Your ability requires “recharging” after each use and is unavailable during this recharge period.
- Five seconds (or 2x time required which ever is longer): -10%
- 15 seconds (or 5x times required which ever is longer): -20%
- 1 hour (or 10x times required which ever is longer), and -30%.
- More then an hour: use Limited Use instead
Balanced cumulative use with Takes Extra Time[]
Consider Insubstantial (Takes Extra Time 3 -20%, Takes 5sec Recharge -10%) [56]
TET2 means it takes 8 consecutive readies to turn on, 8 consecutive readies to turn off.
TR means once the ability is turned off, it is not possible to use it for 5 seconds.
If you are already unable to use the ability for 5 seconds, it creates a convenient window for spending that time using Ready maneuvers...
- you'd need to do that ANYWAY to turn it back on right away
The need of spending time to turn on an ability would make "time before ability can be turned on again" a less meaningful limitation, especially if the time needed to turn on the ability equals or exceeds the recharge time.
The easiest solution for this if allowing the limitations to coexist is that the recharge time must expire BEFORE allowing readies (for TET) or concentrates (for Requires Preparation) to contribute towards paying the cost of switching the ability on.
You are effectively "using the ability" (just not enjoying it's effects) as you are spending time activating it.
- this is why for example, if you take "Costs 1 FP/second" on Shapeshifting, that applies 10 times for all 10 seconds, not just on the final second!
- for Requires Ready, that probably should not apply to the "switching on" time though, just to "keep it on" after that is paid
- since RR and Requires Concentrate switch abilities off automatically when the cost is not paid, this is an unfair way to avoid "time to switch off" maneuver costs
- for that reason, the ability should be modified to where it can be switched off as a free action
- Reduced Time for example, could have it's cost halved to merely +10% if it only reduced "time to switch off" but not "time to switch on".
- for that reason, the ability should be modified to where it can be switched off as a free action
- since RR and Requires Concentrate switch abilities off automatically when the cost is not paid, this is an unfair way to avoid "time to switch off" maneuver costs
- for Requires Ready, that probably should not apply to the "switching on" time though, just to "keep it on" after that is paid
References[]
- B115