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I was thinking (I know, I know, always a bad idea) about the various ST characters. Take the Hunter/Vigilante for instance. Apart from secondary skill selection and budget, they're all going to be pretty much the same. To add some variety, I was considering allowing such characters to take one minor power through a gadget (not necessarily allowing all powers). Maybe even very minor magic or psionics; still through a gadget (e.g. a Stage Magician's cane gives him a few low-level spells). This, I hope, would add some distinction and flavor (at least crunch-wise) to character types whom otherwise all seem to be identical.

Now, to take this option, a player would have to sacrifice one skill program and maybe a couple of secondary skills as well. What do you guys think? Is that too much? Too little? The whole idea's dumber than a pound of rock salt?

jolt

I have generally gone with:

Increased budgets to afford more and better weapons.
Using N&SS to provide additional variety in HtH combat styles and disciplines.

Sounds good. Just remeber its your game. You do things how you think will be best suited for your players and running style. Bending rules and adding flavor can bite you in the butt, so watch out. Also sometimes when you try to spruce up one class you take away from the uniquness of another.
With your example, why not just make a straight super powerd character. What can't be done with supes can be done with skills and vice versa.
Or you could mega class it. DON'T give him supernatural ps or huge amounts of sdc, nor Immortality, just powers/gimmicks/extra-ablities accompinied with a weakness. Like alcoholism, or certain conditions for powers to work, relies on technology that he can't fix and supply is finite. That way skills are still kept. But you've made up for it by giving a serious pitfall to the character.
If not just be sure the powers are very limited to choose from and must make sense to combine with the class. And make sure it compliments and not completly take over a class ability.
And listening to Sen is not a bad idea either
good luck

The easiest way to do this, or anything like this, is at character creation. You just roll up your character like usual, and then haggle over the power to be used. Any type of power granting gadget will fit in to a training character without too much work.

Actual powers should be done the opposite way. Use the appropriate OCC/RCC, then pick skills that mimic the training class you want to be like, or powers to mimic those skills.

A magician with intangibility will quickly earn a Houdini reputation.
CES

I also like the magic equipment angle. Nothing crazy, but a PF enchanted sword for an melee master instead of the sword from the immortal class and so on.