The Ultimate Powers Book gives Modified Human/Skeletals a +1CS Resistance to Physical Attacks. What is that +1CS actually to though? Is it related in some way to the actual D15 Power or is it being added to something else? Thanks!

Given the context it would be to attacks like punches, kicks, force beams, etc. Not things like acid, disease, etc.

My apologies - surely, you're correct in what the +1CS helps against. I'm asking, though, what is that column shift pertaining to?

Example:

Mr. Muscles says he's going to punch Mr. Bones on this turn. Initiative is rolled and he wins, so he rolls Fighting to punch Mr. Bones and succeeds with a Green result. He has RM Strength and so inflicts 30pts of damage on Mr. Bones. As far as I know (and I'm no expert), that's it. Mr. Bones takes the damage and then gets his own turn. Body Armor (D1) or Resistance to Physical Attacks (D15) would reduce that damage by its Power Rank, but Mr. Bones doesn't have those... he just gets a +1CS to... what, exactly? What's being shifted?

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BWS2K
My apologies - surely, you're correct in what the +1CS helps against. I'm asking, though, what is that column shift pertaining to?

Example:

Mr. Muscles says he's going to punch Mr. Bones on this turn. Initiative is rolled and he wins, so he rolls Fighting to punch Mr. Bones and succeeds with a Green result. He has RM Strength and so inflicts 30pts of damage on Mr. Bones. As far as I know (and I'm no expert), that's it. Mr. Bones takes the damage and then gets his own turn. Body Armor (D1) or Resistance to Physical Attacks (D15) would reduce that damage by its Power Rank, but Mr. Bones doesn't have those... he just gets a +1CS to... what, exactly? What's being shifted?

Basically he's just getting Feeble Body Armor against that kind of damage, or an extra CS to any damage resistance powers that affect physical damage but only the part of the power that affects that limited range of physical attacks. At least one write-up for Wolverine gives him I think Typical damage resistance due to his skeleton with regards to those kinds of physical attacks.

Ah, roger roger. That seems... weak, lol. But I appreciate the answer. Thanks!
-BW

It's a small bonus because it's just a quirk of the body type. If you want more power, you gotta get it in the form of powers.

Which makes sense. It just so happens that this particular character rolled only a single Power and that was taken up by the skeletal perk, so they had no Powers, but we worked through it. Thanks again, all!

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BWS2K
Which makes sense. It just so happens that this particular character rolled only a single Power and that was taken up by the skeletal perk, so they had no Powers, but we worked through it. Thanks again, all!

He shouldn't be using up any power slots on perks, they're inherent to the power category. It would be pointless to have bonuses for a particular power category that aren't actually bonuses and have to be paid for.

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Nightmask

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BWS2K
Which makes sense. It just so happens that this particular character rolled only a single Power and that was taken up by the skeletal perk, so they had no Powers, but we worked through it. Thanks again, all!

He shouldn't be using up any power slots on perks, they're inherent to the power category. It would be pointless to have bonuses for a particular power category that aren't actually bonuses and have to be paid for.

Yup. It's the same as for the +1CS bonus to Endurance that mutants get or +1CS to any ability for altered humans. It's a bonus for the form you have.

Getting a +1CS to Endurance means you roll your Endurance and then shift it once. That's pretty straightforward. The description for this Physical Form, however, says:

"Skeletals gain +1CS Resistance to Physical Attacks... All Modified Humans gain one less Power initially."

Later, I rolled for Powers and got 11, so I begin play with 1/3 Powers... except I have "one less Power initially", which means I start play with 0 Powers. Unfortunate but not particularly confusing.

My confusion was solved when Nightmask replied with the following above: "Basically he's just getting Feeble Body Armor against that kind of damage, or an extra CS to any damage resistance powers that affect physical damage but only the part of the power that affects that limited range of physical attacks."

Initially, my character has no Powers - thanks to his Physical Form, however, he has Feeble Resistance to Physical Attacks (which would be +1CS from Shift-0). Roger roger.

I'm not sure I follow this though: "He shouldn't be using up any power slots on perks, they're inherent to the power category. It would be pointless to have bonuses for a particular power category that aren't actually bonuses and have to be paid for." He's not using up slots on perks, the perk comes from a Physical Form that also reduces his initial number of slots. Just bad luck on my part to have rolled only 1 initial Power, methinks, no?

How were your Resources? If you had some to spare, you could always have traded some ranks to boost your initial powers total.

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BWS2K
Getting a +1CS to Endurance means you roll your Endurance and then shift it once. That's pretty straightforward. The description for this Physical Form, however, says:

"Skeletals gain +1CS Resistance to Physical Attacks... All Modified Humans gain one less Power initially."

Later, I rolled for Powers and got 11, so I begin play with 1/3 Powers... except I have "one less Power initially", which means I start play with 0 Powers. Unfortunate but not particularly confusing.

My confusion was solved when Nightmask replied with the following above: "Basically he's just getting Feeble Body Armor against that kind of damage, or an extra CS to any damage resistance powers that affect physical damage but only the part of the power that affects that limited range of physical attacks."

Initially, my character has no Powers - thanks to his Physical Form, however, he has Feeble Resistance to Physical Attacks (which would be +1CS from Shift-0). Roger roger.

I'm not sure I follow this though: "He shouldn't be using up any power slots on perks, they're inherent to the power category. It would be pointless to have bonuses for a particular power category that aren't actually bonuses and have to be paid for." He's not using up slots on perks, the perk comes from a Physical Form that also reduces his initial number of slots. Just bad luck on my part to have rolled only 1 initial Power, methinks, no?

Your wording left me thinking you'd spent a power slot to pay for the perk rather than losing a power slot due to a penalty from the power category. Everything clarified now.

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Thrudjelmer
How were your Resources? If you had some to spare, you could always have traded some ranks to boost your initial powers total.

Yes, going into poverty at the start is worth it considering how much buying a power costs after you get started. You can move Feeble Resources up to Typical way cheaper than the karma cost for the new power.

Sadly, it was in the Nightmares of Futures Past book so my Resources ended up pretty low. I worked it out.

And I apologize - I don't really play with other folks, it's mostly just me writing/playing solo games. I feel like I need to fess up and feel guilty about that or something. I do appreciate the help though. My gaming folder has screenshots of various responses to my questions here and in a Facebook group a while back, lol

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Nightmask

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Thrudjelmer
How were your Resources? If you had some to spare, you could always have traded some ranks to boost your initial powers total.

Yes, going into poverty at the start is worth it considering how much buying a power costs after you get started. You can move Feeble Resources up to Typical way cheaper than the karma cost for the new power.

Gotta watch out for those homeless mutant murder hobos

I allow the character a sort of True Invulnerability effect where they can reduce physical attacks by one rank

ie UN would drop to MN.

This is often better than FE resistance to Physical attacks