[GURPS Magic] Dealing with Teleporters

[Jürgen Hubert]

In my current campaign the PCs - who are leaders of a colonial outpost - have entered into open conflict with a powerful Wendigo cult. The latter has send about two hundred warriors with some magical support to take their measure - which the three PCs (I think they have 250 CPs, these days) took out on their own.

Two of the PCs are very capable mages, and most of their tactics center around Teleport - for instance, one of them (a High Elf) boosts his strength with an amulet, casts Great Haste on himself, teleports behind an enemy, and then smacks the enemy with his Greatsword while that enemy can't dodge. And then he teleports away again - which makes for very devastating hit-and-run tactics.

An even nastier tactic they have developed is to cast Teleport Other on a stone with a Delayed Explode spell on it - they have decimated whole army units with it.

However, the fight was not entirely one-sided - for instance, one time an enemy shaman used Dehydrate on the High Elf, to devastating effect - which implies that anything attacking the Health of the character should be pretty effective.

All this has been noted by the leader of the cult, who not only is a very powerful mage, but also likely has several months to prepare for the arrival of the PCs and has more than a thousand cultists serving him in his headquarters - a ruined city about 150 miles north of the PCs colony.

He knows that the arrival of the PCs is only a matter of time - so how will he prepare for the confrontation?

[Jürgen Hubert]

Some additional notes:

- The Cultists also have access to spirits following Wendigo, who tend to express concepts like Hunger, Cold, Cannibalism and so forth. Some of them can also possess people and animals.

- What I want to avoid are No Mana zones. The last campaign with this group - where I was a player, not the GM - featured them in every second adventure at least, and I hated it, since it takes away the power of magic-using characters - and thus, their options.

[Nereidalbel]

Anti-teleportation fields can and should be used, at least to prevent easy entry into certain areas.

If this is a common tactic, somebody's going to find a way to see behind themselves, and negate the no active defense thing of being hacked in the back.

[David Johnston2]

Unless it's a surprise that the teleporter is suddenly behind you, you can dodge. I still treasure Hawk's (From Hawk and Dove) brutal sarcasm when a teleporter vanishes and he just assumes that said said teleporter is going to be behind him as he delivers a rearward elbow thrust. "Teleport behind him! He'll never expect that!"

[Rocket Man]

Assuming some access to magic:

• Teleporting gets dangerous when you don't know where you're going or who you're striking. Heavy use of sense-deprivation spells such as invisibility, illusion, etc.
• Related to the above -- turn out the lights!

• Superior armor, whether magical or mundane, can ruin a teleporter's day. Getting behind you doesn't matter if they can't hurt you.

• Reverse Missile spells, as always, are evil.

• Environmental factors that the cultists are immune to. This could be as simple as poisonous incense that they've gained a tolerance to, or as elaborate as filling the room with fire while the cultists are protected by an amulet or blessing.

• Supernatural allies that can be in multiple places at once.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Anti-teleportation fields can and should be used, at least to prevent easy entry into certain areas.

Or better yet, easy exit after the trap has sprung. Also, Suspend Mana.

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Or better yet, easy exit after the trap has sprung. Also, Suspend Mana.

Suspend Mana is explicitly the thing I want to avoid, though.

[Refplace]

Danger Sense, including from Spirit powers or spells to reduce the hit from behind tactic.
Reflex or delat/trigger magic.
Fetishes or fragile objects that trigger when stepped on at key points or parts of baited traps.
Wards and Pentagrams, avoids the No Mana Zone cheesiness by making it a contest of skill.
Scrywalls and other defenses against spy magic.
Spirits that posess or strike at uninvited guests.

[Nereidalbel]

Enemies have adapted to the "stab him in the back!" tactic, and now have tougher armor on their backs. Whether that's via magic or what is up to you.

[Michael Cule]

Well, IIRC any failure on a Teleport spell allows the GM to send the subject somewhere interesting...

That's always discouraged over reliance on it in my games.

How about victims with Luck? Or spells (I know there are some) to cause the PCs to fail?