Power Build: Teleportation Redirect

[BoloOfEarth]

A situation in my Champions campaign, in two parts:

 

1)  One of the heroes (Maker, an energy projector with gadgeteering) has been taking captured VIPER flyer bots to use as her own.  These have plug-and-play modules for offensive, defensive, sensory, and other purposes.  (Basically, each bot has a VPP, with a predefined set of slots.)  The Professor (second in command of Boston VIPER) knows she is doing this and wants to use it to his advantage, or at least the heroes' disadvantage.

 

2)  Another hero, Pops, has teleportation powers and frequently uses a Megascale mass teleport to transport the entire hero team to locations anywhere in the country.  Specifically, he has to be touching the people teleporting with him (actually, them touching him).  So they normally arrive with Pops in the center and the rest of the team surrounding him.  And he does have Clairsentience only for targeting his teleport at long distances.

 

The idea is, The Professor is going to send some more flyer bots to be captured, each with plug-and-play modules that appear innocuous, but in reality can generate an energy field that will, over time, alter Maker's own energy to interfere with Pops' teleport.  (I figure the modules will be something like a 1d6 Major Transform, Penetrating, Invisible Power Effects, AoE 8m radius.)  The idea being to add an Always On power to Maker (that she can eventually figure out a way to get rid of) that will cause Pops' mass-teleport to go awry on occasion, ideally scattering the heroes all over town.** 

 

** Not in pieces; that would be messy.  I mean that Pops ends up in one location, Maker in another, Circe in a third, etc.

 

So, how to draw up the teleport redirect?

 

I'm thinking it would be Teleportation, say 4m, with Safe Blind Teleport (+1/4), Megascale (1m = 1 km; +1), Trigger (Maker is teleported; zero phase, resets automatically, immediately after activation; +3/4), Usable as Attack (+1 1/4), 0 END (+1/2 or +1; see below), Persistent (+1/4); Always On (-1/2), Activation 11- (-1/2), Teleports target in random direction / distance (-0)

 

But would I make it AoE (4m radius; +1/4) to encompass the rest of her team?  Or AoE (4m Radius Accurate; +1/2) with Autofire (10 shots; +2)?  The former writeup seems like it should send everybody to the same location.  But the latter seems like it would require some sort of conscious targeting on her part, and I want this to be something that would happen even if she was unwilling or unconscious.

[BoloOfEarth]

And a follow-up question, not related to the build itself:

 

As a GM, is messing with Pops' power like this a dickish move?  Pops did pay for his teleportation (ableit in a fixed Multipower slot, so not a lot of points, though he paid 33 points for the Clairsentience separately).

 

I'm justifying it as a consequence of Maker basically trying to get some robotic followers without paying points for them.  When she took the first one, I allowed it as "spoils of war."  She now has 3, and I'm sure she'll run off with any others she thinks she can get away with.  Also, the rest of the team has used the captured flyer bots to do reconnaissance, so the whole team has been in on it, so I figure the whole team should face the consequences of that.  But is this all just a convenient excuse on my part?

[TheDarkness]

Sounds like a fun excuse for some improvised work on the part of the team. Yes, they paid for the power, and you paid for the power that only works on it, and have a reasonable enemy who would want to do that.

 

I'll assume the team has been checking the drones for tracking devices?

[薔薇語]

This sounds perfectly reasonable from a GM and Player perspective. If one player is trying to take advantage of a freebie the consequence doesn't have to affect only them. It could affect the team as a whole. This helps reinforce the nothing that the characters and players need to be careful as their actions have consequences. 


As to the build, I think your build idea is too complicated. What seems better is to go with a Major Transform against the attack. Set the Transform to work either normally against the body of the Teleporter or against the power itself (akin to a drain that way) - And it is your choice if it is just the one slot or the MP as a whole. What the Major Transform does is add on Side Effects and / or Activation roll to the (mass) teleportation power(s). The Transform will also have a limit "Only if the teleporter is in range of the dampening field of the bots". 

As to the exact build of the Major Transform, you could either go for a big all in one transform that is triggered (obviously very expensive) or a small transform that is used over time. Maybe it is a triggered transform that goes off every time the teleporter ports near the bot(s). If it is a small one, you might help the Heroes notice the issue before it becomes a big one by tacking on "partial transform" special effects. Maybe the first time or two the teleporter struggles to teleport correctly. Nothing major or life threatening but obvious to the teleporter. Perhaps have this come up while fighting someone who can already affect he teleporter in some way thus adding to the confusion. Of course when they capture that guy, they will probably not think twice about the mishap until it happens again. This time it starts to be a major issue. If they proceed without caution, then make it a major and possibly life threatening issue. 

 

After the Heroes figure out what is going on and destroy the bots (obviously their programming was wholly corrupted and corrupted the other bots, too), the Techy hero is reset to her normal build. Then once the session has concluded, remind them that they could pay points and if so, you'd allow them to repurpose those bots fairly quickly with clean software. Thus you could get across the point that EVERYTHING useful costs points. 

 

Foreign Orchid. 

[BoloOfEarth]

Sounds like a fun excuse for some improvised work on the part of the team. Yes, they paid for the power, and you paid for the power that only works on it, and have a reasonable enemy who would want to do that.

 

I'll assume the team has been checking the drones for tracking devices?

 

Maker has rewired the radio controls to work on a different frequency, and changed encryption on the bots' inputs/outputs.  But it wouldn't be unreasonable for the Professor to scan frequencies the next time Maker shows up someplace with "her" flyer bot and then hack in to re-establish his own control.  (Computer Programming isn't her main skill, whereas it is one of the Professor's.) 

 

The real-world logical thing to do would be for the Professor to do exactly that, and then use the bot to learn and burn Maker's secret ID.  THAT, however, seems like overkill and a real dick move on my part.

 

As to the build, I think your build idea is too complicated. What seems better is to go with a Major Transform against the attack. Set the Transform to work either normally against the body of the Teleporter or against the power itself (akin to a drain that way) - And it is your choice if it is just the one slot or the MP as a whole. What the Major Transform does is add on Side Effects and / or Activation roll to the (mass) teleportation power(s). The Transform will also have a limit "Only if the teleporter is in range of the dampening field of the bots". 

 

As to the exact build of the Major Transform, you could either go for a big all in one transform that is triggered (obviously very expensive) or a small transform that is used over time. Maybe it is a triggered transform that goes off every time the teleporter ports near the bot(s). If it is a small one, you might help the Heroes notice the issue before it becomes a big one by tacking on "partial transform" special effects. Maybe the first time or two the teleporter struggles to teleport correctly. Nothing major or life threatening but obvious to the teleporter. Perhaps have this come up while fighting someone who can already affect he teleporter in some way thus adding to the confusion. Of course when they capture that guy, they will probably not think twice about the mishap until it happens again. This time it starts to be a major issue. If they proceed without caution, then make it a major and possibly life threatening issue. 

 

After the Heroes figure out what is going on and destroy the bots (obviously their programming was wholly corrupted and corrupted the other bots, too), the Techy hero is reset to her normal build. Then once the session has concluded, remind them that they could pay points and if so, you'd allow them to repurpose those bots fairly quickly with clean software. Thus you could get across the point that EVERYTHING useful costs points. 

 

Foreign Orchid. 

 

Yeah, I know it's over-complicated.  That's kinda my thing.    Seriously, though, thanks for the suggestions.

 

In my mind the transform should fit within the Control cost of the bots' VPP, so it pretty much has to be a small transform over time.  And since Pops spends almost zero time near the bots (he might be near them maybe 1-2 Phases in any given gaming session) but Maker practically lives with them, Maker seems the one to affect with the Transform attack.

 

There are a couple other options I'm considering, such as redirecting only Maker's teleportation, perhaps sending her someplace VIPER has secured to serve as bait for an ambush of the rest of the team.  I'm leaning away from that, since it basically removes her from the bulk of the adventure.   Or having her transformed in some other way (perhaps adding Side Effects to her own energy powers, rather than mucking with Pops' teleportation).  But something about the idea of redirecting a long-range teleport and scattering the team all over town seems like it would cause a major WTF moment that would be more intriguing for the whole team to figure out.

 

I'll have to revisit this in the morning, when my brain is less fried. 

 

Thank you both for the feedback.

[薔薇語]

If you want the transform to work specifically on Maker and not Pops, then might I suggest not adding a power to Maker but simply adding in a complication? Physical Lim: Can't be reliably teleported (Freq and Great - 20 points). This could immediately or eventually mean that Maker is teleported somewhere she didn't want to be by Pops on accident. But if you do want it to affect the whole group, I would think that having it affect pop's single power would be best. And the best thing is that as the GM, you are not restricted to points when building things. ^^

One advantage to the Physical Complication is that under the standard Transform rules, you could rule that it fades at a set rate. That way the PCs don't have to do anything overtly special to remove the issue other than stop the reapplication of the Transform from the bots. You could still use the building awareness story angle by having Maker start feeling queezy when transported, maybe losing contact once when teleported, and finally shipped off somewhere else when the Transform has taken full cinematic effect. 

 

Foreign Orchid. 

[薔薇語]

Side note: if Maker has 5 bots (3 already plus 2 from the Prof's set up plan), then you have 5 bots all doing small bits of transform damage at once. Even if they are only doing an average of 7 points of transform a turn per bot (2 dice of undefended Major Transform), that is 35 points of total transform in one moment. That should be enough immediately effect Pops or Maker. If they happen to have some kind of defense (say 3 points), they will still be taking 20 points of transform each turn. That is a lot of effect very quickly. 

 

Foreign Orchid. 

[Beast]

DID Maker pay for the bots?(as vehicles/computers)

If not I see no reason to call it a dickish move

I'd have the bots loaded as a teleport of their own and pop each hero in to a cell or deathtrap just after Pop brings the team in
and leave a homing beacon for a missile strike on Pop if the bot can get a heads up on where they are going(loiter missiles )

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM501_Non-Line-of-Sight_Launch_System

[Doc Democracy]

I think it is a cool idea. I like the idea of just creating a field that disrupts the reliability of the teleport is best, heroes inside the field cannot be reliably teleported. In that case you might have each bot changing the environment, the area growing dependent on how many bots are close together. All the field does is make any teleport originating within it be less reliable.

 

I do love heroes to interact with their environment, I want them to squeeze utility and be alert to how this might be working against them. Provenance is everything. In my fantasy game a rival group of adventurers were mopping up after my players heroes had cleared an orcs nest. Some of the heroes were sick from fighting a mummy and the opposing leader offered to heal them. Generous? Absolutely. But he told them that part of the cure was focus based, a consecrated stick they needed to keep on their person for at least six months, else the sickness might return. The stick is nothing of the sort, it is a small transmitter so that the cleric can listen in to what they are saying and p, if close enough, divine their location.

 

Since then they have been wondering how this rival group seems to get in to situations just before they do and been able to rip them off, stealing items and poisoning relationships.

 

It was fun at first but am now thinking I need to drop bigger hints to see if they can work it out...

 

Doc

[BoloOfEarth]

Just an update, and a thanks for all the feedback and suggestions.

 

Since Maker is the primary instigator of the bot-taking and bot-using, I decided to not directly affect Pops, but rather to center the redirect effects upon Maker.  So I've kept the (admittedly over-complicated) Transform and Teleport Redirect power on her to periodically affect her teammates, with the addition of a Physical Complication on Maker alone as Foreign Orchid / SOAR suggested.  I also added Partial Transform to the broadcast power Transform.  And I've decided that Pops, being a powerful teleporter, would be immune from the Redirect effect unless he decided to keep some bots for himself.

 

I first ran an adventure that included Maker taking possession of two more Flyer bots, making a point that they had broadcast power modules.  I later ran an adventure where she raided a VIPER lab and made off with several Tony Stark-style lab bots that are powered purely by broadcast power (thus ensuring she keeps the broadcast power running in her lab).  I asked Pops if he wanted any lab bots as well, but he said no.  (Smart guy.)

 

The Teleport Redirect itself has only come into play once thus far (several weeks ago).  They were taking several flyer bots along at the time, so even though Pops made a good PER roll and noticed an odd flash of energy come from Maker at the time of the teleport, they nonetheless blamed the flyer bots for causing most of them to appear scattered across the battlefield, rather than all together as was supposed to happen.  (FYI, since this was shortly after Maker had taken possession of the flyer bots, I considered her having only been partially transformed, so I didn't have the Redirect effect as Megascale.)

 

When they did their mass teleport this past week, I asked about the flyer bots (there were two that had been left earlier to watch over their objective), and then made a 3d6 roll in front of the players, but the redirect failed to activate.  So I've given them clues that something is up, but they were so busy being paranoid about something else that they've let them pass. 

 

The next time the Redirect activates, it should scatter most of the team across the city, not just around the battlefield.  I figure they'll respond afterward by forbidding Maker to bring flyer bots along, and (mistakenly) consider the problem solved.  And when it happens again without the presence of flyer bots, they might actually try to solve the problem (namely, getting rid of all the stolen bots).

[Ockham's Spoon]

This sounds like a good villainous plan.  While I think the Transform models this most accurately for what it does, it might be simpler to build this as a Triggered Teleport.  Essentially buy Pop's Teleport (or a slightly watered down version if the point cost gets too high; it doesn't necessarily have to have the full range of the original) with a Trigger on it that goes off the instant before Pop uses his own Teleport, effectively scattering the heroes and preempting their desired transport.  You may want to add an Enhanced Sense to detect the impending Teleport just to keep it rule-worthy.  You might still have Pop's Teleport go off to keep the END costs the same, but rule that he ends up someplace other than his intended destination since his starting point was altered.  As for most powers there are lots of ways to model it, so this is one more for consideration.

[BoloOfEarth]

Actually, if Pops ended up where he targets but nobody else does... then the next time they try to sneak-attack a villain team, he might be the only one to show up where the villains are.  And he doesn't have very good defenses...  (evil GM chuckle)