A character activates a Force power by picking a target within Range and making a Force Use skill roll. A roll less than 4 means the power doesn’t activate. The caster spends one Power Point regardless of any Edges such as Channeling, unless the ability specifically says it reduces the minimum cost to 0.
A roll of 4 or higher means the power activates and consumes all the Power Points allocated to it, even if it misses the target, or the defender resists.
Success means the hero spends the Power Points and resolves the power’s effects. A raise has additional effects noted in the particular power description.
Backlash: A Critical Failure when activating a Force power is called Backlash. It causes a level of Fatigue and all currently active powers instantly terminate.
Call on the Darkside: When a Force user rolls a Critical Failure, they may call upon the Darkside and re-roll, negating the failure and backlash effect. A Force user that calls on the Darkside receives one Darkside Points.
Group Rolls: The GM can choose to make Group Rolls when large numbers of nonplayer characters are affected by a power. It’s useful to roll damage against each group of like targets separately in an Area Effect attack, for example, but to roll separately for those trying to escape an entangle or similar power.
A character must be able to see his target and cannot be Bound.
It costs 1 Power Point to maintain a power for its base Duration. If a power’s Duration is five rounds, for example, it can be maintained for another five rounds for 1 Power Point.
Maintenance is per target but ignores other Power Modifiers, so renewing boost Trait on three allies costs 3 Power Points and extends the effect of each another five rounds.
Unless a power says otherwise, the caster can terminate it as a free action.
A character recovers 5 Power Points per hour spent resting, meditating, etc. What constitutes “rest” is up to the GM, but they do not recharge while powers are maintained, or during anything more than mild physical exertion, emotional stress, or mental distraction. A hero can rest while riding a horse, for example, unless the animal is restless, the road is terribly bumpy, traffic requires frequent concentration, etc.
Heroes can also regain Power Points while walking if the conditions are generally favorable and the pace is leisurely.
Each Force power activated is its own action, and the same or different powers may be cast multiple times as a Multi-Action.
A character may cast a power with fewer Power Points than it requires (whether she has them or not) by increasing the difficulty of her Force Use skill roll.
For every Power Point a character will short, she suffers a -1 penalty to the roll. Casting a 3-point vital transfer with 0 Power Points, for example, inflicts a -3 penalty. Shorting is risky. If a character fails a shorted Force Use skill roll, it’s considered a Critical Failure!
Power Modifiers allow characters to customize their abilities, adding a special effect that better reflects her power’s Trapping.
Power Modifiers are selected each time a power is activated and may be freely changed each time. A cold Force blast might cause Armor Piercing damage in one attack and Lingering Damage in the next.
A number of common modifiers are listed below, and some powers have additional options as well. The number in parentheses is the price in additional Power Points it costs to add the effect.
Casters must declare which modifiers they’re using before rolling their Force Use skill.
Unless a modifier says otherwise, it may be applied to any power, but only once per casting.
Power Modifiers last for the Duration of the spell, or until the end of the target’s next turn in the case of Instant powers.
The attack is focused to defeat armor or seeks out a foe’s exposed areas. Each Power Point spent grants the power AP 2, to a maximum of AP 6.
Powers that drain or tax an opponent can cause Fatigue. This modifier may be attached to any Force power that can cause damage or is resisted by the target. If she’s affected by the power in any way, she also suffers Fatigue. This cannot cause Incapacitation, however.
Glow gives off soft light of an appropriate color for its Trapping (or caster’s choice). This creates soft light in a Small Blast Template centered on the target, and lasts until the power expires. It subtracts 2 from her Stealth totals and negates 1 point of Illumination penalties for those attacking the glowing character.
Shroud dims and slightly obscures the target so that attacks against her suffer a -1 penalty and she adds +1 to her Stealth rolls.
The caster pours his energy into the attack, creating a focused blast. The attack counts as a Heavy Weapon.
The target is slowed in some way, perhaps due to intense cold, a slippery surface, or even binding matter or energy. His base Pace is reduced by 2 until the power expires.
A caster can Hurry the recipient instead. He might get increased energy, sure footing, or more powerful muscles. His Pace is increased by 2.
Effects of either modifier aren’t cumulative.
The target is hit by fire, intense cold, acid, gnawing insects, or some other Trapping that continues to cause damage after the initial attack. On the victim’s next turn, he suffers the power’s base damage minus one die type (one additional turn only). If hit with a 2d6 Force blast, for example, the victim takes 2d4 damage at the start of his next turn. If the base damage is already a d4 die type, it loses a die instead.
Double the power’s listed Range for 1 Power Point, or triple it for +2. This modifier may not be used on powers with a Range of Touch or the Cone Template.
With intense focus, the caster can choose not to affect any or all individual targets within a power’s area of effect (picking all enemies instead of allies in a blast, for example).