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Old 10-31-2013, 03:43 AM   #53
Nereidalbel
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ellicott City, MD
Default Re: Dodging while being levitated by Telekinesis?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vynticator View Post
Handy thread this, thanks.

My query is about the defences allowed against TK Grab.

1) The Hearing roll at -2 to block or parry: might one make this harder still for TK Grab? My understanding is that you're only making the displacement noise of a pair of hands.

TK Grab doesn't project an entire invisible version of yourself, does it? So actually we're asking the defender to hear the noise of a couple of invisible hands. It feels to me that -2 is rather an under-assessment of the penalty to hear that in time to defend against it! I can understand if you've got breathing and footfalls and clothing rustling, and there are *no* other background noises, maybe you'd give -2. But if you're just talking about hearing the *air* move from someone's invisible telekinetic hands...? That's got to be more like a -8. Factor in (for instance) strong winds, the clash and hammer of surrounding melee combat, screams of the injured, bellows of the other combatants... and pretty soon the Hearing roll becomes nearly impossible.

2) Dodge at -4. One might suppose the -4 to Dodge is based on the supposition of a human invisible foe whose attacks would come in a *reasonably* predictable arc (ie. you might infer they are a right-handed invisible swordsman, etc). A TK Grab pair of hands is much less predictable, since you can make them appear one second behind their neck grappling to choke, the next to the flank grabbing their foot to up-end them, the third moment the hands are pulling the pins on your grenade belt, etc. The hands don't exist necessarily as a summoned permanent entity, do they? So their 'travel' time is instant, they cannot be attacked and killed, as such? Surely that would be much harder to dodge (perhaps reflected by the use of Rear or Flank attack penalties on top of the -4 for invisible).
Don't forget the -6 for invisible attacker making defense hard. The Low/No signature enhancements will also affect hearing rolls.
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