[DF] Summoned allies questions:

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

If it shows up instantly, acts on the player's sequence, and can only attack,

I don't see where anyone has mentioned the last two points, other than you, though. Vitruvian only said that the Thunderbolt showed up instantly, and began following Johnny's orders, which hardly implies that it must only act on his inititiave sequence. Certainly, the comics version is capable of independent action and thought, taking complex actions based on a simple command.

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

I think I actually suggested that, and I wouldn't halve it at all. After all, if you wait to summon your troop of monkeys until you think you need them, and it takes an hour for them to show up, chances are the fight is completely over, you're nursing your bruises, and the delay is worth every bit of that -20%, remembering that all it's going to do is counteract some (a little bit) of the cost of Summonable.

I am not sure i was clear.

I meant to say: if you have an onset time of 1 hour on your summonable monkey, but there is a monkey standing 10 meter away, it would be ridiculous to have him take 1 hour to get to you.
So, i was suggesting halving onset cost to represent that the onset time was a maximum time, not a fixed time.
Thinking about it, you can also have onset at full cost, and treat the time as an average. Sometimes less, sometimes more.

Celjabba

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

If it shows up instantly, acts on the player's sequence, and can only attack, it should be built as an attack, not an ally.

I only said one out of three of those things, though. Where were you getting the idea that it could only attack? Or that Johnny being able to command it meant that it acted on Johnny's sequence?

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by Celjabba

I am not sure i was clear.

I meant to say: if you have an onset time of 1 hour on your summonable monkey, but there is a monkey standing 10 meter away, it would be ridiculous to have him take 1 hour to get to you.
So, i was suggesting halving onset cost to represent that the onset time was a maximum time, not a fixed time.
Thinking about it, you can also have onset at full cost, and treat the time as an average. Sometimes less, sometimes more.

Celjabba

That works.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

I don't see where anyone has mentioned the last two points, other than you, though. Vitruvian only said that the Thunderbolt showed up instantly, and began following Johnny's orders, which hardly implies that it must only act on his inititiave sequence. Certainly, the comics version is capable of independent action and thought, taking complex actions based on a simple command.

Originally Posted by vitruvian

I only said one out of three of those things, though. Where were you getting the idea that it could only attack? Or that Johnny being able to command it meant that it acted on Johnny's sequence?

You used a lowercase "magic thunderbolt" rather than a reference to the genie "Thunderbolt", hence my confusion. As a pre-DC comics Golden Age character there are likely more versions of him then I can possibly imagine, at least one might have a less volitional thunderbolt. At any rate, I'm sorry I misunderstood.

[CrimsonDawn]

Originally Posted by Kromm

The intent is that Ally (Summonable) works like any other switchable advantage, which by default requires one second. I wouldn't worry about travel times from other dimensions . . . these and creatures conjured on the spot just go "bamf!" and appear.

How near is nearby? If it's dismissed (as a free action) and summoned again with a concentrate, does it appear on the same spot or a different one? Can the user control either of these? What about if it's summoned again, say, three turns later?

[Stone Dog]

Originally Posted by CrimsonDawn

How near is nearby?

I'd look to the familiar rules for this, "The definition of “nearby” is up to the GM, but as a guideline, the familiar should be able to freely reach its master in a minute or less." Somewhere between adjacent and 60 move actions could be fair.

If it's dismissed (as a free action) and summoned again with a concentrate, does it appear on the same spot or a different one? Can the user control either of these? What about if it's summoned again, say, three turns later?

Agan, GMs call.

[CrimsonDawn]

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

Somewhere between adjacent and 60 move actions could be fair.

This sort of goes against "creatures conjured on the spot just go "bamf!" and appear". Well, they do appear somewhere, but that's pretty much the same as saying that it takes 10d seconds to appear.

[Stone Dog]

Originally Posted by CrimsonDawn

This sort of goes against "creatures conjured on the spot just go "bamf!" and appear". Well, they do appear somewhere, but that's pretty much the same as saying that it takes 10d seconds to appear.

But it goes right along with "It is the GMs call." They might appear in the material world instantly, but how far away can vary a bit.

I'd be okay with "adjacent," but if somebody summoned an ally into a combat zone then that ally would have to roll for surprise and such.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

But it goes right along with "It is the GMs call." They might appear in the material world instantly, but how far away can vary a bit.

I'd be okay with "adjacent," but if somebody summoned an ally into a combat zone then that ally would have to roll for surprise and such.

And we're back to it being GM's call for something that is usually a fixed feature of such abilities in fictional sources, and makes a real difference to their actual utility... as a GM, I'd like to be able to say that Angel Summoner's ability is worth more points than Thundermonkey's, even apart from how powerful the Allies themselves are.