Precognition in Combat

[Finalsora811]

Let's say someone could use Precognition in combat. Would it add a bonus to dodge/parry since you can see exactly where the blow is going to be? I ask because of this. The girl has absolutely no combat experience and is just a normal human that can see the future. But yet, she can dodge a skilled knife-wielder. Is that in the books anywhere or would it have to be a house rule?

[Mathulhu]

Enhanced Dodge 1 (Psionic -10%) [14]

Is a common build to represent this, you can add other enhancements/limitations.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Finalsora811

Let's say someone could use Precognition in combat. Would it add a bonus to dodge/parry since you can see exactly where the blow is going to be?

Not necessarily. After all that would require the character to have very quick and very reliable perceptions of the extremely near future and not have what is about to happen totally blind them from what is happening. By default that isn't' what Precognition gives you.

However, it's an excellent pretext to get Enhanced defences with the ESP modifier.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Finalsora811

Let's say someone could use Precognition in combat. Would it add a bonus to dodge/parry since you can see exactly where the blow is going to be? I ask because of this. The girl has absolutely no combat experience and is just a normal human that can see the future. But yet, she can dodge a skilled knife-wielder. Is that in the books anywhere or would it have to be a house rule?

You would not buy it as the advantage Precognition, because that's defined quite differently.

But you are perfectly free to define a power that includes Precognition and also includes this. You could call it Time Power or Prophetic Power or ESP Power or even just Precognitive Power. You'd have a suitable Talent and you'd pick a modifier based on the power source (perhaps Divine or Psionic or even Cosmic).

And then, for combat application, you'd buy, I think, Enhanced Dodge or Enhanced Defenses, with the power modifier.

I'm not sure if your Power Talent would add to the defense. But perhaps you could call it a Power Dodge, which is Basic Speed + 3 (+ Enhanced Dodge) + Power Talent/2. So with DX 10, Power Talent 4, and Enhanced Dodge 3 (the suggested upper limit in the Basic Set), you would have Dodge-13, which would avoid five out of six attacks.

Or if you don't like that design, you could come up with others. But don't focus on the name of the advantage! Find the advantage that does what you want and include it in a suitable power. Or just buy it raw.

Bill Stoddard

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Mathulhu

Enhanced Dodge 1 (Psionic -10%) [14]

Heh. Three of us with the same basic answer, independently arrived at.

Bill Stoddard

[Edges]

Check out Combat Sense in GURPS Psionic Powers.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by Finalsora811

Let's say someone could use Precognition in combat.

Combat time Precognition build would probably require something like this:

Precognition (Directed +100%; Reduced Fatigue cost 2, +40%; Reduced time 10, 200%;Reflexive +40%; Reliable +10, +50%) [133]

Originally Posted by Finalsora811

Would it add a bonus to dodge/parry since you can see exactly where the blow is going to be? I ask because of this. The girl has absolutely no combat experience and is just a normal human that can see the future. But yet, she can dodge a skilled knife-wielder. Is that in the books anywhere or would it have to be a house rule?

Looking at the "Abilities Enhancing Skills" rules (Powers Page 162)

On a success, the user gets a skill bonus for that one task: +2 if his ability does what fine-quality mundane equipment would do, or +4 if its aid is truly miraculous (GM’s decision).

I'd say that seeing the future counts as "truly miraculous" so you could justify a +4 bonus to most combat and tactics rolls (Assuming you succeed at your Precognition roll; you get +10 for reliable, but -4 for reflexive and -8 for precognition).

[Snaps]

A great way to stat out this kind of Precognition is with a Wildcard Power from pg. 41 of Supers.

Take Precognition! [100 Points]

This would allow the character to use any ability that could be seen as part of Precognition that costs 25 points or less.

So the character could use:

Enhanced Dodge +1, or Enhanced Parry +3
DX +1 or Basic Speed +1.25 ("He can see things before they happen. That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes.")

Or any other 25 pt advantage that the GM agrees could come from sensing the future.

You might get more bang for your buck with Alternate Abilities though.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Mathulhu

Enhanced Dodge 1 (Psionic -10%) [14]

Is a common build to represent this, you can add other enhancements/limitations.

Yeah. Level it up for most people who routinely use it though. In fiction its a nasty combat ability. I'm reminded of Atium in mistborn. That's extreme enough that the user is near invulnerable while the ability is active.

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

The film "Serenity" from 2005 had a fight in which a pre-cog used her talent to survive. If you keep your nerve and know what you're doing in the first place it does make sense that you could use pre-cog to dodge blows and place yourself to avoid an enemy's cooperative attacks.

How she avoided "jamming" her mind with all these constantly shifting visions of the future was never explained. . .