Price for Multiple Power Defense?

[Plane]

Originally Posted by naloth

I've only allowed Warp to be used once per turn (use ATR to get extra turns) including the Dodge

Warp's built-in capacity to do a dodge is definitely once per turn, I'm just thinking mechanically the first purchase of Blink should include a 2nd one. You could choose EITHER: doing a random+safe no-penalty blink wouldn't take away the option of doing a non-random+unsafe penalized non-blink. You might even allow BOTH if they had taken AOD:Double. That's not normally allowed for dodges, but I think that's because traditional rules assume there's only one kind of dodge, and I'd consider these to be different ones.

Without this benefit (extra dodge) unless we really think the "safe" aspect of blink is super-valuable, it's main benefit would be going beyond the +10 cap of Reliable. A non-reliable Warp is probably better off taking "Limited Reliability +10%" with Reliable 10 (Max Range 10 yards -50% Emergencies Only -30%) being much more versatile than Blink's +10 for insta-dodges only.

(which is treated like an instant power use rather than an Active Defense)

Yeah, using Warp's IQ roll (even at -10) as the active defense roll feels off when we look at how Power Dodges work otherwise. Ignoring P167's "use those instead" policy is tempting.

Normally you reduce second/multisecond abilities to 'free action' (instantaneeous) via 'reduced time' where appropriate. Then, instead of activating them at the start of your turn, you roll something DX-based to see if you react to an attack quickly enough on another's turn.

That roll would be in addition to any rolls you usually had. Like for example if you had Stretching (Requires IQ roll) you'd still make the IQ roll to contort AT ALL in addition to the DX+HT (P167: Basic Speed)-based "power dodge" to contort out of the way in time for it to matter.

Not doing this basically makes it equally difficult to use Warp at the start of your own turn (as a free action, perhaps leading up to an attack) as it does to use Warp to react to an attack, an equality we don't seen between 'free active use' vs 'free reactive use' for other abilities doing a power dodge, where reactivity is always harder because of an Active Defense roll on top of any other usual requirements.

Even if we used the same Power Dodge rules for Warp (DX roll on top of IQ roll) it would still benefit from talent bonuses (including reliable enhancement, which operates from talent) and presumably also the +1 per FP, so it would be in many cases a really high roll (there's no -10 to offset here, keep in mind, that's only for Warp's inherent IQ roll, not DX/HT Basic Speed roll) that's easy to pass, but which distinguishes whether you began using your ability soon enough for activation to complete before the attack arrives.

"Either way, the ability activates" is the usual power dodge policy, which in the case where you PASSED the IQ roll is teleporting to the INTENDED location (unless using Blink, where you are forced to determine it randomly)

A normal failure of the IQ roll doesn't sound like it could avoid an attack (you go nowhere and strain the power) but interestingly a critical failure DOES sound like it could avoid an attack (you go to a "wrong destination": what distinguishes this from blink's "random" is it "should seriously inconvenience you" (though need not be dangerous).

That's actually an advantage to a crit failure over a normal one which feels off...

Perhaps failure's "go no where" could be interpreted as "briefly vanishes and reappears exactly where you left" so it still might be able to avoid a punch?

That still gives crit fails the benefit of perhaps carrying you out of range of some AE attacks that normal fails would not, but it at least narrows the distance between them. The burnout period increasing from "-5 for 10 min" to "unusable for 1d hours" could be span enough to warrant the one solitary benefit of crit failure.

To increase the odds of a critical failure (for when you'd much rather teleport ANYWHERE than stay put, even if it means hours of crippling instead of minutes) the "hard to use" limitation on an enhancement (with selectivity) sounds like a legal way to "fish a crit fail". -3 per -5% means Blind +50% could be reduced to "Limited Blind +45%) by applying two levels of Hard to Use (-10% for -6 to skill) via Limited Enhancements.

Although this is one way you could make 'slightly cheaper but very inaccurate blind porting' (-6 atop the usual -5 is crazy) your actual intention could be to get a massive penalty bringing you to skill 3 (any less you couldn't attempt at all) so that rolling 13-18 would be a critical failure, resulting in a successful teleport to a bad place, but perhaps slightly less bad than wherever you were before (out of the fire into the frying pan)

Another problem might be since Reliable and Hard to Use are mutually exclusive, this could only be an option for Warp w/o reliable enhancement, so you'd need to rely upon either FP (which you couldn't take Reduced Fatigue to reduce) or talent or IQ/skills for competency.

I don't really see a point of making them mutually exclusive though, if someone wants reliable +1 +5% and HTU -3 -5% they're worse off in the end so there's no prblem with them coexisting.

[JulianLW]

Two years later, I was searching the forum for an answer to the same question! Here's what I've come up with this time. What do y'all think?


Unique Technique (Warp Dodger) [1]

Warp Dodger: Hard Technique; Default: Blink-5; Prerequisite: Warp; cannot exceed Blink. This technique allows a PC with the Warp ability to Blink away from attacks more than once per turn at a cumulative -5 per additional Blink (as per multiple Blocking spells with Blocking Spell Mastery). This technique allows the PC to buy off penalties only; she may never get a bonus to her Blink, which is always used at -10 for Instant (unless the Warp advantage includes the Blink +25% Enhancement). The PC must spend at least 1 point on this technique to exercise the option of multiple Blinks.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Plane

I already assume that someone with Blink gets two dodges per turn using Warp

That's moot. Dodges are not a limited number.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by JulianLW

Two years later, I was searching the forum for an answer to the same question! Here's what I've come up with this time. What do y'all think?

It looks like a solid technique. I don't see any way to abuse it even at high skill levels.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

That's moot. Dodges are not a limited number.

Warp-dodging is though, since the raw advantage only says "once per turn, you may"