The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

[Ragitsu]

How would you convert this ability over to HERO 6th Edition?

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Uh... I donated all my GURPS books to "adopt-a-budgie." What exactly is this "snatcher advantage" you speak of? (sounds kinky)

[RPMiller]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Snatcher allows the character to have any desired small item appear in his hand, or within arms reach, after 10 seconds of concentration. The item is pulled from an alternate dimension.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Any small item? This sounds like one of those "do anything" powers unless it is in some way restricted.

 

Can I call up, say:

 

- A diamond the size of a hen's egg (Wealth)?

- A hand grenade, handgun, disintigrator gun, billy club, blackjack, or lightsaber (attacks)?

- A universal solvent?

- The key to the lock keeping me out of where I want to go?

- The deed to that specific mansion?

- Your character's domino mask?

- Your character's heart (or other selected body part)?

- A sheet of paper with the phone number of the hot chick written on it (or with blueprints for a supercar, the name of the murderer and how he did it, a signed confession, orders signed by POTUS, your secret ID, nude photos of the Senator, etc.)?

- Truth Serum (or a mind control drug)?

- Kryptonite?

- Hitler's mustache?

- a remote control to summon a spacecraft under my command?

 

If I can call up anything that fits the size parameter, this sounds a lot like a Variable Power Pool - possibly one with a reserve larger than anyone could reasonable afford! If it is more limited, then those of us who don't play GURPS (probably a good percentage of posters on the Hero boards) can't provide much in the way of advice unless you tell us what the ability does.

 

HERO 101: Hero is based on reasoning from effect. It does not support broad-based, nebulously defined abilities which could simulate a near-infinite array of game mechanics. [Well, it does - use a Variable Power Pool - but you will still have to build each mechanical effect of that VPP.] I suppose you could use a Summon power [but you need to stat up what you summon] or Transform [air to whatever I want - and now you need to stat up the "whatever you want"]

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

I might allow something like this, with some different rules: the item apported has to exist in the same dimension as the character (none of that 'other dimension' nonsense) and the character must know where it is. The power needs to have a defined range, and the item must be within that range. The character needs to have a sensory power which can perceive the item (clairsentience, most likely) or make an attack roll at OCV zero, with modifiers for the item's size. And if the item doesn't belong to him, well... this could lead to charges of petty theft, possibly grand larceny. Even after all that, I'm still not sure if this is 'balanced' in game terms!

 

Forgot to add: Side effects! On a failed roll, character gets wrong item. This has tremendous comedy potential....

 

I'm not overly particular about which way this would be built -- I can think of at least a couple different ways. (Either t-port or stretching, probably mega-scaled.)

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

I might allow something like this' date=' with some different rules: the item [i']apported[/i] has to exist in the same dimension as the character (none of that 'other dimension' nonsense) and the character must know where it is. The power needs to have a defined range, and the item must be within that range. The character needs to have a sensory power which can perceive the item (clairsentience, most likely) or make an attack roll at OCV zero, with modifiers for the item's size. And if the item doesn't belong to him, well... this could lead to charges of petty theft, possibly grand larceny. Even after all that, I'm still not sure if this is 'balanced' in game terms!

 

Forgot to add: Side effects! On a failed roll, character gets wrong item. This has tremendous comedy potential....

 

I'm not overly particular about which way this would be built -- I can think of at least a couple different ways. (Either t-port or stretching, probably mega-scaled.)

 

Once we define it, building it becomes much easier. "Any item in the same dimension"? Megascale Teleport, UAA, limited to objects he can fit in his hand.

[RPMiller]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Yes, you can call up any item up to 5 pounds in weight. There are some penalties on the attempt for certain conditions such as not being able to clearly imagine it or if it never existed in the character's dimension, etc, but they are fairly small in the grand scheme of things. For me, I would probably have this be a VPP with the limitation of Extra Time (1 Turn), and then a few other limitations added on such of weight, etc. That is assuming that I even allowed it in the first place. It can be a serious game breaker in the hands of a clever player--need a key? Snatch it; out of ammo? Snatch it; illicit photos for black mail? Snatch it; need some wealth? Snatch it; vulnerable to glowy rock? Snatch it; etc.

[Escafarc]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Forgot to add: Side effects! On a failed roll, character gets wrong item. This has tremendous comedy potential....

 

Oh! you mean the "Bullwinkle Effect :D"

 

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Oh! you mean the "Bullwinkle Effect "

 

 

Repped!

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Yes' date=' you can call up [u']any[/u] item up to 5 pounds in weight. There are some penalties on the attempt for certain conditions such as not being able to clearly imagine it or if it never existed in the character's dimension, etc, but they are fairly small in the grand scheme of things. For me, I would probably have this be a VPP with the limitation of Extra Time (1 Turn), and then a few other limitations added on such of weight, etc. That is assuming that I even allowed it in the first place. It can be a serious game breaker in the hands of a clever player--need a key? Snatch it; out of ammo? Snatch it; illicit photos for black mail? Snatch it; need some wealth? Snatch it; vulnerable to glowy rock? Snatch it; etc.

 

Agreed - it's a VPP,and its play balance impact needs to be very carefully considered, as my comments above demonstrate. The combat effectiveness would be governed by the size of the VPP, but the ability to Snatch, say, the blueprints of the Death Star (to study it for weaknesses), the Ruby of Raggador (for the Maguffin Device to be built - of course, this would reallly mean all Maguffins weigh over 5 lb), unlimited amounts of any material (5 pounds at a time, yes, but that's 25 pounds a minute with that "one per turn" limitation - 8 hours to obtain 12,000 lb of gold seems a pretty good moneymaker). Not to mention caling back a sheet of paper with the combination to the safe, a signed confession from Senator VeryCorrupt, or nude photos of Miss Chastity, regardless of whether they exist in our dimension. Would any noncombat scenario pose any challenge to a character who can produce such things on command?

[Utech]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Questions: Can you "snatch" another character's internal organs? Portions thereof? Bones? The optic nerve? Eyes? Just the firing pin out of that gun over there? The explosives in a grenade? The salt out of a glass of salt water? Every other carbon atom in the Hope Diamond? All the ATP currently in that runner's legs? A particular (and important) wire in an overhead satellite? All of the blue pigment in the Mona Lisa?

 

This ability sounds like sfx for an entire character build.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Sounds like a major Transform, nothing into anything, with limits on size and weight.

[RPMiller]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Questions: Can you "snatch" another character's internal organs? Portions thereof? Bones? The optic nerve? Eyes? Just the firing pin out of that gun over there? The explosives in a grenade? The salt out of a glass of salt water? Every other carbon atom in the Hope Diamond? All the ATP currently in that runner's legs? A particular (and important) wire in an overhead satellite? All of the blue pigment in the Mona Lisa?

 

This ability sounds like sfx for an entire character build.

Short answer: No. Long answer: See above.

[RPMiller]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Sounds like a major Transform' date=' nothing into anything, with limits on size and weight.[/quote']

 

That would also be a very viable build. In fact, that was what I thought of first, but I think it depends on the campaign and how the GM would allow the power to be used.

[Ragitsu]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Snatcher

80 points

You have the power to find almost any small item you desire in an alternate world and “snatch” it across the dimensions to you. The items you snatch do not come from your own world, but from some nameless parallel; therefore, you can never intentionally take something away from a specific other person. Note that this talent

does not allow you to visit alternate worlds in person – only to steal from them.

 

To make a snatch, you must first concentrate for 10 seconds and clearly visualize the item you want. The item must be able to fit in one hand, and cannot weigh more than 5 lbs. You should have a hand free (if your hands are tied, you roll at -3), and others can see you making “reaching” motions with that hand.

 

Next, make an IQ roll for the snatch attempt. If you are trying for information in any form, the GM makes this roll for you (see below). Regardless of IQ, a roll of 14 or more always fails.

On a success, the desired item appears in your hand – or sitting within arm’s reach, if you prefer. On a failure, you obtain nothing. On a critical failure, you snatched the wrong item!

This item is not immediately dangerous unless you were trying for something dangerous.

 

Regardless of success or failure, each snatch attempt costs 2 FP.

 

Items Available

In theory, you can get anything. In practice, some things are so hard to find that it is little use trying for them. You have a good chance of getting any item that exists, or that ever existed, in your own world – or any reasonably similar item. If the desired item is unusual, the GM may apply a penalty to the IQ roll:

 

Item is significantly different from anything that ever appeared in your own world: -1 or more (GM’s option). You could visualize “a perfect diamond, bright green, the size of a hen’s egg, carved into the shape of a typewriter,” but you might be rolling at -20!

Item is unique or almost unique in any one world (e.g., the Hope Diamond): -3 or worse (GM’s option). You cannot clearly visualize what you want: -4 or worse (GM’s option). Even on a “success,” you might not get what you were really hoping for. You cannot get an item that works by natural laws wholly different from those in your world. For instance, if your world is nonmagical (or has no magic that you know of), you cannot snatch a magic item, because you are unable to visualize it properly; you

would get a pretty but powerless mundane item. Similarly, if you are from a low-TL world, you could not get a laser pistol; you wouldn’t be able to visualize it well, and your best effort would be a broken or toy gun. (A generous GM might bend this rule on a critical success . . . and then let the poor Snatcher try to figure out how to use his amulet or laser pistol without killing himself.)

 

Information is not available except in the form of “ordinary” textbooks, reports, etc. You can grab a history book, but you can’t ask for “The Book of What Happens Next in My Adventure.” Note that the GM makes the roll if information is requested. If the roll fails by 5 or more, the information comes from an alternate world with different history, physics, etc., and is wrong – maybe subtly, maybe not subtly at all!

 

Repeated Attempts

If your snatch attempt is unsuccessful, you can immediately try to snatch the same or a similar object again. These “repeated attempts” are made at a cumulative -1 to the IQ roll. Each repeated attempt costs 4 FP instead of the usual 2 FP. To eliminate

these penalties, wait one hour between attempts. The GM should be strict about attempts to circumvent this. For instance, a “.45 pistol” is not very different

from a “.357 pistol” for the purpose of this advantage. Furthermore, ignore critical successes on repeated attempts made in quick succession. If the snatch being attempted is very difficult, there is little choice but to wait an hour between attempts.

 

Duration

The objects you snatch remain until you voluntarily return them or use your Snatcher ability again. To keep objects indefinitely, take the Permanent enhancement (below).

 

Special Enhancements

Permanent: Objects you snatch don’t vanish when you use your ability again. The GM is free to forbid this enhancement, as it allows a single Snatcher to amass boundless wealth by snatching small, valuable objects.

+300%.

 

Special Limitations

Less Weight: Your weight limit is

lower than 5 lbs.

Limit Cost Modifier

3 lbs. -5%

2 lbs. -10%

1 lb. -15%

4 oz. -25%

1 oz. -30%

 

Specialized: You can only grab a certain type of object, or cannot touch a certain class of thing. Examples: Only metal, -5%; Only money, -10%; Only weapons, -10%; Only information, -20%; No metal, -20%; Only blue things, -25%. The GM sets the limitation value using the guidelines under Accessibility (p. 110).

 

Stunning: You are mentally stunned after a successful snatch. -10%.

 

Unpredictable: On a failed IQ roll, you get something, but it isn’t what you wanted. The worse the failure, the more different the item is. If you wanted a loaded pistol, failure by 1 might bring an unloaded pistol. Failure by 2 could mean a water pistol, failure by 3 a book on “How to Shoot,” and so on . . . with a critical failure bringing a

live hand grenade. Any critical failure is dangerous, regardless of what you were looking for! -25%.

 

New Special Enhancements

Creation: You don’t take items from anywhere – you create them on the spot. You can get anything you’ve seen personally, and items sufficiently close to these things that you can visualize them. There are never any penalties for item type. You still can’t get “impossible” items, you can only have one created item at a time unless you also take Permanent, and normal weight and size limits apply. +100%.

 

Large Items: You’re not bound by the restriction that the items you snatch must fit in one hand. They can be any size, as long as they’re within your weight limit. Large items too heavy to lift always appear at arm’s reach. +50%.

 

More Weight: Your weight limit is

higher than 5 lbs.

Limit Cost Modifier

7 lbs. +5%

10 lbs. +10%

15 lbs. +15%

20 lbs. +20%

30 lbs. +25%

50 lbs. +30%

 

Each further +30% multiplies weight by 10 (e.g., a ton is +80%). If your weight limit exceeds your onehanded lift (2¥BL), you must also take the Large Items enhancement.

 

New Special Limitation

Recall: You call existing objects to you across space or dimensions. These must be personal possessions. You could summon your sidearm – or even your battlesuit, with More Weight – but not someone else’s belongings, let alone items you’ve merely heard of. This still requires 10 seconds, 2 FP, and an IQ roll, but no penalties apply.

Recalled items remain indefinitely, as if you had physically retrieved them. As usual, you can send the items back at any time. Recall is incompatible with Creation, Permanent, and Unpredictable. -25%.

Aaaaand, that's basically it .

[prestidigitator]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

I'd probably go with a Severe Transform, with required Skills such as Weaponsmith in the appropriate circumstances. Some items might require combined Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Transform depending on their nature (on quick skim don't see anything preventing living "items"...).

 

And in truth I'd probably just disallow such a blatantly abusable power in my own games. It would be waaaaaaaaaay too much of a headache to try to balance in play. I'd probably allow a vastly toned down version with some major restrictions on what can be "summoned".

[Adventus]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

This sounds just like the way that The Harbinger of Justice summons his guns. I think that would be a great place to start.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

OK, first off, my philosophy with translation from other game systems is “how do I get a similar character ability in Hero”, not “how do I use Hero to mimic another game system’s mechanics”. If I want to play a different game system, I’ll play that game system – it will be the most effective way of simulating that system’s mechanics. My comments are in Hero, and I have no familiarity with GURPS.

 

Snatcher

80 points

You have the power to find almost any small item you desire in an alternate world and “snatch” it across the dimensions to you. The items you snatch do not come from your own world, but from some nameless parallel; therefore, you can never intentionally take something away from a specific other person. Note that this talent does not allow you to visit alternate worlds in person – only to steal from them.

 

OK, whatever I take is brand new, not an existing object. That sounds first like Transform – Nothing into Something. The problematic issue becomes items that simulate other powers and abilities. I see a few options in this regard.

 

First, make this a Transform, but require extra BOD be rolled for extra AP’s the item will posses. So, Snatching a pencil simply needs enough Transform to meet the pencil’s BOD, but Snatching a 2d6 RKA Handgun requires the handgun’s BOD plus, say, 6 (1/5 the AP provided by the object). This is a very broad-based power.

 

Second, a huge VPP to pay for Snatched abilities. That will be expensive, and any object with too many AP cannot be Snatched. I’d be OK with that – the ability to create literally anything is a “absolute”, and absolutes tend to work poorly in Hero, and also in games. The VPP may need advantages (or limitations) for the time required to change the pool and/or the ability to change without a skill roll.

 

Third alternative, a large Multiform (or maybe even a VPP restricted to Multiforms) that changes me from “current character” to “current character with abilities provided by Focus just snatched”. This will end up similar to the VPP approach, so it’s not worth the hassle.

 

To make a snatch, you must first concentrate for 10 seconds and clearly visualize the item you want. The item must be able to fit in one hand, and cannot weigh more than 5 lbs. You should have a hand free (if your hands are tied, you roll at -3), and others can see you making “reaching” motions with that hand.

 

I’m uncertain how long 10 seconds is in GURPS. If it’s a standard action period, no real impact. If it’s a full action, maybe Extra Time – Full Phase is in order. If it’s longer, more extra time is required. A full turn in Hero is a close approximation of 10 seconds, but possibly not of the actions a GURPS character could normally take in 10 seconds.

 

The Transform option will take as long as it takes to roll enough BOD to create the object – limiting it to All or Nothing would mean each attempt takes the same time and either succeeds or fails.

 

Next, make an IQ roll for the snatch attempt. If you are trying for information in any form, the GM makes this roll for you (see below). Regardless of IQ, a roll of 14 or more always fails. On a success, the desired item appears in your hand – or sitting within arm’s reach, if you prefer. On a failure, you obtain nothing. On a critical failure, you snatched the wrong item! This item is not immediately dangerous unless you were trying for something dangerous.

 

Requires a Roll is a standard Hero limitation. It could be a power skill, or a base INT roll. For a VPP, this could simply be the skill roll required to change the points allocation, however that would normally be penalized -1 per 10 AP being shifted. If no penalty is contemplated, consider buying the Change with No Roll advantage on the VPP, and limiting that with Requires an Unmodified INT roll.

 

A Critical Failure could simply be the result of rolling an 18 on the skill roll. If it is intended to be significantly more frequent, a custom limitation that applies a Side Effect, but only on rolls that fail by X (so a lower limitation) would work.

 

Regardless of success or failure, each snatch attempt costs 2 FP.

 

Does that simply mean it costs END in Hero terms? Transform does already, and the VPP could cost END to change slots.

 

Items Available

In theory, you can get anything. In practice, some things are so hard to find that it is little use trying for them. You have a good chance of getting any item that exists, or that ever existed, in your own world – or any reasonably similar item.

 

That simply limits what the VPP can do, so it’s an SFX limitation, or restricts what you can Transform into. Already part of those mechanics.

 

If the desired item is unusual, the GM may apply a penalty to the IQ roll:

 

This could be the standard penalty to Requires a Roll. Higher AP items penalize the roll, so the GM doesn’t have to, and the GM can always waive the penalty in appropriate circumstances. Let’s be real here – if the character is not in combat, eventually, he will succeed in the roll.

 

Item is significantly different from anything that ever appeared in your own world: -1 or more (GM’s option). You could visualize “a perfect diamond, bright green, the size of a hen’s egg, carved into the shape of a typewriter,” but you might be rolling at -20!

Item is unique or almost unique in any one world (e.g., the Hope Diamond): -3 or worse (GM’s option). You cannot clearly visualize what you want: -4 or worse (GM’s option). Even on a “success,” you might not get what you were really hoping for. You cannot get an item that works by natural laws wholly different from those in your world. For instance, if your world is nonmagical (or has no magic that you know of), you cannot snatch a magic item, because you are unable to visualize it properly; you

would get a pretty but powerless mundane item. Similarly, if you are from a low-TL world, you could not get a laser pistol; you wouldn’t be able to visualize it well, and your best effort would be a broken or toy gun. (A generous GM might bend this rule on a critical success . . . and then let the poor Snatcher try to figure out how to use his amulet or laser pistol without killing himself.)

 

More limits on what the VPP or Transform can create (and the VPP would probably be used as a Transform in many of these cases). The ability to maybe get a reasonable approximation can be simulated by bonuses or penalties to the skill roll required, so I’m coming around to the belief that this should be a standard Requires a Skill Roll. The roll could take no penalty for active points of the power, but instead get bonuses or penalties for how easy or difficult it is to visualize the appropriate object. So my Skill is “Visualize”.

 

Information is not available except in the form of “ordinary” textbooks, reports, etc. You can grab a history book, but you can’t ask for “The Book of What Happens Next in My Adventure.” Note that the GM makes the roll if information is requested. If the roll fails by 5 or more, the information comes from an alternate world with different history, physics, etc., and is wrong – maybe subtly, maybe not subtly at all!

 

Restricts items available (already addressed) and deals with critical skill failures. The GM makes the roll when the player can’t know whether he succeeded.

 

Repeated Attempts

If your snatch attempt is unsuccessful, you can immediately try to snatch the same or a similar object again. These “repeated attempts” are made at a cumulative -1 to the IQ roll. Each repeated attempt costs 4 FP instead of the usual 2 FP. To eliminate these penalties, wait one hour between attempts. The GM should be strict about attempts to circumvent this. For instance, a “.45 pistol” is not very different

from a “.357 pistol” for the purpose of this advantage. Furthermore, ignore critical successes on repeated attempts made in quick succession. If the snatch being attempted is very difficult, there is little choice but to wait an hour between attempts.

 

This is a bit tougher under standard Hero mechanics. I suppose a limitation that repeated attempts cost double END, and a penalty to the skill roll for repeated attempts (or even a ruling that a repeat will not be successful until/unless the character improves his skill roll, perhaps by taking extra time) would seem to capture the flavour.

 

Duration

The objects you snatch remain until you voluntarily return them or use your Snatcher ability again. To keep objects indefinitely, take the Permanent enhancement (below).

 

Undo condition for Transform is “uses power again or releases object”. VPP is simply shutting off the slot or reallocating the points.

 

Special Enhancements

Permanent: Objects you snatch don’t vanish when you use your ability again. The GM is free to forbid this enhancement, as it allows a single Snatcher to amass boundless wealth by snatching small, valuable objects.

+300%

 

In Hero, this would be either a Transform with a different reversal condition (“reversed” by losing or breaking the object, for example), or require spending character points to keep the object. In GURPS, you spend fixed points up front to make the objects permanent. In Hero, perhaps this is effected by the character leaving a pool of unspent character points which he can use to manifest permanent abilities outside the VPP. He can simply not spend xp to replenish the pool. He’s not unlimited, but I don’t want a character whose abilities can grow on an unlimited and uncontrolled basis anyway.

 

Special Limitations

Less Weight: Your weight limit is

lower than 5 lbs.

Limit Cost Modifier

3 lbs. -5%

2 lbs. -10%

1 lb. -15%

4 oz. -25%

1 oz. -30%

 

More restrictions to the Transform or VPP, although I don’t think reduced weight is as limiting as GURPS seems to.

 

Specialized: You can only grab a certain type of object, or cannot touch a certain class of thing. Examples: Only metal, -5%; Only money, -10%; Only weapons, -10%; Only information, -20%; No metal, -20%; Only blue things, -25%. The GM sets the limitation value using the guidelines under Accessibility (p. 110).

 

Stunning: You are mentally stunned after a successful snatch. -10%.

 

Side Effect – using the power (or changing the VPP) always stuns the character.

 

Unpredictable: On a failed IQ roll, you get something, but it isn’t what you wanted. The worse the failure, the more different the item is. If you wanted a loaded pistol, failure by 1 might bring an unloaded pistol. Failure by 2 could mean a water pistol, failure by 3 a book on “How to Shoot,” and so on . . . with a critical failure bringing a live hand grenade. Any critical failure is dangerous, regardless of what you were looking for! -25%.

 

Another side effect.

 

New Special Enhancements

Creation: You don’t take items from anywhere – you create them on the spot. You can get anything you’ve seen personally, and items sufficiently close to these things that you can visualize them. There are never any penalties for item type. You still can’t get “impossible” items, you can only have one created item at a time unless you also take Permanent, and normal weight and size limits apply. +100%.

 

Same effect, so same cost. SFX are all that has changed.

 

Large Items: You’re not bound by the restriction that the items you snatch must fit in one hand. They can be any size, as long as they’re within your weight limit. Large items too heavy to lift always appear at arm’s reach. +50%.

 

More Weight: Your weight limit is

higher than 5 lbs.

Limit Cost Modifier

7 lbs. +5%

10 lbs. +10%

15 lbs. +15%

20 lbs. +20%

30 lbs. +25%

50 lbs. +30%

 

Each further +30% multiplies weight by 10 (e.g., a ton is +80%). If your weight limit exceeds your onehanded lift (2¥BL), you must also take the Large Items enhancement.

 

Less restriction on the objects the pool or Transform can create.

 

New Special Limitation

Recall: You call existing objects to you across space or dimensions. These must be personal possessions. You could summon your sidearm – or even your battlesuit, with More Weight – but not someone else’s belongings, let alone items you’ve merely heard of. This still requires 10 seconds, 2 FP, and an IQ roll, but no penalties apply.

 

Recalled items remain indefinitely, as if you had physically retrieved them. As usual, you can send the items back at any time. Recall is incompatible with Creation, Permanent, and Unpredictable. -25%.

 

This seems like a simple reduction in the Focus limitation as the item is more available. My usually OAF Sidearm becomes Restrainable – I can always summon it back. As it takes time, it could alternatively be the SFX of an Only in Alternate ID limitation.

[prestidigitator]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Oh. Thought of one more thing. I'd require a character with an ability like this to buy a heck of a lot of the Money Perk (probably 15 points) since at any time he can just snap his fingers and have a huge gem, a nugget of gold, a wad of cash, or whatever. It would also make me feel a little more relaxed about what he could summon since the character would probably be wealthy enough to buy most normal-world stuff anyway.

[teh bunneh]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Oh. Thought of one more thing. I'd require a character with an ability like this to buy a heck of a lot of the Money Perk (probably 15 points) since at any time he can just snap his fingers and have a huge gem' date=' a nugget of gold, a wad of cash, or whatever. It would also make me feel a little more relaxed about what he could summon since the character would probably be wealthy enough to buy most normal-world stuff anyway.[/quote']

 

I was gonna say. Concentrate for 10 seconds and have a stack of $100 bills in your hand (or $20s, or $50s, or whatever denomination you need at the moment). Perk: Wealthy.

[dmjalund]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

If it comes from another dimension, It may not be legal tender (may have a non-existent president on it)

[Utech]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Honestly, this just doesn't seem heroic to me. You're stealing from someone, aren't you? Maybe somebody really needed that pencil you snatched. Maybe someone died because you snatched it.

 

I'd feel a lot better about the whole thing if snatched items were coming from some silly cartoon space where all the big hammers and pianos and so on are kept.

[Folded]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Having read a version of GURPS that had this power in it, I suspect that it was intended to imitate one of Merlin's Logrus powers in the second Amber series. But, since he was in the godlike realm of power (Prince of Chaos and all), it wasn't really unbalancing. It could be, in a Hero campaign, though.

 

I have a player in my current Champions campaign who's trying to build something like this. He's a teleporter with long range capabilities, and wants to build a base that's 'full of stuff'. One MegaScale tport to his base and he can select one useful item from it. Since he's already Wealthy (bank robber), it's not unreasonable in general terms. However, I've ruled that, when he builds his base, it can't include anything that duplicates a significant power (with limited exceptions, like lights, cell phones, etc...). In essence, it becomes a special effect of the Money/Base points he paid. I'm interpreting that based on the 'player must pay points for everything' rule. So, I've told him that he has to buy a shotgun with points if he wants to put it in his base. When he wants to advance the ability to a real Power, I'm going to have him convert the points into a VPP with the Limitations - Only things already on the list at the beginning of the session and Only things that can be reasonably purchased by a normal person or acquired through gameplay.

 

This is a potentially unbalancing ability, and I would advise putting strict limits on it, depending on the power level of the campaign. If it's really intended to duplicate Merlin's kind of ability, I'd call it a VPP with an Advantage (any power) and Limitations (Extra Time based on specificity and Must involve a Focus). There's also the question of duration. If I can sit and summon gold until I've got as much as I want, it's unbalancing. If (as with a VPP) I have to lose one Power to gain another, it's more reasonable.

[Markdoc]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

I actually played a character much like the one described above: Phayze - who was a teleporter. He had a VPP which allowed him to summon small items to his hand. The limits were that he had to know where the items were - which means he had to have at least seen them and that they remained where he had seen them (which meant he mainly used stuff he had stashed at home). Transform is redundant in this case: the VPP gives you the powers you need.

 

That's not unbalancing: it works exactly the same as a gadget pool. I don't see a problem with allowing this power in the game, though the "changing a power" time is shorter than most gadget pools, that's certainly doable. The limitations in the power description make it fairly plain that things like summoning giant diamonds, plot device information, alien disintegrator rays, etc are not the intended use, and the items don't normally stick around, so a VPP works pretty well.

 

As an aside, the arguments about wealth are largely red herrings. You might be able to summon a stack of 100 dollar bills, but if you buy anything bigger than reasonably cheap used car with cash, it will raise a flag, most places - not to mention the fact that the notes are not legally issued and thus fraudulent. Selling gold in anything but small quantities, likewise. Diamonds? You need a verifiable certificate - and even though can summon such a certificate, it won't be valid. You simply can't buy a house with cash, much less a business, most places. If you start splashing your cash about, expect a visit from the IRS/FBI, followed by a prison sentence for forgery (if you summon cash or certificates) or tax evasion (if you summon and sell gold). You're going to be forced to deal black market for everything, pretty much. That's ignoring the whole pesky thing about the cash/gold/diamonds disappearing next time you switch your VPP, adding fraud charges (and angry mobsters) to the mix. As a source of wealth, it sucks. You want wealth, buy the perk. It's easier.

 

cheers, Mark

 

Edit: of course it'd make a fine villain power, since they have those cash-flow issues anyway, and aren't troubled by the whole ethics thing.

[Ragitsu]

Re: The Snatcher Advantage from GURPS

 

Who says the bills HAVE to be "fakes"? They could from a universe where it's nothing but money that flashed into existence when everything was created. Or, you could be snatching lost money. Also, with the Creation Enhancement, it doesn't say either way if you create fakes or the real deal.

 

And, in any case, you could summon precious metals and sell those off without worrying about inflation.