MCo5 - Ionization (71-80)
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The hero has the ability to change the state of energy in a target. This can have a variety of effects on the target. A target can be electrified by this Power; the target's atoms begin to change into electrically-charged particles. The initial effect this has is to charge the target with static electricity. Next the target actually emits Electricity at -1CS Intensity. At this point the target will itself suffer an equal amount of damage, provided it is electrically grounded in some way. Finally, the charged atoms begin to fly off in an ionized cloud. Nonliving targets can be destroyed in this manner as the molecular bonds break down. Used this way, the Power does damage equal to -2CS Disintegration.

Okay, what about beneficial uses for this Power? Well, electricity isn't the only energy the hero can charge a target with when he uses this Power. The hero can excite the atoms sufficiently to create warmth; this is treated as a -2CS form of Heat. More interestingly, the hero can charge atoms in such a way that he can make them temporarily ethereal. A target thus affected can Phase through solid matter as easily as someone already in possession of that Power. This comes in handy when the hero is trying to protect a target from any of the Matter Conversion Powers. He can use this Power to Phase something threatened by the other Power or made threatening because of it.

The range at which Ionization can occur and its duration are determined by the Power rank. Range is shown on Column A on the Range Table. Duration is a maximum number of rounds equal to the Power rank number. For example, a Feeble rank can charge a target within reach for two turns. The amount of material affected is generally limited to a man-sized continuous mass. If the target is a specific area of a much larger mass, the Ionization will directly affect only the man-sized area, although the rest of the mass can experience secondary effects based on whatever the hero is trying to do.

For example, The Shocker has to Ionize a safe in which some people are trapped. He plans to try to Disintegrate a section of the safe large enough to permit fresh air to enter. There is a danger of electrocution to those trapped within, so Shocker tells them to stand on something that can insulate them from the metal walls and floor. They hurriedly cover themselves with stacks of $100 bills. Outside, Shocker summons his Power. The safe is a 15-foot cube with walls two feet thick. Selecting a section of the safe's wall with no essential mechanisms inside, he begins. He has a Incredible rank. In the first turn, static electricity crackles in the air; inside the safe, loose bills stand on end. In the second turn, electricity of Remarkable Intensity begins to be generated by the affected area. The safe's lock shorts out as the electricity flows throughout the metal sections of the safe; inside the safe the air begins to smell of ozone. In the third turn, Disintegration of Excellent Intensity begins to occur. Shocker is bathed in a cloud that resembles a fluorescent lamp without the tube. The safe walls are constructed of reinforced concrete and steel, giving it Remarkable material strength. For Shocker to execute any meaningful Disintegration, he needs to make a red FEAT based on the diminished Disintegration rank, rather than his normal Ionization rank. Shocker's player needs to roll a 95 or higher to burn through the safe. It takes him 11 turns or over a minute to finally accomplish the deed. Hours later it occurred to The Shocker that he could simply have used his Power to make part of the safe temporarily out-of-Phase with the rest of the world. Had he done that, those trapped inside could simply have walked through the temporarily ethereal wall.