Creating a psionic portal power

[Wizard_BR]

Hello, all!

I'm new to the forums, but I GM'ed Gurps for more than ten years, and I really love the new edition. However I encountered a small problem.

Currently I'm in the second session of a campaign that I can briefly describe as "Iluminatti with psionics in the near utopic future". Here´s the problem. The group belongs to a secret organization known as Psi-Ops. Their base of operations is an old missile silo somewere in the californian desert. Only a few people (none of the players) know the location of this base.

So they have some agents with the Psionic Teleportation power to take the players to and from the base. The major problem is there are people with the Psi Static advantage (including one PC and the base Commander). The rules, as I understand them, mean that it would be impossible to teleport a Psi Static. I can rule an exception for this power (as I have on the single instance this happened), but it seems way to forced.

I have an ideal solution to the problem. Instead of Exoteleport, I could have an ability that would open a type of portal. A kind of wormhole or Stargate-like passage that would remain open while the psionic concentrated. It would use the same range and modifiers of Warp, but requiring some fatigue to be expended to keep the portal open for a reasonable period of time (minutes). Or to increase it's size for the passage of big pieces of equipament and the like. Also it should not be usable in combat by any means.

This ability would be more in tune with some technologies and effects of my setting, and be more useful to help build a secret base and keep it secret, which is a key characteristic of my setting. And I want to keep the instant teleportation effect exclusive to people who have the Autoteleport ability, because I suspect mission plans will degenerate quickly into teleporting everybody in and out as fast as possible.

I really don't have any idea how to start building the "Psionic Portal" power, besides using Warp with some modifiers. So I will apreciate if someone can help!

PS. Sorry for the eventual bad english, it's not my native language.

[Anders]

If you make heavy use of psionic powers I recommend the book with the same name. And GURPS Powers. I think this is covered in Powers and that it's simply Warp with Area Affected enhancement.

[NineDaysDead]

Oi!

Originally Posted by Wizard_BR

The rules, as I understand them, mean that it would be impossible to teleport a Psi Static.

The psionic power modifier says:

The energy comes from within, but a large number of countermeasures exist, including anti-powers in the form of Antipsi power (-5%) and technological countermeasures in the form of “psychotronic” or “psi-tech” defenses (-5%).

If you want Warp to work through Psi Static simply change the power modifier for warp from -10% to -5% (technological countermeasures -5%)

If you want Warp to work through Psi Static and Technological countermeasures change the power modifier for warp from -10% to -0%.

Originally Posted by Wizard_BR

I have an ideal solution to the problem. Instead of Exoteleport, I could have an ability that would open a type of portal. A kind of wormhole or Stargate-like passage that would remain open while the psionic concentrated. It would use the same range and modifiers of Warp, but requiring some fatigue to be expended to keep the portal open for a reasonable period of time (minutes). Or to increase it's size for the passage of big pieces of equipament and the like. Also it should not be usable in combat by any means.

This ability would be more in tune with some technologies and effects of my setting, and be more useful to help build a secret base and keep it secret, which is a key characteristic of my setting. And I want to keep the instant teleportation effect exclusive to people who have the Autoteleport ability, because I suspect mission plans will degenerate quickly into teleporting everybody in and out as fast as possible.

I really don't have any idea how to start building the "Psionic Portal" power, besides using Warp with some modifiers. So I will apreciate if someone can help!

PS. Sorry for the eventual bad english, it's not my native language.

Warp (Blind +50%; Extended Duration X30, +60%; Reliable +10, +50%; Tunnel +100%) [360]

Roll vs IQ +5 (+10 if you can see where you are opening the portal) with normal warp range and prepration modifiers. This will open a portal of about your size, which lingers for 3d X30 seconds.

[Wizard_BR]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

The psionic power modifier says:
If you want Warp to work through Psi Static simply change the power modifier for warp from -10% to -5% (technological countermeasures -5%)

If you want Warp to work through Psi Static and Technological countermeasures change the power modifier for warp from -10% to -0%.

Never thought of that! Gave me a nice idea that some (rare) people could have powers that bypass tech or anti-psi stuff (not both, or things may get out of hand very quickly!). Thanks for the suggestion!

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

Warp (Blind +50%; Extended Duration X30, +60%; Reliable +10, +50%; Tunnel +100%) [360]

Roll vs IQ +5 (+10 if you can see where you are opening the portal) with normal warp range and prepration modifiers. This will open a portal of about your size, which lingers for 3d X30 seconds.

This is almost what I had in mind! It never ocurred to me to look in the Powers book for new enhancements for Warp... But this is only my first 4th edition campaign, so much to learn.

[Jerander]

Your English seems very good to me!

If you're looking for a Stargate-like portal, I'd just call it a unique piece of equipment, describe how it works, and leave it at that.

If you want to give it to a specific individual as an ability, that'd be Warp with Tunneling and possibly Anchored, and Gadget limitations (if it's equipment).

[vierasmarius]

One point I'd add is that, even if you throw Tunneling on Warp, if it has the full -10% Psi power modifier then Psi Static will still disrupt it. It might just prevent the Anti-Psi from passing through it, or shut down the gate, or have unpredictable side effects. The only way to avoid the Anti-Psi countermeasure is to remove that aspect of the Psi power modifier.

[Mathulhu]

Do you want a player to have access to this power?
If not then you don't need to stat it.

However, to discourage the casual use of the portal make it require a link on each end. Put Accessory (Known psion who is prepared) -XX% on the Warp power and then give the target person a Perk that lets them act as the target.

I don't know how much XX would be, for my group it would be about 60 a harsh limit but easily avoided.

[Wizard_BR]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

One point I'd add is that, even if you throw Tunneling on Warp, if it has the full -10% Psi power modifier then Psi Static will still disrupt it. It might just prevent the Anti-Psi from passing through it, or shut down the gate, or have unpredictable side effects. The only way to avoid the Anti-Psi countermeasure is to remove that aspect of the Psi power modifier.

I don't understand completely how Psi-Static works in some cases. I understood that it blocks powers that are directed specifically at the character. Since the player has the option to go into the portal or not, I thought it is fair that his Psi Resistance or Psi static would not interfere.

Maybe a simple test for this should be that if a Psi Resistance doesn't make sense in the situation, Psi Static shoud not interfere. How could a Psi Resistance apply to a roll that's already been made be penalised by a resistant character after it was already made?

There are a lot of stuff that raises questions. For example the Photorefraction power. It should work, as it affects an area? Or only the psi-static should be not affected? And should we use the roll for a psi-resistant?

Another situation: If an exoteleporter sent away a car that the anti-psi is riding, what should happen? If it was a TK lifting the car, the anwser is kind of obvious that it should work.

Is there any official response about these issues?

Originally Posted by Mathulhu

Do you want a player to have access to this power?
If not then you don't need to stat it.

However, to discourage the casual use of the portal make it require a link on each end. Put Accessory (Known psion who is prepared) -XX% on the Warp power and then give the target person a Perk that lets them act as the target.

I don't know how much XX would be, for my group it would be about 60 a harsh limit but easily avoided.

That's another great suggestion, thanks! I don't think that any players will have interest in this power, and I may make it inacessible to them anyway. I'd like to stat it tough, because some players are really anoying with this kind of stuff. But I will use your suggestion to keep them away for a while!

And the Accessory limitation is a nice idea. Maybe in the future they can develop some kind of tech to do this. But for now, another psionic with the same power to open the portal on the other side will be nice in the campaign.

[Wizard_BR]

Thanks for all the anwsers! This is such a nice community!

However, it seems I haven't described my campaign well enough. I do use the Psionic Powers and Powers books in the campaign.

As to the technology and gadgets. None of the superscience stuff is avaiable, and the world is about TL 9. However more exotic technolgy exists "out there" that the players will encounter in the future, and it does not work like Star Trek, it's more of a wormhole kind of travel (and requires lots of energy to keep the path stable).

Also, Psytech is very new. But they have a device that works as a Teleport inhibitor. It stabilizes the space-time arround the base, preventing any Teleportation to work in a certain area. The teleporter just feels as the place is made of some kind of solid material and fails.