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Old 07-08-2011, 09:52 AM   #35
vicky_molokh
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Default Re: (Unofficial) FAQ of the GURPS Fora

Q: What are the more obscure effects of Enhanced Time Sense (ETS)?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
The benefits of ETS, found by searching the Basic Set, Martial Arts, and Gun Fu:
  • all the benefits of Combat Reflexes (+1 to active defenses and Fast-Draw, +2 to Fright Checks, immunity to freezing when surprised, and +6 to recover from lesser surprise)
  • always act first in the combat sequence
  • always draw first in a standoff with unready weapons
  • always go first in a Wait situation/standoff with ready weapons, even unarmed vs. a gun
  • dodge snipers' bullets fired from "surprise" if you can see a flash, hear a report, or have Danger sense
  • ignore penalties to attack around fast-moving obstacles
  • invoke the Bullet Time rule, if used
  • parry bullets with the Parry Missile Weapons skill, or shoot them down effectively with the Area Defense perk
  • request extra time on the real-world clock to make combat decisions, even if the GM has everybody else on a turn timer
(PM)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm
ETS has no effect on how much time is needed for actions. What it does is allow essentially zero-time responses (like parrying or drawing weapons) to occur close enough to the stimulus that provokes them that they're actually useful. Starting composition of a poem or a battle plan a fraction of a turn (second) sooner doesn't provide a useful benefit, because those things take longer than a turn to execute.

In other words, an action can take m milliseconds (or whatever) to initiate, and then n milliseconds to complete. The penalties for being rushed that ETS eliminates are for having t < m for initiation; examples include the penalties or outright prohibitions connected to dealing with fast-moving attacks. The penalties for haste on p. B346 are for having t < n for execution, and unrelated to anything ETS does.
Kromm quote on ETS:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by NineDaysDead View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
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Originally Posted by NineDaysDead View Post
Would Enhanced Time Sense negate the -10 penalty?
Nope. ETS negates penalties for being rushed by the plot or GM. People with ETS are affected normally by elective uses of Time Spent (p. B346).
What's the difference between taking less time because you’re rushed and taking less time because you choose to? Either way you're doing the same work in less time.
"Being rushed" in the ETS description wasn't intended as "you're cutting corners on purpose to save time," because then why wouldn't every character with ETS do every task in 1/10 the usual time and ignore the penalties? It was intended as "you feel as though you're under pressure, and don't know how much time you have," which lets you ignore maybe a -1 or -2 for beading sweat and shaky hands. That's the difference.

Edit: The trait of being able to work faster is Altered Time Rate. And yeah, I'd be happy to allow task-specific limits on that. ETS is just Combat Reflexes, Level 2, and like Combat Reflexes, more of a coolness-under-fire trait for combat than anything else. Thus, it gives bonuses for staying cool (or elimnates penalties for not staying cool), but it doesn't really help you move any faster to complete tasks.
Regarding the +5 to certain sensory tasks listed in Powers: Enhanced Senses, pertaining to Observation, Body Language, Connoisseur, Lip Reading, and Tracking:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm
My point [in that uFAQ quote] is mostly that *in general,* ETS isn't "+5 to everything because you always have all the time in the world." That's a *possible* trait, but one worth a few hundred points! However, "+5 to any task where time to perceive things is the limiting factor" is a lot narrower and fairer for the price.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PK View Post
Suitable tasks include Observation when analyzing a potential threat, Per-based Tactics to size up foes mid-fight, and Tracking rolls to follow a trail. Passive rolls, such as Sense rolls to notice something, are never affected, only those requiring active concentration. Deduction rolls also do not benefit as each roll represents the potential culmination of a long-term investigation; in fact, all deduction rolls for Per-based skills should be “floated” to IQ, as deductions require careful research and contemplation, not fast reaction time.
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Last edited by vicky_molokh; 03-16-2015 at 10:32 AM.
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