Trappings allow the Force powers presented in this chapter to have many different appearances. They usually have no game effect on their own, but are important for atmosphere and theme.
One character might chill a target with an explosive blast, while another makes a concussive blast. Both are examples of the Force Blast power and share the same mechanics, but they look and are described differently.
Trappings do matter when an obstacle or opponent has a particular strength or weakness. If a night hunter suffers +4 damage from light-based attacks, for example, a Force blast a player describes as a searing light counts as a light attack and does +4 damage.
Once described, a power’s Trappings don’t change without the Force Master Edge or an Advance.
A character can alter the power’s effects as she wishes using Power Modifiers.
Sometimes logic dictates a Force power’s Trapping should have some additional effect. Zapping someone with a lightning bolt while they’re standing in water should cause additional damage, for example, or less if they’re wearing a rubber hazmat suit.
When this occurs, the GM can decide there’s synergy that either increases or decreases the effect or damage (GM’s call) by +2 or -2.
Oppositional forces, such as fire and ice or light and darkness, don’t have synergy against one another (though such effects are sometimes accounted for in some creatures’ Special Abilities).
Sometimes a Force power’s Trapping imposes a limitation on the power. This gives the power focus at the expense of versatility, reducing the strain it causes the caster. The Limitation is permanent and always in effect unless changed with an Advance as noted below.
Each limitation placed upon the power reduces its total Power Point cost by one (to a minimum of 1). If this would normally reduce the cost to 0, you gain a +1 bonus (+2 maximum) to the Force Use skill total instead.
RANGE: The power’s Range is reduced to Touch (and its listed Range is greater).
PERSONAL: The power’s Range becomes Self (and has a Range of Touch or the Range Limitation above).
ASPECT: The character can only access one aspect of a power (that has more than one choice), such as light/darkness or boost/lower trait.
A character gets two new Force powers when he takes the New Powers Edge. He may instead add Trappings to his powers in place of one or two of the new powers. A hero who takes the New Powers Edge, for example, could choose one new power and add a cold Trapping to her Force blast. The GM may also allow a player to change the trapping of existing power when she gains an Advance. This should reflect a major change in the character in some way as determined by the player and GM.