Stretching vs. Telekinesis

[Spideyguy]

Steve,

 

Often when I see write ups of tentacles and winches, I see them bought as Stretching. However, if I'm building a character that has inorganic limbs (like Doc Ock) I would probably buy them as TK, because if someone hits the limb, the PC (wouldn't normally) take damage.

 

I guess when I think of extra limbs that have Stretching, I imagine that if someone hit the limb while it was stretched, or struck the limb while it was grappling an enemy, than the PC with the Extra Limbs and Stretching would take damage.

 

Am I making this harder than it is, or am I overlooking some elementary principle about these two powers? Brass tacks, I guess that if the limb can be damaged (and thus damage the PC) I buy extra limbs and stretching. If hitting the limb would do no damage to the PC, then I buy TK. Am I looking at this correctly?

 

Thanks in any event!

[Steve Long]

Re: Stretching vs. Telekinesis

 

This is a "how to" or "design preference" question, not a rules question, so I've moved it to Discussion in case anyone wants to talk about it.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Stretching vs. Telekinesis

 

I think it's essentially a special effects issue. You point out that hitting the outstretched "arms" of someone with Stretching would normally damage them, but it's also true that hitting the effect of Telekinesis that stems from a Focus would not normally damage the Focus. So as a GM, I would simply rule that if you buy your tentacles as Stretching, then you 'trade-off' these factors; you don't take damage when someone strikes your tentacles, but the Focus they come from does.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Stretching vs. Telekinesis

 

Another approach is to build the tentacle-harness as a "follower"/automoton, or alternatively as a vehicle that doesn't protect the rider. If a tentacle gets hit, the harness takes damage and the character doesn't.

 

[Haven't been an avid Spidey follower, but weren't Doc Ock's tentacles linked to him neurologically so he did feel pain if they were damaged?]

[Dust Raven]

Re: Stretching vs. Telekinesis

 

I don't get hung up on these issues. Technically Doc Oc's arms are not a foucs, because they require surgery to remove. But they are definately not TK (although I suppose you could buy them as such, it's just that I wouldn't). It's specifically Extra Limbs with Stretching. The limbs can be struck and injured just as any other limb (in Oc's case, he's probably got extra Armor for them).

 

As far as the character taking damage, I'll just let it ride on SFX if the damage is actually applied to the character. Perhaps the limbs are fully wired into the character's nervous system and he can feel pain through them. Perhaps not (and I can treat them like a focus even though they're not). The difference would be that damaging the limbs hurts the character, I'll use normal hit locations for striking an arm (-5 OCV). If the character does not take damage, I'll use normal focus rules for striking an arm (-2 OCV).

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Stretching vs. Telekinesis

 

As far as the character taking damage' date=' I'll just let it ride on SFX if the damage is actually applied to the character. Perhaps the limbs are fully wired into the character's nervous system and he can feel pain through them. Perhaps not (and I can treat them like a focus even though they're not). The difference would be that damaging the limbs hurts the character, I'll use normal hit locations for striking an arm (-5 OCV). If the character does not take damage, I'll use normal focus rules for striking an arm (-2 OCV).[/quote']

 

I would add (for myself, anyway) that if the character doesn't take damage from the tentacles being struck, they could be damaged and destroyed as per the normal rules for foci.

 

This makes it a tradeoff - if you take no STUN, your tentackes can be rendered useless in combat. If you want them to be "unbreakable", the character can take STUN through them. Your choice (as always, based on SFX).