A power is simply a way of affecting the world that a normal human doesn't possess. Powers are very freeform concepts. When you buy a power, choose one major function and one minor function for the power. The power's major function has a value equal to the value of the power; the minor function's value is half the value of the power. You can buy a power twice; if the powers have the same special effect, and share a function, you can add the value of the common function together for the two powers.

The basic power, function, or power stunt affects a single target, has no area or range (except for Attack), and is used by the character at his location. It takes one combat turn to activate, and its base energy cost depends on the GM's requirements for the campaign. It lasts for one combat turn or for as long as it is being maintained. The basic power also requires a skill roll at activation, during usage, or for targeting (the GM should pick one or more per campaign).

Each function may be one of the following:

Attack: The value of the function gives the damage of the attack. A separate skill is necessary in order to target the power. If the power does not directly damage the target (as in an attack that temporarily blinds the target with a bright light) multiply the value of the attack by 1.5. If the attack is targeted in a nonstandard way for the campaign (such as, in a generic supers game, against Will-based rather than Dexterity-based skills) divide the attack's value by 2. An Attack function automatically has a base range in meters equal to its power value.

Defense: The Defense function provides 1 point of defense for every 2 points of value in the power.

Movement: The Movement function provides one movement mode with all of the attendant advantages and limitations of that mode. The actual movement rate is (value/4) meters per second.

Senses: Each sense function provides one additional mode of perception along with all of its attendant advantages and limitations. A major Sense function may be one sense at the power's full value or two different senses at the power's half value.

Alteration: The Alteration function is a catch-all. Alteration will often function similarly to an Attack. Alteration could include power drains, growth, shrinking, shapeshifting, the Midas touch, transform target to a frog, etc. The easiest way to run alteration powers is, if it's a power the character uses on himself, to just say that it works, and if it's a power used on another character, to roll the dice and compare the amount to the target's Hits, Will, or whatever other attribute is closest; if the attacker wins, the target is altered.

Increased Attributes: The value in an Increased Attribute function may add to one attribute; similarly to Senses, a major Increased Attribute function may increase two attributes by half the power's value. The Increased Attribute major function can be Always On, in which case it only increases one attribute by half the power's value; if a minor Increased Attribute function is bought Always On, it increases one attribute by one quarter of the power's value.

Other: This is a function that doesn't fit into one of the above neat categories; invisibility, telekinesis, and water breathing can all be examples of Other. Figure out the number of dice in the function based on its value.

Example:

The Human Barbecue is a superhero. His player, Fred Bloggs, wants the H.B. to have the Fire power. Fred buys Fire with a value of 44 for 88 points. He chooses Attack as the power's major function, and Movement as the power's minor function. Fred can throw a 4d8+4 Fire Attack, or can use an effective power value of 22 (2d8+2) in Movement (in the Human Barbecue's case, he heats up to become lighter than air, and fires flames out his feet for thrust).

Fred decides that this isn't enough, so he buys the Human Barbecue a second Fire power, spending 56 points for a power value of 28. He chooses Defense for this Fire power's major function, and again chooses Movement for the power's minor function. He can create a 14 Defense flaming force field around himself, and adds 14 points worth of power to the initial 22 points worth of Movement. He now has 36 points of Movement, and can fly at a speed of 9 meters per second. The Human Barbecue's power list looks like the following:

Greater Fire: 88 points.
    Major function: Flame blast. 4d4+8 Attack. (Attack value 44)
    Minor function: Flight. (Movement value 22, 6.5 meters per second flight).

Lesser Fire: 56 points.
    Major function: Flaming force field. 14 Defense. (Defense value 28).
    Minor function: Flight. Adds 14 value points to above flight, for a total Movement value of 36 points (9 meters per second). If dice are necessary, he will roll a total of 4d8 when using his flight.

Total: 144 points.

Had Fred wanted, he could have bought the Human Barbecue a Power Stunt (see below) to be able to create a flaming force field and fly faster, instead of buying this as a separate power. This is not very reliable, though, and Fred decided that to be an effective superhero, the Human Barbecue's basic powers need to work consistently and reliably.

Energy Points:

Recovery time for power use will be a factor as well; for example, in a campaign with superpowered heroes and villains the characters might recover points equal to half of their Constitution value per minute; in a psionic scanners campaign, characters might recover points equal to their Power attribute value per hour; in a fantasy magic campaign, characters might recover their entire reserve of energy points at midnight.

It might be necessary to perform some kind of ritual or connect to a power source to replenish an energy point reserve.  Vampires stereotypically recover energy points by drinking blood; a wizard may need to perform a magical ritual at sunrise to regain his energy points; Captain Fantastic's power suit might recharge by being plugged into a wall outlet or by replacing the depleted power pack with a fresh one.

In some games, especially in fantasy campaigns, characters may have a maximum amount of power they can output per turn; energy points make a good way of keeping track of this.

Instead of using energy points, a power could have a "Uses per day" option.  This could be used to simulate a wonder-weapon that has a certain amount of ammunition or charges, or a healing ring that heals the character once per day.

Note that requiring players to use energy points adds a bit of extra bookkeeping.  It simplifies matters greatly if energy points are not used; this is up to the individual GM.

Our examples will assume that powers have an energy cost of 1 for every 10 points value in the power.

Power Effects:

Players should work closely with the GM to determine the effects of their powers and how they work.

Each power, function, or power stunt must have a name by which the character refers to it, rather than by which the player refers to it. For example, a wizard wouldn't say "I'm casting my 5d4 Fire Attack at the orcs"; he'd say "I call on the Mystical Flames of Hephaestos to strike down the orcs."

Enhancements and Limitations:

Power Stunts:

During character creation, you can choose not to select a major and minor function for the power; if you elect not to do so, any power stunts are used at the full value of the power as purchased. Otherwise, any power stunts used start with a base value equal to half the power's value. If you choose not to select a major and minor function for a power, you must use power stunts in order to do anything with the power.

To use a power stunt:

The base difficulty of the stunt is equal to the base power value of the stunt. The base power value of the power stunt is always half the power's value, unless you have no major and minor functions for the power.

Add points and enhancements. You can increase the value of the power stunt up to the value of the power the stunt is based on, with no upper limit to the amount of enhancements. Besides increasing the difficulty, it costs 1 energy point per point the base value of the stunt is increased by.

The difficulty value of the stunt is equal to the value of the base power used, plus twice the added points in raw power, plus any points worth of enhancements.

Once you have figured out the final difficulty of the stunt, roll your power stunt skill; the GM will roll dice for the difficulty of the stunt. If you roll higher than the stunt's roll, your stunt succeeds; if you roll lower, it fails (though you still spend the energy points).

Example:

The Human Barbecue is chasing some bank robbers. The robbers have accidentally run down an alleyway, and, realizing their mistake, attempt to run back out. The Barbecue decides to lay down a wall of fire across the opening to the alleyway, and so uses his Wall of Fire power stunt. He uses the flight from his Lesser Fire to hover above the street, and uses his Greater Fire to create the wall. The base value of the wall is 22. Fred decides not to increase this, since he's going to be facing enough difficulty on the roll anyway. Fred adds the Area Effect Enhancement, opting for a circle 11 meters in diameter. This increases the difficulty by 25%, to 28. He is well within his power's maximum range (22 meters for the power stunt). He is going to maintain the wall out of his energy points, costing 3 (28 / 10 = 2.8, rounds to 3) energy points per turn. Fred opts not to enhance the wall further, and thus is rolling against a difficulty of 28. The GM rolls 4d6 for the stunt's difficulty against the Human Barbecue's 3d10 Wall of Fire skill. H.B. rolls 17 on 3d10, against the GM's roll of 9. H.B. now has a 22 point wall of fire, costing him 3 energy points per turn. If the thugs try to run through it, they'll each be hit for 2d8+2 fire damage. They decide that it's better to be alive, unsinged, and in jail than to be flash-fried and in jail or the morgue, and wait for the police to show up.