Question about Phasing Power

[Crocodile]

I don't think the lightsaber dude has an advantage. In fact, staff chick probably has the advantage in this scenario. Because Phasing bro knows Lightsabers can hurt him. So he doesnt bother Phasing, it'd just waste his time and energy. But against staff chick? He Phases, literally BLOWING through stamina to avoid the attacks by Phasing. He gets worn out quicker doing this, giving staff chick the advantage over lightsaber dude.

If Desco has a Move where it states "this punch is infused with magical energy" then you're good to go. If not, then no. Because being a magical being ain't much different than just being a living being, or a robot, or what have you. Different kinds of energy pervade them all. One would assume the "basic" energy of the various kinds of life would be something Phasing would account for, since it's the same energy that is being "phased" when using the power.

It's fine and dandy to try to rectify loopholes and issues, I've done it. But you're overthinking things. Just like every Power and Move, if Phasing is abused to the extent where a player "godmodes", Staff will step in and deal with that player.

You don't need a new Move to counter Phasing. You just need to understand the Power and how it can be countered. You don't need to hurt a guy while he's phased. Just keep him phased so he can't hurt you, wait til he's tired as fuck, then wail on him. Use what you have to turn the tide.

If you spend the OM to get Phasing and to make a Phasing Bazooka, then by all means, use it. Here's the rub... it wouldn't hurt a normal person anyway. Because a person is a physical barrier, and it would phase through them. But assuming you meant it only bypasses defenses, the target can still dodge, as you can with any move.

You're looking at only a single way to bypass a problem. I don't see Phasing as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to grow as a writer. To figure out ways to handle a difficult situation and come out on top.

[King Ghidorah]

Frankly, I can't see a move that ignored physical defenses getting past the approval process. The perceived energy attacks bias in the phasing power is a highly specific thing, and trying to extrapolate from it into move creation, which is highly regulated, seems like hyperbole to me. The checks and balances we have make this a single point of contention, not a slippery slope. 

The whole balanced effects thing, if I'm reading Alex's posts correctly, is about what moves do, regardless of their mechanism, and what characters can (or in this case, really can't) ignore just all on their own, without use of powers. Phasing is a Power, with its own up-sides and downsides that are independent of the balancing criteria for moves.

Does something which is otherwise fluff influence how the power behaves? Yes. Is this is the only example of that I've been able to find on the site? Yes. Does that matter? I don't think it does.  

Let's look at the lightsaber example. Both characters have 3 speed, so phasing is useless in combat anyway, because it takes several seconds to activate. If both character's had ten speed, it would still be slower than just dodging, and it would tire the phaser out faster. The entire power-description needs to be considered before condemning it for one thing, which grants a perceived advantage which, even if it did come into play will not be a deciding factor in the fight.

Both of my characters use energy-attacks. However, I nearly chose the Hulk for an alt. And if I had gone for the Hulk? I never would have spent OM to try and get around phasing. I could do it - gamma radiation infused attacks, or some-such - but I wouldn't. 
Could King Ghidorah just blast a phaser who managed to activate it in combat? Yes. But could HULK SMASH PUNY GHOST-MAN!? Yes he could, as soon as they un-phased. And if they kept phasing, they would fall over. Different and unfair are not the same thing. This isn't a game-breaking flaw.  

This whole argument seems to come down to a semantic disagreement about what 'balanced', 'equal', and 'fair' mean, and a different understanding of the context of the Omniverse's overall balancing system. I think people are getting upset about it, and that's making it seem bigger than it is.  

Let's relax, maybe read back over the mod-responses and the power description, and remember that we're all here to have fun.

[Luci]

Ghidorah wins.

/thread.

[Demetri Malius]

I was gonna type up a long reply but yeah, Ghidorah has actually showed the whole thing with what i wanted to say. I will state that i dont understand why energy weapons working against phasing, it seems unneeded, but it is true that such a detail is not necessarily anything to hoot over.Thanks for making a great statement for clarifying everything Ghidorah.

[Alex]

Ghidorah wins.

/thread.

Closing this thread, because it appears to me that Luci has a clearer understanding of why the Phasing power is set up the way it is, which was the initially point raised by the thread.