Daemon M wrote:Under RUE when making a TW item with PPE storage to pay for activation, do you increase the activation cost as well?
To clairify:
PPE storage adds 1% per point to the PPE Construction Cost.
PPE Construction cost/20 = Activation cost.
A spell chain using three spells cost Breath of Life(60)+Greater Healing(30)+ Call Lightning(15)=105
PPE construction cost 1050
Activation cost is PPE construction cost/20 or = 52.5 or 53
To pay that activation cost I would need to store 53PPE
1050*0.53=557
If that is included in the activation cost, the activation will jump to 81PPE.
I would like to assume that the PPE storage cost is seperate from the activation cost but included in the total construction cost (credits and gems). Otherwise PPE storage is actually impossible, as activation costs would continue to spiral exponentially.
Any thoughts?
IIRC, it's supposed to be included in the activation cost as well. However, there are 2 ways that you could handle this in your games:
1. Include the P.P.E. for construction cost purposes, but don't use to calculate activation cost. That treats it as pure P.P.E. storage. The problem, of course, is that to "fully" activate the item, you know have to pay double -- the regular activation cost plus the P.P.E. placed into storage as a "reserve". In your example, the initial activation (or reactivation of a "drained" item) would be 106 P.P.E. -- 53 for the usable charge, 53 for the "reserve".
2. Follow the rules as laid out, but use the rules to your advantage. The activation cost for a regular one-use item would be 53 P.P.E. Adding the P.P.E. storage, as you pointed out, increased that to 83... so you have to increase P.P.E. storage as well. However, instead of using the required 1 carat gemstone (1st level item, 1/2 carat per level required, but minimum size is 1 carat), increase it to 2 carats. Your base P.P.E. construction cost is now (1050 / 2) = 525 P.P.E., with a normal activation cost of 26-27 P.P.E. Adding storage for 36 P.P.E. adds 36% to the base cost, jacking it up to 714 P.P.E. Based on that number, however, the activation cost is now... 36 P.P.E. (714 / 2 = 35.7, rounded up to 36). Not only is your device just as complex as before, but you need 1 less diamond or emerald for storage (reducing the construction costs), you need less materials (also reducing monetary cost), and you need less P.P.E. to use the device.