Radio sent abilities

[dsatow]

So I am working on a character who can tell instructions to people to help them do things.  How would other people buy this power?

 

Conditions:

1. The character can verbally instruct people near them.
2. The character can instruct them over a communication device.

[Amorkca]

Mind Link through a focus

[JackValhalla]

Skill level, usable by others, indirect, linked to Mind Link. 

 

Yeah, I've modeled this one before too. Used creatively, it's almost embarrassingly effective. 

[dsatow]

I've thought about mind link, but if the character calls someone on the phone or intercom, they are not really mind link engaged.  Most of the time, the mind link needs to connect first which relies on line of sight.  If I purchase it no LOS needed, by RAW, the list of characters must be defined.  This might be ok but sort of more limiting than the power was designed.  I was wondering if anyone had any other ideas.

[Hyper-Man]

Is this intended as a 'combat time' skill?

 

If not I'm not sure that it needs a unique power based build.

 

Having worked in tech support for many years I would recommend adapting a version of the Instructor Skill to allow the character to constantly confirm that the character being given remote directions is actually following them properly.  This could be a complementary skill roll or wholly separate skill roll as being an expert on 'doing' something does not automatically make one an expert on telling someone else 'how to do something'.

 

HM

[dsatow]

The idea is this is a command skill, specifically for the captain of a ship.  A player or NPC who has this can bark orders at their crew, whether near them or through a radio and help them accomplish their goals. I have ideas for a lot of the other positions and the "powers" are designed to give each player a tactical decision during a space combat which affects the combat itself.  So a party of adventurers are effectively the command crew of the Enterprise.

 

ideas of positions and their effects:

• The Captain/Commander can aid a limited number of people to perform better on the ship.  They decide who needs more help.
• The pilot/navigator can maneuver the ship.  They can also fire weapons, but then they take penalties to either the flight or the attack.  They also get effectively martial maneuvers with ships allowing them to bypass turn mods, increase DCV, channel damage on the ship, etc. if they make their piloting rolls.  They decide how much effort should be placed on the ship movement and type of movement.
• The weapons officer can fire the weapons on the ship so the pilot isn't taking penalties.  They can also do called shots to target specific points on the ship easier.  They are affected by the ships maneuvers and they decide what weapons to ready and what to fire.
• The science officer can run the detects, determining what damage has been done to the opposing ship or attempt to lower the ships DCV or Defenses by analyzing for weaknesses.  They can predict what the other ship will do.  They can do all this but not in the same phase.
• Communications officer is mostly for larger ships and can coordinate many disparate teams.  They can effectively make one team get assistance from another team without the two working in the same area.  Ex: One engineering team is working on the shields, another is working on the drive.  The Communications officer can coordinate the shields repair on its power system giving the drive team a better roll to fix the drives.  The communications officer also keeps track of the health of the ship.
• The engineering officer leads the repairs on system or can overclock certain systems, making the ship generate more power, move faster, etc.
• Medical can effectively return wounded crew to active duty.  Wounded crew members are off active duty reducing teams.

The idea is for a possible campaign on board the starship U.N.S.S.* Champion, to protect commercial interests from pirates, explore the strange and unknown, to protect the Earth against the war like Centauri Rebels, to engage in rescue missions, etc.

 

 

*U.N.S.S. = United Nations Space Ship

[doccowie]

I think it's great to see that you are looking for roles for all the players so they have the chance to make fun choices and have cool moments. As always, the best laid plans of GMs rarely survive contact with players and I'm sure you can flex around the sort of roles and actions they fancy :- )

Anyway, your initial question sounds like skill levels?

Possibilities -

Overall Skill Levels Usable by Others w/ a bunch of penalties you have already mentioned.

Downside - the player is effectively spending a bunch of points on making others cool - but that's fine if the player is happy.

 

Or Skill levels for individual crewmen with limits from

"Only on ship and when communications active" - limitation depending on how often that won't be the case. This is for automated support, everyone can use.

Requires [Teamwork or Bureaucracy] roll. You need to put in a request for help.

Activation roll - is the captain interested? Or even Burnout if the crewmember is really annoying : -)

No Conscious Control - if the captain has to decide who to help. Again, it would be irritating to spend a lot of points on something that depends on someone else's decision, but hey, that's pretty much the definition of NCC

 

Or even put skill levels into the ship itself, and give the Captain control over who can access them?