Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

[ghost-angel]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

Non-lethal?

 

My concept of the portal was as just that, not a doorway; if you were knocked slightly askew, so that you no longer fit perfectly through the portal, then part of you would go through the portal and the rest of you would continue falling, off to the side.

 

In other words it would slice you in half

 

That's a GM call.. generally - you're in the Hex or you're not. But doing Damage like that with a non-damage Power is usually a no-no.

[Lucius]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

To me' date=' the most appropriate existing limitation is [i']Gradual Effect[/i]: "A power with this limitation works slowly, taking some time to achieve its full effect," which sounds like an almost exact match to the desired special effect. Take the value of the limitation on the basis of the minimum or possibly the typical amount of time required to Teleport or Extradimensionally move.

 

Now that bears thinking on.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary is also trying to think how to explain why Teleport is instant, not constant.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

To me' date=' the most appropriate existing limitation is [i']Gradual Effect[/i]: "A power with this limitation works slowly, taking some time to achieve its full effect," which sounds like an almost exact match to the desired special effect. Take the value of the limitation on the basis of the minimum or possibly the typical amount of time required to Teleport or Extradimensionally move.

 

I think I'd want to design this around the genre I expect to use it in. Dr. Anomaly has a good example with Dr. Who. I could call that EDM with special effects if it was just the time in transit (if you're travelling through time, who cares how long it takes?) except that things happen while he's in transit.

 

I wouldn't want a standard rule that says "Apply gradual effect to Teleport and the character spends time in transit". Then we get 5" teleport, Fully Invisible, Gradual Effect 6 hours. If the character is in danger of defeat, he teleports. Unless you've read the character sheet, you don't know he'll reappear a few feet away in 6 hours' time, so that's a pretty good escape plan. You go to the jewelry store/bank/etc. at 5 PM, and reappear after closing time to rob it. Lots of effect for what, 10 points.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

We've always put intercepting EDM as a Story Element. It's universally accepted that you can be caught in the middle of that type of movement.

 

Though it happens very rarely.

[Robyn]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

Unless you've read the character sheet' date=' you don't know he'll reappear a few feet away in 6 hours' time, so that's a pretty good escape plan. You go to the jewelry store/bank/etc. at 5 PM, and reappear after closing time to rob it. Lots of effect for what, 10 points.[/quote']

 

On the other hand, while it's easy to count on the heroes being on time, the cops aren't always available immediately . . . so, they might be too busy to investigate the report until roughly six hours later, and they're just taking statements when suddenly someone goes "Hey! There he is!"

[Dust Raven]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

If you wanted to simulate the "travel time" involved in transdimentional/extradimentional/doingsomethingthattakesyoutoanotherdimension-al travel, you can alter the metagame cosmology of the campaign to include the "travel zone", a "dimension" that doesn't exist, but serves as the "location" of all subjects in transit from one dimension to another, or from one location in one dimension to another. All the traveler would need to reach anywhere would be EDM to that Dimension, and a Navigation Skill to get from there to anywhere else. This would work for Doctor Who like travel, as well as Bill & Ted like travel, and probably most travel involving a telephone box.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

On the other hand' date=' while it's easy to count on the [i']heroes[/i] being on time, the cops aren't always available immediately . . . so, they might be too busy to investigate the report until roughly six hours later, and they're just taking statements when suddenly someone goes "Hey! There he is!"

 

Any villain worth his salt should be able to readily escape the unprepared police taking statements. He should get into the habit of spouting off about "the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime", to obfuscate WHY he keeps reappearing though.

[David Johnston]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

I wouldn't want a standard rule that says "Apply gradual effect to Teleport and the character spends time in transit". Then we get 5" teleport, Fully Invisible, Gradual Effect 6 hours. If the character is in danger of defeat, he teleports. Unless you've read the character sheet, you don't know he'll reappear a few feet away in 6 hours' time, so that's a pretty good escape plan. You go to the jewelry store/bank/etc. at 5 PM, and reappear after closing time to rob it. Lots of effect for what, 10 points.

 

Well, making the power invisible doesn't make the person doing the teleporting invisible. He'd still be visible on one end or the other or both. He just wouldn't have the translucence we normally see as a slow teleporter fades away.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Need Clarification: Extra-Dimensional Movement

 

Well' date=' making the power invisible doesn't make the person doing the teleporting invisible. He'd still be visible on one end or the other or both. He just wouldn't have the translucence we normally see as a slow teleporter fades away.[/quote']

 

This just comes down to the SFX of the Teleport - where are you when you're between two locations? Perhaps EDM to a Movement Dimension where you stay for 6 hours, then reappear up to [x distance] from where you started in our dimension is a better example.

 

One way to simulate the travel time in a Trek Transporter or a Gallifreyan travel device might be to make them EDM. The dimension to which you are transported is one where:

 

- Trek: you can travel X distance per phase in "real world" for every phase you remain in "TransportDimension". However, some effects (sensors, force fields, natural objects, attacks) have a Transdimensional advantage which permits them to affect the Transporter Stream. Transporters are Usable as an Attack EDM, so they, not you, decide where you are Transported.

 

- Dr. Who: Once you're in the timestream dimension, provided you have a vehicle (or are a creature) which can survive there, and has apppropriate movement capabilities, you can move through time and space. You may want to have specific rules relating distance and time to relative time in the Tiemstream. Or not - there never seemed to be any relationship between the two on the show. Of course, others can also use EDM to enter the timestream - and maybe some things live in that dimension - so things could happen while you're there.

 

Each of these items is enough a fixture of the setting that it seems reasonable to put a little effort into defining them.