Utility Power FAQ's

Question: Why is Awareness a utility power instead of a magical resistance?

There are two reasons for this. The first is that when AVA was a fickle young whelp the line between utility power and magical resistance was less distinctly drawn and Awareness fell on the utility power side of the line. The second, and the reason it has remained a utility power, is because I felt the ability was more of a counter than a resistance and the builds it is used in tend to be less focused on Resistance and more on Magic, making it a very useful ability for the budding mage. To this day, its mechanical function aside, it occupies a unique balancing factor as the only truly defensive offensive ability.

Question: Can I suppress an automatic ability or an ability that is auto-combined with Contingency?

Yes, unless there's some story-related reason why not or a Power Restriction that forces abilities to be combined.

Question: Can I use Contingency to...?

If it's already been done by a past character, yes. Otherwise, see your gamemaster to have that worked out.

Question: Can Contingency combine abilities that normally can't be combined?

The short answer is maybe. In most cases, this poses little problem, but some abilities, if combined, could break a game, so check with your gamemaster for sure.

Question: What are some legal uses of Contingency?

Among others to be added later, here are some popular uses...

= To auto-combine Enhance abilities with physical or magical attacks.

= To auto-combine Speed Demon with Animate Shadow

= Triggering Resurrection to work automatically within a number of days equal to 10 - Magic modifer if you've negated any damage with Etherealness or Absorb Magic (choose one) that turn.

= To cause a certain ability (often an attack) to automatically trigger when you absorb damage with Etherealness or Absorb Magic; note that for you to absorb damage, at least 1 point of damage must be dealt, so the attack has to match/beat your Defense or Resistance total.

Question: How can I combine an Enhance ability without losing half my normal combo?

The Enhance abilities were originally meant to sacrifice that nifty combo for a more powerful single attack, but a popular use of Contingency is to combine an Enhance ability with the ability to be enhanced automatically.

Question: Why does Awareness not grant a bonus on rolls against Silence and Stealth when it was made to oppose them?

For the same reason Suggestion doesn't grant you a bonus on rolls against Mental Barrier. Awareness was made to oppose Silence and Stealth, not the other way around; Silence and Stealth grant +4 bonuses offensively the same way that Awareness grants a +4 bonus defensively. Gaining this defensive bonus is the entire reason for taking the ability, although we're likely to develop an Improved Silence and Improved Stealth in the future as a counter against Awareness, much like we have the Piercing abilities to counter immunities.