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Dynamic Arrays
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RusanCrosha
UN Basic Recipient

Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 19

Dynamic Arrays #1
14th October 2016, 01:01 AM

Hello everyone. I've been doing some poking around the core rule
book the last few days, and I've gotten somewhat stuck in
understanding how dynamic arrays work.

As I understand normal arrays, you purchase a single power, noting

how many power points you've spent on it (value X). Alternate
effects are purchased for 1 power point each, so long as the
alternate power's theoretical cost does not exceed value X. Said
powers can only be used individually, and any effect that takes out
one power will shut down the entire array.

However, some (or all) effects in an array may be made Dynamic

for an additional power point cost, and those dynamic powers can
be used in tandem with each other (unlike powers in a typical array
being limited to one-at-a-time use). Here's the line from the rule
book that's giving me some trouble:

For 2 power points an Alternate Effect is dynamic

dynamic; it can
share power points with other Dynamic Alternate
Effects, allowing them all the operate at the same time,
but at reduced effectiveness...you decide how many
power points are allocated to the effects once per turn...

I guess what it comes down to is, how many power points do you
have to play with when determining what's invested where with
your Dynamic Effects? Are you limited to splitting the points from
Value X among all of the Dynamic effects? Or does it also include
the +1 (for base array effect)/+2 (for dynamic alternate effect)
points invested in the array? Or is there some other factor that I'm
missing in my calculations?

Any help with this conundrum is appreciated.

Tags: None

Ysariel
MCRN Admiral

Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 5740

14th October 2016, 02:00 AM #2

Re: Dynamic Arrays

The points spent to make the array dynamic can't be reallocated.

So for example, a base power of Damage with two alternate
effects, both dynamic:

Damage 10 (Dynamic Alternate Effect [Weaken 10], Dynamic

Alternate Effect [Nullify 10])

The array costs 10 (base power) + 4 (two dynamic AE) = 14pp.

You can have Weaken 10 and Nullify 0, or Weaken 2 and Nullify 8,

or any combination totaling 10pp. The 4pp spent to make the
alternate effects dynamic can't be reallocated.

Note the base power isn't dynamic, so if you want to use the base
Damage power, it's all or nothing: you get Damage 10 and it can't
share points with the other slots. You can make the base power
dynamic too for another 1pp.

FuzzyBoots
MCRN Admiral

Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 6734

14th October 2016, 05:12 AM #3

Re: Dynamic Arrays

It's worth noting that making damage effects dynamic is a bad

choice since, outside of Extra Effort, you can only use one at a time.
More common are utility powers. For example the following is a
common construct for me when it comes to Speedsters:

Speed X (X pp + 1 for dynamic)

DAE: Quickness X (2 pp)

For the cost of X + 3 points, I can reallocate those X points around

Speed and Quickness according to how much I need to move and
how quickly I need to do things (Move-By Action is pretty
necessary to this concept too). I'll sometimes also add Leaping so
that they can take spectacular "running leaps" between locations.
So, if I need to disarm three bombs over the space of 600 feet, I
might go with Speed 5 (900 feet in a move-action) and Quickness 5
(1 minute to 1 second) so that I can get them all in one round. If I'm
instead in a foot race, I put all the ranks into Speed. If I'm speed-
reading a library, I put all of those ranks into Quickness.

Some powers are all-on or all-off like Insubstantial or

Concealment. Those ones are often not dynamic, although if you
make them dynamic, you can choose to use that dynamic effect
and then add others.

Lastly, you get the question of what happens when you have
Extras, Flaws, Quirks, and multiple powers in a slot. This was
clarified in 2E that if a power has any ranks, all Extras, Flaws, and
Quirks (although they were called Drawbacks then and Flat Extras
"Feats") must also be on. And one of the ORQ answers clarified
that if there are multiple powers in a slot, every power needs to
have at least one rank if any of them do (this becomes especially
relevant for things like Senses where you might have 10 different
senses in that one "slot"). Some GMs will enforce proportionality
too to prevent someone from building the above Speed/Quickness
dynamic power as one "slot" in a dynamic array.

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flynnarrel
UN Basic Recipient

Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 2878

18th October 2016, 03:11 PM #4

Re: Dynamic Arrays

Also of note is that the Base power requires one point to be

considered Dynamic and that point is not part of the pool either.

EX/

Flight 6, Dynamic
DAE: Blast 6

Flight is 12pp, add 1 to make it dynamic, add 2 for a dynamic

Alternate and the array as a whole is a total of 15 points, only 12 of
which are the pool for the dynamic effect.

EDIT: Which Fuzzy explains nicely in the above post also. (I shoulda
read that more clearly)

badpenny
UN Basic Recipient

Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 1921

19th October 2016, 10:06 AM #5

Re: Dynamic Arrays

This is for 2e, but pretty much can be brought into 3e whole cloth.

Super-Movement 2 (Wall-crawling 1 (half speed), Water

walking; Flaw: Limited to while running)

Speed Array (all slots Dynamic)

Concealment 4 (All visual senses; Flaw: Limited to while
running)
Phasing (Super-Movement 3) (Permeate 3 (full speed);
Flaw: Limited to while running)
Quickness 10 (Perform routine tasks at 2500x speed)
Speed 10 (Speed: 10000 mph, 88000 ft./rnd)

So, if you wanted to faster than the eye could see, you'd allocate 4
points to Concealment, and you'd have 6 points to allocate to
Speed (which would bring you down to 500 mph). Run through
walls at full speed would be Permeate 3/Speed 7, etc.

The Super-Movement powers are bought outside the array as

you'd end up paying an additional point for making them Dynamic,
and wouldn't really accomplish anything.

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Roll combat

RusanCrosha
UN Basic Recipient

Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 19

20th October 2016, 01:33 PM #6

Re: Dynamic Arrays

Mmk. So, if I'm understanding this correctly, Dynamic powers in an

array share a pool of points equal to the Array's base effect. That
makes sense.

Thank you all for your responses.

-- Ronin Army Prime

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