Powers System
Overview
Anything that happens between entities in City of Heroes outside of simple movement passes through the Powers system. All attacks that you can cast, all shields you can have, all buffs you can grant and your current statuses and other attributes are part of a general combat system, which is modified almost exclusively through the use of Powers. While the full capacity of the Powers system is beyond the scope of the article, the most pertinent information that players will need to know are documented here.
Powers
Powers are made available to entities by a variety of means, the most common of which is simple ownership of Powers. When you select a Power through your Power Sets or encounter a dev-defined enemy, Powers are granted to entities. Some Powers expire, while others are permanent.
Power Type
There are three general classes of Power types: Click, Toggle and Auto.
Click
Most Powers are Click Powers. The name comes from the usual casting method: you click on the Power's icon in the Powers tray. These Powers execute once and begin their recharge cycle once they finish activating.
Toggle
Toggle Powers are activated and kept on until they are explicitly deactivated or until there is insufficient Endurance to maintain them. Toggle Powers technically apply their effects at a periodic rate rather than apply any sort of consistent effect.
Certain actions have the ability to "detoggle" a Toggle Power. Generally, this will happen during when the caster is affected by a status effect and the Toggle Power in question affects enemies.
Auto
Auto Powers function the same way as Toggle Powers, but they generally don't cost any Endurance to run and cannot be deactivated.
Target Type
Affected Entities
Effect Area
Spread Angle, Radius, Range
Cast Conditions
Mezzed and Defeated
Activation Interval
Interrupt Time
Auto Hit
Effects
Combat Attribute
Attribute Aspect
Strength/Resistance/Relative/Max
Attribute Modifiers
Duration and Tick Interval
Magnitude
Target Type
Self/Target