Author Topic: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)  (Read 6840 times)

Offline Wolfhound

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BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« on: April 30, 2013, 05:26:58 PM »
So, I'm pondering something for one of my NPCs and I wanted to put out my math and thinking to groupthink and see if anyone had some addition perspective/points of view to add. I think this can all be accomplished within the rules now, I'm just assigning it a 0 refresh cost to "codify it" as a special FX for the NPC.

How the Refresh works out:
(2) Worldwalker <- existing, prerequisite
(2) Inhuman Speed  <- existing, prerequisite
(0) BAMF! <- new, I set the cost at zero because the character already has at least 4 refresh sunk into powers to pull this off. I figure that's more than enough considering 4 Refresh could grant a character spellcasting. :)

BAMF! (...or "Phasing" if you don't want Marvel to get grumpy) (0 Refresh)
Description: You have learned to combine your more-than-mortal speed with your mastery of the Nevernever to confuse and bewilder opponents.
Notes: A character must already possess both World Walker plus a Speed Related Power (Inhuman, Supernatural, or Mythic)
Skills Affected: Lore
Effects:
Blinking: Your character may enter the Nevernever as a Supplemental Action, move a distance up to whatever the character's Speed power grants minus 1 zone (thus, Casual Movement allows Blinking within the same zone, Effortless Movement is up to 1 zone away, Instant Movement is up to 2 zones away), and then potentially reappear in the same Exchange.

The character rolls Lore and requires at least a Good (+3) to accomplish this (the +2 Lore granted by Worldwalker's Strange Worlds applies to this roll) in a single Exchange. Failure to get at least a Good result means that the Nevernever in this area has an unexpectedly complex structure and the character fails to reappear in this Exchange (especially crafty or evil GMs can even turn this into a mini-scene before allowing the character to reappear). For each 3 shifts over and above the requisite 3, a non-sticky Maneuver Aspect can be applied to the scene (Suddenly Flanked, Surprise!, etc. etc.).

For clarity: Blinking itself is a full Action (the movement elements and going in-and-out of the Nevernever are Free and Supplemental Actions) thus the character cannot take an Action afterwards.
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Offline Lavecki121

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2013, 06:09:59 PM »
I dont think this power can work for a couple different reasons, the first being that cannon does not support the power. When you move in the never-never a point that is 10 ft away could be on the opposite side of the earth. I understand that world walker can mitigate apearing in other places but it is used differently than how you are describing.
(click to show/hide)

While it could be argued that it is still possible I dont see any reason for it.

Second, world walker only lets you open existing tears, not open new ones wherever you please, you would need Swift Transition for this.

Have you looked at the custom power that is already basically this?

Here it is:
DISPLACEMENT [-1]
Description: You are not where you appear to be. Glamour or other optical effect obscures your true location, making it difficult for opponents to properly target you.
Skills Affected: None
Effects:
Missed Me, Missed Me. Your uncertain location makes it difficult to target you in combat. All attacks against you are subject to a strength 3 block. You may suppress or resume this effect as a free action.
Too Fast To Hit. Moving quickly makes your displacement more effective. Add 1 to the strength of the block from Missed Me, Missed Me for each level of Speed that you possess.
Enhanced Displacement [-1]. Add 2 to the strength of the block from Missed Me, Missed Me.
Invisibility [-1]. You are invisible, simple as that. The block from Missed Me, Missed Me is now treated as a veil rather than as a block against attacks. It does not impede your ability to see at all.
Blinking [-1]. Your displacement is not just an optical effect: you are actually inconsistently tangible. You may treat all physical blocks, including grapples and zone borders, as if their strength was reduced by a margin equal to the strength of the block from Missed Me, Missed Me.

Offline Wolfhound

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2013, 06:29:07 PM »
the first being that cannon does not support the power

The requirement for a Good result (and the GM's ability to mess with the character in the event of a failure) in the above power is a nod to the phenomena you describe. As for the above quoted text (and the example), that is not the only manifestation of the Nevernever. Canon also supports that some parts of the Nevernever are in-fact functional reflections of the physical world.
EDIT: Used "functional" as that's more precise to my meaning
(click to show/hide)

Second, world walker only lets you open existing tears, not open new ones wherever you please, you would need Swift Transition for this.

Respectfully, not exactly the case (granted, with caveat). Reference pg 171 "Rift Maker" effect of Worldwalker.

Have you looked at the custom power that is already basically this?

Does not accomplish what I need. By naming it BAMF! (as the Marvel Nightcrawler character) hopefully that suggests my needs here. I don't need Glamour, I need the Nevernever (and epecially Worldwalker's ability to potentially allow the character to take others into the Nevernever as well).
« Last Edit: April 30, 2013, 06:32:46 PM by Wolfhound »
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Offline Haru

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2013, 06:54:13 PM »
It's a cool idea and all, but I feel it's kind of broken.

So if you succeed on your roll, you are pretty much immune to anything for one exchange, and you don't even have to roll that high. And then you get a free maneuver if you roll well enough, and you get a bonus on that roll anyway. And all in one action. That's a bit much if you ask me.

I personally am a fan of the full defense roll, and we could use that here. I would make the power so that if you are in full defense mode, once per exchange, you can sacrifice the full defense bonus in order to do either a movement action or a maneuver as a free supplemental action. If the defense roll is successful, the action in question is successful as well.

That way, you will still be pretty well protected, and you have the chance to do other things as well. When you go into the full defense mode with this power, you sort of shift out of existence, moving at the edges of the nevernever and the real world. A careful observer will still be able to see you and strike at the right angle, just as you have shifted a tiny bit more to reality. You can jump out at opportune moments, catching your opponent by surprise and such.

If you are stuck in the nevernever while doing this? That's simply a compel on the aspect linked to this power. You might even use that yourself, conceding in a conflict, that you are stuck in the nevernever, the bad guys get away, but you are safe for now.
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Offline Taran

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2013, 08:46:15 PM »

Here it is:
DISPLACEMENT [-1]
Description: You are not where you appear to be. Glamour or other optical effect obscures your true location, making it difficult for opponents to properly target you.
Skills Affected: None
Effects:
Missed Me, Missed Me. Your uncertain location makes it difficult to target you in combat. All attacks against you are subject to a strength 3 block. You may suppress or resume this effect as a free action.
Too Fast To Hit. Moving quickly makes your displacement more effective. Add 1 to the strength of the block from Missed Me, Missed Me for each level of Speed that you possess.
Enhanced Displacement [-1]. Add 2 to the strength of the block from Missed Me, Missed Me.
Invisibility [-1]. You are invisible, simple as that. The block from Missed Me, Missed Me is now treated as a veil rather than as a block against attacks. It does not impede your ability to see at all.
Blinking [-1]. Your displacement is not just an optical effect: you are actually inconsistently tangible. You may treat all physical blocks, including grapples and zone borders, as if their strength was reduced by a margin equal to the strength of the block from Missed Me, Missed Me.

For the record, I think this power is broken as well.  Not that I'm the best judge of such things.

As for your power...

It lets you bypass borders, assuming it's within your normal movement, and sets up a maneuver?

Couldn't you just use your action to do a maneuver?  You can already do the movement.  Because your blinking you bypass borders, which is the neat bonus.  I'd allow the Lore check(instead of Might) to get out of a grapple as well.  I don't like the multiple maneuvers part, though.

Unless I've completely missed something

Offline Wolfhound

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2013, 08:51:34 PM »
I see your points and agreed in review the free maneuver(s) are a bit much.

So based on feedback so far: Addendum text "once per Exchange" (a limitation of Worldwalker RAW) and dispense all references to Maneuvers.

But I'd like to explore the prior reply, I'm not quite sure the "immune to anything" and "full defense" line of your thought. Could you elaborate?

My thinking is that BAMF! isn't, strictly speaking, defensive. It's more or less a Maneuver Action as its primary purpose is movement related. The Nightcrawler character is the primary idea, no only does he BAMF! to defend, but he also can grapple and individual and BAMF! taking them with him, or even just flat out BAMF! to another location.

As for "being immune" wouldn't you be immune on your own action anyway (assuming you're not attacking)? That's what confuses me. If it's my Action, and all I do is move, aren't I "immune" (nobody is attacking me, because I'm not attacking anybody else and it's my Action). But once my Action is over, now I'm back in the flow of the normal course of events no? (i.e. I can now be attacked as I've appeared in my new location).

Similarly, just with Worldwalker as is, if I open a Rift using "Rift Maker" to the Nevernever on my action and just walk through with Supernatural Speed as a Supplemental. Using rules as written, I'm 2 zones into the Nevernever by the time my Exchange is over am I not? If my opponent has no ranged attacks and does not wish to risk travelling to the Nevernever (perhaps they know they have no way out)... am I not already "immune" to attack until I choose to exit?

Eagerly awaiting your reply, thanks,
~Matt
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Offline Wolfhound

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2013, 08:53:34 PM »
Quote
It lets you bypass borders, assuming it's within your normal movement, and sets up a maneuver?

Yes, basically. As you observed the multiple maneuvers though was a bit much. Current incarnation is simply to remove the border limitations.
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Offline Lavecki121

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2013, 08:54:41 PM »
I see your points

Does not accomplish what I need. By naming it BAMF! (as the Marvel Nightcrawler character) hopefully that suggests my needs here. I don't need Glamour, I need the Nevernever (and epecially Worldwalker's ability to potentially allow the character to take others into the Nevernever as well).

Worldwaker [-2]
Displacement [-1]
    Blinking [-1]

This cost the same as your proposed power.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #8 on: April 30, 2013, 09:03:54 PM »
You might want to take a look at the Teleportation custom Power.

How the Refresh works out:
(2) Worldwalker <- existing, prerequisite
(2) Inhuman Speed  <- existing, prerequisite
(0) BAMF! <- new, I set the cost at zero because the character already has at least 4 refresh sunk into powers to pull this off. I figure that's more than enough considering 4 Refresh could grant a character spellcasting. :)

No.

Don't do this.

BAMF! (...or "Phasing" if you don't want Marvel to get grumpy) (0 Refresh)
Description: You have learned to combine your more-than-mortal speed with your mastery of the Nevernever to confuse and bewilder opponents.
Notes: A character must already possess both World Walker plus a Speed Related Power (Inhuman, Supernatural, or Mythic)
Skills Affected: Lore
Effects:
Blinking: Your character may enter the Nevernever as a Supplemental Action, move a distance up to whatever the character's Speed power grants minus 1 zone (thus, Casual Movement allows Blinking within the same zone, Effortless Movement is up to 1 zone away, Instant Movement is up to 2 zones away), and then potentially reappear in the same Exchange.

The character rolls Lore and requires at least a Good (+3) to accomplish this (the +2 Lore granted by Worldwalker's Strange Worlds applies to this roll) in a single Exchange. Failure to get at least a Good result means that the Nevernever in this area has an unexpectedly complex structure and the character fails to reappear in this Exchange (especially crafty or evil GMs can even turn this into a mini-scene before allowing the character to reappear). For each 3 shifts over and above the requisite 3, a non-sticky Maneuver Aspect can be applied to the scene (Suddenly Flanked, Surprise!, etc. etc.).

For clarity: Blinking itself is a full Action (the movement elements and going in-and-out of the Nevernever are Free and Supplemental Actions) thus the character cannot take an Action afterwards.

I've read this, and I'm not sure exactly how it's supposed to work.

What sort of action is it? Why not just make the difficulty 1, if everyone with this Power is gonna have a bonus? Why are you rolling for a supplemental action?

What exactly does Blinking even do? Does it break grapples? Does it let you move through barriers?

If the action is supplemental, do you take a penalty for it?

Does not accomplish what I need. By naming it BAMF! (as the Marvel Nightcrawler character) hopefully that suggests my needs here. I don't need Glamour, I need the Nevernever (and epecially Worldwalker's ability to potentially allow the character to take others into the Nevernever as well).

If you take the Blinking upgrade, then Displacement actually does involve the Nevernever.

And your Power as written doesn't actually let you take people with you.

For the record, I think this power is broken as well.  Not that I'm the best judge of such things.

Really?

Most of the criticism I've heard has been in the opposite direction. People seem to think it's weak.

Offline Haru

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2013, 09:18:27 PM »
But I'd like to explore the prior reply, I'm not quite sure the "immune to anything" and "full defense" line of your thought. Could you elaborate?
I was going from how you phrased it. I understood it that you would step into the nevernever on your turn, move over to where you want to go and return on your next exchange. That way, you'd be somewhere else entirely for the duration of the exchange, and nobody would be able to attack you. Since I thought this to be the major thing your wanted to do, I thought I'd wrap the whole deal into a defense power and use the full defense to do it.

Quote
My thinking is that BAMF! isn't, strictly speaking, defensive. It's more or less a Maneuver Action as its primary purpose is movement related. The Nightcrawler character is the primary idea, no only does he BAMF! to defend, but he also can grapple and individual and BAMF! taking them with him, or even just flat out BAMF! to another location.
Well, you'd defend with athletics as usual, there is nothing in your writeup that says otherwise. But since you have a speed power, that'll probably be one of your best skills anyway, so anything else would be less powerful.

On a whole, you won't need to do all that much for a power that works like you want to.
1) When moving, you can move through zone borders that you would otherwise not be able to, simply because you are zapping through the nevernever. This would be instantaneous, so people at the other side might be able to attack you now.
2) You may use your athletics to make maneuvers against alertness or deceit, appearing behind your target and the likes.

And that's it, you're done. You can do anything you like. You can even do supplemental movement actions with a maneuver and jump to someone a zone away and get behind him. Or a supplemental movement action with an attack. jump in, attack. Or attack, jump out. I'd probably price this at [-1] with world walking as a prerequisite.

Quote
As for "being immune" wouldn't you be immune on your own action anyway (assuming you're not attacking)? That's what confuses me. If it's my Action, and all I do is move, aren't I "immune" (nobody is attacking me, because I'm not attacking anybody else and it's my Action). But once my Action is over, now I'm back in the flow of the normal course of events no? (i.e. I can now be attacked as I've appeared in my new location).
see above

Quote
Similarly, just with Worldwalker as is, if I open a Rift using "Rift Maker" to the Nevernever on my action and just walk through with Supernatural Speed as a Supplemental. Using rules as written, I'm 2 zones into the Nevernever by the time my Exchange is over am I not? If my opponent has no ranged attacks and does not wish to risk travelling to the Nevernever (perhaps they know they have no way out)... am I not already "immune" to attack until I choose to exit?
Well kind of, but you are already stating the main differences:
1. you are still visible, people can see you. and shoot at you. This is not much different than just sprinting down the parking lot to get away from your opponent.
2. They know where you will enter the real world again. A wizard might quickly close and seal the way. They might put up guards to stop you from getting back into reality and following them when they skedaddle and so on.

That makes it a big difference to what you have been after.
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Offline Wolfhound

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2013, 09:37:45 PM »
Thanks, so far excellent feedback.
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Offline Tsunami

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2013, 07:47:13 AM »
Quote
Blinking: Your character may enter the Nevernever as a Supplemental Action, move a distance up to whatever the character's Speed power grants minus 1 zone (thus, Casual Movement allows Blinking within the same zone, Effortless Movement is up to 1 zone away, Instant Movement is up to 2 zones away), and then potentially reappear in the same Exchange.
Ok, as far as i can see, the desired result is simply to have teleport themed movement. (explained by entering and exiting the nevernever)
As it's written it reduces the free movement of the speed powers by 1 to account for that.

Quote
The character rolls Lore and requires at least a Good (+3) to accomplish this (the +2 Lore granted by Worldwalker's Strange Worlds applies to this roll) in a single Exchange. Failure to get at least a Good result means that the Nevernever in this area has an unexpectedly complex structure and the character fails to reappear in this Exchange (especially crafty or evil GMs can even turn this into a mini-scene before allowing the character to reappear)
Adding a random-factor, and making it potentially dangerous (depending on the lore score only very rarely though) is a nice touch.

Quote
For each 3 shifts over and above the requisite 3, a non-sticky Maneuver Aspect can be applied to the scene (Suddenly Flanked, Surprise!, etc. etc.).
It then adds a maneuver component turning it into a full action.
So far so good.

Concern:
Quote
For each 3 shifts over and above the requisite 3, a non-sticky Maneuver Aspect can be applied to the scene (Suddenly Flanked, Surprise!, etc. etc.).
this potentially let's you add multiple aspects in one action, i would not allow that.

I'd rather go ahead and limit the power to the movement alone and let the maneuver or any other actions be separate from it.
I would also add another component: Bypassing mundane barriers.

O screw it, i'm getting it all confused in my head... Let me just try my own writeup:

Blinking: You are adept at finding short range ways through the nevernever that allow you to give the impression of having teleported from one spot to the other, the maximum real world distance traveled is determined by the speed power (1 zone inhuman, 2 zones supernatural, 3 zones mythic). Finding and using such a way requires at least a Good(+3) Lore result, and counts as a supplemental move action imposing a +1 difficulty on all other actions. (at the GM's discretion the required result my also be higher) The +2 Lore bonus granted by Worldwalker's Strange Worlds applies to this roll. Failing the roll can either mean that there is no such way to be found resulting in a wasted supplemental action and aborted movement, or that the way is longer and more dangerous than expected resulting in failure to reappear in the same exchange.  (especially crafty or evil GMs can even turn this into a mini-scene before allowing the character to reappear)
You may chose to turn your Supplemental move into a full action, limiting your distance travelled to 1 zone, but allowing you to either bypass any borders on that move, as long as they do not cut you off from the nevernever, or to overcome any mundane movement block against you.

Ok, so this basically allows you to
a) as a supplemental action and for a roll to turn your free-speed movement into a teleport, it's actually a purely cosmetic effect, but it could be a lot of fun.
you can still use a maneuver, attack, or normal movement before or after you BAMF.
b) as a full action you can ignore any one zone border (as long as nothing is blocking access to the nevernever), or overcome any mundane movement block against you, and move one zone.

a) is not worth much. actually as it is now it's not even really useful because you have absolutely no mechanical benefit from it, but it still requires a a supplemental action.
As it is now it's not worth any refresh so [-0] up until here.
One should probably add border bypassing or movement block breaking to one degree or another... i'll have to think about that.
b) can actually be extreemely useful. I'd say a [-1] refresh cost at least would be in order.

Ok, now i'll stop and leave you to untangle this post.
Have a nice day *g*

Offline Taran

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2013, 12:03:27 PM »
Bypassing borders that have wards would require a lore roll high enough to beat the ward.

Offline Taran

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2013, 12:17:35 PM »
Why not make it a power that uses Lore to make all movement rolls?  You'd still get the +2 from worldwalking.  Maybe incorporate the movement bonus to athletics from your speed powers as well..but that may be too much.  maybe just take whichever bonus is higher.

- Use Lore instead of Athletics: Borders may be "ignored" by making a lore roll equal to the border strength
- teleporting: You may move a number of zones dictated by your speed power as a supplemental with no penalty.  You may ignore movement penalties within the same zone (from debris etc..) because you are "teleporting"
- You may use Lore to escape Grapples.  Your roll must beat the grapple block.  Additional shifts allow you to teleport into other zones.
- If a border exists that might be impossible to bypass by regular movement (like going through a wall into a building), you must use the Sprint action and your Lore roll must beat the border strength. (treat the border as a high wall or Gm's discretion)
- If there is a ward, the roll must also bypass the ward.  A threshold will reduce your number of shifts equal to the threshold strength.

This power is a good justification for maneuvers such as, "surpised, flatfooted, blinking, semi-corpreal" etc...


« Last Edit: May 01, 2013, 01:14:24 PM by Taran »

Offline Wolfhound

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Re: BAMF! (Phasing/Same Zone Teleportation)
« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2013, 06:57:10 PM »
Ok, now i'll stop and leave you to untangle this post.
Have a nice day *g*

It's all good, I have a while before I need this NPC so I'm mulling over everyone's suggestions. :)
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