Power Broker

Power Broker (Major) by Senator Cybus

The character can turn super abilities into commodities, taking and granting powers as he chooses. The catch is that the super being cannot use the powers he deals in, but can give them to allies, henchmen or even paying customers.

1. Scan Powers. As the minor power of the same name (Powers Unlimited 3, page 19); this helps the super being to find potential new clients.

2. Extract Powers. The character can permanently strip other super beings of their powers, but only if they give their informed consent - powers cannot be forcibly removed. However, the super being is free to use any method he likes to persuade others to give up their special gifts: he can pay them, seduce them, use extortion, etc. Power Broker also allows for the removal of Mega-Hero status: the donor loses all benefits of being a Mega-Hero, including Supernatural Strength, special Mega-Powers and any attendant bonuses.
If the character removes all of a donor’s powers, they are then indistinguishable from normal humans (assuming they don’t have some unusual physical trait, like green skin or pointed ears), which can be useful if they wish to temporarily hide their superhuman nature.
After a power has been removed, the super being stores it within himself, being somehow able to capture and contain the essence of that ability. While the character can retain powers indefinitely, there is a limit to how many he can hold at any one time - up to a maximum of two minor powers or one major power per level of experience (Mega-Hero status counts as two major powers). For example, a tenth level character could hold ten major powers, twenty minor powers or any combination of the two. If the character has reached his limit and wishes to get rid of a power in favour of a new acquisition, he must first find someone to give the old power to (see Bestow Powers, below); he cannot simply discard or destroy it.
Power Broker cannot remove the Unusual Characteristics of mutants, experimental side effects, psionic abilities, magic, symbiotes, bionics/cybernetics or learned skills.

Range: Touch.

Damage: None, other than the loss of a power.

Duration: Permanent.

Attacks Per Melee: Removal of powers uses up one full melee round, during which the super being can do nothing else due to the intense concentration involved; if the character is distracted during this time, the attempt fails. The super being can remove either a single power, several powers or all of a donor’s powers in one go, though he must have their express permission to do this.

Saving Throw: None, but a power cannot be removed without the consent of its current owner.

3. Bestow Powers. The super being can grant any power in his inventory to anyone that he chooses. As with the Remove Powers sub-ability, this is permanent - unless the recipient decides to surrender the power at a later time, it is now an intrinsic part of them for the rest of their life.
The bestowed power functions exactly as it did for its original owner, even if they were of a higher level of experience than the recipient, though the power cannot develop further until the recipient catches up to that experience level. For example, a third level character is given a tenth level power with all of the accompanying bonuses and abilities, but those variables are then frozen until that character reaches the eleventh level of experience, at which point the power improves as it normally would.
However, the physiological strain caused by an artificially induced power will permanently reduce the recipient’s Hit Points. Accepting one minor power will reduce the recipient’s total Hit Points by 5%, while accepting a major power will lower their Hit Points by 10% (round fractions up). Multiple powers can be granted, but the Hit Point reduction is doubled for each additional power, e.g. a second minor power lowers the recipient’s total Hit Points by a further 10%, a third minor power lowers Hit Points by another 20% and so on. A power cannot be granted if the accumulated penalty would reduce the recipient’s Hit Points to zero or less (e.g. accepting a fifth major power would incur a penalty of 160% of the recipient‘s Hit Points), as this would represent a fatal overload of the character’s central nervous system. If a bestowed power grants extra Hit Points, these are first added to the character’s own and the percentage penalty is then deducted from the new, total amount.
The above penalties apply to normal humans (including those who fall into one of the non-super ability Power Categories, like Physical Training or Hardware) - beings who already have paranormal abilities (including psychics, bionic characters and aliens) can still be granted powers, but the above penalties are all doubled due to the additional stress placed on their already taxed bodies; e.g. one minor power reduces Hit Points by 10%, a major power reduces the total by 20% and so on.
If a bestowed power is later removed, the Hit Points that were lost are instantly restored. Super beings do not suffer any penalty for taking back a power that was originally theirs to begin with.

Range: Touch.

Damage: None.

Duration: Permanent.

Attacks Per Melee: Bestowing powers uses up one full melee round, during which the super being can do nothing else due to the intense concentration involved; if the character is distracted during this time, the attempt fails. The super being can bestow either a single power or multiple powers simultaneously, whichever he prefers, though he must have the intended recipient’s express permission to do this.

Saving Throw: None, but a power cannot be bestowed without the consent of the intended recipient.