On A Power Build

[ghost-angel]

Re: On A Power Build

 

So, if they touch a ceremonial weapon (a marine corps saber for example) they get nothing? I suppose they're functional, but nobody ever expects one of them to be wielded in combat.

 

Or what about a target rifle? One made specifically for oh say, Olympic competition? Is the fact that it is never intended to be fired at anything other than a stationary target affect its designation as a weapon?

 

Most of these questions would probably change from campaign to campaign.

 

A marine sabre is Still a sabre, vs (for example) a sword built as a prop for a play which is obviously a prop.

 

The overall intent of a gun is to shoot something, typically someone, just because one was sent to the Olympics and one was sent to wal-mart doesn't change the overall intent. It's still A Weapon. It was designed as a weapon, the overall intent of the object is a weapon, finding non-weapon uses for a weapon does not cause it to cease being a weapon.

 

going in reverse - the Intent of a baseball bat is for the game baseball. Just because Tommy "Light Touch" Caglione purchased one specifically to break peoples knee-caps does not make his baseball bat a weapon. Nor does purchasing a gun or bow and arrow specifically for target competition make it a non-weapon.

 

... I have to say I'm not sure where this line of questioning leads. In my experience GMs asking questions this specifically are trying to back the Player into a corner.

 

They can manifest a weapon they have had contact with. I'm no longer inclined to over-think the definition of "weapon" here. Thank you for your insight and help, it has been useful.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: On A Power Build

 

Can you describe the special effect of this ability a little more?

 

Is it the ability to literally create matter out of nothing that just happens to be limited to the character's concept of how he 'thinks' his ability works? (Like Gil Hamilton's 'imaginary arm')

 

It seems like the character's power has the potential to be much more but is just extremely limited by his self concept.

 

When I recently built the DCU character Flash I went with this idea for his movement. Based on his appearance in the possible future story Kingdom Come (where he is shown to Fly) I worked backwards and decided that he has always had this ability but just didn't 'believe' he did.

[ghost-angel]

Re: On A Power Build

 

They can hurt you with their mind.

 

It happens to focus through a physical manifestation of a weapon. Causal effect of the wound would determine that a weapon of the type manifested inflicted the wound.

 

If they wanted to slash your arm, and used a bayonet to do so then a forensics expert could compare the wound to a bayonet and determine that would likely be the type of weapon used. But ultimately the damage is an extension of the character's will to cause harm. An actual real to the touch (at the time) bayonet is created, but wholly from the characters mind - hence only weapons they've encountered.

 

If suppose, given that, you could extrapolate it out that they could 'invent' new weapons - but I believe that ruins the idea behind the character almost completely.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: On A Power Build

 

They can hurt you with their mind.

 

It happens to focus through a physical manifestation of a weapon. Causal effect of the wound would determine that a weapon of the type manifested inflicted the wound.

 

If they wanted to slash your arm, and used a bayonet to do so then a forensics expert could compare the wound to a bayonet and determine that would likely be the type of weapon used. But ultimately the damage is an extension of the character's will to cause harm.

 

Based on that it sounds like the character essentially has a form of telekinesis with a very limited use (based on its physical appearance).

 

It reminds me of the Kyle Rainer Green Lantern who was a comic artist before he got the ring. Many of his more complex ring-constructs were based on 'real' objects and derived useful abilities from this process. The only real difference between his abilities and what you are describing is that everything created by the ring was green and had a glowing connection to the ring as well.

 

A well thought out set of Limitations on a VPP sounds like the way to go.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: On A Power Build

 

...

If suppose, given that, you could extrapolate it out that they could 'invent' new weapons - but I believe that ruins the idea behind the character almost completely.

 

Not necessarily.

 

That might be the 'real' sfx of how their ability works but the character can have a completely different and subsequently more limited concept of what they are doing. You could even take a Psych Lim for it.

[ghost-angel]

Re: On A Power Build

 

Based on that it sounds like the character essentially has a form of telekinesis with a very limited use (based on its physical appearance).

 

It reminds me of the Kyle Rainer Green Lantern who was a comic artist before he got the ring. Many of his more complex ring-constructs were based on 'real' objects and derived useful abilities from this process. The only real difference between his abilities and what you are describing is that everything created by the ring was green and had a glowing connection to the ring as well.

 

A well thought out set of Limitations on a VPP sounds like the way to go.

 

I suppose if you wanted to put it that way. . . but,

 

This character came out of a set of five characters I've created together to work as a team. It was purposely limited to a single concept, and specifically intended not as a subset of a great ability - just the start and end of it. A one trick pony.

 

The problem I encounter with a lot of 'comic' and 'game' characters is the seemingly overindulgent need to reason they're just a subset of a greater ability.

 

So, respectfully, they are not a telekinetic with a limited use.

They are someone who can create real world weapons they've encountered with their mind, anywhere in their field of vision, and use them on you.

 

A VPP is what I went with, though I have a feeling for different reasons.

Either way - this conversation has been enlightening both from this characters standpoint and an overall design standpoint on Characters.

[LoresLost]

Re: On A Power Build

 

Not necessarily.

 

That might be the 'real' sfx of how their ability works but the character can have a completely different and subsequently more limited concept of what they are doing. You could even take a Psych Lim for it.

 

The Duplicate Boy weakness. He was the most powerful of the heroes of "Heroes of Lallor" but due to a lack of imagination he could only duplicate heroes he meet, but in actuality his powers could create any power that could be thought of.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: On A Power Build

 

Hmmm, hadn't really thought about it.

 

I know that other people can move them, or grab them. And when they're manifested (even in mid air) the character can't remotely control them other than to unsummon them.

 

No, I think there's a sphere of influence they exist in, if taken to far from the characters they fade away.

 

Ahh...

 

I really misread this post initially.

 

I was under the mistaken impression that the character could manifest a weapon midair and remotely control it's firing from a fixed point in space. That's where I got the tk idea from.

 

[BNakagawa]

Re: On A Power Build

 

so the character has some form of clairsentience that allows them to detect whether an object was intended to be used as a weapon or not.

 

Given two pistols, one real and one a non-functional but entirely convincing prop, the character could figure out which one worked and which one didn't because one of them they could manifest and kill someone with and the other they couldn't. Just by touching them.

[BNakagawa]

Re: On A Power Build

 

... I have to say I'm not sure where this line of questioning leads. In my experience GMs asking questions this specifically are trying to back the Player into a corner.

 

In my experience GMs asking question this specifically are trying to figure out what the limits are for this power, assuming there are any. Open ended powers like this one need closer scrutiny than something that is cut and dried like 20" of flight.

[ghost-angel]

Re: On A Power Build

 

so the character has some form of clairsentience that allows them to detect whether an object was intended to be used as a weapon or not.

 

Given two pistols, one real and one a non-functional but entirely convincing prop, the character could figure out which one worked and which one didn't because one of them they could manifest and kill someone with and the other they couldn't. Just by touching them.

 

It's subconscious. They can't detect weapons.

 

If someone handed them a fake 9mm pistol that could otherwise be mistaken for a real pistol they would believe they have a real pistol. They have no senses beyond normal ones.

 

If later they attempted to manifest a similar 9mm pistol... nothing would happen. It would be a hindsight knowledge.

 

Like if someone handed you the same pistol you wouldn't know it was a fake until you attempted to shoot someone with it.

[ghost-angel]

Re: On A Power Build

 

In my experience GMs asking question this specifically are trying to figure out what the limits are for this power' date=' assuming there are any. Open ended powers like this one need closer scrutiny than something that is cut and dried like 20" of flight.[/quote']

 

I guess I just don't see this as very open ended.

 

Also - the answer to your questions could vary massively from one GM/Player interpretation to another. Making them campaign specific limits of the question.

 

The Power itself is "Weapons" - definition of "weapon" could easily change from one game to the next. Making them - in this context (and firmly IMO) - extraneous to this thread.

 

If I were sit down at your table with this character, I could reasonably be expected to answer these questions in a little more detail. But here, and now, the answer is any Weapon.

[ghost-angel]

Re: On A Power Build

 

Ahh...

 

I really misread this post initially.

 

I was under the mistaken impression that the character could manifest a weapon midair and remotely control it's firing from a fixed point in space. That's where I got the tk idea from.

 

 

They make it appear, they make it fire. But they can't chase you around with it or re-aim it. Of course, manifesting another weapon is easy enough. . . But yeah, there's not a remote telekinetic control going on.

[BNakagawa]

Re: On A Power Build

 

It's subconscious. They can't detect weapons.

 

If someone handed them a fake 9mm pistol that could otherwise be mistaken for a real pistol they would believe they have a real pistol. They have no senses beyond normal ones.

 

If later they attempted to manifest a similar 9mm pistol... nothing would happen. It would be a hindsight knowledge.

 

Like if someone handed you the same pistol you wouldn't know it was a fake until you attempted to shoot someone with it.

 

Oh. Well, in order to keep things kosher, you'll need to keep a player list of every potential weapon this character has ever touched, and a parallel GM list of every potential weapon this character has ever touched with a note of whether that 'weapon' was really functional or not.

 

Of course the character is free to test every weapon candidate at their leisure, but some of them (nukes for example) will be a little inconvenient.

 

Weaponized Anthrax? Ewww.... So if this character ever gets exposed to (and survives) a biological or chemical weapon, they'll be able to spontaneously manifest them at will. Nasty.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: On A Power Build

 

Oh. Well, in order to keep things kosher, you'll need to keep a player list of every potential weapon this character has ever touched, and a parallel GM list of every potential weapon this character has ever touched with a note of whether that 'weapon' was really functional or not.

 

Of course the character is free to test every weapon candidate at their leisure, but some of them (nukes for example) will be a little inconvenient.

 

Weaponized Anthrax? Ewww.... So if this character ever gets exposed to (and survives) a biological or chemical weapon, they'll be able to spontaneously manifest them at will. Nasty.

 

You would not need to list every potential weapon. He already stated that what would be considered a weapon would vary greatly by campaign and GM. Depending on how it was defined in your own campaign you would need a list of what weapons the character did touched. That's it. The player isn't going to go, "oh, hey, that one time on that movie set I touched a gun. Was that a prop?". Unless of course they are simply trying to undermine the game or the power, which some posters seem to be trying to do in this thread. When would a player have ever touched a nuke and not known weather it was real or not? Besides, he already said that large weapons would be plot devices, for his campaign anyway, so it's kind of a non-issue. He's looking for a basic concept of how to build the ability. If someone asks how to build a gun, you don't have to know, how strong, what range, etc. you just need to tell them "use RKA and add such and such limits for most guns". We need the basic structure before the specifics you're trying to get into, and some of those we probably don't need at all.