There is one question, above all others, that Nightfeeders players ask, "What can I spend my Power Points on?" I don't remember all the various ways that I've described that have not been used, but that's okay. Below is a list of all the ways that current Nightfeeder players have used their Power Points. These are just as much for me as they are for you. There may be a difference listed here than what I may have told some players, but as FASA indicated in one of their source books, rules listed in the newest edition take precedence over those listed in previous source books. In other words, no matter what I've told players in the past about the spending of Power Points, the following stands. And no refunds if you feel you've spent more than what the following indicates.

What is listed on this page is brief description, in some cases, there will be a link to subsection that will go into further details. Now some ways of spending Power Points may seem more advantageous over others, but in the end, all the options listed here are various ways that they have been spent and can be spent. Each player has their own idea of who their character is, and they need. For some players, a priority is to increase their character's attributes, it does seem rather expensive when you compare it to other ways of spending Power Points, but players are considering the long term effects, as increasing their character's skill bonus becomes less expensive XP wise for all skills that use the raised attribute. I could make other comparisons, but I'll leave that up to you. How you spend your Power Points is your call, you know your character best and you know how you want your character to progress in the game. Simply put, there is no wrong way to spend your Power Points when, in the end, you are happy with the end results. And that's the bottom line.

Character Attributes:

At a cost of 1 Power Point each, ANY of the Character's nine Attributes, those being:

- Strength, Body, Dexterity, Reflexes, Intelligence, Willpower, Charisma, Edge, Social Standing -

This is done regardless of your character's Threshold, but it may NOT exceed your character's Attribute Maximum!

Skills:

You can purchase new skills with Power Points, simple skills cost 1 Power Point, while difficult skills cost 2 Power Points. Skills from other sources will be listed on a separate page as those skills are brought to my attention. Some of you make me proud, as you are looking through other source books and forcing me to make decisions. Unlike some GMs, I like that! I love that! I crave that! I...enough...geez. So, what I am going to do, is list all the additional skills and their value in Power Points, however, I am only going to do this for skills you bring to my attention. Reason: I want you players to do a little of work yourselves. I can't be the one to give you all the answers! But a couple good ones were given to me recently and they will be at the top of the list. When I have time later, and if I feel ambitious, I will also list all the skills and their costs, on that page as well.

Extra Edge:

This is one is a two parter, and the second one is a little complicated.

First Usage: while I've stated above that you cannot exceed your character's Attribute Maximum, Edge is the only exception...of sorts. You may purchase more Edge than your Attribute Maximum, however, they are like the Extra Edge Advantage used in MechWarrior 2nd Edition, those extra Edge points don't count towards your Edge Attribute, but rather they float in limbo until you need to use them, like for instance, to see the next battle map before you move and before I issue the next battle map to all the players. The "Floating" edge points are used up first, then you dig into your Edge Attribute as normally allowed by the game mechanics. Also, this method allows you restore used Edge Attribute points at 1 Power Point per Edge Attribute point, rather than having to spend Experience Points to recover used Edge Points.

Second Usage: this one is a little sticky, and it can slow the game down, but it does allow full versatility of these precious gems. After a turn is posted, a player with Power Points can actually force an alteration of the turn, which would result in a resubmission of that turn, though this is valid during combat only, whether it be inside or outside of a BattleMech. After turn submission to all players, if a player does not like the result in the turn, at a cost of 2 Power Points, a player can request that a specific event be retried.

Example: Jason Cross finds himself caught off guard, and an enemy unit fires and hits with their Large Laser and Gauss Rifle. The damage from the Gauss Rifle damages the internal structure and destroys Jason's ER PPC. The player running Jason Cross then spends 2 Power Points to have the Gauss Rifle attack against him redone.

There is no guarantee that the same thing can't happen again. Maybe on the re-roll the Gauss Rifle misses, maybe it hits, maybe on that hit it strikes a location with armour that can that that pounding. The ONLY thing I guarantee is that the character will not be killed, UNLESS, the original result ended in the character's death.

Example: Julias Blathe is toe to toe with an enemy Caesar, the Caesar fires it's Gauss Rifle, the shot crushes the cockpit in a millisecond. The player, seeing that death is not a good thing as far as career moves go, uses 2 Power Points to force the Caesar's Gauss Rifle attack redone. Because the original attack against Julias would have killed him, if the redone attack would kill Julias, it will stand, even if it kills Julias in another way, like ammo explosion.

But wait, what if you don't like your attack? No problem, 2 Power Points will get you another chance to strike the target.

Example: Shartice Hansen launches her LRM 15's at an oncoming Grand Dragon, one of the two launches misses the target. The player wants it all to hit, especially since she's done the math and knows that the target number was around 6 or 7. Using 2 Power Points, she forces a re-roll on her attack against the Grand Dragon with her missed LRM 15.

Is it good for piloting rolls? Yup! Still costs 2 Power Points.

I know the book says that players can force a re-roll with just one Edge point. I'm canceling that. I've been reading the MechWarrior 3rd Edition rulebook at work, and there is one very important bit of information in there, and it reads as follows:

(Page 6 - The Most Important Rule)

In spite of the large quantity of rules and source material in this book, the most important rule of the game is simply to have FUN. Gamemasters are allowed - encouraged, in fact - to make alterations to the game rules and setting to suit their players' tastes and whims. The BattleTech universe as it has developed over the past fifteen years is a remarkable place, but if it doesn't match your style of play as-is, go ahead and change it! This is your game, after all. Enjoy it any way you like.

That said, we need to keep in mind that this is a Play By Email game. As I explained before, I consulted with a handful of long time friends and experts in BattleTech, MechWarrior, and other similar games (Warhammer 40,000 and Rifts for example), and with their help, we've developed a darn good combat system, and with your input, other changes were made to bring the combat system to near perfection when used for a PBeM. So you players have had effects on the way the game is being brought to you.

But now I find myself in what could be rather sticky situation with Edge Points and their use. If you read the MechWarrior 3rd Edition rulebook, it tells on you on pages 18 and 19 how players can use their Edge Points. One of them allows you to ask for a re-roll, but in a PBeM, that becomes a little bit of problem because I would have to reissue a new turn with all the changes that the re-roll makes. However, I don't want to take that option totally away from the players because that "Second Chance" is what makes the difference between MechWarrior and other RPG's that I've played, a very distinct characteristic that I'm sure most of you would surely miss, or at least, would hate to have taken out of your hands. Instead, the above rules will stand in place of the standard re-roll/Edge Point rule in the rulebook. All other aspects of the Edge use stands, including the new rule that allows players to use an Edge Point to view the battle map prior to your moving your unit in the next combat round.

However, why two Power Points instead of one? Well, while I want this to still be an option for players, I also want it to be an option that is SELDOM used! In game terms, it can be explained as follows: The first point is to back in time 10 seconds, to when the attack occurred. The second point is to force re-roll of the player's desired selection. While the rulebook states that in the event of a re-roll, the second roll stands period! Not in this case. If you have the Power Points, you may use them at any time. So if you have enough Power Points and you don't the result the first, second or third time, then you can keep burning 2 Power Points to force a re-roll until you like the result or you run out of Power Points, which ever happens first. That might make up for not allowing re-rolls with a single Edge Point. At least I hope it does...

Money:

Not happening! I will not get into the buying or selling of Power Points for cash. There will be Case Exceptions, and when a Case Exception is presented, it will be clear how you can use your Power Point for cash. A little while ago we had an auction for Battle Salvage, and I allowed players to reduce their debt by 2 million C-bills per Power Point spent. That was a limited time offer, and it has expired.

Positive Traits:

Equipment:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you can use Power Points to purchase equipment that would not be normally available to your character. This will be discussed further on a separate page.

BattleMech / Vehicle Alterations:

I really thought that this one would be a big point grab for me, but once again I've been proven wrong, because I also thought the auction would be bigger than it was. Oh well, not that it matters. Not all equipment will be available, but a very good chunk of it will be. Cost in C-bills and Power Points will be listed on a separate page to be constructed in the near future. Power Point costs considerations include cost of the system, size, weight, type, technology and level (ie: 1, 2 or 3). Most weapons and equipment will be listed with both a C-bill and Power Point cost, some will only have a C-bill cost, and some will only have a Power Point cost. If there no cost listed in either of these areas, then the item is not available for purchase in that format, meaning that some weapons and equipment can only be purchased with C-bills, while others may only be acquired through Power Points.

This is being done to make certain items rather hard to get, and I will not be entertaining discussion on any of them that are listed as either C-bills or Power Points. Once the costs are set, any blanks will never be filled! Cost in C-bills can be altered based on your Negotiation skill bonus, however, Power Point cost will remain constant. I will try and be fair on this, but there are a few items I'd rather not see, and so if they are listed as available, they'll be hard to get. There may be omissions, if you find any, contact me and I'll either consider it, or add it to the table without any values. If you see weapons or equipment without a C-bill or Power Point cost, then that item will not be available. I will discuss those items with players who desire them, but don't hold your breath.

BattleMechs and Vehicles:

Don't go there! Cash only unless special cases arise, the auction for example. I expect other auctions in the future.

Specialty Items:

This will be where I place all the odds and ends, those weird and interesting items that kind of fall out of the normal lines of the game, and yet are still available to players. Again, this will listed on a separate page with a description of what it is if a description is necessary. When I made Power Points available, I stated they can be used for virtually ANYTHING, and I meant it. This will be a list that will expand as players request items that are, what I consider, out of the ordinary. Currently, it is rather small, but with your input, it has the potential to grow into the largest subsection for Power Point usage.