The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

[phoenix240]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

What power would cause *just* the teleporter to be teleported away (perhaps even to a random location)?

 

Teleport: UAA, Dmg Shield (AE: Surface)?

 

Perhaps with Trigger: If someone attempts to teleport the target against their will so they don't teleport everything they touch.

[Folded]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

I was looking at the Drain option, and there is a long view possible. Don't try to Drain anything significantly at any one time, try to Drain a little bit at a time for a very long period (1d6 Drain Teleport, Delayed Return Rate 5pts/yr, 42AP). Throw one or two of those at him every battle, and he'll start having problems quickly. It also sets up a plotline where he has to figure out how to reverse that Drain ahead of time. Add a Delayed Effect, and it might take him a while to figure out what's going on. Or it could be built as one big curse/disease or similar that slowly degrades his abilities over time. Which also sets up a good plotline. I figure anything that adds to the overall plot is going to slide down this player's throat a lot easier than the far more reasonable response of half a dozen snipers using Teamwork and 4d6RKAs the next time he tries to grab someone.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

More like I can't trust him not to teleport a series of hyperactive' date=' diarrhetic monkeys into my vicinity when, say, I'm in a public place. Or my shower, for that matter.[/quote']

 

I'm sorry you have terrible teammates.

[Vondy]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

First I want to make a brief rant regarding players with "I WIN" buttons. By the very guidelines of HERO System they should get less experience points. The guidelines specify you get a bonus experience point for the adventure being difficult. Oops, don't get that - how hard was it to teleport all the bad guys to an asteroid. Next the guidelines specify you get a bonus experience point for being clever, inventive or subtle. Oops, don't get that - not very clever "playing", maybe clever character design but no reward for that. Next the guidelines specify you get a bonus experience point if the scenario runs extra sessions. "I WIN" buttons will usually render adventures over lickity-split so no bonus points there. There's a bonus point for being outnumbered - hard to earn that if the "I WIN" guy cuts down the opposition without breaking stride.

 

On the other hand the comic books are filled with unstoppable powers.

 

I don't see these are contradictory because comic books are also filled with highly static characters who apparently don't get as many XPs as they otherwise could because they rely on their unstoppable powers. But the real key is whether or not your group is having fun. If they are, who cares about unstoppable powers? If not, make him curtail the power to a more reasonable level.

[Starcloud]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

Another, obvious, option is to not have big bad guys who have permanent life-support: Vacuum, Radiation, pressure, with "no need to breathe, no need to eat". Since they're only using it on those they *know* can survive in space.

[phoenix240]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

I don't see these are contradictory because comic books are also filled with highly static characters who apparently don't get as many XPs as they otherwise could because they rely on their unstoppable powers. But the real key is whether or not your group is having fun. If they are' date=' who cares about unstoppable powers? If not, make him curtail the power to a more reasonable level.[/quote']

 

This might be stating the obvious but of course he as the GM should be having fun too.

[phoenix240]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

Another' date=' obvious, option is to not have big bad guys who have permanent life-support: Vacuum, Radiation, pressure, with "no need to breathe, no need to eat". Since they're only using it on those they *know* can survive in space.[/quote']

 

That's what I've been saying. That and/or give them the ability to return from exile which if some of them are cosmic entity aeems within their purview.

[Ragitsu]

One of the latest villains managed to counter-teleport the PC after he sent them to a discreet edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.

 

At present, he is in an alternate reality and has to find a way home.

[psyber624]

I see dead threads.....

[IndianaJoe3]

I see dead threads.....

Maybe it was teleported a long way away and only just returned.

[Beast]

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

 

Normally a character can only Teleport himself (regardless of how much he weighs)' date=' his clothes, and his personal effects (including Foci), though he may choose to leave any such items behind. He can Teleport more mass if he buys the Increased Mass Adder (see below). If a character wants to Teleport other people (or inanimate objects) [b']without going along with them himself[/b], he must buy his Teleportation with the Usable As Attack Advantage (see below and 6E1 358)

In the example, the teleporter went with him.

 

My though is that Megascale is non-combat, thus should not be useable in combat.

you can

Just remember you are at much easier to hit

cheap triggers that go off on those that teleport near you and have no IFF

first thing is to do the mega scale they have to spend a hole phase next to you preping the t-port

this is the time to rat pack a non-defending target

[Ragitsu]

I see dead threads.....

 

Threads don't die unless they're deleted.

[psyber624]

I see dead threads.....

Like +1

[Old Man]

I see dead threads.....

 

Threads don't die unless they're deleted.

Or incinerated by firebreathing dragons.

[steriaca]

Humm...hear is a thought. Ever think of giving the teleportation target FTL Travel? It is cheep, and if it is bought with enougth light years, can easly bring the target back to Earth as a movement phase. (Shure, the baddie also needs the skill Navigation to get his berrings, and Flight to use in the planet's atmosphere, but what a surprise when the villian arives almost as fast as the hero strands him away).

[dmjalund]

this thread was teleported 2 years into the future!

[Hyper-Man]

this thread was teleported 2 years into the future!

 

 

 

[SteveZilla]

Using a CE or Drain on Telepete's Megascaled Teleportation power might put the asteroid location(s) out of range. Which would prevent him from using it as a destination for a while. He could still teleport *towards* it, but then he's teleporting blind -- potentially into an asteroid field.

 

[MrAgdesh]

For me, I'd simply not allow it to be done over and over, I mean, really, what kind of story would it be if the same tactic were used in a confrontation over and over? A boring one. Yes, there is winning, but where is the cool story in that, if it's just that?

 

Unfortunately, where writers can be relied upon to not use the same tactic repeatedly (e.g., I remember the Vision making his hand desolid to use as a killing attack) players are a different kettle of fish and I think it's hard to justify saying something like "don't you think you've used this tactic a little too often?!"

 

So I personally would allow a tactic like this, repeatedly, ad nauseum, as it leads to interesting plot developments. After awhile, the villain community learns that there is a one man clean-up team in this particular city with an unusual and fairly permanent tactic to imprison them.

 

They plot and research the best way to stop this character. They approach Sinister Organisations to purchase teleportation suppression devices so that they might co-ordinate and take this guy down (which they do with the aforementioned Alpha-Strike, ignoring best as possible all other opponents until Teleporter is down).

 

They hire lawyers to protect their (human) rights and get this tactic made illegal (it may even be already) and yes, Bad Guys DO press charges.

 

Master Villains with similar devices or may take it upon themselves to intervene when all of their hirelings are being depleted. They may even surgically, or mystically engineer a villain as an antidote - somebody who can teleport the offending teleporter away at even further distances or better yet, extra-dimensionally.

 

Characters that are stranded may make similar deals with entities to get back. Maybe the deal cost them greatly and they now have a burning psychological hatred of the teleporter that extends to wiping out anything that he holds dear.

 

 

The campaign is a constant developing thing and their are always repercussions to actions taken in it. The first time somebody played a mutant, the referee didn't disallow it he just made a note to self: Sentinels! :-)

 

 

 

 

 

[psyber624]

For me, I'd simply not allow it to be done over and over, I mean, really, what kind of story would it be if the same tactic were used in a confrontation over and over? A boring one. Yes, there is winning, but where is the cool story in that, if it's just that?

 

Unfortunately, where writers can be relied upon to not use the same tactic repeatedly (e.g., I remember the Vision making his hand desolid to use as a killing attack) players are a different kettle of fish and I think it's hard to justify saying something like "don't you think you've used this tactic a little too often?!"

 

So I personally would allow a tactic like this, repeatedly, ad nauseum, as it leads to interesting plot developments. After awhile, the villain community learns that there is a one man clean-up team in this particular city with an unusual and fairly permanent tactic to imprison them.

 

They plot and research the best way to stop this character. They approach Sinister Organisations to purchase teleportation suppression devices so that they might co-ordinate and take this guy down (which they do with the aforementioned Alpha-Strike, ignoring best as possible all other opponents until Teleporter is down).

 

They hire lawyers to protect their (human) rights and get this tactic made illegal (it may even be already) and yes, Bad Guys DO press charges.

 

Master Villains with similar devices or may take it upon themselves to intervene when all of their hirelings are being depleted. They may even surgically, or mystically engineer a villain as an antidote - somebody who can teleport the offending teleporter away at even further distances or better yet, extra-dimensionally.

 

Characters that are stranded may make similar deals with entities to get back. Maybe the deal cost them greatly and they now have a burning psychological hatred of the teleporter that extends to wiping out anything that he holds dear.

 

 

The campaign is a constant developing thing and their are always repercussions to actions taken in it. The first time somebody played a mutant, the referee didn't disallow it he just made a note to self: Sentinels! :-)

 

 

 

 

Personally I think the better approach is to attempt to recognize and prevent these types of problem powers from ever entering into your games. One of the important jobs of a HERO GM is to say NO when warranted. That's why we have STOP signs and CAUTION signs in the rulebooks to point out that those abilities can cause problems. The big issue with your described solution is that you wind up causing a players ability to become nearly useless, in effect punishing that player for taking it. If he payed points for it, and you ALLOWED him to take it into your game, then he should be able to use it. If it is causing problems that you did not forsee you should probably discuss with him how to change it. Punishing a player like this can quickly alienate your players. Its one of the hard lessons I had to learn about being a GM. It's not your job to punish players for abusive powers. Its your job to stop them from ruining the fun of the game for everyone INCLUDING the player with that power.

 

At least that's my opinion based on what I have learned.

[MrAgdesh]

Which is why I allow people to 'radiation accident' their powers along the way if they become unusable, or no longer fun for GM or player. However, in the teleporter instance, I would not be 'punishing' the character for taking his power (he can still teleport himself here there and everywhere) I am merely responding to his ingenious way of abusing it via the system.

 

[Tech]

One of the latest villains managed to counter-teleport the PC after he sent them to a discreet edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.

 

At present, he is in an alternate reality and has to find a way home.

If he's in an alternate reality, that screams open-season for the GM to find any numerous ways for the villain to get help/find help/find a way back from the residents of that alternate reality. Really, that's an easy way to handle it. If anything, when the PC returns, the villain may be back already, courtesy of a resident with time powers in that reality.