Yet More Entangle Questions

[Derek Hiemforth]

Sorry.

 

1. Can a character choose to make an Entangle barrier smaller than the default size as listed on 5ER 168 (1" by 1/2" by 1" per BODY)?

 

2. Which of the following would be true of the way an Entangle barrier would be "attached" to its environment?

1. It must be touching the ground, and one or more other locations, such as corridor walls or the like. (It cannot be a free-standing pillar.)
2. It must be touching the ground, but need not touch anywhere else. (It can be a free-standing pillar.)
3. It need not be touching anywhere, as long as it isn't being used as a dropping weapon (per 5ER 168). (It could float in mid-air, provided the environment allowed it.)
4. It might be A, B, or C depending on SFX. There is no default assumption in the rules.
5. Something else.

 

3. In any location that an Entangle barrier is touching (including the ground), must the Entangle be assumed to be holding fast to it, or can SFX define it as simply sitting on it?

 

3a. Where an Entangle barrier is holding fast to something, is it possible to forcibly detach it from that thing without destroying the barrier as a whole? If so, how would that be accomplished mechanically? Exceeding the Entangle's DEF/BODY?

 

4. Once an Entangle barrier has been set up, is it possible to move it without damaging or destroying it (given sufficient STR and appropriate SFX), provided it isn't holding fast to something (either because it defined that way per question 3, or because it was forcibly detached from something per question 3a)?

 

Sorry to be so pedantic, but I'm just trying to work my way through exactly what you can and can't do with Entangle barriers. So here's an actual use-case example...

 

Iceman wants to make a barrier with his ice Entangle, to use as a blind for him and Beast to hide behind in an arctic setting. But he doesn't want it to be 1" tall... he wants it to be 1/2" tall so they can crouch behind it and peek over it. Can he do this?

 

He wants the ice blind to touch only the ground, attached on no other sides. Can he do this?

 

He wants the ice blind to just sit on the ground... he doesn't want it to "cling" to the ground. Can he do this? If not, can he get Beast to break the ice blind free from the ground without destroying the blind?

 

After he's made the blind, he and Beast need to move in order to keep spying on whoever they're spying on. For whatever reason (maybe he's tired), Iceman doesn't want to abandon this blind and make a new one elsewhere. He wants Beast to pick up the blind and take it with them to their new spot. Can Beast do this without damaging or destroying the blind?

 

Thanks! (I'll run and hide now... )

[Steve Long]

Re: Yet More Entangle Questions

 

1. Yes, unless the GM rules otherwise. The lack of ability to reduce the size of an Entangle barrier is a -0 Limitation.

 

2. B — It must be touching the ground, but need not touch anywhere else, unless the GM rules otherwise. Depending on the setting, circumstances, power, special effects, and the like, “the ground” may not necessarily be the literal ground; it might be, say, a building rooftop, a really large tree branch, or some other horizontal surface. The requirement that an Entangle “touch” more than a single surface is a -0 Limitation.

 

3-4. The Entangle must be “attached,” in that it cannot be freely moved without overcoming its BODY and DEF in a “push” or “shove” intended to break it free and move it (rather than simply breaking it altogether). Once it’s detached, the ability to move it depends on its weight (as determined by the GM), the pushing character’s STR, the surfaces involved, and similar factors.

 

If that doesn't cover everything you wanted to know, please post a follow-up.