Teleporter character build (5EdR)

[MrAgdesh]

A player of mine wants to create a character based somewhat on Marvel's Cloak.

 

He wants to be able to teleport into the air and just 'hang' there. He can't fly, just hover, with no ability to move from that spot unless he teleports again.

What is the best way to simulate this in game?

 

 

 

 

[IndianaJoe3]

Buy a small amount (1-2") of Flight with the Limitation, "Only For Hovering." You might have to buy a Trigger to represent it happening automatically when you teleport into thin air.

[Escafarc]

Stretching Invisible Power Effects legs only

[MrAgdesh]

Hmm, I hadn't thought of Trigger.

 

Ok, thanks. He also wishes to create 'Gates' (as per pg 234 of FrEd). He wants to be able to create portals that his colleagues can voluntarily go through (UOO) but he also wants to be able to use them offensively, dropping a gate on a villain and thus teleporting him without also going with him (UAA). He also wants to make these gates Ranged. I know that you are not supposed to apply Ranged as an advantage to powers that are 'self-only' (Teleport) but I am prepared to waive that for the circumstances and his desired effect.

 

Does he need to buy both Usable by Others *and* UAA as advantages or will just the latter suffice?

[psyber624]

Fair warning, Teleport UAA can potentially be a broken power, especially if it has any significant range on it. The potential for abuse is simply staggering.

 

If you do decide to use it he can either buy two forms (probably in a Multipower) or he can just buy the UAA. If he only buys the UAA then 1. He CANNOT use it on himself normally 2. He will have to make attack rolls even to hit willing targets (however since they can voluntarily lower their DCV to 0 this shouldn't be a problem, but remember they will then be DCV 0 vs ALL attacks not just his UAA.) and 3. Characters with the required "defenses" to his power cannot even be willingly affected by it.

 

Of course you could handwave those limitations away but honestly I would recommend allowing him to create a Multipower for his Teleport and buying slots with the different configurations he would like to use. The difference in cost would be minor.

 

One last note, if you do allow him to buy this as a UAA I STRONGLY urge you to forbid him from using it at NCM (the rules might even forbid this, I can't remember). Allowing him to subject someone to the NCM penalties as well as the effect of the teleport itself would be far too powerful. Personally I would also rule that this is not a "Limitation" per se (and is worth no points), it is simply an effect of applying UAA to movement powers.

[GhostDancer]

A player of mine wants to create a character based somewhat on Marvel's Cloak.

 

He wants to be able to teleport into the air and just 'hang' there. He can't fly, just hover, with no ability to move from that spot unless he teleports again.

What is the best way to simulate this in game?

 

 

 

Simple, buy Teleportation and 1" Flight. Half move to Teleport into the air, remaining half move to 'hang out' with Flight.

[MrAgdesh]

The player has since told me that the hovering thing lasts momentarily (it takes gravity a few seconds to kick-in), so I will just build a minimum amount of Flight Linked to his Teleport with the Instant limitation added.

 

I'm aware of the potential abuses of UAA (STOP signed), and I've followed the current thread on Megascaled Teleport abuse with interest, but this player isn't abusive and has some really nice ideas and justification which to be honest I can't post here in case any of my other players are looking. His ideas give me plenty of scope for future plot developments. Stranding people (albeit villains) is something I can deal with, as every action has consequences...

[Beast]

I'd say 5" of flight (to counter gravity)

-1 only to stay in place

[bigbywolfe]

I'd say 5" of flight (to counter gravity)

-1 only to stay in place

You only need 1"/1m of flight to hover.

[Beast]

I'd say 5" of flight (to counter gravity)

-1 only to stay in place

Page 97 5th ed Revised

This is one that gets tossed into most game I have played in

 

 

Minimum Costs

In some campaigns, GMs may choose to

impose minimum costs on Powers (beyond the

minimum cost of 1 Character Point that applies

to everything in the HERO System). Th is means

characters must buy a certain minimum amount

of every Power they buy. For example, if the

minimum cost of Ego Attack is 20 Character

Points, characters must always buy a minimum

of Ego Attack 2d6 whenever they buy that Power.

Minimum costs do not include Adders or Advantages.

A character cannot, for example, satisfy a

minimum cost of 20 Character Points for Teleportation

by buying Teleportation 5”, x8 mass

— he must buy a minimum of 20 points’ worth of

unmodifi ed Teleportation, or 10”.

Minimum costs are most appropriate for

Superheroic games, where larger-than-life characters

have lots of points to spend. Th e GM can, if

desired, set an appropriate minimum cost for each

Power to refl ect this. Minimum costs are rarely

appropriate for Heroic games, where characters

oft en need just a few Character Points to build a

particular ability.

Th e most important eff ect of minimum costs

relates to Adjustment Powers such as Drains. If

an Adjustment Power reduces a Power below its

minimum cost (including any Advantages applied

to that Power), the victim cannot use that Power,

even if it wasn’t reduced to 0 points. When the

lost points return to a level equal to or above the

minimum cost, the Power functions again (albeit at

reduced strength until all lost points are regained).

However, if a Power has a fi xed minimum cost

established by the rules (like Desolidifi cation,

which always costs 40 points), then all points in it

(including points for Advantages) must be removed

before it ceases to function (see pages 107-08).

[psyber624]

I'd say 5" of flight (to counter gravity)

-1 only to stay in place

That's more of an abuse prevention measure than anything else (other than the mentioned effect on power up Drains). One of the old tricks for RAW legal characters was to buy a whole bunch of minimum point powers then buy an Aid that could boost them all. Perfectly legal RAW and abusively cheap It also helps stop the "Hyper-advantaged" super cheap power

[Beast]

!" of flight burns up a full phase(use it or fall)

If you do a full move teleport then you fall and cannot use the flight(you did a full move)

it will only slow you down 5" per phase and you are accelerating at 5" per segment even a speed 4 falling for 3 segments is only going 15" when they kick in 5" to decelerate to zero velocity and only travel another 3 "for a total of 18"

[MrAgdesh]

I realise that you cannot activate 0 Phase actions (turning on Flight say) after a Full Move, but the character wanted the flight to always kick-in regardless. It also makes no game sense that gravity will not affect him if he only partly exerts himself (half move) yet will if he pushes himself to the limit (full move). I understand that Trigger does not allow you to get around the 'no actions after a Full Phase Action' rule, so in the interests of dramatic licence I will allow him to activate it. Unless I'm missing some completely rules legit way to do this? Basically, the effect we want is at the start of his next Phase its either teleport again or plummet!

[bigbywolfe]

I realise that you cannot activate 0 Phase actions (turning on Flight say) after a Full Move, but the character wanted the flight to always kick-in regardless. It also makes no game sense that gravity will not affect him if he only partly exerts himself (half move) yet will if he pushes himself to the limit (full move). I understand that Trigger does not allow you to get around the 'no actions after a Full Phase Action' rule, so in the interests of dramatic licence I will allow him to activate it. Unless I'm missing some completely rules legit way to do this? Basically, the effect we want is at the start of his next Phase its either teleport again or plummet!

Trigger CAN get around it if you buy it at the appropriate level.

[psyber624]

honestly something minor like this you could probably handwave as long as he understands that its ONLY useful for that. it sounds like he wants to use teleport like it was in COH. I really don't see how this is abuseable, all you are really allowing him to do is to ignore gravity in the segments between one teleport and the next. I might disallow him to use it with half move teleports due to combat reasons but would depend on how much I trusted the player.

[bigbywolfe]

honestly something minor like this you could probably handwave as long as he understands that its ONLY useful for that. it sounds like he wants to use teleport like it was in COH. I really don't see how this is abuseable' date=' all you are really allowing him to do is to ignore gravity in the segments between one teleport and the next. I might disallow him to use it with half move teleports due to combat reasons but would depend on how much I trusted the player.[/quote']

You don't see how allowing him to ignore gravity between teleports is useful? What about being able to cross distances over dangerous terrain he couldn't possibly cross because his teleport isn't long enough?

Now I'm not saying it is a super powerful ability or that writing up a full on Triggered Power is the way to go, but the benefit seems obvious. It doesn't seem like an "all you are letting him do" thing. Not falling to your death is pretty significant.

[bigbywolfe]

I'd say 5" of flight (to counter gravity)

-1 only to stay in place

Beast, I've never seen that option in play in any game I've been in, but even if it were your build isn't the 20 point minimum suggested.

[Beast]

I'd say 5" of flight (to counter gravity)

-1 only to stay in place

I've had it required of me in a few games on HC

those where 10pts base

[Beast]

I have a teleporting character Blip

She would do long distance ports and arrive 300" above ground level and skydive for 2 or 4 segments and port again to ground

She would make great use of Blind Safe Teleport and No Relative Velocity

She did get required to buy Fam:Parachuting

 

Really just thinking about it

There is no need for flight just some planning and fore thought

 

Some stuff to ponder on getting

Absolute range sense

Blind Safe Teleport

No Relative Velocity

Safe Water Entry

Lots of Super Leap say 60" to suck up landing and call it" a last moment porting"

[Hyper-Man]

1 Flight 1m, No Gravity Penalty (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates; +1) (3 Active Points); Limited Power - Only To Hover (-1)

[Lucius]

 

 

Just Passing Through This Airspace: Flight 1m, Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action to reset, Character does not control activation of personal Trigger; Trigger: When Teleporting; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (2 Active Points); Instant (-1/2), Can Only Hover ( -1/4) Real Cost:1

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary buys Swinging, Megascale (would you like to swing on a star?)

[Beast]

1 Flight 1m, No Gravity Penalty (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates; +1) (3 Active Points); Limited Power - Only To Hover (-1)

No Gravity penalty is only for going up,and is of no use

you have only to hover -1makes it kinda moot

[Beast]

you still need to figure out what to do after the flight kicks in as your move is done and are now a floating duck who cannot even shoot back

you need to switch to another mode of movement which means you start falling

If this is going to be another NCM teleport you are going to fall for 2 phases

at speed 6 this is 4 segments

when your flight kicks in again you will be at a velocity of 40m/sec and 100m down

your flight will only slow you 5m a phase

at best you will hit with 55m of velocity(27.5 d6)

 

Like I said a little planning and you look cool falling with grace

you just need the right tools and 1m of flight is not enough

[bigbywolfe]

you still need to figure out what to do after the flight kicks in as your move is done and are now a floating duck who cannot even shoot back

you need to switch to another mode of movement which means you start falling

If this is going to be another NCM teleport you are going to fall for 2 phases

at speed 6 this is 4 segments

when your flight kicks in again you will be at a velocity of 40m/sec and 100m down

your flight will only slow you 5m a phase

at best you will hit with 55m of velocity(27.5 d6)

 

Like I said a little planning and you look cool falling with grace

you just need the right tools and 1m of flight is not enough

That is easily fixed by taking "Instant" off of Lucius' build (it really shouldn't have it in the first place). Now you don't fall until your next phase and only if you don't teleport again.

[psyber624]

Why would you need trigger at all? you can RAW turn flight on and "hover" without using a movement action to do so and I don't believe there are any rules that activating teleport would turn off your flight. So you are hovering before your teleport, and hovering after your teleport, you should be okay.

 

You MIGHT have to take a half move to start "hovering", that's not really covered in the brief glance at the rules that i did but after that point I am pretty sure you can just keep your flight "on" (paying 1 end per phase of course) and teleport as your movement action.