Noob Seeking Help: Archetype Question

[Starstripe]

Hey everyone,

I just got into M&M for the first time when a classmate of mine recommended it to me (and sold me his second edition books). I'm looking at tinkering around with the rules, creating some of my old superhero characters, and I wanted to start with an energy controller/speedster mix to represent a character named Starstripe.

I have a very specific question about the Energy Controller archetype, and reading archetypes in general. Under powers it says:

Energy Control 12 (choose one of the following powers from Chapter 5: Cold Control, Cosmic Energy Control, Darkness Control, Electrical Control, Element Control, Gravity Control, Hellfire Control, Kinetic Control, Light Control, Magnetic Control, Plasma Control, Radiation Control, Sonic Control, Vibration Control, plus three power feats)

Does "Energy Control 12" mean 12 ranks of a given environmental control power? I'm mostly asking because if so, that seems like a lot of ranks to be putting into environmental control, given that if I understand environmental control correctly, that's a radius of 25,000 feet (12 ranks = 14 on the time and progression table = 25,000), which works out to over 4.5 miles. It could be that I'm interpreting this correctly, and it's just a lot more power than I would have thought of. It could also be that I'm completely misreading the archetype, and that the 12 refers to something else. Or it could be that I'm misunderstanding the time and value progression table, or the environmental control power.

Thanks for any help. I hope my questions get smarter from here.

[rtrimmer]

It's nearly always Ranged Damage 12, some alternate attacks and such. An Environment alt could be a snowstorm: cold, impede movement and visibility at 1-2 points per rank each -- max effects = 4 ranks at 6 points per, 250' radius. Simpler Environments will give you very large area effects. And you can make it Selective too.

[kenseido]

Energy Control is a generic name used as a placeholder. Light Controllers, Magnetic Controllers, and Gravity Controllers are all Energy Controllers.

Once you pick what type of Energy Controller you are, you replace Energy Control with the power from the list that matches it. I believe all of those powers are 2pp/rank.

Let's say I pick a Light Controller. So I would pick Light Control 12.
For Feats, I might pick Alternate Powers, such as Blast and Dazzle. They are also 2pp/rank so they would also be rank 12.

[Starstripe]

Thanks. I guess I was interpreting the rules correctly. I just couldn't believe that a power for what's more or less a starting character could cover such a massive radius.

[FuzzyBoots]

Thanks. I guess I was interpreting the rules correctly. I just couldn't believe that a power for what's more or less a starting character could cover such a massive radius.

Ah. Well, Environmental Control doesn't actually do that much at the 2 pp/rank level, and it affects everyone equally, so it's not as much of an issue as you might think.