MP - The Power of Inventions

One of VnV's cool features has always been Inventing Points. Creative players and GMs could use them for permanent gadgets (think Spiderman's Car), kit-bashed one off items ("We need a Mega-Extinguisher to stop Nova!"), or power stunts ("I want to use my Force Field to fly!").

Like pretty much everything, this got an upgrade with Mighty Protectors in the new resource pool called, still called "Inventing Points," but now more reliable and persistent.

MP Inventing Points are permanently assigned until recycled.  That means a Mega-Extinguisher with only 3 charges (to shave points), still exists tomorrow, with a fresh batch of 3 charges, unless the story says it got destroyed, or the player decides to scrap it.  In both cases, the resource pool immediately becomes available for something else.

In fact, the player (with GM approval) can actually just decide the character sticks the Mega-Extinguisher on the shelf "in case it's ever needed again," and the device persists, even as the points are freed up.  Kind of like Spiderman remembering he can swing places, so he didn't need that stupid car anymore.  (Which was just a toy product tie-in, anyway.)

The Inventing Ability is extremely powerful, because it is a pool of points that can be recycled again and again.

Now, remember that Inventing Points are just CP, so they can be used any way that CP can be used, with GM permission.

This includes assigning them before the game begins.  I like to have my characters wear bulletproof vests.  It's a super cheap way to get some valuable Protection.

Most characters have an Intelligence of 10 or higher, giving them 5 Inventing Points at the start. Since a Bulletproof Vest is 5 CP, it works well to fill that "Gear Pool" with a BP Vest. Essentially, the starting character has a "free vest."  Since it is an "invention," it also provides a great rational to say it is part of the character's costume, and just kind of bury it in the noise without having to alter the costume concept.  This same rationale makes it easy when the IP are recycled -"The Wasp changed her costume, again!"

Model Riki LeCotay, aka Riddle

Below is an example from a character I'm developing.   This character has an IN 20, which means 10 Inventing Points. In this example, I've used 5 on a stock Bulletproof Vest, and 4.5 on "power stunts," that I considered "permanent" enough to have incorporated into her character sheet.

Gear Pool/Inventions/Power Stunts

• Bulletproof Vest: Armor: Kinetic 6, Energy 2, Biochemical 2, Entropy 2, Modifiers: Gear, Partial Coverage (Light) (5 CP)
• Lean Muscle Building Eating Program:  Heightened Strength: ST +2, (included above), Heightened Defense: Physical Defense +1 (included above) (4.5 CP)

Similarly, this is from a different character I'm developing. In this case, she has a background in runic/tattoo magic, and has scribed a number of tattoos onto her skin. Unlike the previous example, I used the Gear modifier for these, since they can be damaged/negated in combat. This example is also naked exploitation of the Gear rules, as proof of concept to see what it could do, but also how easy/unsatisfying it is to twist the MP rules (which I talked about elsewhere).  Obviously, a GM would want to monitor something like this carefully, even if it wasn't also bundled under the Inventing Ability.  (Note, I may have overlooked a rule somewhere that specifically bans this, so let me know if that's the case.)

Gear Pool/Inventions/Power Stunts

• Tattooed Rune of Bull's Strength: Heightened Strength: ST +6, Modifiers: Gear (1 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Bear's Endurance Heightened Endurance: EN +6, Modifiers: Gear (1 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Cat's Grace: Heightened Agility: AG +6, Modifiers: Gear (1 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Fox's Cunning: Heightened Intelligence: ST +6, Modifiers: Gear (1 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Eagle's Splendor: Heightened Cool: ST +6, Modifiers: Gear (1 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Languages: Knowledge: three (3) languages, accented, no literacy Modifiers: Gear (1 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Iron Skin: Invulnerability: Kinetic, Modifiers: Charges [6ch], Gear (5 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Storm God’s Wrath: Electric Bolt: Damage 2d8, Range 64”, PR=3, Modifiers: Gear, Increased PR, Increased Range (5 CP)

• Tattooed Rune of Storm God’s Rage: Sonic Boom: Effect Save @ -1 or lose one level of Hearing, No Range, Area Effect 7” diameter Offset, Charges [8ch], Modifiers: Charges Instead of PR, Gear, Increased Area, Offset, Reduced Charges, Requires a Save (CL @ +6) (5 CP)