Video Game View

Video Game View (Major) by Senator Cybus

This ability allows the super being to become a character in a computer game - in his own head, at least. In truth, the hero is still in our reality and the only actual change is in his perception: he sees bystanders as video game characters and his surroundings as computer generated scenes that fade to pixelated shapes on the far horizon, and all of it overlaid with constantly updating graphics that feed him information on this ’virtual’ environment.
1. HUD. The Heads Up Display. The super being sees stylized images and lines of data superimposed over his view of the world, supplying the following information:

Health Counter. This graphic indicates the character‘s state of well being - this is vital, as the hero cannot feel pain while in Video Game View (see Bonuses below) and needs some way to gauge how badly he is being injured in combat. In addition to letting the super being keep track of general damage, the health counter will also indicate if he is being affected by poison, disease, high levels of radiation, temperature extremes or magical curses. The health counter won’t indicate the source of such unusual effects or their exact nature (it can‘t identify a specific poison, for example), merely that they are harming the hero.

Mini Map. A basic map, that helps the hero navigate and keep track of important details. In close-up mode, the super being sees an overhead schematic of the area within a radius of 30 feet (9 m), detailed enough to reveal the layouts of roads and buildings, complete with the location of any doors and windows. Allies will show up as dots on the map, as will most opponents - enemies that are unaware of the hero or that have made no effort to conceal themselves can be tracked in this way, even if behind a wall or other solid structure, preventing them from using sneak attacks. However, opponents who have deliberately hidden or disguised themselves (whether through conventional or magical/psionic/super-powered means) will not show up until they choose to reveal themselves, meaning that they can get the drop on the hero, though they can then be tracked normally. In overland mode, the map shows an area within a radius of approximately two miles (3.2 km), but this is far less detailed, showing only basic terrain features (lakes, mountain ranges, etc) and the positions of nearby cities/large towns, though this is still accurate enough to grant a bonus of +20% to the Land Navigation skill. Furthermore, if the super being is trying to find a specific location, a directional arrow will appear on the overland map to point the way, increasing the bonus to the Land Navigation skill to a full +40%.

Targeting Sights. Cross-hairs are superimposed over the character’s vision, granting a bonus of +2 to strike with any ranged weapon, modern or ancient.

Ammo Counter. If the hero is using any firearm, the Ammo Counter will pop up, displaying the amount of ammunition currently in his gun and the total amount carried by the character.

Enemy Health Counter. Just as the Health Counter helps the super being keep track of his own injuries, this graphic allows the super being to monitor the vitality of his opponents. This gives him a general idea of how injured an adversary really is (either uninjured, slightly injured, badly injured, critically injured or dead). This means that a severely weakened opponent cannot bluff the hero by pretending to be at full power, nor can a healthy foe get the character to drop his guard by feigning weakness or playing dead.

Note: the super being can choose exactly how information is presented by the HUD. For example, his health counter may be in the form of a gradually decreasing bar in the corner of his vision, or depicted by a change in ambient colors when injured (a gradual fading of color, the character’s ‘screen’ slowly turning to red, etc), or whatever he imagines.

2. Weapon Selection. The super being can equip or switch between any weapons he’s carrying in an instant, regardless of where on his person a chosen weapon is located, or how well it is secured or hidden. The desired weapon simply appears in the character’s hand, so fast that it doesn’t even count as a melee action. Modern firearms always appear fully loaded with the safety off, ready to fire.
Additionally, suggesting that this power is not purely psychological in nature, the super being is always equipped with a pair of brass knuckles (1D6 damage + P.S. bonus, if applicable). If no other weapon is available to him when combat begins, or if he just prefers to use the brass knuckles, they will instantly appear on the character’s hands. They can neither be taken or given away nor permanently destroyed, as they will just reappear on the hero’s person a moment later.

Limitations: The character must already be carrying weapons to use this ability, it does not magically create them (with the exception of the brass knuckles). Furthermore, it does not supply free bullets; the hero must have sufficient ammunition on his person for his guns to appear fully loaded.

3. Pause. When the ’game’ becomes too intense, the super being can pause the action for a few valuable moments to gather his thoughts. In reality, time has not actually stopped; instead, the character experiences an incredible acceleration of his mental processes for a fraction of a second, which from his perspective makes it seem as if the world has been put on hold.
The character cannot affect the situation around him in any way during this time, as the pause is just in his head, but he can use the brief respite to plan, reconsider a course of action or to study what’s happening in the local vicinity (though only right in front of him; his viewpoint is frozen for as long as the pause lasts).
Each pause can last for up to one (subjective) minute per level of experience, though the hero can resume the action at any time he chooses, and the ability can be used a number of times per game session equal to the character’s experience level.

4. Boss Fight. When facing a particularly powerful adversary (in game terms, anyone with a Power Category and an experience level exceeding the character’s own), the super being will experience a brief vision: he will witness a cinematic sequence inside his mind that dramatically introduces his opponent and provides a clue as to their abilities, weaknesses or immediate goals.
For example, an unknown mutant with Energy Expulsion: Electricity might appear with bolts of current crackling menacingly along their arms, or, if facing an invulnerable opponent, the hero may find his viewpoint changing, the camera of his mind’s eye pulling out to reveal a nearby deep lake/swamp/mine shaft, potentially providing a way to trap or disable his adversary.
The exact clue provided is at the discretion of the G.M. This ability will never be triggered by opponents equal to or lesser in power than the super being, even if in groups.

5. Bonuses.

+3 to save vs. Horror Factor.

While he has a rudimentary sense of touch when in Video Game View, the character feels no pain: he can exert himself for twice as long before fatiguing and suffers only half the normal penalties for disabling injuries.

6. Limitations & Vulnerabilities.

-4 M.A.; while in Video Game View, the hero will seem strange to outside observers, acting in a mechanical, unemotional way.

-50% to any skills involving a delicate sense of touch.

The super being’s alignment is one level ‘lower’ than normal while in Video Game View, due to a feeling of detachment from the real world. For example, a Scrupulous character would temporarily become Unprincipled and may therefore do things he will later regret.

Switching from a normal perspective to the Video Game View (or vice versa) takes one full melee round, during which time the hero is effectively blind: all he can see is blackness, over which is superimposed the single word ‘Loading…’.