TK and Telegraphing attacks...

[Wood Golem]

Is using a 'telegraphic' punch or kick via TK even viable or should I disallow this combat option entirely? One of my 'numbers based' players started this trend recently and I'm having trouble justifying both it's use and arguement against it?

[Archangel Beth]

While I could certainly see someone having to at least twitch their arms and legs to telekinetically "hit" or "kick"[1]... It probably depends on how the GM feels like interpreting the attack. Is it that the TK is actually grabbing the air molecules and directing them in a strike (in which case telegraphing the strike could permit a dodge), or is it more grabbing the surface cells of the target and shoving them forcefully towards the target's innards? (In which case... maybe you can break eye-contact and hope that works?)

[Footnote 1: I have been known, when ice skating, to try to direct what my feet are doing by holding my hands down and twitching my thumbs. I have no idea why; it's instinctive. Also, I do not ice skate well.]

[vierasmarius]

I can picture this technique as being a very obvious "wind-up" before throwing the attack. As such, the target should be able to dodge at +2 as per telegraphic melee attacks, and could possibly parry or block if not normally able to. If there are magical or telekinetic defenses that could work against the attack, they would also be at +2. I would never let the psi get a free +4 to skill without any penalty.

[Wood Golem]

Is it just a pride thing I have to get over since nearly all combatants will be unable to defend against a TK attack because they don't see it coming? I thought I'd allow a small bit of psionics into current campaign because I thought 4th ed balanced it a bit better. Now that we're getting a little further into the story, a lot more worms are coming out of the can. Should there be a penalty assesed when melee fighting at a distance?

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Archangel Beth

[Footnote 1: I have been known, when ice skating, to try to direct what my feet are doing by holding my hands down and twitching my thumbs.

This cracked me up :)

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Wood Golem

Is it just a pride thing I have to get over since nearly all combatants will be unable to defend against a TK attack because they don't see it coming? I thought I'd allow a small bit of psionics into current campaign because I thought 4th ed balanced it a bit better. Now that we're getting a little further into the story, a lot more worms are coming out of the can. Should there be a penalty assesed when melee fighting at a distance?

If you're fighting at a distance, you're generally either using a long reach weapon (such as a whip or jet-like attack) or it's actually a ranged attack, in which case Telegraphic wouldn't make sense. If you really want ranged TK attacks to have the feel of melee combat, you should let them be defended against. Like melee attacks, they wouldn't have a ROF (instead using Rapid Strike or AoA(Double) to hit more times) nor an Acc (but could get the +1/turn for Evaluate, and the +4 for Telegraphic).

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Wood Golem

Is using a 'telegraphic' punch or kick via TK even viable or should I disallow this combat option entirely? One of my 'numbers based' players started this trend recently and I'm having trouble justifying both it's use and arguement against it?

It's allowed, but it should involve gesturing dramatically or making punching motions.

[Wood Golem]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

If you're fighting at a distance, you're generally either using a long reach weapon (such as a whip or jet-like attack) or it's actually a ranged attack, in which case Telegraphic wouldn't make sense. If you really want ranged TK attacks to have the feel of melee combat, you should let them be defended against. Like melee attacks, they wouldn't have a ROF (instead using Rapid Strike or AoA(Double) to hit more times) nor an Acc (but could get the +1/turn for Evaluate, and the +4 for Telegraphic).

TK in the Basic states, "You can use TK to attack a foe directly. Roll against DX or unarmed combat skill to hit. Your foe defends as if attacked by an invisible oppponent." I can better understand the telegraphing attack, thank you (all). But it still seems as if there should be something to offset the fact that if the character is standing 10+ yards away from where his opponent is standing his skill is hampered by the inability to effectively see what is going on.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Wood Golem

TK in the Basic states, "You can use TK to attack a foe directly. Roll against DX or unarmed combat skill to hit. Your foe defends as if attacked by an invisible oppponent." I can better understand the telegraphing attack, thank you (all). But it still seems as if there should be something to offset the fact that if the character is standing 10+ yards away from where his opponent is standing his skill is hampered by the inability to effectively see what is going on.

Under the Telekinesis/Throwing subsection, it mentions range penalties from the distance between you and the target. I'd suggest the [Size and Speed / Range Table] from page 550 of the Basic Set.

As Telekinesis without the Increased Range enhancement has a range of 10 yards ... max penalty would be -4. The opponent still has to deal with the telekinetic force being invisible.

[Kromm]

I'd allow +4 to hit, as for Telegraphic Attack, in return for the attack being totally, utterly visible. The teke is over there glowering, with a pulsating vein on his forehead, whilst uttering loudly exactly what he intends to do to his victim (as a "visualization aid," say). The target, meanwhile, can actually see the air crackling and get out of the way.