ID:2054781
 
(See the best response by Lummox JR.)
Is it possible to change an icon's transparency or alpha during runtime?
Yes

object.alpha = 130
im talk about actual icons.
var/icon/I=icon('Fist.dmi')
I.alpha=13

something like that wouldnt work, icons don't have variables.
Best response
You can do this a few ways. The easiest is:

var/icon/I=icon('Fist.dmi')
I.Blend(rgb(255,255,255,alpha), BLEND_MULTIPLY)

But, chances are whatever you're doing would benefit more from altering atom.alpha instead of doing icon math. The atom color and alpha vars are way more convenient, faster, and will keep your game from getting bogged down with too many resources.
I understand, I'm experimenting blending alpha icons with none alpha icons, so alpha/color vars don't seem feasible.
I appreciate the help :D