Would you want this superpower?

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

The big cost: While you're teleporting, you age twice as fast as normal. You also expend resources double what you'd do using regular means of travel.

These two factors make it almost never worth using unless you can go somewhere and make back at least 5x the cost to get there (including the food/drink you consume).

[Michael Cule]

The clarifications make it even more useless. You are frozen during the teleport. Frozen where? You don't just vanish from where you are so you're vulnerable to attack during that time: you haven't also gained temporary invulnerability.

The only advantage of this is that it gives you access to places you normally couldn't reach. Which unless you're a professional thief or maybe a hostage rescue maven isn't going to be that useful.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Michael Cule

The clarifications make it even more useless. You are frozen during the teleport. Frozen where? You don't just vanish from where you are so you're vulnerable to attack during that time: you haven't also gained temporary invulnerability.

The only advantage of this is that it gives you access to places you normally couldn't reach. Which unless you're a professional thief or maybe a hostage rescue maven isn't going to be that useful.

"Frozen in limbo" implies being elsewhere ("limbo"), possibly a pocket dimension of some sort. So long as there aren't risks inherent in being there, that's a non-issue.

There are still some outstanding questions that could influence the usefulness of the power, namely how the time and resource cost is calculated. Does it take longer to get somewhere if you're going during rush hour? Does it calculate speed based on how you usually drive, or can you adjust this - I could probably get most places a lot quicker by driving at 120 mph, but I'd be at risk of a collision, running someone over, getting arrested, etc. Could I tell the power that's what I'm using, and actually arrive faster and using fewer resources (aside from gas and wear-and-tear, which would be increased... but automatically deducted from my bank account, saving me time at the pump and repair shop) than driving at 30 mph? Also, I assume your car doesn't come with you, so when you go back, does the power pretend you have your car with you, or is a jump back stuck at walking speed? For that matter, I could theoretically just carjack somebody and drive their car to get somewhere quickly (and without spending as many of my own resources)... does the power account for that?

[adm]

The only potential advantage I see here that does not apply to emergency use, or questionable access to somewhere you shouldn't be, is low cost long distance travel. Getting from North America, to Europe, or other cross ocean locations is not inexpensive.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by adm

The only potential advantage I see here that does not apply to emergency use, or questionable access to somewhere you shouldn't be, is low cost long distance travel. Getting from North America, to Europe, or other cross ocean locations is not inexpensive.

You explicitly have to pay twice what it would cost you to go there with a more traditional route. Also, if the trip would normally last more than a few hours, you risk arriving severely dehydrated (a shame the power can handle theoretical fuel and airline costs by deducting from your bank account, but not cost for food and water). So, it's not even useful for that - it really is only for use in emergencies and to access areas you aren't normally allowed to. Maybe - still waiting on specifics around rush hour traffic and the like.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Varyon

So, it's not even useful for that - it really is only for use in emergencies and to access areas you aren't normally allowed to. Maybe - still waiting on specifics around rush hour traffic and the like.

Depending on how it computes those automatically deducted costs, it might not even be very useful for access to areas you aren't allowed into. After all I *could* get access to a bank vault by secretly buying the bank and hiring myself as a vault inspector. Why is deducting the price of the bank different than deducting the rental cost of scooter? Yeah I could break into the vault cheaper, but I could jump a subway turnstyle, (or car jack that car) too.

And what happens if it goes to auto deduct a resource I don't have anyway?

Actually that auto-deduction gets *really* complicated any time there are multiple inequivalent route costs, or any sort of complexity to them. How does it handle routes that don't exist at the instant I want to use them - if the only scheduled flight to my destination is on Tuedsays, am I in limbo until then? Do I go now anyway but get charged for a charter flight? What about if I wait until Tuesday, make the jump before the flight takes off, but there's a blizzard during the flight and the plane diverts to another city?
Can I break up the trip? I might not want to pay that hunger and thirst for a 12 hour non-stop flight, but I could stage through a chain of McDonald's Restaurants along some kind of route between the same end points. How do I compute the costs and travel time if I do that? Like I drove between them? Like a chain of charter flights between cities and taxis to and from the airport? Do I have to pick? What if I get confused and pick something that doesn't actually exist like a charter to an airport that doesn't allow GA traffic to land? If I did know that can I route through it anyway if I'm willing to add the fine that would result if my charter pilot declared a false in flight emergency and landed there anyway to my costs?

There's a *lot* of potential complexity glossed over there, much more than the simple per mile (or per Speed/Range band step) you'd usually see on teleport prices.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by malloyd

And what happens if it goes to auto deduct a resource I don't have anyway?

And what happens if you're trying to teleport away from a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

Added clarifications regarding Thorkell's and Michael's questions.

.....and what does your bank say about mysterious deductions? This definitely makes the power less uaeful as now you're leaving a paper trail for any trip where fuel costs get deducted.

Looks like it might still be okay for getting me to the grocery store as long as I don't want more groceries than I can carry.

[Anthony]

The power is vague enough that it's hard to say how it works. If I use it to cross a busy street, does it take long enough for me to walk over to a crosswalk, wait for the light to turn, and walk back, or does it just take as long as it would take me to cross the street if it wasn't busy?

Basically, unless this power allows me to solve some problems for less than it would cost to solve them normally, it's useless.

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by Anthony

The power is vague enough that it's hard to say how it works. If I use it to cross a busy street, does it take long enough for me to walk over to a crosswalk, wait for the light to turn, and walk back, or does it just take as long as it would take me to cross the street if it wasn't busy?

Basically, unless this power allows me to solve some problems for less than it would cost to solve them normally, it's useless.

I think it would be a very useful power in many cases : you can "cross the street" (for exemple)

• without being seen by anyone during the crossing
• potentially without anyone ever knowing you crossed the street, depending on how the power work
  
• without anyone being able to stop or interrupt you
• without being exposed to the weather or any environmental hazard
• without being exposed to the risk of traffic, mad bomber, drunk peoples with guns, ...
  
• potentially without any authorisation or permit, depending on how the power work (think of a border, or Check Point Charlie)
• potentially without any key, access card, password, etc depending on how the power work

So, for short travels, you get a secure, discreet, comfortable, guaranteed travel in exchange for taking a little more time and possibly some money.
For longer travels, it depends a lot how the power handle the "cost"