Power Rings - How do?

[Thaal Sinestro]

Qwardian Power Ring
Fueled by the accumulation of fear of sentient beings, the Qwardian Power Ring is one of the most powerful weapons in what Sinestro used to call his universe. Using raw fear as a medium to project its power, the ring can create any item that the wielder can imagine, limited by their imagination, control of fear and, arguably, their willpower.

It must be recharged with a Yellow Lantern after the use of every 6 SP, which can cause it to power-down mid-fight, or whenever thematically appropriate. The recharge requires him to hold the Lantern and speak the oath while holding the ring within it, which is generally prevented if people are punching his face repeatedly. It also means that the Lantern can be stolen or destroyed (though of course I expect to be able to reconstitute it with omnilium between fights). The ring itself CAN be broken, but that will require a significantly badass move (and I also expect that it can be remade between fights).

Basic Blast (Ranged) - 300 OM
Basic Shield - 300 OM
Life Support - ??? OM
Homing Proficiency – 500 OM (requires Ranged Proficiency)
Wide Proficiency – 1000 OM
Flight – 1800 OM
Enhanced Senses, Basic - 1400 OM
Telekinesis, Basic - 1500 OM

[Omni]

Those prices sound about right for the basic blast and shield, but I'll want descriptions before I approve 'em. You can just put the power ring spiel on your roster as flavor text, if you like.

[Thaal Sinestro]

Those prices sound about right for the basic blast and shield, but I'll want descriptions before I approve 'em. You can just put the power ring spiel on your roster as flavor text, if you like.

The bitch of it is that the ring itself can create just about any carrier for the damage that Sinestro can dream up, but the damage will always be directly tied to how well he's controlling the ring. It can be a gun, a simple beam of yellow light, a chainsaw rocket, whatever, but in the end they're all just as effective as the other.

As far as the Shield goes, it generally manifests as a gentle yellow aura around him. Same goes for the Life Support.

Is there any advantage of giving your powers inherent weaknesses like the recharging or the ability for it to be taken away or broken? If not I don't think I'll put myself in a position where my opponents have an easy write around to kick my ass.

[Omni]

The larger number of downsides and the bigger they are, the stronger the move will be. There's no objective system to measure this (I still look back on the time I tried to do that in AD with horror), this is just assumed. If I have to stand still and charge an attack for ten seconds, it will be stronger. If you're hitting me with rapid fire pellets, they're going to be weaker. As for having your ass kicked, winning and losing is all determined by judges based on writing quality. If they kick your ass IC without good reason in some odd belief that the judge will see that and think "this guy's character is obviously better, he should clearly win", it's just going to hurt their chances of winning. See the RPing rules for the official stance on this. There's no IC corner that someone can write you into that the judge can't write you out of with the power of deus ex machina.

[Thaal Sinestro]

Do you think the drawbacks for the ring's powers are fair/appropriate?

[Omni]

Right now it's hard to say because the ring doesn't do anything yet. You're going to need individual descriptions for each move, along with downsides. I'm assuming the SP thing is for flavor, because SP is SP and the rules for that are always the same. It's going to take a lot of time to recharge, so if you're going from one mission to the next that Yellow Lantern will need to be purchased see Elixir.

[Thaal Sinestro]

Right now it's hard to say because the ring doesn't do anything yet. You're going to need individual descriptions for each move, along with downsides. I'm assuming the SP thing is for flavor, because SP is SP and the rules for that are always the same. It's going to take a lot of time to recharge, so if you're going from one mission to the next that Yellow Lantern will need to be purchased see Elixir.

In the different areas, you made it fairly clear that a single "Move" in the form of an item can do multiple things, and I listed and described those multiple things. In the same way that "Buster Sword" was described, and then lsited the things it can do, I described what it could do and then listed the things it can do? I don't understand what else you want me to do with it. It is a combination of all of those things. The ring itself is a "Move" in the same way that the Buster Sword or an AK 47 is a "Move."

In the same ways that an AK47 is just a proxy for a Ranged Proficiency, and a Buster Sword is a proxy for Physical Proficiency, both of their actual damage is a direct result of that character's Attack score, if I understand the system correctly. The Ring is a proxy for the powers I listed. I told you HOW it does those things.

I don't know what else you want?

[Omni]

Like this:

Power Ring
A power ring can be uses for a bunch of things. For example:

Energy Blast
Quick blasts of energy can be fired from the ring.

Charged Energy Blast
By taking five seconds to plant his feet and charge up, Sinestro can fire a much powerful blast of energy.

Quickcharge Energy Blast
Much faster than the charged energy blast, but extremely draining. Using more than one of these in a row will leaving Sinestro fatigued and extremely vulnerable to retaliation.

Shield
A circular shield summoned by the ring. This can be sustained as long as Sinestro funnels energy into it, but is only as strong as his defensive stat.

See the rest of this topic, other joining forms, and the moves page for more examples if you need them.

[Thaal Sinestro]

Like this:

Power Ring
A power ring can be uses for a bunch of things. For example:

Energy Blast
Quick blasts of energy can be fired from the ring.

Charged Energy Blast
By taking five seconds to plant his feet and charge up, Sinestro can fire a much powerful blast of energy.

Quickcharge Energy Blast
Much faster than the charged energy blast, but extremely draining. Using more than one of these in a row will leaving Sinestro fatigued and extremely vulnerable to retaliation.

Shield
A circular shield summoned by the ring. This can be sustained as long as Sinestro funnels energy into it, but is only as strong as his defensive stat.

See the rest of this topic, other joining forms, and the moves page for more examples if you need them.

I really have read the joining topics and the rules over and over, so this is a confusion that isn't gonna be cleared up by my reading them again. I really do check the rules before I ask questions or post things.

I didn't intend for him to recharge his SP with the Lantern, just that if he loses ring charge due to loss of SP, he can recharge the ring and get his basic moves back. Thinking about changing it to a function of his total SP instead, like it loses charge after 1/2 his SP are used so it scales a bit better.

Am I buying things twice? Do I need to purchase a different move to use a wide blast of my ring if I already have Wide Proficiency and Energy Blast for my ring? Does an AK47 have to be bought for different settings like, semi, automatic and burst? Can I have a move that has the option of being charged or not? Can that charge have different levels of charge or do I have to buy every separate level of charge?

I'm assuming here that the "powers" like Flight and Telekinesis don't have to be purchased twice if the power does the exact same thing as I intend it to, even if the visual is different. Does it matter that the ring will make a big glowing jack to lift something instead of it just lifting to an invisible force?

All of the following powers are dependent on his ring being active and suffer equally from the loss, destruction or lack of charge of the ring. (See prior description for the guesstimated rules on the ring)

Hard-Light Weapon:
Sinestro can summon up a glowing yellow melee weapon in any form during combat. These weapons are always of the same strength and the appearance is purely cosmetic. The more damage these weapons take, the more physically and mentally drained he becomes. These weapons will dissipate upon his losing concentration for any reason.

Hard-Light Blast:
The ring can fire a concentrated beam of yellow hard-light when Sinestro concentrates. This can take the form of a single beam or appear as any other ranged weapon Sinestro can dream up. Sinestro put more energy into each shot, the strength of which relates directly to how physically and mentally drained he is after the attack. These weapons and projectiles will immediately dissipate upon his breaking his concentration for any reason.

Hard-Light Shield:
Sinestro is covered in a yellow aura that protects him from attacks and environmental effects. The more he focuses, the more damage the shield can take, but the the more physically and mentally drained he is after the defense.

Hard-Light Tethers:
In the same way that Sinestro can manipulate objects in creative ways, he can also manipulate characters. Iron chains, ribbons of light, crushing snakes can all be used. In general, these tethers always accomplish the same goal: they slow a character down and they immobilize their arms. However, these shackles can be broken just like any other item: hitting, cutting and ripping free in a feat of strength are all options. Additionally, if he loses his concentration, the tethers immediately dissipate. The more energy he puts into these tethers, the harder they are to break but the more physically and mentally exhausted he becomes.

Life Support:
No matter what Sinestro's consciousness level is there is a thin aura of yellow light, as long as the ring has some form of charge on it. This aura ensures that he can breathe and that he is not effected by atmospheric pressure. If the ring loses charge, this protection is lost.

[Omni]

I didn't intend for him to recharge his SP with the Lantern, just that if he loses ring charge due to loss of SP, he can recharge the ring and get his basic moves back. Thinking about changing it to a function of his total SP instead, like it loses charge after 1/2 his SP are used so it scales a bit better.

I would recommend you roleplay the ring as being able to be slowly recharged over time, and can be used even when 'empty' to some degree with willpower, so that it basically functions the same as fatigue, rather than it recharging in big bursts. The power of omnilium can be used to explain that. SP is purely for super moves and transformations, so you never need it to use basic moves.

Am I buying things twice? Do I need to purchase a different move to use a wide blast of my ring if I already have Wide Proficiency and Energy Blast for my ring? Does an AK47 have to be bought for different settings like, semi, automatic and burst? Can I have a move that has the option of being charged or not? Can that charge have different levels of charge or do I have to buy every separate level of charge?

Basically, this. I added a sentence with a gun example to make it even more explicit:
"The price of a move depends on how many ways it can be used. For example, a simple sword only costs 300 OM. But a sword which can be used both as a melee and a ranged weapon (for example, this sword can shoot beams) costs 600 OM since it is essentially two moves. Similarly, a gun which simply shoots always the same way will cost 300 OM, but one with several dissimilar settings (such as rapid-fire, shotgun, and sniper) will cost 300 OM for each setting."

In the case of the AK47 with semi, automatic and burst, I'd probably give it 600 OM because while semi and full-auto are pretty disparate, burst could be considered essentially just using full-auto sparingly. It's similar enough that I'm not gonna charge you 3x. Same goes for charged moves - depending on the degree, I'm probably not going to charge you additionally for 'mid-charge' as well as full-charge. Since the creativity of writers far outweighs my ability to consider every possible contingency in advance, we have this thread so I can judge everything. For the forseeable future, I'll be checking over every single move, including those which other staff have priced.

I'm assuming here that the "powers" like Flight and Telekinesis don't have to be purchased twice if the power does the exact same thing as I intend it to, even if the visual is different.

No you don't need to purchase it twice, you just purchase the power.

Does it matter that the ring will make a big glowing jack to lift something instead of it just lifting to an invisible force?

Depends. Invisible force requires Telekinesis. You can make a big glowing jack with a move, and remote control proficiency if you can control it from afar. It could be almost functionally the same as telekinesis, but visible, if you make it advanced enough (for example a move which can lift, push, pull), but by that point it's going to cost more than just buying the telekinesis power.

Onto the applications of your power ring.

Hard-Light Weapon needs a separate move for each weapon, unless the appearance is purely cosmetic ie changing the colour, hilt. But I would consider a hard-light axe to be different from a hard-light katana, and that to be different from a hard-light bastard sword. Each use would be 300 OM.

Hard-Light Blast has the same deal. You need to choose bullets, or a beam, or whatever. You also need to specify how powerful it can become, if the only limit is how much energy he puts into it. With a single form and variable power (like a beam he can put more or less energy into) it's probably gonna be 600 OM.

Hard Light Shield needs Wide Proficiency as it covers his entire person. It would be 300 OM.

Hard-Light Tethers is 600 OM as he can put more energy into the tethers to strengthen them.

Life Support is part of the 'Survival' power (the very last one on the Powers page). Once you have that power, you don't need to purchase a move. But you do require that power.

[Thaal Sinestro]

I didn't intend for him to recharge his SP with the Lantern, just that if he loses ring charge due to loss of SP, he can recharge the ring and get his basic moves back. Thinking about changing it to a function of his total SP instead, like it loses charge after 1/2 his SP are used so it scales a bit better.

I would recommend you roleplay the ring as being able to be slowly recharged over time, and can be used even when 'empty' to some degree with willpower, so that it basically functions the same as fatigue, rather than it recharging in big bursts. The power of omnilium can be used to explain that. SP is purely for super moves and transformations, so you never need it to use basic moves.

Am I buying things twice? Do I need to purchase a different move to use a wide blast of my ring if I already have Wide Proficiency and Energy Blast for my ring? Does an AK47 have to be bought for different settings like, semi, automatic and burst? Can I have a move that has the option of being charged or not? Can that charge have different levels of charge or do I have to buy every separate level of charge?

Basically, this. I added a sentence with a gun example to make it even more explicit:
"The price of a move depends on how many ways it can be used. For example, a simple sword only costs 300 OM. But a sword which can be used both as a melee and a ranged weapon (for example, this sword can shoot beams) costs 600 OM since it is essentially two moves. Similarly, a gun which simply shoots always the same way will cost 300 OM, but one with several dissimilar settings (such as rapid-fire, shotgun, and sniper) will cost 300 OM for each setting."

In the case of the AK47 with semi, automatic and burst, I'd probably give it 600 OM because while semi and full-auto are pretty disparate, burst could be considered essentially just using full-auto sparingly. It's similar enough that I'm not gonna charge you 3x. Same goes for charged moves - depending on the degree, I'm probably not going to charge you additionally for 'mid-charge' as well as full-charge. Since the creativity of writers far outweighs my ability to consider every possible contingency in advance, we have this thread so I can judge everything. For the forseeable future, I'll be checking over every single move, including those which other staff have priced.

I'm assuming here that the "powers" like Flight and Telekinesis don't have to be purchased twice if the power does the exact same thing as I intend it to, even if the visual is different.

No you don't need to purchase it twice, you just purchase the power.

Does it matter that the ring will make a big glowing jack to lift something instead of it just lifting to an invisible force?

Depends. Invisible force requires Telekinesis. You can make a big glowing jack with a move, and remote control proficiency if you can control it from afar. It could be almost functionally the same as telekinesis, but visible, if you make it advanced enough (for example a move which can lift, push, pull), but by that point it's going to cost more than just buying the telekinesis power.

Onto the applications of your power ring.

Hard-Light Weapon needs a separate move for each weapon, unless the appearance is purely cosmetic ie changing the colour, hilt. But I would consider a hard-light axe to be different from a hard-light katana, and that to be different from a hard-light bastard sword. Each use would be 300 OM.

Hard-Light Blast has the same deal. You need to choose bullets, or a beam, or whatever. You also need to specify how powerful it can become, if the only limit is how much energy he puts into it. With a single form and variable power (like a beam he can put more or less energy into) it's probably gonna be 600 OM.

Hard Light Shield needs Wide Proficiency as it covers his entire person. It would be 300 OM.

Hard-Light Tethers is 600 OM as he can put more energy into the tethers to strengthen them.

Life Support is part of the 'Survival' power (the very last one on the Powers page). Once you have that power, you don't need to purchase a move. But you do require that power.

I have a write around for you: a restricted Illusory Shapechange. I'll buy Illusory Shapechange and it'll make my "generic melee weapon" and "generic ranged weapon" LOOK different even though they are functionally the same. Same thing goes for my "ranged mechanical manipulators" and whatever the tethers look like. Hell if that's not enough, I'll get Physical Shapechange and restrict it exclusively to the Hard-Light constructs. They follow the rules as above: they are draining and they hurt him if they're broken.

They're basically all just ways to be creative with the exact same in-game effect. They are all functionally identical, in the same way that "Melee Proficiency" lets you have boxing OR krav maga. They have the same effect but look different.

EDIT: For clarity's sake, I would spend the 300 for the "basic melee weapon" and then the 600 for the visual differences, making "Hard-Light Weapon" cost an overall of 900. Same deal for Hard- Light Blast, it costs 900. I'll Tack on 600 to every move that can look different but does the same thing, including Tether and Telekinesis.

[Omni]

I wouldn't say all those melee weapons have the same function. An axe has all its power focused in a single area. A massive sword is more difficult to wield, but has a much bigger range. That's the difference. If you were changing a longsword to a katana, I'd probably be inclined not to care. Illusory shapeshifting won't let you change the range of a weapon. Similarly, a beam is functionally different to a bullet. If you're just using different types of guns which fire the same projectile, then that's fine.

[Thaal Sinestro]

I wouldn't say all those melee weapons have the same function. An axe has all its power focused in a single area. A massive sword is more difficult to wield, but has a much bigger range. That's the difference. If you were changing a longsword to a katana, I'd probably be inclined not to care. Illusory shapeshifting won't let you change the range of a weapon. Similarly, a beam is functionally different to a bullet. If you're just using different types of guns which fire the same projectile, then that's fine.

They weigh the same and work the same because they are both just the creation of the wielder. Again, the different between a hard-light axe and a hard-light katana and a hard-light mace is what they look like. They inflict damage based off of the wielder's proficiency with the ring. Same thing goes for the the guns, they all fire the same kind of projectile: hard light. They move at the same speed, they hit equally hard. They are functionally the same.

[Omni]

Are the melee weapons all the same size/shape, under the illusion?

[Thaal Sinestro]

Are the melee weapons all the same size/shape, under the illusion?

Yeah, thereabouts. He's not gonna summon like, a polearm or anything. If I go with the physical model, I suppose anything would be covered under the half gained/lost clause.

[Omni]

If it's different sizes/shapes, you need different moves. The whole plus/minus size clause that applies to Physical Shapeshifting does not apply to everything else. Physical Shapeshifting is that way because it's a power. It's also limited to the user's own body, which is different from weapons. If you consider all melee weapons to be functionally the same, then just buy your favourite and give me a solid description of it.

Them's the rules.

[Thaal Sinestro]

I suppose I'll just not be this character then, because it's completely impossible to make him. How very, very disappointing that you've made an exclusionary system.

[Omni]

You can have anything you want, if you have enough OM. If you want to have all your powers from the start, there are plenty of RPGs that allow that. Nobody is forcing you to play in this 'exclusionary system'. It's what I made, I think it's pretty neat.

[Thaal Sinestro]

You can have anything you want, if you have enough OM. If you want to have all your powers from the start, there are plenty of RPGs that allow that. Nobody is forcing you to play in this 'exclusionary system'. It's what I made, I think it's pretty neat.

Well, I'm trying to think of a way to make this character but you're telling me that I can't do the things the character can do. I'd have to buy an infinite amount of 300 OM weapons to account for the fact that his ring can create things that LOOK differently.

If you were making Sinestro or any Green Lantern, how would you set them up? I'm totally open to suggestions here, but I'm being shot down at every turn with no answers being given.

EDIT: I'm willing to have him be a no-powers character as long as it takes for me to save up for me to afford the ring, and I'll pay literally anything for it.

[Omni]

See this for some good ideas.

How I'd do it: make a move for short, middle-sized, big swords, axes, whatever. Repeat for all the stuff you want. I don't want everyone to have all of their stuff from the very beginning. If you want literally infinite types of moves, then yeah, you'd need literally infinite OM. I didn't realise you wanted to simply have limitless powers. That's beyond the scope of this RPG.