the GOBLIRSCH - BARNES - PEDZIK Partial Powers System
Created by Todd Goblirsch for Onyx and lightly modified by John Barnes for Ambre and Stan Pedzik for Schist.
Format: All powers have a set base cost, usually 15 points, that gives one or two levels or Boxes of partials. For powers with Advanced or Exalted versions you have to buy the Advanced or Exalted bases to move up. Each partial power can be bought as many times as you can afford at character creation, or raised one Box per partial per spend.
This is the AMBRE (Barnes) version, the one currently in use. Note that there's a limit of 4 boxes in any specialty:
PATTERN Intro 15p: walk the Pattern, Blood Curse and 2 boxes of—
SHADOW WALKING --travel through Shadow, find shadows of desire; 2x pass natural blocks; 3x pass artificial ones
SEEK CHARACTER --travel to any person you are familiar with; 2x penetrate natural blocks; 3x ditto artificial ones
SHADOW TIME --change a shadow’s time flow; 2x increase range; 3x longer lasting effects
SHADOW RESOURCES --find 0-point items; 2x 1 pointers; 3x 2 pointers
PROBABILITY --affect events in shadow; 2x add range/details; 3x more
PATTERN DEFENSE --bring Pattern to mind and use it as a shield; 2x increase, add light physical objects, or faster activation; 3x faster still or multiple shields
ADVANCED PATTERN Intro 15p; PREREQ: 30p in Pattern; includes P. Mindwalk and 1 box of—
EDIT --change whole shadows; 2x easier, more complex; 2x moreso
PATTERN LENS --2-way, nonphysical, highly visible scrying port; 2x more range or camouflage; 3x more range, camo or less concentration
ALTER SHADOW RULES –change a shadow’s properties; 2x add extant or area; 3x works in areas of greater reality
SHADOW POCKETS –create small artificial shadows; 2x bigger; 3x works in realer areas
PATTERN TRACES –detect or disguise traces of Power use; 2x increase area or speed; 3x camouflages affected area
PATTERN TELEPORT –walk Pattern in your mind and zap anywhere; 2x faster & more accurate; 3x ditto
TRUMP ARTISTRY Intro 15p; includes 2 boxes below—
SENSE TRUMP --know what’s a Trump; 2x detect Trump traps; 3x detect multiple layers
TRUMP SPYING –listen in; 2x more sensitivity; 3x more stealth
TRUMP SPYING DETECTION –catch listeners; 2x more sensitivity; 3x easier
TRUMP SKETCHES –quick, temporary and fragile; 2x more range; 3x includes people
CREATING TRUMPS –anyone, any place, made on site; 2x familiar subjects from memory; 3x work from descriptions
TRUMP JAMMING --stop others from using Trumps; 2x more targets; 3x subtler
TRUMP MEMORY --use any Trump you’ve drawn from memory; 2x less concentration; 3x less familiar subjects
TRUMP DEFENSE --vs. unwanted calls; 2x increase ability; 3x subtle
TRUMP IDENTIFICATION --know who’s calling; 2x ID less familiar callers; 3x moreso
TRUMP POWERED ARTIFACTS --add to items; 2x increase effectiveness; 3x camouflage
TRUMP GATE --open a portal; 2x more range and size; 3x another can maintain it
TRUMP TRAP -- 2x more subtlety and camouflage; 3x add multiple layers
SHAPESHIFTING Intro 15p; includes 2 boxes below—
WOUNDS --heal yourself; 2x faster or more complex; 3x faster/more
NATURAL FORMS --human, Chaos and Avatar primary forms; 2x add a fourth; 3x add a fifth
AUTOMATIC --save yourself from lethal danger; 2x faster/more complex; 3x lower minimum danger level
BODY PARTS --human parts only; 2x less concentration; 3x more complex
FACIAL FEATURES --disguise & impersonation; 2x less concentration; 3x more complex
NEW FORMS --animal forms (make a list); 2x creatures of some power; 3x creatures of power
ADVANCED SHAPESHIFTING Intro 15p; PREREQ: 25p Shapeshifting; includes 2 boxes of—
AURA --psychic disguise; 2x increase ability; 3x fake aura of powers you are familiar with but don’t have
PERSONA AND FEATURES --really impersonate people; 2x better; 3x decrease chance of losing yourself
INTERNAL STRUCTURES --modify and add organs and animal parts; 2x less concentration; 3x more complex
OTHERS --shapeshift others; 2x even if unconscious; 3x even if unwilling
BLOOD CREATURES --make them; 2x more complex; 3x more intelligent
CONJURATION 20p for 1 point qualities and powers; 2x 2 pointers; 3x 4 pointers; 4x THERE IS NO 4X
COMPELLING --mess with people’s heads; 2x better at it; 3x still better
SORCERY 15p --2x more power, subtlety and complexity; 3x more
LOGRUS Intro 15p; PREREQ: 25p Shapeshifting; includes Logrus Summoning and 1 box of—
SEARCHING WITH LOGRUS TENDRILS --locate and retrieve 0p items/creatures in shadow; 2x 1p items/creatures; 3x 2 pointers
LOGRUS COMBAT AND MANIPULATION --use Logrus tendrils to attack (with strength = user’s Psyche) with Human Warfare; 2x use Chaos Warfare if <= your own; 3x use Amber Warfare if <= your own
LOGRUS SIGHT --perceive remote places with visible tendrils; 2x more perceptive; 3x discover target’s Psyche with a tendril-touch
LOGRUS SPELL STORAGE --hang spells on the Logrus; 2x slower spell decay; 3x can hang extra components
LOGRUS DEFENSE --make a Logrus shield, either vs. Powers/Psyche or physical/energy; 2x faster; 3x easier to maintain
ADVANCED LOGRUS MASTERY Intro 15p; PREREQ: 25p Logrus; includes 1 box of-
MANIPULATE SHADOW --temporarily change shadow structure & laws; 2x usable on shadows farther from Chaos; 3x changes last longer and are easier to do
SUMMON & CONTROL CHAOS CREATURES --summon & bind lesser Chaos creatures; 2x more powerful creatures; 3x more powerful creatures still
SHAPE LOGRUS SERVANTS --shape a Logrus tendril into a servant; 2x takes less concentration to control; 3x multiple servants
SUMMON PRIMAL CHAOS --the big bad, take lots of concentration; 2x less concentration; 3x faster-growing P-chaos
BASIC CLOAK Intro 15p; ADDICTIVE; includes one box of Hide From Pattern & Logrus, Sense Barrier and 1 box of—
HIDE FROM PATTERN --invisibility to Pattern detection; 2x invisible to Advanced Pattern detection including Lens; 3x can spoof Pattern detection to read as something else
HIDE FROM LOGRUS -- works like Hide From Pattern, for Logrus
SENSE BARRIER --can sense Pattern and Logrus barriers with concentration; 2x magical barriers too; 3x can corrupt barriers so that others may pass
CLOAK WALK --may walk through Shadow slowly; 2x faster; 3x can lead others
POWER MIRROR --initiate may keep 2 different powers up at the same time; 2x 3 powers; 3x 4 powers
ADDICTION RESISTANCE --may avoid visiting the Cloak source for a number of days = Endurance stat; 2x weeks = End stat; 3x addiction is gone
ADVANCED CLOAK MASTERY Intro 15p; PREREQ: 25p Basic Cloak; includes one box of—
PATTERN CORRUPTION --may alter the effects of another’s use of Pattern, requires a Psyche contest; 2x more subtle; 3x effect undetectable by opponent
LOGRUS CORRUPTION --works like Pattern Corruption, but for Logrus
POWER WORD REFLECTION --user may deflect the effect of Power Words away from himself; 2x may reflect them on the source; 3x may corrupt the PW into something else
POWER ABSORBTION --user may absorb power directed at himself if a psychic contest is won; the power is harmlessly dissipated over time; 2x can use the power if the user has the same ability; 3x power may be altered to a usable form
STRENGTHS OF THE SYSTEM
It's easy to make your character expert in one or two things. After playing for a while (or right away if you went wild at chargen) you can be better at some things than almost any of the Elders. In fact, it's such a great point-sink that the Elders must specialize too, unless the GM builds them on an ungodly number of points. It's flexible.It lets you build the Shapeshifting Doppelganger (two boxes in Parts and four in Features, later some Aura), James Bond (3+ boxes of Probability and Pattern Defense both), the Bloodhound (4 boxes of Seek Character), the Logrus Combat Monster, the Sorcery God, and so on.
WEAKNESSES
Some people munchkin out with this system. They'd probably obsess about points in any system that uses them though.