Multiple grabs with TK

[Rubric]

1. Can I use the "Rapid Fire" maneuver to grab multiple targets at range with Telekinesis? Assume that I am going to grab and throw each target, not hold them. (I figure I can't grab and hold multiple targets because I need to let go of the first one before I can grab the second one.)

 

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2. If I have Telekinesis with Area Effect (radius), I roll vs. DCV 3 and then grab everybody who doesn't dive out of the area. That raises these questions:

 

2a. If I grab and hold several people, do I get my full TK strength against each person in the area, or do I have to divvy it up? Like, say I grab two opponents and hold them. What happens when they both try to "break out" simultaneously? Also, if one opponent successfully breaks out, am I still holding the others?

 

2b. Can I do something different with each target in the area of effect (as in, throw one guy, hold another guy, etc.)? What about slamming two guys into each other? Is the answer different if I have the nonselective targetting limitation?

 

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3. If I have just "regular" TK, with no area effect or other advantage, can I pick up a group of objects that are in a pile (maybe a pile of neatly stacked bricks for example)?

 

Thanks.

[Steve Long]

Re: Multiple grabs with TK

 

1. Assuming the GM allows the use of the Rapid Fire maneuver in the campaign, a character can Rapid Fire with his Telekinesis to Grab multiple targets, “punch” multiple targets, or the like. He must affect all targets the same way; he can’t Grab some and “punch” others. Having Grabbed multiple targets, he has the following choices:

 

—he can affect them all the same way (for example, Squeeze all of them, Throw all of them, continue to hold on to all of them, or turn them all upside down). If he does this, he must pay the END cost for his Telekinesis every Phase he maintains it. If Attack Rolls or the like are required, the character must make one roll per victim he wants to affect, or use Rapid Fire again, but making these multiple Attack Rolls counts as a single Attack Action.

 

—choose to affect one of the Grabbed victims in whatever way Grab rules or other rules allow and let all the other victims go. If he does this, he must pay the END cost for his Telekinesis every Phase he maintains it. At the GM’s option, the character can affect two or more persons in some appropriate manner (such as smashing them into each other) by again Rapid Firing his Telekinesis against those persons while letting the others go (normal rules for Rapid Fire and END expenditure apply).

 

—choose to affect two or more Grabbed victims, up to all of them, in different ways — holding on to some while Throwing others, Squeezing some and Throwing others, turning some upside down and lifting others 4” into the air, or what have you. But to do this, he must pay the END cost for his Telekinesis once per person or object affected every Phase he maintains it. If Attack Rolls or the like are required, the character must make one roll per victim he wants to affect (but making these multiple Attack Rolls count as a single Attack Action); he cannot Rapid Fire because he’s doing different things to different victims. (Nor is he allowed to, say, Rapid Fire Squeeze three victims while Rapid Fire Throwing four others.)

 

Example: A character has Telekinesis (40 STR — 60 Active Points) and uses it to Rapid Fire Grab six people. That costs him 6 END. In his next Phase, he decides he wants to keep holding on to them. Again, he pays 6 END to do this — he only pays for his Telekinesis once, since he’s doing the same thing to every victim.

 

In his next Phase, the character decides to Squeeze four victims and Throw two of them. He can do so, but must meet two requirements: first, he has to succeed with an Attack Roll against each one (not hard, since they’re at reduced DCV due to being Grabbed); second, he has to pay 36 END — one payment of END for each victim affected.

 

2. First, re: Area Of Effect Telekinesis, see 5ER 231 generally. That covers 2a, I think; if not, you’re welcome to post a follow-up. Regarding 2b, the rules stated above under (1) apply if it’s a normal Area Of Effect or a Nonselective Area Of Effect. If it’s a Selective Area Of Effect, the character may, with the GM’s permission, affect different victims separately or differently, but still only pay END once per Phase for his use of Telekinesis (multiple Attack Rolls may still be required, as discussed above, and any other special rules regarding END expenditure would still apply).

 

3. A character can pick up multiple objects with Telekinesis to roughly the same extent that he could with his ordinary STR. The “armspan” of a character’s Telekinesis is the same as his regular STR, i.e., about the span of his arms; if he wants to cover a greater area at once, he should buy Area Of Effect. Consider, for example, a pile of bricks (assuming, for the purposes of this hypothetical, that all the bricks together don’t weigh more than the character’s Telekinesis lifting capacity). If the bricks are neatly stacked on a pallet, the character can easily lift them all by lifting the pallet. If they’re in a big, jumbled pile, he can pick up as many as he can “fit” in his telekinetic “armspan.” The GM should make a final decision as to how a character can telekinetically lift a particular object, group of objects, or the like; obviously the specifics of a situation have a lot of impact on this issue.

 

The “armspan” rules described here do not allow a character to pick up multiple people or differing objects by making a single Attack Roll — they don’t grant any sort of Area Of Effect for free. They apply to attempts to pick up large masses of a specific type of object, such as a hunk of soil or a pile of bricks. As always, the GM has the final say on what a character can do with his Telekinesis based on special effects, game balance, common sense, dramatic sense, the circumstances, and other appropriate considerations.