Prehensile Hair: (3 nova points/ 6 experience points)
The nova can alter the length of her hair at will and animate its strands. The nova's hair is at least as strong as steel wires and can slash, pierce, grapple and garrote her opponents with ease (Strength + 4 bashing or Strength +2 lethal damage, use Brawl or Martial Arts to attack). The nova can also use her hair to pick up and manipulate things, using her hair as an extra arm. If the nova also has Mega-Dexterity, she can "split" her hair into multiple limbs- for each dot of Mega-Dexterity past the first, she gains an effective extra limb. Each "hair-tendril" has a maximum length of 2 meters, although this length can be increased by 2 meters for every additional nova point or three experence points spent. As a side bonus, the nova can automatically style her hair at will.

(Credit on this one goes to Sprocket, from Eon)

Y'know, Tendrils and Multiple Limbs, or the Mega-Dexterity enhancement Omnidexterity, would cover these just as well.

It could, and probably would, but I kinda liked the simplicity of having the modification neatly packaged that way and paying the nova points in a neat clump rather than having to buy several body modifications and explain them to death. Sure, I could buy Extra Limbs and Tendril twice and write it up this way... but I was reading through something he'd put together, and there was exactly what I wanted in a neat little package.

So I figured, hey, why not see if I can use it?

That's quite a lot to ask for in one package. You've got the equivalent of Claws, plus Multiple Limbs, plus Tendrils, plus effectively a free instance of Omnidexterity... that's 8NP right there.

I mean, it's a neat idea... but I think that too much is crammed into the package. Now, if the basic idea of "tendrils I can lash out with" was split off from "effectively an extra manipulative limb", I'd be better with it....

This is somewhat ambiguous.

Does this mean the hair is preternaturally tough, eg as tough to cut or rip as if it were steel cable? What's required for the hair to be cut if it's being used as a garrote? Would scissors or a knife work if someone were desperate enough, or would it require cable cutters?

If the hair is incredibly tough, then I don't think 3 NP is sufficient.

If the hair is normal hair but only tough in that it's a singular mass that can pick-up and affect things then at first glance, it may be okay.



Are you intentionally crossing Brawl to Dexterity for this Body Mod? Brawl is normally a strength based skill and while it can make some sense that it may have more finesse than the arms/feet etc of the user, it seems odd.


Also, I agree with Timeslip, +1 Extra limb [for free] for every dot of M-Dex over 1. That seems excessive. The potential for a M-Dex 5 Nova to have 6 'hands' without any type penalty seems too much for 3 NP independant of any other abilities this Body Mod has. Now if you had to spend an extra 3 NP (or maybe 2, 1 seems too little) per extra hair-limb up to a max of (Mega-Dex Dots - 1) that would make this objection go away. Someone wanting to make a version of Doctor Octopus would need to spend 12 NP to get 4 different tendrils after all.

Thanks

Lou Anne

Extra Limbs (Hair)
Tendril (Hair)
Although this does cost one nova point more.

What stood out to me and hasn't been mentioned by someone else yet... As written the power grants fine manipulation automatically. Shouldn't that require more nova points than just having a way to grab things?

I don't see how that's implied.

At last, objections. Let's see if I can take these one at a time.

First, Lou Ann: Actually, the Dex+Brawl is an oversight on my part. I missed that when I was copying the Body Mod. Naturally, Strength should remained paired with Brawl; I'll fix that. Also, if you read the "Extra Limbs" body mod, you'll notice that you don't buy it multiple times for multiple limbs. One purchase of 1 nova point gives you as many limbs as you want. So getting [Mega-Dex] limbs with this Body Mod is a less than 1 np value. As for the "as tough as steel wire" line, I think I'd read it as trying to give the hair enough tensile strength to lift things without tearing itself apart; I think a normal pair of scissors in the hand of a low-stregth human probably wouldn't do the trick, but a knife and high strength probably would. I'm open to suggestions on that front.

Timeslip: Actually, no Claws is involved; Tendril gives that exact set of damage in the text. But yes, it's the equivalent of multiple Tendrils with fine motor control; it doesn't grant Omnidexterity, which would allow you to use all the hair-limbs at once, but simply gives you the extra limbs to use with the normal penalties for multiple actions. So, effectively, we're talking about Tendril + Multiple Limbs (2 nova points, and way less multiple limbs than the rules allow for) plus an extra nova point surcharge for allowing for fine manipulation with said tendrils.

Make more sense that way? And if it does, how can I revise the original text to make that more clear?

I got it from where the description reads "The nova can also use her hair to pick up and manipulate things, using her hair as an extra arm." It does say arm not hand but arms don't actually pick things up. Not usually. So I think its suppose to be hands not arms. And Wargear says its fine manipulation in the reply to other people.

Fine Manip lets you move things by exactly one millimeter or sum such. Getting an extra hand isn't the same as being able to do that, and no where in the text does it say you can that kind of fine control (although I'll grant it would be in theme).

As far as I can tell, you get everything in "Extra Limbs" (without the bonus for split actions), everything in "Tendril", and the ability to "automatically style her hair at will".

And that's it.

RE: "As tough as steel wire"
You get to apply your normal (lethal) soak to your hair. Also, if you have Mega-Strength then just like normal, you can apply it without hurting yourself (no tearing your own arms out, or hair off).

That IMHO is free since lots of super's toughness cover their hair, and their defenses certainly cover any extra limbs.

If purchased with nova points this is a bit pricy (you're paying a nova point to style your hair), if purchased with experience then it's a bargin (you can style your hair for no extra exp over what it would cost for extra limbs + tendril).