DEVICE

Effect: General

Action: Reaction

Range: Personal

Duration: Permanent (Innate)

Cost: 3-4 points per rank

You have a device—an item giving you certain traits. The device might be a piece of super-science technology, a magical artifact, or a focus of cosmic power. Each rank gives you 5 character points you can use to purchase the device’s traits. So long as you have the device, you have access to its traits. You cannot use points from a Device to buy another Device. Although the Device itself is Permanent and Innate, the Device’s powers may or may not be, depending on their duration.

The cost of a Device depends on how easily you can lose it. For 4 points per rank, the device is hard to lose. It can only be taken away from you while you are helpless (see Condition Summary, page 171). For 3 points per rank, the device is easy to lose. It can be taken away from you with a successful Disarm action (see Disarm, page 156). An item that cannot be taken away from you at all isn’t a Device. For example, a bionic arm may grant you Super-Strength, but since it can’t be taken away, it doesn’t count as a Device.

With the GM’s permission, you can split character points from this power into several devices, so long as they can all be taken away from you in the same manner. It’s harder to take away all of your devices, but easier to take away their benefits one-by-one.

When you acquire a device, choose whether strain of extra effort applies to you or the device (see Extra Effort, page 120). If it applies to you, follow the normal extra effort rules. If it applies to the device, then using extra effort to enhance the device’s traits places stress on its construction or systems. A “fatigued” device suffers a –1 modifier to all ranks. An “exhausted” device suffers a –3 modifier to all power ranks, and a device pushed beyond exhausted stops working altogether. The modifiers last until the device is repaired (a Complex or Advanced repair task, respectively, see Craft, page 45).

See Chapter 7 for more on how devices work, how characters acquire them, and various examples.

POWER FEATS

• Restricted: Only certain people can use your Device. It might only work for members of a particular bloodline, people with extraordinary (20+) Strength or Wisdom, only women, and so forth. For everyone else, the Device has no powers at all. If you apply this feat twice, only you—and no one else—can use your device. It can be taken away, but not used against you.