Turning Off Feats

[commandercool]

Under what circumstances exactly can I turn off a power? Sometimes I don't want a feat for a turn, so I'm wondering if I can de-qualify myself for it for the turn by turning off prerequisite powers.

I recently played a team featuring Surtur using, among other things, the Infiltrate feat card, which reads as follows:

***
Prerequisites: Stealth or Shape Change

Choose a character.

This character can ignore other characters for movement purposes, but must end it's movement adjacent to an opposing character.
***

This is great for Surtur if he wants a guaranteed breakaway from tie-up figures, but it also requires him to actually base opposing figures, removing his option to punch people from 2 squares away with his giant reach (as is my understanding).

So my question is, if I don't want to use Infiltrate can I turn off Shapechange, making Surtur no longer qualify for the feat, and letting him ignore it's effects for the turn? Or even more to the point, is it possible to just turn the feat off wholesale? This seems like a really important thing to know, and I've been wondering about if for a long time, but since I've never seen someone do it I assume it doesn't work. I would look it up myself (I swear!) but I don't have a rulebook that's even remotely current (my one and only rulebook is from Hypertime.)

[normalview]

Under what circumstances exactly can I turn off a power?

Unless a power states that it is non-optional, you can cancel it at the beginning of any action.

Sometimes I don't want a feat for a turn, so I'm wondering if I can de-qualify myself for it for the turn by turning off prerequisite powers.

Same basic rules as powers: unless they specifically say otherwise, you can turn them off at the beginning of any action. The biggest difference is, unlike powers, feats start working again as soon as the action resolves.

So my question is, if I don't want to use Infiltrate can I turn off Shapechange, making Surtur no longer qualify for the feat, and letting him ignore it's effects for the turn?

You don't even need to cancel it, necessarily. A feat like this, you just choose not to auto-breakaway, and you don't. Then you can move where ever you want.

I would look it up myself (I swear!) but I don't have a rulebook that's even remotely current (my one and only rulebook is from Hypertime.)

All rules documents are available as .pdfs in the units section.

[commandercool]

Wow. That's pretty good. It makes a lot of feats a lot more usable than we at my venue had been thinking they were. Thanks for the help.

Also, I did not know there were pdfs. That's good to know as well.

[WolvieFan9]

This is great for Surtur if he wants a guaranteed breakaway from tie-up figures, but it also requires him to actually base opposing figures, removing his option to punch people from 2 squares away with his giant reach (as is my understanding).


Also, Surtur can still punch someone two squares away, even if he is based with another opposing figure... so if he uses Infiltrate, stops next to a bystander token, and punches someone two squares away, that's perfectly legal.

[Quebbster]

It is also worth noting that Shape Change is non-optional and cannot be turned off.

[IceHot]

Bear in mind there are some feats you cant just turn off....
Generally the ones with negative side effects cant just be turned off.

Like Sidekick: you cant carry the character even if you cancel the feat.

These should be noted in the Players Guide like Normalview mentioned.

[commandercool]

Also, Surtur can still punch someone two squares away, even if he is based with another opposing figure... so if he uses Infiltrate, stops next to a bystander token, and punches someone two squares away, that's perfectly legal.

Yes, I'm aware of that, but it requires my opponents to set up in just the right way for it to work, so it's fairly limiting.

It is also worth noting that Shape Change is non-optional and cannot be turned off.

I guess I did not know that. Thanks for the heads up. Seems like kind of an illogical decision, though.

Bear in mind there are some feats you cant just turn off....
Generally the ones with negative side effects cant just be turned off.

Like Sidekick: you cant carry the character even if you cancel the feat.

These should be noted in the Players Guide like Normalview mentioned.

I will have to check that out.