Various questions about triggered movement

[Crusher Bob]

Have been investigating triggered movement as a power construct for speedsters (discussion here

 

The power construct is adding the following:

 

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Trigger:

Trigger condition is set when trigger is created (+1/2)

Activating Trigger is non-action (+1/4)

Setting trigger is a 0 phase action (+1/4)

Trigger expires: trigger only lasts a single phase (-1/4 less)

Total (+3/4)

 

To one or more forms of movement.

 

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The 'trigger expires' limitation is added to the power construct to require that speedster guy has an action in the phase that he wants to use triggered movement. This means that if he wants to use a defensive trigger move, he'll have to abort an action, so he can set and fire the trigger. Unless of course, he set a defensive movement trigger on the same phase as someone tries to hit him...

 

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Here is what I think that does:

 

1. you gain the ability to move after otherwise turn ending actions, such as an attack.

Example: I set my trigger to be 'after I try to punch that guy' I take a half phase action to move next to him, attack him, the trigger goes off, and then I move away.

 

2. you gain the ability to move after (or before) a full phase action, such as multi attack or taking a recovery?

(special highlight: is taking a recovery a special class of full phase action, which may restrict this?)

 

3. you gain the ability to use your triggered movement when aborting to block or dodge.

Example: I abort an action, set the trigger, dodge, and use the triggered move.

 

3a. Does this ability grant you something similar to the interception ability?

Example: speesterguy sees someone pull out a gun and shoot at a baby! speedster guy was not holding an action, so he can't use interception. He could try diving for cover, if he could dive far enough, and blocking the attack with his face (i.e. taking full damage from the attack). However, speedster guy has the triggered movement construct. So he aborts an action, trigger-moves next to the baby, then uses the block maneuver to block the bullet.

 

4. let me avoid h-t-h attacks with the triggred move, in a way similar to flying dodge?

 

5. let me 'chase' people who try to flying dodge or trigger move away when I try to punch them.

Example: speedsterguy is trying to punch anti-speedster guy. He knows that anti-speedster guy will trigger move away when he tries to punch him, so he sets the trigger on his movement to 'when anti-speedster guy tried to move away from me'. So, when speedsterguy goes for the punch, antispeedsterguy's triggered move goes off. But then, so does speedster guy's triggered movement. Letting speedster guy 'chase' his target down to delivery that punching anyway.

 

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Other Questions:

 

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Can you move at non-combat speed during a triggered move (taking the appropriate OCV and DCV penalties)?

 

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If you buy triggered movement as a naked advantage on your regular movement, what are the restrictions on using it?

 

Example:

I have 24m running, and the above trigger 'on up to 12m of running' as a naked advantage.

 

Can I full move 24m and then trigger move 12m? Or am I limited to moveing just my full move in a phase, like flying dodge?

 

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What's an appropriate modifier for 'stretching: only to still hit people who flying dodge or triggered move away while I try to punch them'. This seems like something much more limiting than a (-1) but I'm not sure what limiter would be appropriate.

My first though was (-2) as it's a very specific circumstance for the power to work.

[Steve Long]

I don’t currently have access to all of my books and materials, which have been packed up as part of my home renovation project, so I reserve the right to edit or change this answer at a future time.

 

To make sure that everyone understands what’s being asked, and what my answers are, I’m going to restate and summarize some of this, using the standard form of power notation Hero Games uses in its books.

 

1. First question:

 

Q:  What are the effects and implications of the following power construct:

 

Any movement power with:  Trigger (in any Segment when character has, has had, or Aborts a Phase and wants to use this power, activating Trigger takes no time, resetting Trigger is a Zero Phase Action; +¾) 

 

A:  For the sake of discussion let’s say that the base Power to which a character applies this Advantage is Running 30m. So the power would cost 52 points (or 22 points as a naked Advantage). Here are some of the things this power would let a character do (subject, of course, to the GM agreeing):

 

1. Move up to 30m before or after using his Action in one of his Phases (though if he’s already taken a Full Phase’s worth of Actions, moving is all he can do; he couldn’t, for example, Grab something at the end of his movement, or perform a Move Through).

 

If the character wanted to try to interpose between an attacker and target using this ability, he could do so, assuming as always that the GM has no objection. If he wanted to chase someone who’s moved away from him to avoid his HTH Combat attack, he could do so (unless the GM rules that the way he began his attack would prevent this — for example if the character declared a Haymaker, or the GM thought that starting the attack would put the character off-balance somehow).

 

Regardless of the Trigger, the character could not use this ability in the same Segment when he takes a Recovery. The rules are absolutely strict about this:  if a character wants to take a Recovery in a Phase, he can do nothing else, not even Actions that take no time. Nothing.

 

2. Move up to 30m when he Aborts a Phase, either before or after he performs the Action he Aborts to perform. This could include, for example, Aborting to Dodge a HTH Combat attack and moving so far away from the attacker that his attack automatically misses because the target is out of range for HTH Combat.

 

I think that covers every issue you raised. If you think I overlooked something, please post a follow-up.

 

 

2. Second question:

 

Q:  If a character has a Triggered movement power, can he use Noncombat Movement with that power?

 

A:  No.

 

 

3. Third question:  I’m not going to address this directly. If you define a Trigger properly the issue should never come up, as far as I can see. I don’t even see much reason to buy it as a naked Advantage.

 

But of course I sometimes overlook things. If you feel there are significant implications here that need to be addressed, please post a follow-up and go into the issue in more detail, and I’ll be glad to try to help.

 

 

4. Fourth question:  issues of the “appropriateness” of a Limitation’s value I leave to the GM. If you were playing in my campaign, personally I wouldn’t allow nearly as high a value as -2. Maybe I’d allow -1. While I agree with you that the circumstance in which a character could use this power is relatively rare (at least in my campaign), you are also building an ability that allows you to, relatively cheaply, negate what would otherwise be an absolute defense to a HTH Combat attack, and that needs to be balanced.

 

And as always — if I missed something in your questions, please post a follow-up and I’ll respond.