06. How To Do – Portal

[MistWing]

I have an idea for a power (actually, several powers) and I would appreciate anyone’s help in its design.

This power is described as a combination scrying portal and teleporting portal. I can open the portal to observe any place not protected by appropriate (i.e. GM determined) defenses. In this mode, I can position it and watch and hear what’s happening on the other side. In addition, I can ask it a question and it will answer. The question has to be a question regarding ‘fact’, not ‘opinion’ or ‘speculation’ (In other words, I can ask to see the text of a bill being debated in Congress, but I couldn’t ask it what would likely happen if it were passed into law). Also, the ‘fact’ has to be at least theoretically knowable. That is, I could ask for the text of a long buried document or the location of a specific buried treasure (I would have to know that the specific treasure existed though), but I couldn’t ask what a T-Rex actually looked like (too much speculation about skin color, etc).

Finally, if I’m looking at a place, I can open the portal so that I can teleport through it.

Additional things about the portal include: Anyone can look through my end of it when it’s in the ‘observing’ mode; the portal’s size automatically adjusts so that, when I use it for teleporting, I can always pass through it (I can shape shift and grow to rather large or small size); when used for teleporting, the portal is two-way (the Gate advantage); and the edge of the portal is effectively razor sharp.

Most of this is rather simple to do. My main question regards how to do the ‘question’ part of it. However, any additional thought or comments are welcome.

Thanks
MistWing SilverTail

[Killer Shrike]

Use the Gate rules in FRED, listed under Teleportation. Buy IPE: Hide Effects of Power and Personal Immunity as a Naked Advantage for an invisible TP gate that you can see through but nobody else can.

[Killer Shrike]

As far as asking a question, I dunno -- seem to Magic Mirrorish to me, but consider "Detect Answer to Random Question", Discrim, Analyze, 1 Charge per day.

Or Precog and Postcog, Only to answer a Question & Literal-minded (NCC (-1 version)), 1 Charge per Day.

[prestidigitator]

The "question" is really just a way to find out where to locate your Clairsentience, I should think. It may just be a Special Effect: one of the ways you can specify your placement. Alternately, you could buy a (probably expensive) Enhanced Sense (along with possibly some Knowledge Skills) to allow you to find the thing you are interested in location-wise. Maybe "Detect Person/Place/Thing I am Thinking About, Ranged, Descriminatory, lots of Telescopic," although this seems a little cheesy.

[MistWing]

I hadn't thought about using Detect to find the answers. I guess I'm not used to thinking of it in that fashion. And I would NOT have thought of the Discriminate or Analyze.

Thanks for the input

MistWing SilverTail

[prestidigitator]

By the way, the part about other characters being able to see what your portal shows may need to be bought as some kind of Usable on/by Others or Area of Effect. On the other hand, your GM might be willing to let it just be part of the Special Effects. Don't know. :)

[Dust Raven]

Originally posted by prestidigitator
By the way, the part about other characters being able to see what your portal shows may need to be bought as some kind of Usable on/by Others or Area of Effect. On the other hand, your GM might be willing to let it just be part of the Special Effects. Don't know. :)

Actually, I wouldn't rate this as an Advantage. I've seen enough movies and tv shows where the bad guy listen in on a radio transmission, or managed to watch the hero looking into a scrying pool or something and use it against the hero. As long as this happens (or the hero takes strenuous action to prevent it), I'd let it slide.