CONVERSION
Attribute Cost: 3 Points/Level
Relevant Stat: Body
A character with this Attribute temporarily gains new abilities after suffering damage. Martial artists who can only deploy their most powerful “finishing moves” after they are on the ropes sometimes possess this ability. It is also often applicable to super robots, or powerful alien or demonic monsters that simply feed on the energies of beams, bullets, magic, or other attacks; unless the right attack form is used, they will simply keep getting stronger.
A character with this Attribute still loses Health Points from damaging attacks (such as guns, swords, punches, energy blasts, or falls), but taking damage also grants additional Character Points that they can temporarily assign to Attributes. Character Points can be accumulated between attacks or combat rounds. The gained Character Points can only be assigned to Attributes the character already possesses and not new Attributes.
Damage cannot both be converted and absorbed (by the Absorption Attribute, page 78) at the same time. Conversion has no effect on attacks which inflict no actual damage (such as unarmed attacks with Weapon Level 0) and is not effective against other offensive Attribute, such as Metamorphosis (page 106) or Mind Control (page 108). Consequently, damage blocked by the character’s Armour and Force Field Attributes cannot be converted because no damage was inflicted. In addition, Stun damage (page 141) or the extra damage from Continuing Weapons (page 135) cannot be converted. The extra Character Points gained through combat dissipate shortly after the current battle has finished or before the next dramatic scene (GM’s discretion). The maximum number of extra Character Points gained during one scene – even after damage from multiple attacks has been converted – equals one half the character’s normal Character Point total.
At each Level, the character gains 1 temporary Character Point for every 10 damage received from each single attack (round down). Most often, characters use these Points to enhance the following Attributes: Armour, Extra Actions, Force Field, Massive Damage, Regeneration, Weapon, and Superstrength. Conversion cannot normally be used to increase Stats (even through the Augmented Attribute) or acquire the Tough Attribute (see Absorption to increase the character’s Health Points).
For example, a character with Level 3 Conversion gains 3 Character Points for every 10 damage received. If an enemy blasted the character with a weapon that inflicts 40 damage, the character’s Health Points would reduce by 40, but they would gain 12 temporary Character Points (40 ÷ 10 = 4, 4 x 3 = 12). If the character possessed Superstrength at Level 2, they could raise it by 3 Levels immediately (since 12 Character Points ÷ 4 Points/Level for Superstrength = +3 Levels).
With GM permission, Conversion may be designed to convert forms of energy into Character Points, rather than converting damage. Examples of energy include: sound, light, radiation, mass, heat, and others. The progression of the Attribute under these conditions must be discussed with the GM.
- Level 1 The character gains 1 temporary Character Point for every 10 damage
- Level 2 The character gains 2 temporary Character Points for every 10 damage
- Level 3 The character gains 3 temporary Character Points for every 10 damage
- Level 4 The character gains 4 temporary Character Points for every 10 damage
- Level 5 The character gains 5 temporary Character Points for every 10 damage
- Level 6 The character gains 6 temporary Character Points for every 10 damage