Aberrant - Maintained vs Continuous Duration

[pcontop]

Power durations are supposed to be in a sequence, from worse to better.

- Concentration is the first one, it can last as much as you can pay the complications in each subsequent action you do. The more concentration powers you have on, the harder the complication.

- Maintained is the Second - You activate it, it lasts until you sleep, are knocked out, or die. There is no limit on how many maintained powers you can keep, as long as you can pay.

- Then come the Continuous (X) durations, starting with Rounds, then Minutes, Hours, Days. They last independently of the user, but they have to be renewed each time they get to the duration.

In my reading, Maintained is a much better duration than Continuous (Rounds), because:
- you activate a power once - one expenditure. This is huge - A Nova can spend himself out of quantum pretty easily renewing one Continous(rounds) for practical applications of a power, or several combat powers in a combat situation.
- you don't have to worry about accounting for the duration of several powers, as a player and storyteller. This makes games much simpler!

OTOH, the pros of continuous(rounds) are:
- it keeps for a few rounds after you die/sleep/is ko'd. I don't think that expecting to last a few more rounds after ko is a practical value proposition.
- it is one tag closer to getting to continuous (hours). Still, two tags away.

Yet, most of the powers have Continuous(Round) as duration, and you actually gain points to lower it to Maintained (with a -1 Tag for Duration). This 'cheese' doesn't look like intended!

It seems the Duration sequence should actually be something like:

Concentration - Continuous (Rounds) - Continuous (Minutes) - Maintained - Continuous (hours)...

And most powers should be Maintained.

I ask the Forum the question - in which way you see the Maintained duration is inferior?

[Florin]

First, if you haven't put this question into the errata form, do so. That's the only way we stand a chance of getting a clarification in the book.

Second, the description of Maintained says there's some modicum of concentration required, but there are no mechanics behind that statement. So, I think there should be something in there like either adding difficulty to other rolls or counting towards the complications of using a Concentration power. There isn't in the description, though.

[Mateus Luz]

My reading of “modicum of concentration” means the character must be conscious. The power stops working as soon as the character sleeps or is knocked out, while Continuous will keep working for the remaining time.
It may be less cost effective in terms of quantum points to have a continuous (round), but it would last longer if the character is taken out during that period.

[pcontop]

My reading of “modicum of concentration” means the character must be conscious. The power stops working as soon as the character sleeps or is knocked out, while Continuous will keep working for the remaining time.
It may be less cost effective in terms of quantum points to have a continuous (round), but it would last longer if the character is taken out during that period.

Well, that was my point. The constantly draining quantum cost is so high for the small benefit of a few more rounds, that it does not work as a value proposition. There is a very situational benefit in having some power last a few turns when you are out, while having no quantum to use your powers is bad in any situation.

[Shalmaneser]

I'd say concentration also would require the Nova to continue to be within range the target, and if the Nova can't, the effect ends.

Say that Molekewl turns a swimming pool of water solid using Molecular Manipulation- a Concentration(Round) power- to trap his opponent, Captain Fishtank. If the duration were Maintenance, he could keep the power going indefinitely, but would have to stay near the pool. As it is, he'll need to keep paying the cost to keep the power going, but can leave to chase after the rest of Fishtank's allies.

[pcontop]

Well, that would be a step in the right direction. It'd be better if most of the Continuous powers didn't last on the basis of turns you can pay, as even then you can only leave the effects unattended very briefly.

I'd say more, and say that in most cases round-based durations are too punishing for a Power of a God game - the system default state shouldn't fight against you, it shouldn't force you to buy duration tags most of the times you want to use a power properly.

[econclark]

You should put this in the Errata form, but the easiest fix would probably be to eliminate the continuous(rounds) option

Concentration>Maintained > Continuous(minutes)>Continuous(Hours)>Continuous(D ays)>...I would like a further progression
Continuous(rounds) could exist as a negative Power Tag to represent short burst powers

[pcontop]

Oh, I put it in the Errata form, alright. :-)