Building a power - Rpg Meister

The four moving parts

Effect — the thing the power actually does.
Level — how much of it you get (dice, scale, difficulty).
Advantages — modifiers that make the power more capable, costing extra character points.
Disadvantages — modifiers that constrain the power, refunding character points.

Character-point cost grows with level and with the net positive modifier. Reserve cost (what you spend from your pool every time you cast) tracks the character-point cost and is then adjusted by a few special advantages — see below.

Read this page alongside the Powers in play page. The cost you build here is the cost you pay there.

Effects: pick one

Every power has exactly one effect at its core. The effect sets two things:

What one "unit" of effect means. For damage- and healing-style effects, one unit is one die (1d6). For other effects it's a step of intensity, range, or scope set by the effect's description.
How many character points you spend to buy one unit. Cheaper effects are easier to buy in larger amounts; expensive ones make you think about scope.

The number on the level field in the app is the count of units you're buying.

A few examples from the catalogue:

Blast — cause damage. 4 character points per 1d6 of damage. Instant.
Heal — close wounds. 3 character points per 1d6 of healing. Instant.
Light — illuminate an area. 2 character points per unit of light (each unit is a step of brightness / area). 10 minutes default.
Bind — hinder or hold a target. 2 character points per unit (each unit makes the bond harder to break — added to the target's strength roll to escape). 10 minutes default.
Telekinesis — move things with the mind. 3 character points per unit; one unit moves about 1 kg. 5 minutes default.
Compel — push another being toward a behaviour. 4 character points per unit (each unit is added against the target's willpower resist). 5 minutes default.
Shapeshift — change into something else. 5 character points per unit; harder forms (bigger, stronger, with special skills) cost more units. 10 minutes default.
Teleport — instantly relocate. 4 character points per unit; one unit covers about 10 m. Instant.

The app's catalogue has the full list (28 effects at the time of writing). Each one has its own short description that hints at the unit (what "one level" means here) and any special rules the GM may want to apply.

Level: how many units you're buying

Level is just the unit count. Level 2 Blast buys two units — 2d6 of damage — for 2 × 4 = 8 character points before any modifiers. Level 3 Heal buys three units — 3d6 of healing — for 3 × 3 = 9 character points.

Higher level also raises the roll difficulty. You're attempting something bigger, so the target on the 3d6 check shrinks. The cost goes up and the roll gets harder — both deliberate.

If you're not sure how many units a starting power should have, two is a good default. One unit feels small at the table; four feels like a signature spell.

Advantages: small steps, big difference

Advantages add modifiers in 0.25 steps, with a minimum of 0.25 each. Each advantage on a power increases the power's cost by its modifier fraction. Standard advantages don't change runtime mechanics — they just describe what the power can do. A handful are special; we'll get to those right after.

A few standard examples:

Ranged — Short (1/4), Long (1/2), Line of sight (3/4), Extreme (1).
Widened area — 1/4 per extra unit of area; +1/4 for shaped area or hole-in-the-middle.
Extended Duration — 1/4 per additional duration unit.
Penetrating — 1/4 per defence bypassed.
Precise — 1/4 upper/lower or left/right, 1/2 for both, 3/4 to choose body part.
Fortified — 1/4 adds -1 to dispel attempts.
Adaptive — 1/4 per axis of adaptability you want.

Use them sparingly. Stacking three or four advantages on a single power makes it expensive in character points and in reserve.

Special-mechanic advantages

These advantages change how the power behaves in play, not just what it can target. The app enforces the rules around them — you'll see toasts if you try to mix incompatible ones.

Reduced Cost

Each 1/2 of Reduced Cost halves the reserve cost (rounded down, minimum 1). The character-point cost still rises — you're paying up front to pay less every cast.

1/2 of Reduced Cost — reserve cost halved.
1 of Reduced Cost — reserve cost quartered.
1 1/2 — reserve cost down to one-eighth.

Cannot be combined with Charge, Store, or Permanence — the enchantment math already handles "spend a lot up front, spend nothing at use time."

Stays On

After a successful roll the power becomes active. It stays active without further rolls — but you keep paying the reserve cost each round (or interval) to keep it going.

1/4 for supporting spells (light, hide, communicate).
1/2 for defensive spells (force field, protection, defence).
3/4 for attack spells (blast that lingers, drain that drips).

Autonomous Stays On — if the spell needs no attention from the caster (set it and forget it), the upkeep is doubled. The app exposes this as a toggle on the power. Leave it off for spells where the caster has to think about the effect to keep it running.

Stays-On powers have a small "ACTIVE" chip on the player's power list while they're running. See Powers in play for Continue / Turn off and the re-casting rules.

Charge, Store, Permanence — the enchantment trio

These three are mutually exclusive with each other and with Reduced Cost. They don't raise the character-point cost much — but they raise the reserve cost hard, because the caster is pouring the spell into an item rather than discharging it.

Charge (1/4) — single use, stored in an item (potion, scroll, ring, amulet). Reserve cost ×10. To release, the holder makes a discipline roll. When charges run out, the item is destroyed (or close to it).
Store (1/2) — single use, in an item, but no roll needed to release; triggering the device is enough. Reserve cost ×100.
Permanence (3/4) — the effect becomes a permanent property of the item (a sword that glows, an amulet that always wards). Reserve cost ×1000. Effects that need a "moment" to fire (Blast, Drain, Heal, Strike) may need a recharge interval at the GM's call.

Yes, a permanent magic sword will hurt your reserve for a long time. That's deliberate. We don't want player characters churning out the One Ring on a Tuesday afternoon — but we do want magic items to exist in the world.

For now the enchantment is recorded as an inventory item with a description and any extra damage classes the GM agrees to. The full item-model is on the roadmap; the rules above are what the app enforces today.

Disadvantages: friction, on purpose

Disadvantages refund character points and give the power character. They also use 0.25 steps and stack across multiple disadvantages on the same power.

A few examples:

Concentration — half speed, no dodge/block (1/4); stationary (1/2).
Material needed — common (1/4) or uncommon (1/2). Material is consumed.
Gestures — subtle (1/4) or large/obvious (1/2).
Incantations — whispered (1/4) or shouted (1/2).
Vitality Drain — 1/4 per 1d6 of stamina lost on use.
Backfire — 1/4 per 10% chance of harm to caster / bystanders.
Cooldown — 2 turns (1/4), 1 minute (1/2), 1 hour (3/4), 1 day (1).
Visible and Audible — small (1/4), large (1/2), with a trace back to the caster (3/4).

Pick disadvantages that fit the concept. A wizard who needs whispered words and a pinch of silver is more interesting than one whose only flaw is a -1/4 sticker on the sheet.

Worked example: a small fire blast

Suppose you want a humble fire blast a starting hero can actually afford:

Effect: Blast, 1 unit (1d6 of damage) → 4 character points.
Advantage: Ranged (Short, 1/4) → +1 character point.
Disadvantage: Gestures (subtle, 1/4) → refund 1 character point.

Net character cost: 4 points. Reserve cost per cast: 4 reserve (same as the points cost, no special multipliers).

Add Stays On 1/4 (a flickering burn-over-time effect, not autonomous) and the character cost rises by 1, the reserve cost goes up too — and the GM will probably ask you what "lingering fire" looks like in your fiction. Good. That's the conversation.

Worked example: Shapeshift, where the GM matters

Damage powers are easy because the units are dice. Shapeshift is the opposite end of the scale — every unit is a judgement call, and the worked example is mostly the conversation you'll have at the table. Base cost is 5 character points per unit.

Staying human, just different

1 unit (5 pts) — alter your appearance only. Hair, skin tone, face, small body details.
2 units (10 pts) — full makeover. Clothes, voice, build, sex, gait — the works.
3 units (15 pts) — exact copy of someone specific you know well. The GM may ask for a list of who's on the menu.

Animal forms: size is the dial

The base rule from the effect description is "for each size difference a die must be added." Read that as: each doubling or halving of body mass is one unit — in either direction. A wolf-sized form from a human body might be 1 unit. A horse is 2 or 3 units up. A cat is 3 units down.

Say you want to become a regular house cat:

Three halvings of body mass → 3 units base.
You lose human-style hands; you can't open doors, write, or wield a sword. That's a serious built-in impairment — the GM can reasonably charge you for 2 units instead of 3 (10 pts instead of 15) to reflect what the form gives up.
If the cat form gains a useful skill the human form doesn't have (climbing, leaping, night vision), that's a unit the GM may add back on. Talk it through.

The system has no automatic "minus 1 unit for impairment" rule. This is a GM judgement call that keeps the cost honest. Be specific about what the form can't do and you'll usually get a fair price.

Questions to settle before saving the power

Shapeshift surfaces a stack of "the rules don't say" questions. Get them answered now, not mid-scene:

Can the cat talk? Default answer is no — animal vocal cords. Either accept "silent cat" or take an extra unit for a talking cat (and decide who's surprised by that).
Faster than a human? Cats sprint hard but tire fast. The GM can rule "same Speed in human-scale chase, faster in short bursts" without changing the unit count, or charge a unit for a meaningful Speed boost in animal form.
What happens to your clothes and gear? Two common rulings:
- Realistic — gear stays behind when you shift. Shift back nude on the rooftop. The GM may waive this for the first slip-up, then enforce it. Cheap, dramatic, full of comedy potential.
- Cinematic — gear merges and returns when you do. The GM may want a small advantage modifier (1/4) on the power to pay for that convenience, or a stat block of "what's the limit?"
How long does the transition take? A round of action? Full minute? Painful or smooth? The default 10-minute duration is for staying in form, not for the change itself.
What if the roll fails mid-fight? Stuck half-cat? Failed to shift at all? The reserve was spent either way — make sure the failure mode is something everyone can live with.

Write the answers into the power's description. That description is what the GM will read at the table — it's the contract for what your shapeshifter actually does.

Common mistakes

Buying breadth instead of focus. Five small powers can be harder to play than one well-shaped one. Pick a clear identity first.
Stacking advantages without a plan. Every 0.25 you take has to mean something in fiction. If you can't describe it in a sentence, you don't need it.
Taking flavourless disadvantages. "Material needed: common 1/4" is fine — but if you can't tell the GM what the material is or where it comes from, the refund won't survive the campaign.
Reaching for enchantments early. Charge / Store / Permanence are powerful but eat reserve. Wait until you've cast a few times in real play before lighting up a magic sword.

🛠️ Building a power