Help me build a power

[misttar]

Ok, here is the idea. I have a time-manipulating speedster who wants to figure out the cost of the following power:

He slows time down to a crawl (his perspective) and runs around looking for something till he finds it. He then speeds time back up and we continue on.

My Idea on stating out this power is along these lines:

N-Ray Perception (Only to see what he can from the streets) 10pts
360* Perception +5pts
Rapid (x100) +6pts
MegaScale 1"=1km +1/4 Adv
Total: 26pts

Teleportation 10" 20pts
MegaScale 1"=1km +1/4 Adv
Must Pass through intervening space -1/4 Disad
Total: 20pts

ActiveCost: 51 TotalCost: 46

So N-Ray Perception with the limitation that he can only see what he could by just peering around if he was standing in accessable location (Can't see into buildings, tinted window cars, etc). With 360* and Rapid to simulate that he doesn't have to pick a direction and that he can assimulate alot of information fast. Megascale for the range with the draw back that he can't use this inside small buildings or places like that.

Teleportation covers the effect of him moving around so fast that he isn't really interacting with the space around him. Also, megascale for the same reasons, and with the disadvantage that he must be able to get into the location (no appearing in cars/houses/enemie bases/etc)

Any thoughts? Other ways to builds this? How about do you see any possiblity for abuse? (I have thought of some but looking for any more).

Would you allow such a power in your game? If yes, any additional Limitiations, including non-points related ones? If no, why?

Thanks,
Misttar

[schir1964]

Another option could be Clairsentience with different options/modifiers.

[misttar]

Not a bad suggestion.

Question, does Clairsentience get targetting if you buy it for the sight group or would you have to pay the 10pts for it?

Thanks,
Misttar

[misttar]

Ok, cracked open FRed and read up on Clairsentience, (pg 93-94).

I don't think this simulates exactly what I am looking for. The number one thing is that I would have to actively "Search", by constantly moving the point of view around. That isn't exactly what I had in mind. Also, it inherently allows you to see inside buildings/etc and that is an effect I don't see this power having. He can only see what he could if walking around on the streets.

I still think that a long range detect is the best way to simulate this, high speed hide-n-seek power.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Misttar

[Blue Jogger]

How about do you see any possiblity for abuse?


Hmm, not neccessary abuse, but it could be annoying.

Hero: Is he here?
GM: How are you going to check?
Hero: I zip through the entire parking lot and look for his vehicle.
GM: Nope, his vehicle not in the parking lot.
Hero: Wait, he must have an office around here. I zip around the nearby 10 kilometers area looking for the office building that was described.
GM: Yes, an office building matching the one is about five kilometers north and one west.
Hero: Cool, I check that parking lot.
GM: Yes, his vehicle is here. The plates have been changed and the color is different, but it has the detailed scratch that you notice. Hero2, what are you doing?
Hero2: I've got my power armor out of the suitcase and I'm putting it on.
GM: You already did that.
Hero2: Then I'm flying over to the parking lot. I move 30".
Hero (over radio): "I found the vehicle on Fifth and Maple!"
Hero: Is there anybody in the vehicle?
GM: Yes, a woman bound and gagged.
Hero (over radio): "I found her, she's bound and gagged."
Hero2: I kick in the afterburners and go 60" non-combat. "I'm on my way..."
Hero: I unlock the door, grab her and run out.
GM: (Clatter of dice) You escape just before a trap went off, destroying the vehicle. You and girl get got in the fringe of the explosion, you and the girl take 4 BODY and 12 STUN.
Hero (over radio): "Don't worry, the girl is safe."
Hero2 (over radio): "Safe? But it's only phase 6!"

:D

[misttar]

I agree and I have started up a conversation with my GM about those very issues.

The call would be, It takes, effectivly, a full phase to do a search. After the phase is over, the *GM* gets to decide where within a reasonable visible area of what I am looking for, most typicly a block or two away (100" or so), I actually appear.

Also, I will be required to make a perception roll for whatever it is I am looking for. And the GM will have control over any penaltys I take for it. Also, do to the special effect, I won't be able to notice anything by motion/action etc. Only things I could recognize by a look at a picture of it. Makes some things harder to find that way, IE how do you tell the difference between a dead person and a sleeping person? And it will only be limited by Sight. So darkness/tinted windows etc, would stop it.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Misttar

[Earen]

Hero: Wait, he must have an office around here. I zip around the nearby 10 kilometers area looking for the office building that was described.

GM: Ok ... aren't you out of END by now?

Seriously, MegaScale isn't really used for things like that. From FREd page 169: "The tradeoff for MegaScale is this: you can't use the Power on a personal level anymore. ... A character with MegaTeleportation can teleport from the Earth to the next galaxy in the blink of an eye, and can even reduce his power so that he's only teleporting 1" ... but he can't Teleport across the street."

So he can search the surrounding 10km in 1km increments. But since Teleport means that "one doesn't travel through the intervening space" ... I would rule that they can't be searching it either.

Personally, I'd do the whole thing with bonuses to PER rolls and possibly Penalty Skill Levels with PER to offset range modifiers. Maybe add Indirect to the base Senses.

[Bengal]

megascale swinging.

[Lightray]

If the effect you want is "I end up with something I didn't have a moment ago", maybe you should consider Summon? Limit it with Requires A PER Roll to indicate the need to search for it, add a "Object Must Be In Locale", maybe an Extra Time.

The Clairsentience/N-Ray Vision method would give you knowledge of the surrounding area -- but you'd definately need the Rapid Sense adder to process all that information.

You don't need Teleportation or other movement powers -- as far as everyone else can tell, the speedster hasn't gone anywhere at all. (except in rare cases where he faces another time/speedster which could be handled by special effects and GM fiat).

[misttar]

Seriously, MegaScale isn't really used for things like that. From FREd page 169: "The tradeoff for MegaScale is this: you can't use the Power on a personal level anymore. ... A character with MegaTeleportation can teleport from the Earth to the next galaxy in the blink of an eye, and can even reduce his power so that he's only teleporting 1" ... but he can't Teleport across the street."
Actually, that quote is the reason why I thought to use megascale for this in the first place. With megascale, he can't use this power in combat or in a small space even. He can search a whole city in a matter of minutes but searching a office building would take him just as long as the next guy. And that is kinda the effect that I was looking for.



But since Teleport means that "one doesn't travel through the intervening space" ... I would rule that they can't be searching it either.
That is why the power is bought as megascale sense and teleport. The sense takes care of the finding things (and is targeting so it can be used with teleport), and the teleport takes care of getting him there once he finds it.



... the effect you want is "I end up with something I didn't have a moment ago",...
That is not quite the effect that I am looking for. Mostly it is to search a large area (like a city) for a person/thing/type of thing, and tell me where it is so I can then go there and interact with it.



...definately need the Rapid Sense adder to process all that information...
Both me and my GM agree here. What we can't figure out is how much rapid is fair? x100, x1000?



...don't need Teleportation or other movement powers -- as far as everyone else can tell, the speedster hasn't gone anywhere at all...
Actually he has, a major effect of this power is the fact that he find something and ends up at that thing to intereact with it. So he does go somewhere. To me that feels like a need for some sort of transportation power.

Thanks,
Misttar

[Fenixcrest]

Detect: Stuff
Sight Group.
360-Degree perception.
Telescopic
Rapid Sense
Active Detect.


It doesn't get "Sense" because it takes 1/2 a phase to search the whole city. =P

It's an Active sense because it "transmits" by making the character run around like a ninny. You might give it "Costs END," as well.

[misttar]

Oh, didn't think about active. But you are right (baring the niny comment :) ), that would help simulate the fact that someone can detect him using it, high speed cameras/powers or such.

Thanks,
Misttar

[Lightray]

Both me and my GM agree here. What we can't figure out is how much rapid is fair? x100, x1000?
For that, you need to fall back on your comic book physics.

How much area can a typical character search in 1/2 phase? 1 city block? (if by "search" we mean "find out if something is in that city block")

If your speedster is able to search an entire city in the same 1/2 phase, how big is the city? I'd say at least x1000, probably x10000.

Alternatively, go with the lesser Rapid Sense multiplier, and it will take more time for your speedster to search ("5 phases! that's like forever to a speedster!"). Which may give the other characters time to do something. ;)

[Sean]

Quote:
... the effect you want is "I end up with something I didn't have a moment ago",...

That is not quite the effect that I am looking for. Mostly it is to search a large area (like a city) for a person/thing/type of thing, and tell me where it is so I can then go there and interact with it.
I'd point out that if your concept is a speedster character then when you find the item you are at the least within sight of it, if not in the object's immediate vicinity. Seems to me that a linkage between the sense and the teleport that puts you in sight of it makes sense. You should then be able to port back next phase to where you started.

On a different matter:

Some thoughts on how rapid your sense should be for the power. Start off by considering the situation where you were simply running a straight line (i.e. one side of the square area you were searching). Assign a multiplier to performing that task, 10x rapid for instance. This now represents in effect the length of one side of the search area.

From that, you can then assume if you want to search the flat square area that at a minimum that would require (10x) x (10x) = 100x which would cover the surface.

Now, if you forsee using this in buildings where there's now another dimension (up and down), it should be (10x) x (10x) x (10x) = 1000x which should minimally cover a once over of the volume of the cubic area you search.

There's one justification for how to figure out the proper amount of rapid modifier to buy. I'm sure there's others. Here's an alternate point of view depending on what you think are the details of this power.

As a speedster you aren't necessarily memorizing everything you see. If you are just running around at top speed, keeping the image of the item at the front of your mind, ignoring any other detail than running your search pattern, then a simple 10x or no rapid modifier might be justifiable. It would seem to me that if you take the 1000x modifier it would stand to reason you should have access to 1000x the normal sensory information, i.e. a picture of everyone and every item you see while you buzz around searching. If that's the case go with the first concept of 1000x. If you fail to notice all that stuff (say, not noticing a bank holdup or a wanted supervillian sitting at a desk in a building while you search for a time bomb) in your mad rush to find the item, then I'd say you should be able to skip taking the rapid adder.