »

I guess this topic must have been discussed more than one tim in this forum and other places, but few things still look pointless or hard to understand to me so I need to ask few questions. There are few differences between enhanced abilities and normal abilities both story wise and rule wise.

Story wise, some are "natural" while others are "super powers". But that is contradicted by many official builds. For example, DCA Superman's 19 strength is "natural" even though it is a superpower induced by yellow sun. Freedom City's Superior has a natural STR of 18 too, even though in backstory all of his people, Ultimans are given superpowers by Vril (Power Primal).

Enhanced traits can be increased with extra effort and used for power stunts while normal traits cannot. This doesn't make sense too. Super-strength and super-stamina are by far the most common enhanced abilities out there. Strength can be increased with Extra Effort and as seen in DCA builds, strength damage can be used for power stunts without being enhanced trait. So advantages of being an enhanced trait is totally meaningless for the most common super ability. Enhanced stamina is a passive trait and would be hard to justify power stunts with it. Enhanced For both gameplay and story reasons, we would expect enhanced stamina to have a permanent duration rather than default sustained duration and in that case it cannot be used for power stunts or increased by extra effort too. The points of being an enhanced trait is meaningless for the most common enhanced traits.

Adding power modifiers for enhanced traits is cool. But in the strength example, multi-attack, area and selective modifiers can be added to normal strength damage as seen in Heroes Handbook, speedster archetype. Enhanced traits can be nullified while natural traits cannot but having a disadvantage while not getting any advantage doesn't seem fair or balanced.

Overall, enhanced abilities make sense with removable and affect others extra, with limited and unreliable flaws and when enhanced traits are within an array. I'm not experienced in the system as a GM or didn't create many builds, so please enlighten me if there are points I miss.
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Ken
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Re: The Difference and Meaning of Enhanced Abilities and Normal Abilities

Post by Ken »

I think you're sweating the small stuff.

Yes, they could have given Superman, Power Girl, and the Phantom Zoners

"Yellow Sun Might : Enhanced Traits 54 (Strength +16, Stamina +11), Permanent" and shifted 54 points from Abilities to Powers. But I'm not sure it would actually answer your questions because technically Permanent powers can't be stunted either. And it is a permanent power. It just happens while they're under a yellow sun. The only thing it might have done is modified how Supergirl was built in DCA so that she was more in line with the other Kryptonians in the book.
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Ares
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Re: The Difference and Meaning of Enhanced Abilities and Normal Abilities

Post by Ares »

Yeah, comics tend to handwave what does or doesn't count as a 'power'. It would seem weird that someone could steal Aquaman's "powers" for instance, when those are natural adaptations he's had all of his life. The logic could be that power stealing causes anyone with human DNA to revert to a purely human, unmodified form, but then how does that apply to someone like Martian Manhunter, who was never human to begin with?

Comics tend to treat anything that is beyond what a normal human could reasonably achieve as a 'power', regardless of whether it's something natural to a non-human entity. And rather than try to justify it, M&M doesn't want to get caught up in the minutia and opts for the simplest approach that fits the genre.

Me personally, when I created a Power Duplicator, I made it clear he could only copy abilities that were somehow enhancements to the normal human genetic code. So he could copy folks who got their powers via accidents and mutants, but couldn't copy the powers of aliens, gods, supernatural creatures, or any kind of technology or skill based abilities like magic or chi. This let him be on a team with characters whose abilities came from those sources he couldn't access and thus prevented him from stepping on anyone's toes.
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Harnos
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Re: The Difference and Meaning of Enhanced Abilities and Normal Abilities

Post by Harnos »

Ken wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2022 2:44 pm I think you're sweating the small stuff.
Well, I always do. :D

Superman is already getting his power stunts without having his str as a power, that is what I'm saying. The official builds contradict the statement about enhanced traits.

By the way, I agree on Supergirl, she is lifting a mere 6.5 ktons while others can lift aircraft carriers.
Harnos
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Re: The Difference and Meaning of Enhanced Abilities and Normal Abilities

Post by Harnos »

Ares wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2022 3:12 pm Yeah, comics tend to handwave what does or doesn't count as a 'power'. It would seem weird that someone could steal Aquaman's "powers" for instance, when those are natural adaptations he's had all of his life. The logic could be that power stealing causes anyone with human DNA to revert to a purely human, unmodified form, but then how does that apply to someone like Martian Manhunter, who was never human to begin with?

Comics tend to treat anything that is beyond what a normal human could reasonably achieve as a 'power', regardless of whether it's something natural to a non-human entity. And rather than try to justify it, M&M doesn't want to get caught up in the minutia and opts for the simplest approach that fits the genre.

Me personally, when I created a Power Duplicator, I made it clear he could only copy abilities that were somehow enhancements to the normal human genetic code. So he could copy folks who got their powers via accidents and mutants, but couldn't copy the powers of aliens, gods, supernatural creatures, or any kind of technology or skill based abilities like magic or chi. This let him be on a team with characters whose abilities came from those sources he couldn't access and thus prevented him from stepping on anyone's toes.
Yeah, it gets more complicated when you just dive into the source material, comics can include a lot of inconsistency. But what I'm trying to say is M&M is not consistent in this regard either unless there are points that I miss.
Shock
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Re: The Difference and Meaning of Enhanced Abilities and Normal Abilities

Post by Shock »

Yes, unfortunately the official builds do sometimes contradict the rules as written.
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