Teleport Tactics

[Sean Waters]

So, I’m building this character, and he can teleport. That’s basically all he can do, but he can use it pretty flexibly, so he has a number of slots in a MP. Couple of tricks I’ve thought of:

 

• He’s got a lot of extra mass on one of his TP slots. Jump on top of a car, ½ move TP WITH the car t 5” above the target (which you could do as a move action) then TP back without the car. Car falls on opponent.
  
• TP (position shift) UAA, so incoming fliers or speedsters can be redirected into the ground.
  
• Take a reasonable mass of something, say a car engine block, on a high non-combat TP. Fall to terminal velocity. TP with mass over target. He’s got a separate triggered safety TP that cancels his velocity if he hits the ground at above 5” per segment.
  
• Cut out a chunk of something with TP.
  
• I’d like to be able to trigger a grab, so I can ½ move TP ½ move away.

So: questions:

 

i) Does dropping stuff on people work for you, how would you calculate damage, what, if any aiming problems should I have and should I just be buying this as some sort of linked attack? Should I be treating this as an attack even though it is only really movement?

ii) The position shift thing: damage = v/3, right? What about runners who don’t have a turn mode? If I flip them through 90 degrees will they still plough into the ground, or do I need to move them up a bit so they have no purchase?

iii) This tearing something off with TP – how do I do that? Say I want to TP the engine out of a car, or a piece out of a wall, but I don’t want to destroy the bit I remove, how do I do that? Some sort of RKA? Would that need indirect? Strength, perhaps? Some sort of transform? I’ll be using a separate slot with some sort of RKA to simulate damaging opponents by TPing bits of them away, or TPing things into them.

iv) Can I do the triggered grab as a grab by? If I did build it as a power, what is it? Advantaged MA manoeuvre?

 

Any cunning answers or TP tips gratefully received. Cheers.

[Gideon]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

So: questions:

 

i) Does dropping stuff on people work for you, how would you calculate damage, what, if any aiming problems should I have and should I just be buying this as some sort of linked attack? Should I be treating this as an attack even though it is only really movement?

I would build this as an indirect BE or RKA, just like the "Environmental Mayhem" under Luck Powers in the Until Superpowers Database (page 130).

 

8d6 indirect physical energy blast. If you want to use really big object, I would add AoO.

ii) The position shift thing: damage = v/3, right? What about runners who don’t have a turn mode? If I flip them through 90 degrees will they still plough into the ground, or do I need to move them up a bit so they have no purchase?

ok, turn mode should matter here. I would, however also buy this as a power (probably built as a martial throw or something simliar).

 

I don't understand the second question. Sorry

iii) This tearing something off with TP – how do I do that? Say I want to TP the engine out of a car, or a piece out of a wall, but I don’t want to destroy the bit I remove, how do I do that? Some sort of RKA? Would that need indirect? Strength, perhaps? Some sort of transform? I’ll be using a separate slot with some sort of RKA to simulate damaging opponents by TPing bits of them away, or TPing things into them.

I would say RKA.

iv) Can I do the triggered grab as a grab by? If I did build it as a power, what is it? Advantaged MA manoeuvre?

You can just grab by. You don't need to build this as a separate power.

[CTaylor]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Here's the list of teleport tricks that the old champions mailing list came up with, formatting will be a bit odd

 

Trick Definition

 

Defense

Teleport bullets/beams/etc. somewhere else Deflect/Reflect

 

Rapid Random 'porting within your same hex Extra DCV

 

Even faster teleporting, but to the exact Desolid

same place (your enemy can shoot at you,

but you'll be out of phase)

 

Beginning to teleport, then pausing Desolid

Offense

 

Teleport move-by (Nightcrawler's Area Effect Selective

multi-bamf) Hand-to-Hand Attack Linked to

Teleport

 

Telexplode (the further you teleport, the EB Explosion Linked to

nastier the explosion you leave in your Teleport

wake)

 

Teleport objects only to self Teleport UAO Only to bring to

self -1/2

 

Teleport small stuff at target (ink on the Any of: Flash, NND, EB,

face, itching powder, oil on the ground, Entangle, Telekinesis

etc.)

 

Teleport small stuff into target EB, RKA

 

Disintegrate (teleport others without RKA, Body Drain

reforming them)

 

Ranged grabbing (opening a small portal to Indirect Stretching

put your hand through)

 

Teleport Others Teleport UAO + Flash

Direction Sense

 

Teleport that goes through another Ego Attack Linked to Teleport

dimension, and anyone watching during the

transition goes mad

Movement

 

Long-Range Teleport 5" Teleport + NCM

 

Super-Long-Range Teleport FTL

 

Extra-dimensional movement EDM

 

Momentum cancellation Flight (Only to cancel

momentum -1/2, linked)

 

Teleport without error Linked Clairvoyance

 

Teleport fastball special (if you use your Aid to any one teleport power

own teleport at the same time that I

teleport you, you go a lot farther)

 

Tesseract teleport (reappear on a Linked clinging

perpendicular plane)

 

Zip-tang (instantaneous acceleration and Visible teleport

deceleration)

 

Shadow-walk ("Travel is so much more Gradual teleport

comfortable when done in one's armchair.")

 

Stepping disks Focus, only from disk to disk

-1/2

 

Place-swapping (castling) Teleport UAO at range (only

to self) & Teleport self

(only to target)

 

Pocket universe Base (+25 Impossible to get

to) & EDM

 

Teleport into cyberspace or other altered EDM

reality

 

Time-stop EDM to group of dimesions

Miscellaneous

 

Reintegrate yourself without disintegrating Ranged duplication

first

 

Afterimage (it looks like you're still Linked images & invisibility

there even though you've teleported away

 

The Fly gene-splicing teleport A good excuse for bizarre

stats and powers

[Outsider]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

This would be expensive, but :

 

10" Teleport

___(+1) UAA

___(+1) Increased Mass (1600kg)

___(+1/2) Ranged

___(+3/4) Indirect (Power originates anywhere, teleport target any direction)

 

Step 1 : Teleport 1 hex of Dirt from 10" below ground to the surface.

Step 2 : Teleport an enemy into the resulting void.

 

Now, if he doesnt have teleport or tunnelling himself, he has 100 BODY worth of dirt (10 hexes) to get through to get back into action. And might be disoriented for a phase or two while he figures out what happened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, you could also do this with Tunnelling, UAA, close the tunnel behind. Just have him tunnel down 10", then leave him there. Have teh Special Effect be that he isnt actually tunnelling, but is being teleported.

[Doc Samson]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

So: questions:

 

i) Does dropping stuff on people work for you, how would you calculate damage, what, if any aiming problems should I have and should I just be buying this as some sort of linked attack? Should I be treating this as an attack even though it is only really movement?

ii) The position shift thing: damage = v/3, right? What about runners who don’t have a turn mode? If I flip them through 90 degrees will they still plough into the ground, or do I need to move them up a bit so they have no purchase?

iii) This tearing something off with TP – how do I do that? Say I want to TP the engine out of a car, or a piece out of a wall, but I don’t want to destroy the bit I remove, how do I do that? Some sort of RKA? Would that need indirect? Strength, perhaps? Some sort of transform? I’ll be using a separate slot with some sort of RKA to simulate damaging opponents by TPing bits of them away, or TPing things into them.

iv) Can I do the triggered grab as a grab by? If I did build it as a power, what is it? Advantaged MA manoeuvre?

 

Any cunning answers or TP tips gratefully received. Cheers.

i) I think it would flow more smoothly to buy it as a linked attack. If you want to keep the dependence on nearby stuff, buy it OIF "Object of Opportunity" (pg. 292).

ii) We have handled similar powers by calculating the damage as a Move Through. The rationale is that TP doesn't remove velocity and if you teleported them inches from the ground, turn modes and maneuverability shouldn't matter. This is obviously pretty powerful for the points. We did later rule that a character could abort to a movement power to keep from slamming into the ground if he had experienced the attack before.

iii) This is a tough one that may take multiple slots to adequately define. For the engine example, a Dispel technology might be appropriate. For a piece of a wall, Tunneling, Walls Only, with Fill In. It's expensive but to have such varying effects in one slot I think Transform (one object into two objects, one with a hole in it) might be the way to go.

iv) I believe Grab By can be used with Teleportation without any extra advantages.

At the GM’s option, characters may

use Teleportation to perform a Grab By (at no STR

bonus), even though it cannot be used to perform

Move Bys.

 

Tips and Commentary

 

* For the Teleport UAA, I am including this for discussion purposes.

One important

rule of thumb to follow is that characters cannot

use Usable As Attack to duplicate an Attack Power

unless the cost of, and restrictions on, the UAA

power are at least as bad as, or worse than, the

Attack Power. For example, Flight Usable As Attack

is of dubious legality, since Telekinesis is the appropriate

and legal way to achieve the same effect in

most circumstances.

If all you want to do is turn a character or change their orientation, perhaps TK would work as well?

 

** This build was quickly banned in our campaign. I used it on a Nightcrawler homage but everyone freaked out screaming something about "unlimited actions" because I would Teleport, smack someone, and Teleport again. Teleportation, Trigger (mental command), Trigger is an action that takes no time, Trigger resets automatically, immediatley (+1)

ACTIONS WHICH TAKE NO TIME

Fourth are Actions which take no time. As the

term implies, these Actions take no time to perform;

a character may perform them whenever

he wishes (even on a Segment in which he doesn’t

have a Phase) and as often as he wishes. Examples

including making a Presence Attack, making a

soliloquy, or making a roll at the GM’s request.

Perhaps if I bought it so that it reset as a zero-phase action (limiting me to only one teleport between phases) it would have been more playable.

 

*** Teleport and Invisibility bought with identical SFX can be quite nerve wracking to the baddies. "He bamfed! Is he still there or is he behind me!?"

 

**** I like CTaylors Teleport Missile Reflection idea.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Just like to say thank you for some great responses. Lot to think about

 

I'm a little reluctant to buy a separate linked attack to drop heavy objects on people with a TP, for this reason: to lift 25 tons I spend 40 points on strength, and I can pick up 25 tons of stuff and drop it on someone, doing damage and no one bats an eyelid.

 

To teleport 25 tons of stuff, I have to spend an additional 40 points on my TP, the same as if I was buying strength. I get less utility generally, why shouldn't I be able to use it to drop heavy stuff on people?

 

Can I just commend CTaylor for a quite astonishingly comprehensive list

 

Question. Can I define a person as a floating point location, so that I can TP to them where ever they might be?

[Kdansky]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

I would go even further: Either a MP or directly a limited VPP.

 

VPP 60 pool, 30 control

- Can change powers as a zero phase action, possibly requiring a skill roll (or not).

- Only powers which can be justified by teleporting mass or himself -1 (heavily limited group)

- Usually requires focus of opportunity (cars to drop): -1/2

 

I'm a bit unsure on the second limitation, but not taking any would be wrong, but not all powers have it. You can just assign these points to Teleport Megascale, and there you don't need any OAF...

 

If you go for MP:

base: 60

3: Drop things on my enemy - OAF car of opportunity, EB 8d6, Area of effect one hex accurate +1/2

....

[Doc Samson]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Question. Can I define a person as a floating point location' date=' so that I can TP to them where ever they might be?[/quote']

Sure Can.

A Fixed Location doesn’t have to be immovable

— it could be a living creature, a particular airplane

seat, or the hex two hexes behind the Teleporter,

for example — but it must be a physical location

and can never change. However, the character can

purchase a Floating Fixed Location for 5 Character

Points. Th is is identical to a Fixed Location, but may

be changed. To change a Floating Fixed Location,

the character must study the new location for a full

Turn. (He cannot study a new location via Clairsentience,

unless the GM so permits.)

[Outsider]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Hmm..

 

Seems like a grand way to find someone you've encountered before. Just study them for a turn, set them as a floating location, then later, when you figure they've gone to sleep : POOF! You and as many team-mates as you can Teleport with appear (most likely with surprise) and take them out.

 

Conversely, on the villain side : Arrange to study a hero for a turn, then pop in on him when he's at home in his Secret ID...

[Tonio]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Conversely' date=' on the villain side : Arrange to study a hero for a turn, then pop in on him when he's at home in his Secret ID...[/quote']

 

I dunno, I'd rule that while in his Secret ID he's no longer "as you studied him", so you can't t-port to him.

[Outsider]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

So if you have the ability to teleport to your home, it doesnt work if someone has ransacked the place? Or your ability to teleport to your loved one doesnt work if they've changed clothing?

 

 

Note : I dont really like the ability to use an unfriendly person as a teleport location either.

[Tonio]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Not quite, because in those cases it'd still be recognizable. That's why you study for a Turn, not a Zero Phase Action.

 

Dunno what I'd do about someone using the Disguise skill, tho. =/

[Outsider]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Even if one allows that a room that has been completely tossed is recognizable, while a person wearing an demi mask is not when said mask is removed, then what is to keep the villain from using the hero's costume (or focus) as his fixed location? Not quite as good as using the hero himself, but still very likely to result in major Secret ID problems for many heros.

[Tonio]

what is to keep the villain from using the hero's costume (or focus) as his fixed location?

 

The GM.

 

 

To clarify.... I agree. The mechanic either lends itself to abuse, and is probably too vague. But it works for many things, and I think it's not that difficult to adjudicate.

[CTaylor]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

I can't take credit for the teleport tricks - I contributed an idea or two, but it was a group effort by the old Hero Email mailing list. Lousy formatting though, maybe I should clean it up and make it a stand alone post with some of the other ideas people had (bricks, speedsters, etc).

[MicroMike]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

One last ditch teleporter trick that can be effective is to teleport directly into the villian. (or hero, whatever) Use with caution!

[Sean Waters]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

One last ditch teleporter trick that can be effective is to teleport directly into the villian. (or hero' date=' whatever) Use with caution![/quote']

 

I had a shapeshifter who could do that, in extremis - she liquified, poured herself through the opponents mouth then solidified. One of them was not walking away...

[Guest steamteck]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

I know this isn't what you're going for but it might be of interest. My wife has been playing several generations of a teleporting family ( now on third generation been playing the family 20 years) that she designed after reading Larry Niven's little short of teleportation and thermodynamics.

 

She reasoned she had to be able to control personal temperature because of potential energy and also momentum so she extrapolated she could do it to others so we got a TK version "impart momentum " as well as cryokinesis and pyrokinesis. She also gave herself an innate range and direction sense figuring she would need those to not kill herself with her powers. Very effective powerset with a nice logical build.

[Guest steamteck]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

One last ditch teleporter trick that can be effective is to teleport directly into the villian. (or hero' date=' whatever) Use with caution![/quote']

 

" But you gotta be durable, real durable. Most ain't"

[Tonio]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

Larry Niven's little short of teleportation and thermodynamics.

 

Which story is this? I don't recognize it, and I've read a lot of Niven!

[CTaylor]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

"Castleing" is an interesting trick too, teleport swap yourself and someone else, you can even use it with a friend: haymaker me and I'll castle that guy into its path at the last moment. Especially effective if he's stunned or blind.

[Tonio]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

"Castleing" is an interesting trick too' date=' teleport swap yourself and someone else, you can even use it with a friend: haymaker me and I'll castle that guy into its path at the last moment. Especially effective if he's stunned or blind.[/quote']

 

A player in a campaign I'm starting soon is actually building a character with this ability, only he can only "castle" with Images he can create of himself.

[BlackCobra]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

I've played a couple of teleporters, one Galactic scale and the other Earth-scale (couldn't reach the moon, though, darn it). Couple of things you want to do for yourself:

 

Have several Floating Locations (they can be DARN useful), and a list of permanent ones. Remember, not only can you have a person for a location, you can also have the inside of a vehicle for a location -- it can be really handy, but unless your teleportation negates velocity (which I'd recommend), it can be tricky to use.

 

Some suggested locations (assuming Earth-scale teleport):

- the closet of your apartment/house (which you know SHOULD be empty)

- holding cell of your super-base (or local precinct), for dropping off bad-guys

- that donut place that makes the BEST donuts (roof, probably, for emptiness)

- if you have contacts, make sure they have a teleport-in spot for you; it's cheaper than calling them long distance from Brazil when you need them to identify that strange writing

- Eiffel tower observation deck 3 (the high one), for all sorts of reasons (romantic, get-away, the view)

- a bunker setup with anti-teleport fields that can be turned on (when you're having trouble with another teleporting villain); can also be used as a holding cell for them

- space station (orbit is REALLY close in raw kilometers, even low-end porters can sometimes reach that high)

- broom closet in your super-base

- permanent location for EVERY team member (obviously the GM will have wiley ways around this if they're captured, like teleport-proof rooms or having them out of your range, but it's still TOTALLY worth it). If you can negate velocity, this makes it a lot easier to rescue knocked-unconscious falling guys

- remember spidey-tracers? or bat-tracers? CRAP! Have a handful of items you've permanently memorized that you can tag someone with, or their vehicle, and just wait until they return to their Lair --- then BING, there you and your team are. Good fun ensues!

 

That's all I can think of at the moment, I'm sure there are more.

[CTaylor]

Re: Teleport Tactics

 

By the way, if you want to build Nightcrawler's "grab and teleport some poor schmuck around in one move" trick, here's how I did it:

 

Teleport, usable as an attack, side effect (draining effect on END and STN, always goes off, affects others). If you want it to be more specific, you can link a grab attack to it, that goes off after the blinking around. The special effect is "Fuzzy elf grabs target and teleports 9 times around the room rapidly."

 

Teleport has some amazingly nasty things you can build a character around. So does Desolidify, for that matter. Silly looking characters like The Spot in an old Spiderman comic can be lethal as all hell just building strength plus indirect and stretching without being connected. Add in some desolid effects, and you've got a horrendous martial artist. Yes, he just kicked you in the back of the head from across the room.

[Gideon]

Just like to say thank you for some great responses. Lot to think about

 

I'm a little reluctant to buy a separate linked attack to drop heavy objects on people with a TP, for this reason: to lift 25 tons I spend 40 points on strength, and I can pick up 25 tons of stuff and drop it on someone, doing damage and no one bats an eyelid.

 

To teleport 25 tons of stuff, I have to spend an additional 40 points on my TP, the same as if I was buying strength. I get less utility generally, why shouldn't I be able to use it to drop heavy stuff on people?

 

Um, you don't need it to be a linked attack. My suggestion was to buy it as a completely separate power. And this way if your teleport is in an EC or naked, you can have your "Drop stuff on people" attack power in a multipower along with other similar teleportation tricks.

 

You simply buy:

 

Dropped Objects: Energy Blast: 8d6 Indirect (always from above target; -1/4), OIF (Object of Opportunity; -1/2) Limited Range (185"; -1/4)

50AP 28RP

 

You can even have two different versions of the power, one an EB and the other an RKA. If you define the above power as "blunt objects", you can describe an RKA as "sharp objects", and have this power also:

 

Dropped sharp objects: RKA 2d6, Indirect (always from above target; -1/4), OIF (Object of Opportunity; -1/2) Limited Range (185"; -1/4)

37AP 21RP

 

You don't need to have an extra teleportation with tons of extra capacity to use this (unless your GM says so), and the SFX is you move over to a car and aport it (teleport it) above your target's head. If you want to be able to teleport really really big things (like a trawler) buy the power (or a separate version of the power) Area of Effect (one hex or radius as needed).