Help with a Telekinetic Character

[Look_Out_For_The_Cow]

Disclaimer: I'm planning on using the Basic Set and Powers for this (no GURPS Psionic Powers)

So I'm making a character that has Psychokinesis, and I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to build the power. In terms of what kinds of stuff I want to be able to do with the power, here are some videos that illustrate it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqBrsXUtByc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvoVcbIpnNo

But in general, pinning people to walls, disarming people, deflect bullets, etc. (not necessarily splitting people's heads open like Sylar)

The character is going to be 150 character points, with up to 50 points of disadvantages. So I know that the character won't be as powerful as some of the things in the videos, but I want to get as close as possible.

In addition, I have some questions about how the telekinesis advantage (basic set p.92) works.

1. Grappling and striking checks are done through DX? Does making the advantage a mental one with the psychokinetic limitation change the attribute that you use? I'd prefer it be IQ based for my character.
2. I know that TK level is equal to ST level of the power, but how do you actually figure out how much you can lift with the TK?

[Nereidalbel]

1. Most of what you want to do can be done with Telekinesis, with deflecting bullets being something that requires cinematic advantages, skills, and techniques that likely won't fit in your budget.

2. Based on IQ (+20%) covers what you want.

3. Your TK can lift the same as somebody with ST of the same value. So, you determine how much your TK can lift the same way you figure out how much a person can lift.

[Phantasm]

I highly recommend getting Psionic Powers; there's an entire Psychokinesis Power detailed there, and has made many of the abilities for you.

That said, most Telekinesis is based on a variety of advantages: Telekinesis, of course, but also Binding, Crushing/Cutting/Impaling/Piercing Attack, and DR with Force Field and Switchable. The "pin people to walls" bit is easily a Crushing Attack with Double Knockback and a Follow-Up Binding, as an example. Internalized, you can even possibly justify extra levels of ST, Lifting ST, Striking ST, or Super ST being part of a Psychokinesis Power.

Grappling with IQ instead of DX using Telekinesis is perfectly valid; I believe the Telekinesis advantage is able to use "Based on (Different Attribute)" at +0% for IQ or Will.

[smurf]

It's a tall order to deflect bullets.

Use DR with Force field directional. Maybe add in a hand gesture to reduce the cost.

The best you can do is get DR at 5 to cost DR for 1.

Telekinesis uses lifting rules. That is the heavier the target the longer it takes to move them back. Reduced timing can help and that is leveled. Again adding a hand gesture may help.

To do to concentrates a turn you may need compartmentalised mind. So you can pin some one and deflect bullets.

Actually talking of which. What is the reduction for a CM that can only do a psi power and the other side cannot?

[transmetahuman]

Originally Posted by smurf

It's a tall order to deflect bullets.

Actually talking of which. What is the reduction for a CM that can only do a psi power and the other side cannot?

-5% for only psi (-10% if you also have magic, chi or whatever powers)
-20% for one power if you have more than one
-30% for one ability

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by transmetahuman

-5% for only psi (-10% if you also have magic, chi or whatever powers)
-20% for one power if you have more than one
-30% for one ability

Also you can get No Mental Separation -20% as well if you don't mind losing the advantages ability to help fight mind control.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Look_Out_For_The_Cow

Disclaimer: I'm planning on using the Basic Set and Powers for this (no GURPS Psionic Powers)

If you used Psionic Powers, it would solve a lot of your questions for you.

So I'm making a character that has Psychokinesis, and I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to build the power. In terms of what kinds of stuff I want to be able to do with the power, here are some videos that illustrate it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqBrsXUtByc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvoVcbIpnNo

But in general, pinning people to walls, disarming people, deflect bullets, etc. (not necessarily splitting people's heads open like Sylar)

The character is going to be 150 character points, with up to 50 points of disadvantages. So I know that the character won't be as powerful as some of the things in the videos, but I want to get as close as possible.

Right, you want to be awesome on a budget. The best way to do that is to give yourself considerable limitations, or to lower your expectations.

For considerable limitations, consider having things like "TK 10" and "TK +10 (Only once per day -X%)" so generally you can't fling people around, but once a day you can. You can do the same with "Costs character points" or whatever. Alternatively, you could ask your GM to introduce rules like Godlike Extra-Effort and sources of easy-to-access fatigue points, which is what I did for Psi-Wars, which lets characters with TK 12 ramp up their TK to 60 for like a single effort.

For deflecting bullets, you'd want DR. Either take it directly, or take it as an alternate ability.

Alternatively, lower your expectations. I'm always surprised by how much TK can do despite being very low level. Push is actually a pretty good example of this, especially early on, where our hero struggles to control a die, and manipulates a pistol (which isn't exactly that heavy). Clever use of an invisible, distant hand that can pass through locked doors to suffocate people can make a low-key character pretty powerful. I'd also definitely consider this sort of thing, because trying to work Darth Vader into a 150-point game smacks of trying to subvert the premise. If the GM wants you to play 150 point characters, he doesn't want super-heroes (or he doesn't understand the system). If you want to play Darth Vader, ask to play Darth Vader. Go for 300-500 points. If he says no, then it's clear that he doesn't want you to play Darth Vader, and you should respect his wishes.

Psionic Powers has suggestions regarding all of the above, by the way.

1. Grappling and striking checks are done through DX? Does making the advantage a mental one with the psychokinetic limitation change the attribute that you use? I'd prefer it be IQ based for my character.

Rolls to control TK are done with IQ, not DX.

2. I know that TK level is equal to ST level of the power, but how do you actually figure out how much you can lift with the TK?

Same way you do with normal ST. I'd treat TK as "two hands" for the purposes of lifting. If you have TK 10, you have a BL of 20, which means you can carry around 100 lbs with "heavy encumbrance", and you can probably lift, if you take your time and you don't keep it up, about 160 lbs. All the rules about lifting apply to TK.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

That said, most Telekinesis is based on a variety of advantages

The thread has covered good ground here, but this point is important enough that I think it's worth emphasizing.

In GURPS, you don't generally buy one "power", and then set about thinking of all the clever ways you can use (and abuse) that power. Instead, you buy the game-mechanical effects that represent what you want to be able to do. You can explain all those effects as the different ways you use your one power, but that power isn't the game-mechanical core that informs you as to what you can actually do.

A flexible power is quite likely built as a number of different abilities, even if "the character has just one super power". The Alternate Abilities rule will often be used to represent those things that are mutually exclusive, because you can only do one thing at a time with your power. (Can you pin someone against a wall and still deflect bullets while you're doing that? Two regular abilities. Need to let your victim go to stop the bullets? Alternate Abilities.) With many abilities, you might even need a Modular Ability, though that's usually not cost-effective until you have quite a lot of abilities, more on the scale of a sorceror than most supers.

It's not a system of dumping 100 CP into one Advantage, followed by a contest of outsmarting the rules and arguing interpretations with the GM over what "telekinesis" means. (I focus on individual atoms, so I can heat things up and cool them down! I move all the dopamine and serotonin in your brain to their receptors, so you collapse in depression! Recall that George RR Martin used "psi" as the sole basis for almost all the abilities in the Wild Cards series. Interpreted to suit, that word can justify anything. And so it's fairly useless as a term of art in game rules.)

Build the effects that suit your concept that you want to use. Then call them all "telekinesis" if that's what the concept calls for. Just don't confuse that concept with the Advantage of the same name in the rulebook. That's not meant to be an all-encompassing ability that covers any sort of mental manipulation of objects. It just does exactly what it says in the book -- which Mailanka has pointed out is quite a lot as it is.

All that said, "pinning people to walls" and "disarming people" can be done with Telekinesis. The model is of a pair of invisible hands, so essentially you're just using the grappling rules with TK rather than your real hands. (My houserule is that you have to study TK versions of such skills. You don't get all physical skills for free at base IQ just because you say "I do it with TK!" Practicing such skills is why the X-Men spend all that off-screen time in the Danger Room.) If you want to slam lots of people against the wall simultaneously, you'll need Area Effect, or even get into Compartmentalized Mind so you can concentrate on doing multiple things at the same time.

"Deflecting bullets" isn't something you can do with a pair of hands, even if they were super strong and invisible, so you'll have to build that another way. DR has been suggested. Powers has rules for "power parries" to make it an active Defense instead. But in that case, I'd expect the character would need a way to perceive and react to bullets, which will probably get more expensive than you want. You could also build it as a limited Obscure, to give ranged attackers a penalty to hit, but that's starting to stretch the core idea of Obscure a long way.

[starslayer]

Deflecting bullets can go a lot of ways, but it is not going to be the telekinesis advantage:

1. Dr (as mentioned) though consider the dune-like 'only vs small projectiles' to reduce cost (so you can't defect a knife, or a missile)

2. Obscure, again as mentioned, makes it harder to shoot you, but does not reduce damage in the event that an attacker gets off a good shot.

3. Control is a good advantage that would work a lot like obscure, but with enough levels of control you could arguably deflect all unguided projectiles (say if you have enough levels to achieve a 100% change in your control energy), but control is a used advantage.