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Old 09-13-2016, 05:29 AM   #1
Wavefunction
 
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Default Broadcast and Maledictions

Hey guys,

I've been doing a bit of fiddling with Illusions recently. As of GURPS Powers: The Weird, you can add Broadcast (from Telesend) to Illusions with Mental. Doing so means you roll at a -4 as usual, you effect anyone who observes you, and you take a penalty for distance based on the Long-Distance Table.

First of all, is this fair? Consider the following build, Illusion (Broadcast, +50%; Long-Range 1, +50%; Mental, +100%; Reliable 4, +20%; Selective Effect, +20%) [85]. Roll IQ, anyone you want to affect anywhere in the universe must roll Will and beat your margin of success, otherwise you completely hijack their perceptions. That seems a little too much considering the cost of other abilities.

If it is fair, could we apply it to other powers that operate in a similar way, like Affliction with Malediction, or Mind Control? Mind Control with Broadcast, Reliable 4, and Hearing-Based, Reversed seems like the perfect way to represent a pied piper type character, who can control anyone who hears his voice.
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Old 09-13-2016, 07:07 AM   #2
Anaraxes
 
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

Just to veer into technicalities (not inappropriate since the OP is complaining about an technicality which is technically incorrect):

Long-Range doesn't increase the max range of an ability. It merely reduces range penalties. The base Max for Illusion is two yards. Mental changes that to "anyone you can touch or see".

Mental says that "Area Effect is irrelevant", but that's only considering the case of one target. It means that the apparent size of the illusion isn't limited by the area, because the actual area for Mental is just the one target's head. However, if you're affecting multiple targets, then I think it's perfectly reasonable to invoke the area again so as to affect everyone in the area. Still has nothing to do with the apparent size of the illusion, but it does have a lot to do with the size of the group of people you can affect at once. On the bright side, once you pile on enough AE to encompass the universe, you don't need Ranged.

The universe is about 10e26 meters in radius, so 86 levels of AE (+4300%) ought to cover it.

Does the character also have a way to simultaneously perceive everyone in the universe? I say "perceive", because that's not just a matter of tracing a potential line of sight. The character needs to actively be aware of their existence and mental state, in order to affect it. And that's everyone simultaneously, not possibly concentrating on one at a time in a serial fashion. Typical management and C3I fan-out ratios suggest that one human-equivalent brain can oversee about 10 people, at a relatively high level of detail (as opposed to individually editing all their sensory perceptions in real time, say). Let's make the ratio 100 to 1, just so the illusionist could handle a crowd on Earth. Divide the number of sentient minds in the universe by 100 and buy that many levels of Compartmentalized Mind to manage them all in parallel. How many billions is that? Depends on the setting, of course.

Conversely, if Broadcast requires them to actually be observing the illusionist when the ability is activated, rather than vice-versa, how many of those distant aliens actually have the ability to do so, and of those with the ability, how many are actually doing so?
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Old 09-13-2016, 08:02 AM   #3
Wavefunction
 
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
Just to veer into technicalities (not inappropriate since the OP is complaining about an technicality which is technically incorrect):
It's not incorrect. I know Long-Range doesn't increase the range of an ability, it moves the type of range penalties it takes up a step. Illusion with Broadcast takes Long Distance range penalties (see GURPS Powers: The Weird), adding Long-Range 1 means that it doesn't take range penalties. It also (as far as I can tell) changes the way Illusion works so that it's those who could perceive the Illusion you construct, rather than those you can perceive. The example it gives is making the sun go dark, lots and lots of people would see that. And theoretically you could make an Illusion apparently the size of a galaxy since you're not limited by Area Effect with Mental, you're just affecting individual's senses.

So, the build I posted is RAW, whether it should be or not is a different question.
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Old 09-13-2016, 09:39 AM   #4
Nereidalbel
 
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wavefunction View Post
So, the build I posted is RAW, whether it should be or not is a different question.
If Broadcast works through TV screens and literally every sentient being in the Universe is watching you on TV at once, sure. Otherwise? You're only going to affect the crowd around you, plus the sniper aiming for your center of mass. The whole "anybody who can see/hear/etc you" part of Broadcast is not removed just by adding Long Range.
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Old 09-13-2016, 11:11 AM   #5
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

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Originally Posted by Nereidalbel View Post
If Broadcast works through TV screens and literally every sentient being in the Universe is watching you on TV at once, sure. Otherwise? You're only going to affect the crowd around you, plus the sniper aiming for your center of mass. The whole "anybody who can see/hear/etc you" part of Broadcast is not removed just by adding Long Range.
Yeah, I made a mistake in the first post by saying those who observe you, it's actually those who observe the illusion (it may be all in their minds, but it's the same thing in all of their minds). The relevant passage is:

Quote:
Originally Posted by GURPS Powers: The Weird, p. 33
Most phenomena you create will be small or inconspicuous
enough not to be observed from beyond 200 yards – but if
you stop the sun’s apparent movement, people much farther
away will notice!
So yeah, it can affect people substantially further away.
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Old 09-13-2016, 12:06 PM   #6
Nereidalbel
 
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

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Originally Posted by Wavefunction View Post
Yeah, I made a mistake in the first post by saying those who observe you, it's actually those who observe the illusion (it may be all in their minds, but it's the same thing in all of their minds).
Then you would need one impressive illusion to be observed across the entire Universe. And what with light having finite speed, it could be a few billion years before some entities end up having to roll. Just make sure it's a fun one!
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Old 09-13-2016, 01:29 PM   #7
Wavefunction
 
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

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Originally Posted by Nereidalbel View Post
Then you would need one impressive illusion to be observed across the entire Universe. And what with light having finite speed, it could be a few billion years before some entities end up having to roll. Just make sure it's a fun one!
Well, you say that, but what's to stop you stating that the Illusion is the size of the universe but is sufficiently detailed that different things are happening on every planet?

Regardless, perhaps 'anywhere in the universe' was an exaggeration as to the capabilities of that build, but even 'anywhere in the city' seems like a lot in comparison to how normal Illusions work. The kind of Area Effect needed to make an Illusion that could be seen by everyone in the city would be astronomical.
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Old 09-13-2016, 01:31 PM   #8
Nereidalbel
 
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wavefunction View Post
Well, you say that, but what's to stop you stating that the Illusion is the size of the universe but is sufficiently detailed that different things are happening on every planet?

Regardless, perhaps 'anywhere in the universe' was an exaggeration as to the capabilities of that build, but even 'anywhere in the city' seems like a lot in comparison to how normal Illusions work. The kind of Area Effect needed to make an Illusion that could be seen by everyone in the city would be astronomical.
86 levels hits the entire observable Universe. And the scope of an illusion is still limited to what your own mind can process, so, you're going to have to be able to describe something that crazy to the GM for it to be valid. As for affecting the whole city? Eh, just have Godzilla show up and you affect everybody.
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Old 09-13-2016, 02:04 PM   #9
Refplace
 
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Default Re: Broadcast and Maledictions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wavefunction View Post
Well, you say that, but what's to stop you stating that the Illusion is the size of the universe but is sufficiently detailed that different things are happening on every planet?

Regardless, perhaps 'anywhere in the universe' was an exaggeration as to the capabilities of that build, but even 'anywhere in the city' seems like a lot in comparison to how normal Illusions work. The kind of Area Effect needed to make an Illusion that could be seen by everyone in the city would be astronomical.
You would need a super mind to make a really varied illusion covering the universe.
Normal Illusions can be seen pretty far away with no intervening obstacles. Think of a kite or small plane.
In any case, as to the original question.

Broadcast was for Communication abilities, Illusion with Mental is about as far as I would streatch it.
I would probably not allow it on Maledictions but go with Area Effect instead. Note that on Malediction you would need several levels of Increased Range mod as they start at -1 per hex.
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Old 09-13-2016, 03:21 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
Note that on Malediction you would need several levels of Increased Range mod as they start at -1 per hex.
Malediction 3 + 1 level of Long Range results in no penalty for anything in the Universe.
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