How does Reconstruction Work?

[magictiger]

hi guys,
1. How does Reconstruction Work? Is it automatic for making almost anything or need some skills to back it up?

2. Can he create Guns? Robots? Electronic Gizmos? Computers? As long as he has the parts???

3. Can he fix anything?

Thanks guys. If there is anything else you can tell me that I might not have figured out let me know?? Thanks again.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Could you please tell us what you are talking about before asking questions w/o any context?

Which book, page? Is this a NPC? Things like that.

[PapaMambo]

I agree with DK.. Never heard of Reconstruction. Or I'm just not familiar with it.. If you can cite a reference for it, you'd get a much better answer.

[Incriptus]

Assuming we're talking about PU1 Reconstruction

I think the best answer is yes. While the text may not be clear [depends on what your definition of "Build, Construct, & Repair" are] I would place an emphasis on the "RE" part of the power.

Any object that was formerly in working order and recently been dismantled or broken can be returned to it's working state as long as the majority of it's parts are available. I would also place the requirement that the person have some sort of idea what it was supposed to be.

I would not allow it to build things out of whole cloth ... ie he couldn't just walk into a electronic/hardware store and fabricate a robot, even if a skilled person could with the same parts. There would have originally needed to be a robot from those parts and he could repair that robot.

I still really dig the power though, I think the ability to repair things at super speed without tools has a solid use. Hell I even used the limitation as a "feature". I had a "Behind the Scene's" Super Villian who utilized the power. Despite being able to invent reliable stuff, he would take it apart and use the power to reconstruct it, forcing people who used his gear to come back to him between jobs. . . also spitting the Heroes who really wanted to keep the stuff for themselves!

[Nightmask]

Assuming we're talking about PU1 Reconstruction

I think the best answer is yes. While the text may not be clear [depends on what your definition of "Build, Construct, & Repair" are] I would place an emphasis on the "RE" part of the power.

Any object that was formerly in working order and recently been dismantled or broken can be returned to it's working state as long as the majority of it's parts are available. I would also place the requirement that the person have some sort of idea what it was supposed to be.

I would not allow it to build things out of whole cloth ... ie he couldn't just walk into a electronic/hardware store and fabricate a robot, even if a skilled person could with the same parts. There would have originally needed to be a robot from those parts and he could repair that robot.

Except the wording of the text is that you can build or repair anything as long as the parts are available, the building of something means you're clearly doing first assembly on something, you can't 'reconstruct' a chair from the parts to make a chair if they were never originally assembled yet the power basically says you can.

I still really dig the power though, I think the ability to repair things at super speed without tools has a solid use. Hell I even used the limitation as a "feature". I had a "Behind the Scene's" Super Villian who utilized the power. Despite being able to invent reliable stuff, he would take it apart and use the power to reconstruct it, forcing people who used his gear to come back to him between jobs. . . also spitting the Heroes who really wanted to keep the stuff for themselves!

Well that's a main thing I hate about the power, it's a major power and clearly a mis-named power as whatever you build with it clearly isn't actually functional even if you supposedly have and use all the appropriate parts to build or repair it. The item in question is really running solely on the power to sustain it so you never repaired or rebuilt anything, just like a psi-Mechanic's psi-power gear is little more than just a focus or crutch and has no real functionality (generally) it's just a container for the power they put into it. Reconstruction doesn't build or repair anything, the person is just putting the pieces roughly together and channeling this power through the device to make it work, even when he's in a factory with everything one would need to build the object (say a chair) available. Somehow he's incapable of putting them together the right way and holds them together with his power.

Given it's a major power you should be able to efficiently and permanently (barring future damage) build or repair a device using the power, especially when you've all suited parts to the task available. But Palladium seems to really hate the idea of having actual inventive genius as a power some super-powered character might have and horribly nerfs this power as a result.

[magictiger]

Could you please tell us what you are talking about before asking questions w/o any context?

Which book, page? Is this a NPC? Things like that.

Im sorry guys. I assumed most players were familiar with and/or have Powers Unlimited books and some of the powers in them. My bad.

My questions come from the power 'Reconstruction' from Powers Unlimited 1. Its not a very clearly written power to me. Because it sounds like if I had it I could practically make any type of machines except alien. How does it work? It doesn't say you need mechanical or electrical skills and it doesn't give any bonuses for them.

Thanks again guys. Again Im sorry.

[Nightmask]

Could you please tell us what you are talking about before asking questions w/o any context?

Which book, page? Is this a NPC? Things like that.

Im sorry guys. I assumed most players were familiar with and/or have Powers Unlimited books and some of the powers in them. My bad.

My questions come from the power 'Reconstruction' from Powers Unlimited 1. Its not a very clearly written power to me. Because it sounds like if I had it I could practically make any type of machines except alien. How does it work? It doesn't say you need mechanical or electrical skills and it doesn't give any bonuses for them.

Thanks again guys. Again Im sorry.

The power seems fairly clear on that, you can build or repair any machine or device that can be constructed from the available parts. So if you're in a car factory you could hit the parts room and assemble whatever car they manufacture just from those parts even without proper tools or any idea how it works as long as all the parts are there. But the car would inexplicably stop working or fall apart after you were away from it for a while, even if you had access to absolutely everything required to make a fully functional and dependable vehicle.

[magictiger]

Could you please tell us what you are talking about before asking questions w/o any context?

Which book, page? Is this a NPC? Things like that.

Im sorry guys. I assumed most players were familiar with and/or have Powers Unlimited books and some of the powers in them. My bad.

My questions come from the power 'Reconstruction' from Powers Unlimited 1. Its not a very clearly written power to me. Because it sounds like if I had it I could practically make any type of machines except alien. How does it work? It doesn't say you need mechanical or electrical skills and it doesn't give any bonuses for them.

Thanks again guys. Again Im sorry.

The power seems fairly clear on that, you can build or repair any machine or device that can be constructed from the available parts. So if you're in a car factory you could hit the parts room and assemble whatever car they manufacture just from those parts even without proper tools or any idea how it works as long as all the parts are there. But the car would inexplicably stop working or fall apart after you were away from it for a while, even if you had access to absolutely everything required to make a fully functional and dependable vehicle.

What about if hes in a junkyard (mostly scrap metal) and wants to build a robot or tank? Assuming the parts are there. They probably wouldn't look pretty.

[Ranger]

Then he is in hog heaven.

[Tor]

If this power ever gets too confusing, you could just use the power from Transdimensional TMNT it was ripped off of

[Iczer]

Well that's a main thing I hate about the power, it's a major power and clearly a mis-named power as whatever you build with it clearly isn't actually functional even if you supposedly have and use all the appropriate parts to build or repair it. The item in question is really running solely on the power to sustain it so you never repaired or rebuilt anything, just like a psi-Mechanic's psi-power gear is little more than just a focus or crutch and has no real functionality (generally) it's just a container for the power they put into it. Reconstruction doesn't build or repair anything, the person is just putting the pieces roughly together and channeling this power through the device to make it work, even when he's in a factory with everything one would need to build the object (say a chair) available. Somehow he's incapable of putting them together the right way and holds them together with his power.

Given it's a major power you should be able to efficiently and permanently (barring future damage) build or repair a device using the power, especially when you've all suited parts to the task available. But Palladium seems to really hate the idea of having actual inventive genius as a power some super-powered character might have and horribly nerfs this power as a result.

As a suggestion, Maybe if you could 'finalise' the construction after it was done, but before it fell apart. maybe a relevant skill check.
[EG: Roberto Du Constructor uses his reconstruction power to assemble flat packed Ikea Furniture suite in his Girlfriend's apartment. As he spends a lot of time away from her apartment (fighting crime, fixing potholes, commanding an unbeatable army of robotic construction equipment) he figures she would be upset if it fell apart during a dinner party. after he assembles it with his power (a task that takes one minute) he spends another (XX?) minutes securing the bolts with a quick General repair and maintenance roll. maybe he just adds a few bolts to stop the whole thing falling apart.]

While on the topic though.... could I build a house with this power? Now THAT would be impressive.

Batts

[Nightmask]

Well that's a main thing I hate about the power, it's a major power and clearly a mis-named power as whatever you build with it clearly isn't actually functional even if you supposedly have and use all the appropriate parts to build or repair it. The item in question is really running solely on the power to sustain it so you never repaired or rebuilt anything, just like a psi-Mechanic's psi-power gear is little more than just a focus or crutch and has no real functionality (generally) it's just a container for the power they put into it. Reconstruction doesn't build or repair anything, the person is just putting the pieces roughly together and channeling this power through the device to make it work, even when he's in a factory with everything one would need to build the object (say a chair) available. Somehow he's incapable of putting them together the right way and holds them together with his power.

Given it's a major power you should be able to efficiently and permanently (barring future damage) build or repair a device using the power, especially when you've all suited parts to the task available. But Palladium seems to really hate the idea of having actual inventive genius as a power some super-powered character might have and horribly nerfs this power as a result.

As a suggestion, Maybe if you could 'finalise' the construction after it was done, but before it fell apart. maybe a relevant skill check.
[EG: Roberto Du Constructor uses his reconstruction power to assemble flat packed Ikea Furniture suite in his Girlfriend's apartment. As he spends a lot of time away from her apartment (fighting crime, fixing potholes, commanding an unbeatable army of robotic construction equipment) he figures she would be upset if it fell apart during a dinner party. after he assembles it with his power (a task that takes one minute) he spends another (XX?) minutes securing the bolts with a quick General repair and maintenance roll. maybe he just adds a few bolts to stop the whole thing falling apart.]

While on the topic though.... could I build a house with this power? Now THAT would be impressive.

Batts

Personally I'd do away with the idea that the power has you as a delusional moron who can't accept that he doesn't actually build or repair anything and thinks everyone else is just lying or breaking his stuff when he's not even a few hundred feet away and have you actually being what you're supposed to be able to do with such a power, an actual quality builder.

In regards to the house, given it says you can build anything with the materials that are available if you could build a house with what's around so could he, it would just collapse as soon as he was outside of range of it. I'm sure they used 'anything' since the power is nerfed to the point of less than useless since nothing survives you having 'repaired' or 'built' it, so sure you can build anything since it won't provide you any actual value unless it's something you can keep with you 24/7 (which is almost nothing outside of things like watches, handguns, etc.).

[Tor]

I'd do away with the idea that the power has you as a delusional moron who can't accept that he doesn't actually build or repair anything and thinks everyone else is just lying or breaking his stuff when he's not even a few hundred feet away

Perhaps, but I'd leave the option open to players that they can take it as a Minor instead of a Major if they accept this handicap.

We should keep in mind there IS one permanent advantage to this power, but it's not related to actually building. Rather, it prevents things you use from breaking down on you.

So if someone ever rocket-launchers your motorcycle and you rebuild it, it will have to be rebuilt every time you return if you go too far. But when you're using it normally, it will never have problems.