'Get over here!' build question.

[薔薇語]

One of the players in an upcoming game wants a Spiderman like character. One thing Spidey can do is shoot a web at a target and then pull it towards him. I am up in the air on how to mimic this mechanically. There seem to be three basic approaches: 

 

TK with a suite of limitations to reflect the webbing and that it uni-directional. 

 

Stretching though a focus. One benefit is that if the target is immovable, the Spidey character could pull himself to that target via this. 

 

Flight UAA with a suite of lims. It gets the job done for cheap but I try to avoid Movement Powers with UAA. 

 

Things like Double+ KB blasts with indirect can do the job but would have the downside of destroying the target (potentially). 

 

Any thoughs?

 

La Rose. 

[Surrealone]

I believe the SFX of webbing a target and pulling it to the character can be readily boiled down to a focus-based grab maneuver with a triggered UAA movement power (that's triggered by a successful grab using the focus).  Thus, I think your stretching option makes the most sense, here.

[Hugh Neilson]

Agree that Stretching makes the most sense.  I think on occasion Spidey has been pulled off his feet by a strong and/or heavy target.  It's rare, but with a mid-high STR plus his Clinging, it would be.

 

Stretching also covers more direct web attacks like smacking the target with a WebBall (easily limited away if not desired by the player).

[Scott Ruggels]

Agree with Hugh. I can only add that it's going to be important how that focus is defined. A web gun which is OAF, and can be grabbed, or be pulled out of their hand.  Spidey style web shooters built into the costume or worn as bracers under it would be OIF. One advantage that Spidey's webs seem to have is that they are non-conductive, so electrical damage and some others do not transfer to the character. That may be another effect

to think about. 

[dmjalund]

Stretching does not cross intervening space, physical manifestation.

 

 

[unclevlad]

Option 2 is an entangle, but the "no, no, over HERE" doesn't generally create a lasting entanglement.  Stretching also works to build Spidey's swinging from building to building.  

 

That is a valid point...not about electrical per se, but that no damage shield the target may have, actually affects Spidey.  By the same token, tho, Spidey can't use it against, say, Human Torch.  Or at least I don't think so.  So seems an SFX wash.

[Surrealone]

Out of curiosity I took at look at both GRAB and STRETCHING, as I seemed to recall rules about moving a grabbed character in there somewhere.  Here is the gem I was looking for.

 

Per 6e1 p286:

A character with Stretching can reach out, Grab a character or object that’s within the range of his Stretching, and pull it to him (assuming he has the STR to move it). (He cannot pull himself to the Grabbed character or object, he drags it to himself.) If the target is an object, this typically takes a Full Phase Action. It only requires a Half Phase Action if the total of (meters Stretched + meters the character has to pull the object) is less than or equal to half his Stretching and the object is non-resisting. If the target is a person or the like, the GM may rule that making the Grab ends the Stretching character’s Phase. However, since characters can Grab and Squeeze, Slam, or Throw, most GMs allow characters with Stretching to Grab and Drag To Myself as part of one Attack Action. The GM may allow a Grabbed character to have an Action that takes no time to brace himself or use STR to resist being dragged.

 

The takeaway, here, should be that triggered UAA movement should not be needed so long as the attacker has enough STR to move the target to him/her (or enough STR to move him/herself to the target if allowed by the GM).  IMHO, this bit of RAW also strongly suggests Stretching was likely intended to be able to model what Spidey does...

 

As an aside, if the GM requires the Grab & Pull to take more than the Full (or potentially Half) Phase, then you're back to triggered UAA to build what you desire, but I can't imagine a GM requiring that given how cinematic and appropriate the single Grab & Pull activity tends to be.

 

 

 

[Duke Bushido]

And I can't imagine any GM saying "No; you can't pull yourself to the Human Ton because the rules say you can't."

 

So I would think you're golden.

[Ninja-Bear]

What interesting is that in Super Agents, a grapple gun is bought as Stretching so as to allow you to pull yourself up buildings and potentially grab items outta peoples hands. Yes I know that that book is several editions old and it’s Aaron Allstons take on the rules however I like it. I can’t see it being that overly powerful.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Ninja-Bear
Spelling error

[Duke Bushido]

I suspect the whole oddly-concieved rul--

 

I"m stopping here because I can't turn this accursed underlining off....

[Duke Bushido]

It's possible this rule was a not-thought-out-far-enough result of an inspiration along the lines of "No; you can't use this in place of a Movement Power.  If you want Movement, you have to _buy_ Movement."  (Again, just a hypothesis)

 

But then, if you want to force someone else to move, shouldn't you have to buy a Movement Power Useable as Attack?   Furthermore, we need a "headcscratching" smilie.

 

I feel Stretching is the most thematically appropriate and the simplest, most direct method of modeling the desired effect.  I also feel the idea that you can't pull yourself toward something you've grabbed-- provided it is massive or well-enough anchored, is, to borrow a term, bollocks.  (It's not swearing if I'm not British, right?).  In light of the fact that Stretch (as reported above), is now the "official" model for web-swinging, I'd have to classify that rule as both bollocks.

 

 

But your opinion may well vary, of course.

 

[薔薇語]

Thanks for the imput everyone! I think I will go with stretching as the method. 

 

 

La Rose. 

[dsatow]

On 9/12/2018 at 3:51 PM, Ninja-Bear said:

What interesting is that in Super Agents, a grapple gun is bought as Stretching so as to allow you to pull yourself up buildings and potentially grab items outta peoples hands. Yes I know that that book is several editions old and it’s Aaron Allstons take on the rules however I like it. I can’t see it being that overly powerful.

 

This is allowed in 6e1p286.

 

Quote

A character with Stretching can reach out,
Grab a large, solid object that’s above him (such as
a tree limb, the edge of a roof or cliff, or the like),
and pull himself up to it (assuming he has the STR
to lift himself). This typically requires a Full Phase
Action. It only requires a Half Phase Action if the
total of (meters Stretched + meters the character
pulls himself) is less than or equal to half his
meters of Stretching. This is only a substitute for
Climbing, not for Running; characters can’t use
Stretching like this to move along the ground.

 

[Ninja-Bear]

That’s good. And maybe I’m wrong about the other editions not allowing it.