With the upcoming Dawn of Legends through playtesting and now off to final editing and layout preparation, Creative Director Mike Dukes takes us behind the scenes on two different Power Schemes available to characters: Power Networks and Power Spectrums.

Designed with versatility in mind, Power Networks and Power Spectrums allow for characters to possess a wide array of powers all dependent upon a unifying theme.  After all, even in the world of comic books, phenominal power has a price . . . .

As was mentioned in the last journal, the powers system is designed to allow you to create all that you have seen in comics and anything your mind can conjure.  Buying powers individually works great in most cases, but what if you want to have a vast array of powers at your disposal?  This is where Power Networks are your friend, giving you more bang for your buck.  At character creation, you are allotted a number of points with which to buy your special abilities and then there are edges which can give you even more points.  Creating a character with the ability to shoot flames from his fingertips is an easy matter.  But what if you want to be a master of flame, able to create and control it both offensively and defensively?  That would be a lot of points individually.   Enter the Power Network (PN).

In comics, you will often see characters based around a theme.  The psychic is mentally themed while the human inferno is fire themed and the alien from a distant planet that gets his powers from our yellow sun could have his race as a theme (assuming it is simply the effect of our sun on his race that gives them powers).  A Power Network is a collection of slots, or powers which all fall into the same theme and share the same source.  A Power Network is bought in ranks, like normal, with the cost of the Network determining the maximum allowable cost of a power slot in that Network.  For instance, if a Power Network cost 36 points, no power slot in the Network can have a total cost greater than 36.  The powers within the Network cannot be above the character’s Power Level limit, as normal, and Enhancements, Boosters and Drawbacks can be applied normally (or applied to the Network itself, if it is some sort of device or talisman).  The powers bought for Network are gained for a discounted price, making them vastly cheaper. 

The slots in a PN come in two varieties- Embedded and Adjustable.  Powers in an embedded slot function just like a power purchased normally, meaning there can be no adjustment of points in the power after creation.  Powers in adjustable slots, on the other hand, can be raised and lowered when necessary to boost other adjustable slots.  For instance, say you have an Energy Blast at Rank 5 and a Forcefield at Rank 4, both of which are adjustable slots.  If you need more power for your energy blast to punch through an alien ship’s hull, you can lower your Forcefield for a round and increase your energy blast by a like number.  If we lower the Forcefield by 3 (making it rank 1 for the round), we can boost our Energy Blast by a like number, to an 8.  You need to decide when creating the Network, whether its slots are embedded or adjustable.  Examples of Power Networks include: Air Manipulation, Cosmic Energy Control, Darkness Manipulation, Earth Manipulation, Power Armor, et cetera. 

Power Networks give you very specific powers.  What if you want to possess control of a great many things, mimicking a tremendous number of powers?  There are certain powers in Dawn of Legends which are called Power Spectrums.  Rather than having to pick a certain number of powers to fit into a theme, like with a Network, you have a pool of points which you can place into any power you want, to simulate various effects.  Probably the best example of a Power Spectrum is Metamagic.  Sorcerers in comics are masters of arcane arts, capable of creating any effect they can think of.  Welcome to the wonderful world of Power Spectrums.  With Metamagic, for example, a character could lift things from afar (Telekinesis), blast foes with Eldritch Energy (Ranged Attack), Fly (Flight), become invisible (Invisibility), or make use of pretty much any power in the book.  Similar to the adjustable slots in a Network, Spectrums give you control of how much or how little power you want to put into an ability, making them very versatile.

Like PNs, Power Spectrums must have a single source and the powers within the Spectrum cannot exceed the Power Rating Limit.  Some examples of Power Spectrums include: Adaption, Animal Mimicry, Bane, Empower, Force Manipulation, Matter Creation, Metamagic, and Universal Gadget.  Between normal Powers, Power Networks and Power Spectrums (plus Boosters, Drawbacks and Enhancements), the possibilities are endless, allowing you to flex your creative muscles and create all sorts of heroes.

The only question remaining is: Are you ready to be a hero?

-- Mike Dukes, Creative Director

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