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Old 03-09-2018, 03:16 PM   #1
Maz
 
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Default Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

If you use telekinesis and wield a weapon to attack an enemy. Do you get range penalties for the range from you to the target?
Normally Telekinesis has a max range of 10y and I would probably just say "no" to keep it simple.


But what if you have longer range, say 30y?

---

Side question. Can you make an All-Out attack with the weapon?
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Old 03-09-2018, 04:33 PM   #2
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

Add the distance penalties together. The distance penalties to the weapon would make it difficult to aim and then the distance penalties to the target would make it difficult to hit. In that case, using a weapon 100 meters away on a target 100 meters from the weapon (even if the target was right beside you) would inflict a -20 penalty to skill.
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Old 03-09-2018, 04:36 PM   #3
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

As far as I can tell from Basic, telekinesis does not take range modifiers.
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Old 03-09-2018, 09:01 PM   #4
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

melee weapons or missile weapons? If melee, imagine the TK as really long, invisible, immaterial arms.
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Old 03-10-2018, 12:54 AM   #5
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
As far as I can tell from Basic, telekinesis does not take range modifiers.
That's my take as well... but...

As long as we're on the subject what would a Limitation look like that imposed penalties on TK?
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Old 03-10-2018, 01:08 AM   #6
Maz
 
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

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Originally Posted by Culture20 View Post
melee weapons or missile weapons? If melee, imagine the TK as really long, invisible, immaterial arms.
Oh Yea sorry. I meant melee weapons.
For ranged weapons I give a penalty from the user to the target.
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Old 03-10-2018, 08:08 AM   #7
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

I have to inflict a double penalty in my games because the user cannot see from the perspective of the weapon. Without the ability to sense lines of sight, it is going to be very difficult to properly direct the barrel of a firearm. Even in the case of a melee weapon, it would be difficult to attack an aware target, which is probably why most cases in fiction involve attacking people while their backs are turned.
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Old 03-10-2018, 08:32 AM   #8
Kelly Pedersen
 
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

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Originally Posted by Maz View Post
Side question. Can you make an All-Out attack with the weapon?
As others have noted, Telekinesis doesn't take range penalties from the user to the target, by default. To answer this question, though - since you have to Concentrate to use TK, you can't normally take an All-Out Attack, and it wouldn't be balanced to have the weapon take an All-Out Attack but leave the user with a defense. However, Psionic Powers introduced a new maneuver, All-Out Concentrate, that involves focusing so hard that you give up your defenses, but gain a bonus to whatever you were concentrating on. If you took an All-Out Concentrate, I'd allow the object you were wielding to get the benefits of an All-Out Attack.
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Old 03-11-2018, 09:02 AM   #9
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

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Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
As far as I can tell from Basic, telekinesis does not take range modifiers.
Yes the rules do state that there are range modifiers.

Even if you throw an object you will need to calculate range modifiers.
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Old 03-11-2018, 09:59 AM   #10
Kelly Pedersen
 
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Default Re: Telekinesis - weapon attack at long range - penalties?

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Originally Posted by smurf View Post
Yes the rules do state that there are range modifiers.

Even if you throw an object you will need to calculate range modifiers.
The rules state that there are range modifiers for throwing with TK. Notably, there's no mention of any penalties in the section on "grappling and striking". If the penalties were meant to apply to everything, I would think they'd be in the general section of the TK rules, not walled off in a subsection.

In any case, I do think it's reasonable to apply a penalty if you can't see the person you're attacking with TK - I'd apply the usual rules for a Wild Swing: -5, and your skill can't exceed 9. But that's independent of range.
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