Psionic Powers: Question about a build

[PK]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I'm looking at the Exoteleport ability in GURPS Psionic Powers. It bases the Affliction on the advantage Warp (Blind Only, -50%; Exoteleport,
-50%; Modified Capacity, 1 lb., -30%; Reliable 10, +50%) [20].

Why is Blind Only there?

Both to simplify the ability and to keep the cost down.

Using Blind Only means that the user doesn't have to deal with two different modifiers based on whether he can see the destination or not; everything is a simple, flat roll. And it is also the cheapest way to build a teleportation power that has the capability of teleporting to an unseen location.

Removing Blind Only (and compensating commensurately by removing 5 levels of Reliable) would make the power more expensive by 25 points and require the user to be able to see the destination. The only real improvement is that the FP cost to buy off penalties becomes 1 FP per -1 instead of 2 FP per -1.

But why can't you use Exoteleport, for example, to teleport a weapon from an adversary's hand to the floor in front of you, which you can see perfectly well?

You can. "Blind Only" doesn't mean that you cannot use the ability if you can see the destination! It means that all destinations, seen or unseen, are treated as a blind teleport.