[Powers] lock/unlock as an advantage

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by solidsingularity

How would you make the ability to lock or unlock Doors by touch?
Control and use complexity as the level of the advantage?

GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery (p. 22) says all you need is: Accessory (TK Lockpicks) [1] + Telekinesis 2 (Sorcery, ‑15%) [9]. But that lets you manipulate other things as well. If you can ONLY use it to open locks it would be more like: Telekinesis 2 (One Task, Lockpicking, -40%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [5].

If you just automatically open doors with no roll, add multiple levels of Reliable and Cosmic, No Die roll Required.

[starslayer]

Wouldn’t Control: Locking mechanisms allow you to just slide the locking mechanism into or out of place.

Just need enough levels to cover the largest locking mechanism you will encounter (likely a bank door as they actually have sliders going over the entire door).

[solidsingularity]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery (p. 22) says all you need is: Accessory (TK Lockpicks) [1] + Telekinesis 2 (Sorcery, ‑15%) [9]. But that lets you manipulate other things as well. If you can ONLY use it to open locks it would be more like: Telekinesis 2 (One Task, Lockpicking, -40%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [5].

If you just automatically open doors with no roll, add multiple levels of Reliable and Cosmic, No Die roll Required.

Would this work on Doors that are looked by card keys or finger prints?

[Edges]

One problem with using the Lockpicking skill (even if TK-based) is that you are limited by the skill's required time. Though the OP doesn't explicitly say, the impression I get is that the desired ability is one that can unlock a lock in a few seconds at most.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Edges

One problem with using the Lockpicking skill (even if TK-based) is that you are limited by the skill's required time. Though the OP doesn't explicitly say, the impression I get is that the desired ability is one that can unlock a lock in a few seconds at most.

In that case, you add Reduced Time. Want to open a lock by merely touching a lock? Then you need Reduced Time 6, +120%. GURPS Psionic Powers suggested that you could add Reduced Time to TK for the sole purpose of lifting more in a second - I don't see why it cannot translate over to reduce the time for a mundane task. In fact, in GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery (p. 14) the spell Haircut does exactly this. So you'd need...

Telekinesis 2 (One Task, Lockpicking, -40%; Reduced Time 6, +120%) [18]

Lockpicking requires one minute per attempt so six levels of Reduced Time make that a free action. If you want to make sure you can do this even if you can't see the lock, add "Work by Touch (TK Lockpicking) (H) Skill+0 [6], increasing cost to 24 points.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by solidsingularity

Would this work on Doors that are looked by card keys or finger prints?

You'd need a separate thing, I'd think. Electronic locks (like you've described) need Electronics Operation (Security) to open. Actually, I covered this before in Pyramid #3/47: The Rogue's Life (p. 6). To cover electronics locks you'd need:

Skill Adaptation (Electronics Operation (Security) defaults to Lockpicking-5 for the purpose of circumventing Electronic Locks) [1]

And maybe add "Reliable 5 (Accessibility, Electronic locks only, -20%), +20%" so you roll at IQ to pick either lock type.