Summary of Updates
May 5, 2010: Chapter 2, “Character Costs.” Chapter 6, “Hyperstat and Hyperskill Power Qualities.”
May 7, 2010: Chapter 9, “Aces.”
June 18, 2010: Chapter 10, “Choosing Your Powers.”
August 19, 2010: Chapter 9: “Dead Ringer.”
Chapter 2: Building a Character
Character Costs
In the hardback Wild Talents Second Edition, a chart listing stat and skill costs that appears in “Wild Talents Reference” on page 370 should also appear on page 39. We’ll reprint it here for convenience.
| Characteristic | Cost |
|---|---|
| Stat | 5 |
| Hyperstat | 4 |
| Skill | 2 |
| Hyperskill | 1 |
| Base Will | 3 |
| Willpower | 1 |
| Superpower Quality | 2 |
Chapter 6: What Is a Power?
Hyperstat and Hyperskill Power Qualities
In the section “Hyperstat and Hyperskill Power Qualities” (page 107 in both Wild Talents Second Edition and Wild Talents Essential Edition), the discussion of Hyperstat power qualities is incomplete. Replace the first three paragraphs with the following.
Hyperstats have the effects of all three Power Qualities (Attacks, Defends, Useful) by default.
You can add Power Quality Levels, Extras and Flaws to a Hyperstat at the usual costs. However, a Hyperstat isn’t exactly the same as a Miracle.
If you add Extras and Flaws to the Hyperstat, they apply to all functions of the Hyperstat—attacking, defending, and useful noncombat things—where the Extra and Flaw applies. (If the Extra or Flaw says it’s only for Attacks, it doesn’t apply when you use your Hyperstat to Defend.)
If you add Power Quality Levels to the Hyperstat, they apply only when you use the associated Power Quality. Adding four Attacks levels doesn’t help when you use Defends or Useful.
What if you want a Flaw to apply only to one or two of the Power Qualities? Easy. Just reduce the Flaw’s value by one if it applies to only two Power Qualities, or by two if it applies to only one Power Quality. You don’t get much mileage out of most Flaws by using them this way, but it might be worth it if you want a serious Flaw to apply to only some uses of the Hyperstat.
EXAMPLE: You have Hyperbody and you want to add the Flaw ‘Base Will Cost’ to Attacks but not to Defends or Useful. Ordinarily ‘Base Will Cost’ is worth –2 per die; but applying it to only one Power Quality of a Hyperstat means it’s worth –1 per die.
You can add another Power Quality to a Hyperstat for the usual 2 Points per die. This adds some new miraculous effect that uses the Hyperstat dice. You can add Power Quality Levels, Extras and Flaws to the new Power Quality at the usual costs; they don’t affect the core functions of the Hyperstat—the three ‘built-in’ Power Qualities.
Hyperskills are more narrow than Hyperstats: They have one of the three Power Qualities, depending on the Skill involved. Brawling has the Attacks quality; Block has the Defends quality; Perception has Useful; and so on.
You can add another Power Quality to Hyperskill for the usual 2 Points per die. You can add Power Quality Levels, Extras and Flaws to each Power Quality of a Hyperskill at the usual costs.
(The remaining text in this section is unchanged.)
Chapter 9: A Miracle Cafeteria
Aces
The miracle Aces should have the Flaw ‘If/Then (only for Augment)’ on each power quality, so it can be used only to add dice to other actions. That explains why it has the Capacity ‘Self’ on each Power Quality—Augment can be used only on your own actions. Replace the power’s writeup with the following.
Aces (9 per die)
Qualities: A D U
Attacks: Augment +4, If/Then (only for Augment) –1, Willpower Cost –2. Capacity: Self.
Defends: Augment +4, If/Then (only for Augment) –1, Willpower Cost –2. Capacity: Self.
Useful: Attacks +2, Augment +4, If/Then (only for Augment) –1, Willpower Cost –2. Capacity: Self.
Effects: You’re lucky. Insanely, impossibly, miraculously lucky. Thanks to the ‘Augment’ Extra, In the resolution phase you can add Aces dice to another action at a cost of 1 Willpower per Aces die, 2 per Hard Die, and 4 per Wigge Die. (See page 123 for the limitations of Augment.)
Dead Ringer
Dead Ringer should have the Flaw ‘Self Only’ on its Useful quality.
Dead Ringer (4 per die)
Qualities: U
Useful: Duration +2, If/Then (Variable Effect is only for choosing different appearances) –1, Self Only –3, Variable Effect +4. Capacity: Self.
Effects: You can change your appearance to impersonate anyone or anything of about the same size. To change your size significantly requires its own Miracle, such as Size Shift or another Useful quality.
Chapter 10: Choosing Your Powers
The Dodge-Podge
The Dodge-Podge costs 20 points for 2hd, not 10. It’s 5 points per die and 10 per hard die, or 20 points for two hard dice.