Enhanced (Trait)
From D20advanced
| ENHANCED (TRAIT) | ||
| Type: Trait | Action: None (passive) | |
| Range: Personal | Duration: Continuous | |
| Resistance: None | Cost: Varies (see description) | |
You have an enhancement to a non-FX trait, such as an ability (including saving throws) or skill (including attack or defense bonus). The Enhanced Trait has the same cost at the trait’s normal cost. Its “rank” is considered equal to the trait’s bonus or modifier. So 10 points of Enhanced Strength costs 20 points (since ability scores cost 2 characters point per ability score point) and is considered a rank 10 FX.
Enhanced Traits can be nullified like other FX (and unlike normal traits), but you can also spend Hero Dice to them and include them in arrays, Devices, and so forth (also unlike normal traits). The GM approves any extra effort use in conjunction with your Enhanced Traits. Enhanced Traits also have appropriate descriptors, differentiating them from normal traits.
You can freely mix normal and Enhanced Traits, and their benefits stack up to the limits of the campaign’s power level. So a character can have Dexterity 2 and Enhanced Dexterity 5 for a total Dexterity score of 7, so long as the total Dex score is within the power level limits. If the character’s Enhanced Dexterity is nullified, he drops down to a 2 Dex.
Contents |
FX Feats
- Alternate FX: Unlike normal traits, an Enhanced Trait may be placed into an Array as a base or Alternate FX. The benefits of the Enhanced Trait only apply so long as that Alternate FX of the Array is active.
- Innate: Enhanced Traits may be Innate, in which case they are unaffected by trait FX, including Nullify. Note, however, that enhancing FX like Boost also do not affect Innate traits.
- Subtle: As a continuous FX, Enhanced Trait is subtle by default and does not require this FX feat. Enhanced Traits with noticeable FX can have the Noticeable FX drawback.
Extras
- Absorption (+3): In addition to helping you resist damage, your Enhanced Toughness actually "absorbs" some of the incoming energy of the attack, which you can use to improve your own traits! Applied to Impervious Toughness, this extra essentially gives you a Linked 1-point Boost that operates automatically when your Toughness stops damage.
- Affects Others: This changes the Enhanced Trait's range from personal to touch, allowing you to bestow the FX on someone else. As usual, the +0 version of this modifier means you can only grant the Enhanced Trait to others, the +1 version means you can grant it to someone else while still using it yourself. An Enhanced Trait that Affects Others generally cannot improve traits beyond power level limits, although the GM may modify this as desired.
- Impervious (+1): Your Enhanced Toughness stops some damage cold. If an attack has a damage bonus less than your Toughness rank, it inflicts no damage (you automatically resist as with the Immunity FX). Penetrating damage ignores this modifier; you must save against it normally.
- Reflective (+1/+2): Applied to Impervious Toughness, this extra "bounces" any damage blocked by your Impervious extra back at the attacker. This occurs automatically when the attack happens and the reflected damage automatically hits the attacker, who saves against it normally. If the attacker has sufficient Impervious Toughness himself, the attack has no FX (and is not further reflected, if the attacker also has Reflective Toughness). As a +1 modifier, Reflective works against a limited group of damaging effects, either melee or ranged or a reasonably common descriptor (such as heat, light, or radiation, for example), as a +2 modifier, it applies to all damaging effects.
Flaws
- Duration: An Enhanced Trait can have a sustained duration as a –1 flaw, meaning the trait must be activated and maintained as a free action, and stops working if you are unable to maintain it. Enhanced Traits cannot have an instant duration, nor may they apply the Permanent flaw.
- Fades: For an Enhanced Trait that requires activation and fades over time, use the Boost FX rather than this flaw. An Enhanced Toughness ablates and chips away with successive attacks.
- Limited (–1): Your Protection applies to only one of a broad type of damage (physical or energy). If your Protection applies to only one of a narrow type of damage (edged weapons, blunt weapons, electricity, fire, magic, etc.) it has a –3 modifier.
- Permanent: The Permanent flaw does not apply to Enhanced Trait, because permanent Enhanced Traits aren’t sufficiently limited by it, and because normal permanent versions of the traits are already defined in game terms.
Drawbacks
- Noticeable: Your Enhanced Trait has some noticeable quality to it, such as a physical change (unusually large muscles or an enlarged head or brain, for example) or an effect accompanying use of the trait, such as glowing whenever you use your Enhanced Strength. The quality must be such that it gives some indication of what the Enhanced Trait is: merely looking odd doesn’t necessarily qualify for this drawback (it’s more of a social complication). Note that sustained duration Enhanced Traits cannot have this drawback, as sustained FX are already noticeable by default.
