Altered Time Rate
Altered Time Rate
100 points/level
Your rate of time perception is faster than that of a normal human. The first level of this advantage lets you experience time twice as fast as a normal – that is, you experience two subjective seconds for each real second that passes. Each level past the first increases this ratio by one: three times as fast at level 2, four times as fast at level 3, and so on.
Each level of Altered Time Rate lets you take one additional maneuver on your turn in combat, allowing you to cast spells quickly by taking multiple Concentrate maneuvers, run very fast by taking multiple Move maneuvers, etc. Your turn doesn’t come any sooner, however! This advantage affects how fast you move when you react, but not how quickly you react in the first place.
Out of combat, Altered Time Rate allows you the luxury of extensive planning, even in crisis situations, as everything seems to happen in slow motion. You may always attempt a Sense roll, or an IQ-based skill roll to make plans or recall information (GM's decision), at no penalty to additional actions.
In order to do anything that depends on someone else's reactions, you must deliberately "slow down" and function at his speed. This applies both when making a Feint in combat and when making an Influence roll out of combat. For instance, if you choose to Feint, that is all you can do on your turn – you cannot take extra actions. (On the other hand, you could make an All-Out Attack followed by an Attack in order to beat down his defenses through sheer blinding speed!)
Powers Book
Altered Time Rate (ATR) is typical of super-speedsters and over-the-top cinematic martial artists. It's also appropriate for those who control time, and even suits the fastest computers and robots.
Alternatives
To react quickly, improve Basic Speed and consider either Combat Reflexes or Enhanced Time Sense. High running speed calls for Enhanced Move – or just a good Basic Move. For multiple attacks, take Extra Attack. To speed up learning, get Super-Memorization (see Modular Abilities).
New Special Enhancement
Super-Speed: You're even faster out of combat! When performing mundane or repetitive tasks – building things (including new inventions), reading, making repairs, etc. – look up your ATR level in the Size column of the Size and Speed/Range Table and divide the time required by the number in the Linear Measurement column. For example, ATR 6 gives a divisor of 20, which means a repair that normally requires an hour takes you just three minutes. You can reduce time further by taking a skill penalty. You can't hasten learning, special abilities (making magic items, concentrating on Mind Control, etc.), Concept rolls when inventing, or interactions with people or machines incapable of matching your speed. The GM may wish restrict Super-Speed to superheroic speedsters. +20%.
New Special Limitation
Non-Combat Speed: You enjoy the benefits of Super-Speed out of combat, but get no additional maneuvers in combat. You can buy some of your ATR with Super-Speed and the rest with this limitation. -60%.
Powering Up
ATR is most suitable for time-control and dedicated super-speed powers, but might also suit cinematic chi powers. Talent never provides a bonus, but offsets penalties for taking less time to execute a task.
Martial Arts
This advantage has no place in a realistic game. Real-world martial artists who can land multiple techniques in the space of a second are using All-Out Attack (Double), Rapid Strike, Combinations, and so forth. They aren't warping time!
Altered Time Rate is also unsuitable for "traditional" cinematic settings. To stay true to martial-arts myth, those whose blinding speed results from schooling in secret fighting arts should use Trained by a Master or Weapon Master to halve the Rapid Strike penalty, while those with exceptional coordination should look at Extra Attack. Fighters with both can make many attacks but are still limited to one maneuver per turn.
However, some comic books and movies depict impossibly fast martial artists who can engage several widely spaced opponents before any of them can retaliate. This requires multiple maneuvers per turn, implying Altered Time Rate. In campaigns inspired by such fiction, the GM may allow one or more levels of this advantage to those with Gunslinger, Heroic Archer, Trained by a Master, or Weapon Master.
For more on speedy heroes, see Multiple Attacks.