Multipowers and combat powers with ongoing effects

[Lindharin]

Hi,

How does a multipower interact with powers that have continuing effects? I think it is clear that personal sustained powers, like flight or armor, etc., would drop if you had them in a multipower and switched to another slot of that multipower, because you can no longer maintain them on the page when the multipower slot changes.

But what about attack powers that are single actions, but have ongoing effects? For example, Weakness, Daze, Immobilize, or Nullify. Those are one time attacks, but they have a lingering effect. If you put one of those powers in a multipower with a special attack, and on page 1 you successfully use one of those ongoing powers on a target, what happens on page 2 if you switch to use your fire blast (or whatever)? Does the Weakness/Daze/Immobilize/Nullify continue because it wasn't really taking any ongoing action on your part? Or does the effect end because the multipower slot changed?

On a similar but slightly different note, what about Confusion bought as the lingering area of effect version, where it doesn't have any attack rolls but just auto-effects people while inside that area for 3 pages?

[Lindharin]

Just to expand on that:

I can see an argument that they are single use powers from the attacker's perspective - you attack with your Immobilize on page 1 and then you don't actually "do" anything for the rest of the duration. So you should be able to swap slots and move to another ability because you are "done" with using that power.

But I can also see an argument that if you take the source of the power away by changing to another slot, the ongoing effect dissipates to. By that argument, though, presumably if the hero got knocked out then the effect should drop too, which might be appropriate for some concepts but not others.

If the effect does end by default, should there be an enhancement that makes the effect "independent" such that once it is applied it doesn't matter what happens to the attacker; even if he switches slots or gets knocked out or something the original effect is still valid on the targets? The hero has used his power to do X (surround you with granite, binds you in permanent chains, shot you with the power-nullifying gun, or whatever) and that effect is still there without any ongoing effort to maintain it.

It seems like the mechanics should support both options. Maybe my immobilize is a maintained effect where I use my power ring to summon a big hand that holds the target, but if I use my ring for something else (or I get knocked out) the hand goes away. But another character might immobile the target by manipulating the environment to bury him in stone, or used his web shooters to bind him, and that stone or webbing would remain no matter what the hero does: leave the scene, get knocked unconscious, etc.

So which is the "default" effect? If the default is that you must maintain it (even though you've already "finished" your attack), then there should be an enhancement to make it independent. If the "default" is to be a one-time action that with an independent ongoing effect, then there should be a limitation to make it maintained. Yes/no?

[BASHMAN]

It would depend on the ongoing effect. If the *target* of the effect has to make some kind of roll to get out of it- then it continues ongoing I'd say.

However, it it is something like a Force Field, or a Summon, which is providing a continuing benefit (a summon you aren't spending a panel to control is still "useful" for eating attacks that would otherwise have gone to a Hero), I'd say it goes down.

[Lindharin]

Cool, thanks Bashman!

[AslanC]

Thanks for the clarification on that as well... it was something I needed to know about.