BRP Super Hero questions

[Sir Argo]

A group of us started a BRP super hero campaign. I have a number of questions, some related specifically to the super hero rules, and some to BRP in general.

1) The disengage rules do not specify a way to disengage due to superior movement (either speed or mode). Example, flying opponent moves straight up and I don't have flight. I can't pursue. Does the creature disengage without suffering a retreat attack? Similarly, if create has more than double my movement rate, can it disengage without suffering a retreat attack?

2) The rules state that shooting a ranged weapon into a melee combat has a chance of hitting either combatant. There's varying rules on how to determine who gets hit, but my question is this: If I fire into a melee and accidentally hit a friend, does that friend have the option to use his dodge vs. my attack? The bad guy obviously does... I'm just wondering if my friend does.

3) Certain powers are purchased based on the characters SIZ. Examples would be Flight and Invisibility. Other powers are not explicit, so I'm not sure if it works the same or not. Such as Intangibility and Teleport--neither says it must be purchased according to the SIZ of the character. So does buying just 1 level (2pts) or intangibility allow the entire character to become intangible, or are they supposed to buy 12 levels (for a SIZ 12 character) to do that?

3) If a character uses Telekinesis to pick up a gun, could he also fire the gun? If a character picked up a sword with Telekinesis, could he swing it? If so, how would you figure the damage bonus? Could he use his Telekinesis to operate a set of lock picks to pick a lock? Could he pick up a pen and write his name?

Thanks in advance,

Darren

[NickMiddleton]

A group of us started a BRP super hero campaign. I have a number of questions, some related specifically to the super hero rules, and some to BRP in general.

1) The disengage rules do not specify a way to disengage due to superior movement (either speed or mode). Example, flying opponent moves straight up and I don't have flight. I can't pursue. Does the creature disengage without suffering a retreat attack? Similarly, if create has more than double my movement rate, can it disengage without suffering a retreat attack?

I'd say generally no, but exceptionally large differentials in speed / DEX might make it the case. The disengage rule is not about relative movement speeds per se, it's about the fact that if I start moving away from an opponent without paying attention to them, there will always be a period of time (however brief) in which I am NOT threatening them nor aware enough of them to defend against them - so they WILL get a "free" shot at me...

2) The rules state that shooting a ranged weapon into a melee combat has a chance of hitting either combatant. There's varying rules on how to determine who gets hit, but my question is this: If I fire into a melee and accidentally hit a friend, does that friend have the option to use his dodge vs. my attack? The bad guy obviously does... I'm just wondering if my friend does.

Er, I'd dispute whether EITHER party engaged in a melee being shot at by a third combatant gets to dodge actually - I can't see how either engaged combatant could realistically be aware of the shooter AND be in a position to dive out the way whilst in hand to hand with someone else"

Normally, your character cannot actually dodge against bullets or high-speed projectile weapons (arrows, lasers, etc.). Instead, it is assumed that he or she is dodging out of the direction the weapon is being pointed. In this case, your character is only able to attempt dodging the first such missile weapon in a combat round, and only if the attacker and weapon are visible. Such attempts are Difficult.

3) Certain powers are purchased based on the characters SIZ. Examples would be Flight and Invisibility. Other powers are not explicit, so I'm not sure if it works the same or not. Such as Intangibility and Teleport--neither says it must be purchased according to the SIZ of the character. So does buying just 1 level (2pts) or intangibility allow the entire character to become intangible, or are they supposed to buy 12 levels (for a SIZ 12 character) to do that?

Hmm - looks like Intangibility is intended to allow the characters own SIZ for the first level, but severely limits the effectiveness of the power unless they buy a LOT of levels on top, whereas Teleport on close reading pretty clearly is intended that to teleport oneself you would have to match your SIZ. There may be something in the errata - I'd be tempted to make both require sufficient levels to cover the characters SIZ as a minimum, as with Flight and Invisibility.

There is no Super power Telekinesis. The Psychic power of that name isn't explicit but from the description I'd infer that a character could NOT perform any sort of fine manipulation with an object - it's simply lifting, not fine motor control.

Cheers,

Nick

Edited April 11, 2011 by NickMiddleton

[Sir Argo]

...it's about the fact that if I start moving away from an opponent without paying attention to them...

How fast could a person move and continue to maintain attention on a foe to avoid that retreat attack? i.e., a fighting-retreat or a battle-shift.

Er, I'd dispute whether EITHER party engaged in a melee being shot at by a third combatant gets to dodge actually - I can't see how either engaged combatant could realistically be aware of the shooter AND be in a position to dive out the way whilst in hand to hand with someone else

I actually agree with this. In the real world, all of this is true. However, from a game-play issue, I feel we need something to help the characters' survivability. So far, we're allowing difficult dodge vs. missile weapons and that seems to be working out ok--guns still seem to be very deadly. There's always that push-n-pull between realism and game-play. The question was based on the fact we allow dodging missile weapons and I guess I assumed other people were allowing it too. Probably isn't fair for me to ask for comments on rules that others aren't using

There is no Super power Telekinesis. The Psychic power of that name isn't explicit but from the description I'd infer that a character could NOT perform any sort of fine manipulation with an object - it's simply lifting, not fine motor control.

You've somewhat identified the issue by use of the term fine manipulation. And you're right, it isn't explicit. I think the power does allow for manipulation (not just movement) because on page 113 it describes the power as, "Manipulate and move objects mentally." However, the write up doesn't give any detail on the manipulation part--hence my posted question. It does state you can throw an object (it even gives a formula for damage bonus for that) and says to use "the object’s normal damage if it is a weapon that can be utilized as a missile weapon." Well, the only way to get a javelin to throw like a javelin is if you could twist and turn the object so that it can be thrown point-first. That insinuates a level of manipulation. I was hoping to get an idea of how detailed a person could get with manipulating an object with Telekinesis before it then requires the use of an addition skill (maybe Fine Manipulation?) or becomes impossible. I wanted to come up with some general, elegant rule that could be applied. For example, suppose we say it works like a single hand. That would mean you could flip on light switches, turn a door knob, fasten a velcro strap, write with a pen, etc. But you would not be able to open a jar, tie shoe laces, operate lock picks, etc. That would offer a fairly easy litmus test vs. any action the character tries to perform. And if the current Telekinesis does not allow for manipulation at all, then how would a person get this type of fine manipulation (think Sylar as he's twisting the valve on his IV bag)?

Darren

Edited April 11, 2011 by Sir Argo

[NickMiddleton]

How fast could a person move and continue to maintain attention on a foe to avoid that retreat attack? i.e., a fighting-retreat or a battle-shift.

I'm not sure one can put an exact speed on it - I certainly think it would be plausible for a Super's game to have a Flash type super capable of avoiding retaliation from a normal human when retreating, but I'd be loathe to be any more exact than that.

I actually agree with this. In the real world, all of this is true. However, from a game-play issue, I feel we need something to help the characters' survivability. So far, we're allowing difficult dodge vs. missile weapons and that seems to be working out ok--guns still seem to be very deadly. There's always that push-n-pull between realism and game-play. The question was based on the fact we allow dodging missile weapons and I guess I assumed other people were allowing it too. Probably isn't fair for me to ask for comments on rules that others aren't using

Oh, I allow dodging of missile weapons - iff the dodging character can see the shooter... But I can't see any reasonable way to let characters off the hook if they are in a melee some other idiot is shooting at: it's going to be largely blind luck who in the melee gets hit. I suppose you could let a character have a luck roll to spot the shooter and then let them dodge BEFORE the determination of who has been hit, but that would make them vulnerable to attacks from their melee opponent...

You've somewhat identified the issue by use of the term fine manipulation. And you're right, it isn't explicit. I think the power does allow for manipulation (not just movement) because on page 113 it describes the power as, "Manipulate and move objects mentally." However, the write up doesn't give any detail on the manipulation part--hence my posted question. It does state you can throw an object (it even gives a formula for damage bonus for that) and says to use "the object’s normal damage if it is a weapon that can be utilized as a missile weapon." Well, the only way to get a javelin to throw like a javelin is if you could twist and turn the object so that it can be thrown point-first. That insinuates a level of manipulation.

I wouldn't read that much in to the table entry on page 113 personally, and it's not a super power, it's a psychic power - so I was thinking of poltergeist like effects. A vase can be made to float, spin in the air or fly across the room (or at someone's head), that sort of thing.

I was hoping to get an idea of how detailed a person could get with manipulating an object with Telekinesis before it then requires the use of an addition skill (maybe Fine Manipulation?) or becomes impossible. I wanted to come up with some general, elegant rule that could be applied. For example, suppose we say it works like a single hand. That would mean you could flip on light switches, turn a door knob, fasten a velcro strap, write with a pen, etc. But you would not be able to open a jar, tie shoe laces, operate lock picks, etc. That would offer a fairly easy litmus test vs. any action the character tries to perform. And if the current Telekinesis does not allow for manipulation at all, then how would a person get this type of fine manipulation (think Sylar as he's twisting the valve on his IV bag)?

The currently described power is much more poltergeist activity to me as I said - I'd add the Invisible Arm power from Ringworld:

Invisible Arm: This restricted form of telekinesis sometimes manifests when the affected person loses a real arm, and, as a psionic, finds that an invisible limb has replaced the lost limb. The invisible replacement is never as strong as the real arm was; usually its STR equals a mere 1. The strength of the limb might be increasable with experience, at a rate controlled by the gamemaster.

Like telekinesis, the invisible limb lifts objects only when the player makes a successful resistance roll of its STR against the SIZ of the object to be lifted — but otherwise is quite different to telepathy. The invisible limb usually has full sensations; with it, the explorer can feel the surface of an object just as he could with his real limb. Further, with the invisible limb he can feel the interiors of objects. Some with invisible limbs have even reached into stasis fields and touched the contents, though not affected them. Finally, invisible limbs can reach through live video feeds and touch whatever is on the other side if the player succeeds with a psionics skill roll.

Regaining the limb through transplants sometimes causes an invisible limb to depart.

This power is usually associated with a skill roll, which must succeed for the user to sense the surface of an object with his limb. To pick up objects, he need make no skill roll, but must overcome the object's SIZ with his limb's STR (usually 1).

Cheers,

Nick