Gravity Control: A Different Point of View

[CptPatriot]

I've tried doing Gravity Control for a character a while back and a thought occurred to me:

Could you increase or decrease the force of gravity the planet exerts on a target rather than affecting the target with something like a TK to simulate gravity?

Perhaps as an Aid/Drain to the area in question?

Your thought?

[Ndreare]

You could use Entangle to represent holding in place or a Strength/Speed drain to represent making it tough to move.
Gravity is pretty weird because it does different things depending on how your character wants to use it.

[Cassandra]

13 minutes ago, cptpatriot said:

I've tried doing Gravity Control for a character a while back and a thought occurred to me:

Could you increase or decrease the force of gravity the planet exerts on a target rather than affecting the target with something like a TK to simulate gravity?

Perhaps as an Aid/Drain to the area in question?

Your thought?

 

That's what Yoda would do.

[CptPatriot]

 

59 minutes ago, Ndreare said:

You could use Entangle to represent holding in place or a Strength/Speed drain to represent making it tough to move.
Gravity is pretty weird because it does different things depending on how your character wants to use it.

 

I'm talking strictly making people heavier and lighter by the character attacking the Earth under the character to increase/decrease gravity as opposed to attacking the target and just simulating some form of gravity manipulation.

[Maccabe]

How about Telekinesis Usable by other?  You give the power to the earth beneath your target and it makes him heavier or lighter

[Ndreare]

Sounds like a change environment with a combined set of penalties to a bunch of rolls. I think it would get to expensive to be worth it, but could be modeled. 

Also while not covering what you are asking for the Powers book includes  ton of gravity tricks.
 

[Lucius]

2 hours ago, cptpatriot said:

I've tried doing Gravity Control for a character a while back and a thought occurred to me:

Could you increase or decrease the force of gravity the planet exerts on a target rather than affecting the target with something like a TK to simulate gravity?

Perhaps as an Aid/Drain to the area in question?

Your thought?

First, you have to write up the planet's own Gravity power, before you can Aid or Drain it.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary is hitting me with a STUN Drain!

[Armory]

I've had a gravity character for years and it seems like I've changed my mind on how to simulate the effect several times.  Back in 3rd and 4th I think I did Density Increase, Usable On Others, then applied a custom Limitation "No STR bonus", so they gained the weight but not the ability to move that weight.  When I reworked him for 5th Ed. I used Suppress up to four movement powers at the same time.  I think the former more closely simulates an actual increase in the effects of gravity (although its legality is questionable at best), but the latter best simulates their being pinned to the ground, which is the primary effect I wanted.

[dsatow]

Sounds to me more like a special effect and the actual power write ups would be the same.

[Beast]

I would go with maybe adding indirect(attack always comes from the center of the earth)
and build what ever effect you want and call it SFX

[Surrealone]

I agree with dsatow -- write the power up as you normally would, with the earth's gravity bit being SFX.

[CptPatriot]

So, essentially you are saying that since the Earth isn't a character, just treat the power purchased as you affecting the Earth to make the appropriate than try making gravity an ever present power the world uses against you?

[Surrealone]

I'm essentially saying that the only difference between use of an Entangle to telekinetically hold someone in place ... and use of an Entangle to induce the Earth's gravity to hold someone in place ... is the selected special effect.  i.e. Mechanically there should be no difference ... except maybe advantages you buy on the powers (IPE on the gravity bit, for example).

[Ninja-Bear]

What, no one suggested XDM only to dimensions with higher or lower gravity?

[Cassandra]

On 3/18/2018 at 3:46 PM, cptpatriot said:

I've tried doing Gravity Control for a character a while back and a thought occurred to me:

Could you increase or decrease the force of gravity the planet exerts on a target rather than affecting the target with something like a TK to simulate gravity?

Perhaps as an Aid/Drain to the area in question?

Your thought?

 

Why would you want to do that?  What's the purpose?

[CptPatriot]

5 minutes ago, Cassandra said:

 

Why would you want to do that?  What's the purpose?

 

It can be argued that the Earth is the nearest object that has gravity as a power properly written up on its character sheet.

 

When you look at it that way, Aiding or Draining the Earth gravity power should be possible and allowed.

[Cassandra]

6 minutes ago, cptpatriot said:

 

It can be argued that the Earth is the nearest object that has gravity as a power properly written up on its character sheet.

 

When you look at it that way, Aiding or Draining the Earth gravity power should be possible and allowed.

 

Any alterations like that will use a Transformation Attack with a Megascale Area Effect.

 

Do you have a character who wants to increase, decrease, or remove Gravity from Earth?

 

Localized effects can simply be a special effect for powers like Telekinesis, Entangle, or Energy Blast. 

[Doc Democracy]

I am very much in favour of looking at the effects and thinking about what you need to change to achieve that.  Aiding or Draining Earth's gravitational pull is unlikely to be successful as I think you will find Steve has bought it as inherent...

 

For increasing the effect gravity has on someone, like Cassandra asked, what do you want that to do?  I would say that I have 'given' the recipient a burden to carry.  I think it is a transformation - adding a complication of Heavy gravity - must use 10 STR/phase to move, all actions cost 1 END regardless of power costs.  Or some variation on that.  If that his a martial artist they will be using STR just to walk in addition to normal END for movement.  As the gravity increases then the STR requirements and END costs will increase too.

 

I am not sure whether POW defence is an appropriate one but then I am not sure what alternative would be better...

 

Doc

[Cancer]

If your campaign will always be on or near Earth's surface, sounds like your building it as a Drain movement (and projectile range)  power seems best to me.  If you'll be out in space, then things get more complicated quickly, as with something resembling real physics of gravity, gravity modification wouldn't do out there what it does down here.

[CptPatriot]

Let me see if I can do this differently.

As written, there is no power that can directly affect the mass of an object/character in the effort to simulate increased gravity, so the use of Transform is generally allowed. Density Increase cannot be used "increase another character’s weight without also increasing his STR (and other Characteristics that DI normally improves)" as indicated on 6E1 189.

 

According to the RAW, a Minor Transform can impose up to 10 Character Points' worth of Complications upon a target and add a power to the character as long as it doesn't add more than the Complication it adds. In this case, from 6E1 446,  Physical Complication: Weighty (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) (10 points). In addition, it makes sense that such a heavy character would also get some benefit: Heavy: Knockback Resistance -4m (4 points).

 

A Major Transform can impose up to 20 Character Points' worth of Complications upon a target. In this case, Physical Complication: Massive (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) (20 points). In addition, the massively heavy character would get the benefit: Heavy: Knockback Resistance -8m (8 points).

 

A Severe Transform can impose Complications with more than the 20 CPs the Major Transform is limited to. In this case, Physical Complication: Colossal (Very Frequently, Greatly Impairing) (25 points). In addition, the massively heavy character would get the benefit: Heavy: Knockback Resistance -12m (12 points).

 

I present Gravity Increase powers:

1. 7G Gravity Field:  Minor Transform 8 1/2d6 (standard effect: 25 points) (target into a Weighty target, Leaving Field Effect), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Constant (+1/2) (75 Active Points)
2. 31G Gravity Field:  Major Transform 3d6+1 (target into a Massive target, Leaving Field Effect), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Partial Transform (+1/2), Constant (+1/2) (74 Active Points)
3. 64G Gravity Field:  Severe Transform 2d6 (target into a Colossally Massive target, Leaving Field Effect), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Partial Transform (+1/2), Constant (+1/2) (67 Active Points)

A character transformed this way must have the strength to move the mass being forced upon them by the Gravity Field or be unable to move at all, collapsing under their own weight. They have to pay ENDurance to use their Strength score.

 

The Partial Transform advantage (6E1 308) on powers 2 & 3 also help by allowing partial gravity effects since you aren't as likely to completely transform a target on the 1st shot with those powers. Power 2, a Major Transform, can achieve Minor Transformation status with only 2/3 the BODY needed to fully Transform the target, allowing the 31G Gravity Field to subject the target with a smaller 7G Gravity Field until such time it can be fully transformed. Power 3, a Severe Transform, can achieve Minor Transformation status with only 1/2 the BODY needed to fully Transform the target and 3/4 the BODY to achieve Major Transformation.

 

Now, if you wanted to impose Microgravity, 6E1 445 offers a guide for those Complications. You would need to add the advantage, Improved Results Group, to the Transforms and reword the effect on the Transform to "target to target under different gravity level". This also works to change the level of gravity you want to subject a target with, in the case you are concerned about the potential collateral damage a heavy target might have on floors or the ground.

 

Negative Gravity is a different ball of wax and could be handled with a Severe Transform to avoid any issues, though others may argue that Flight, Usable As Attack fits the bill fine:

• Negative Gravity Attack:  Flight 10m, x4 Noncombat, Ranged (+1/2), No Gravity Penalty (+1/2), Usable As Attack (x2 maximum weight per inanimate target; affects any character or any object of up to 200 kg; defense is Density Increase, Desolidification, Power Defense, or gravity-manipulation abilities; +1 1/2), Damage Over Time, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (3 damage increments, damage occurs every Segment, can be negated by Flight; +1 1/2) (75 Active Points)