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Old 02-21-2022, 03:10 PM   #1
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Internal Allies?

Pg 97-98 of GURPS Biotech mentions some physical advantages (innate attack, extra limbs, internal senses) which can be taken at a fifth cost because they only pertain to stuff that happens within your body.

This made me wonder: should this apply to Allies too? Like what if you had an Ally that could only exist within your own body and could not venture outside your body?

To use the example of Star Trek Voyager: "The Doctor" in the early part of the series was such an ally (in terms of viewing "Voyager as a character") because prior to getting a "portable emitter" he could not actually leave Sick Bay. Whereas the main crew who could go on away missions would be normal allies (able to exist both inside you and outside you)
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Old 02-21-2022, 03:38 PM   #2
Quantumboost
 
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

An Ally without a body who lives inside your head (or wherever) can still provide advice, expertise, or skills relevant to things outside your body. The inability to move around or act physically without you is part of their own point cost, whether that's Basic Move 0 and No Manipulators or a Dependency on being inside your body; it's already accounted for by the Ally trait.
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Old 02-21-2022, 04:06 PM   #3
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

If it's an Ally that only matters internally (e.g. security or damage control drones) then it seems appropriate. Moya can probably take her DRDs with internal.
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Old 02-21-2022, 04:10 PM   #4
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

A character with a Payload could have an Ally with the Internal discount (x1/5) if said Ally basically only helped the character with things within the Payload. How to draw the line would be up to the GM. I'd allow a character with a Healing Advantage that had Internal x1/5, such that it only worked on characters in its Payload, so an Ally who is like the Doctor from Voyager would be acceptable... although charging for a Contact as well (or as an AA) may be appropriate, if the Ally can give you medical advice toward things happening outside of where he/she could affect.
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Old 02-21-2022, 04:25 PM   #5
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

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Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
A character with a Payload could have an Ally with the Internal discount (x1/5) if said Ally basically only helped the character with things within the Payload. How to draw the line would be up to the GM. I'd allow a character with a Healing Advantage that had Internal x1/5, such that it only worked on characters in its Payload, so an Ally who is like the Doctor from Voyager would be acceptable... although charging for a Contact as well (or as an AA) may be appropriate, if the Ally can give you medical advice toward things happening outside of where he/she could affect.
Yeah. You can buy TK or Extra Arms with internal to for example move cargo or furniture around inside you, why not Allies?
Trick to this is making sure they help the base not go traveling. SO for a base this is pretty easy, some vehicles too but not say an extra mind in your body.
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Old 02-21-2022, 04:26 PM   #6
Phil Masters
 
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

See the 4e Transhuman Space material, and especially Changing Times, for treatments of this subject.
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Old 02-22-2022, 12:09 AM   #7
dcarson
 
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Masters View Post
See the 4e Transhuman Space material, and especially Changing Times, for treatments of this subject.
Didn't someone post here once about a Transhuman Space game where the party was all in one body? Or at least several of the party was one body.
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Old 02-22-2022, 12:41 AM   #8
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

That's actually a really neat way to handle giant robots and stuff.

Now I kinda want to make an android that is run by a bunch of mice. Captain Mouse is basically the player character and thus costs nothing, could even be built as Shapeshifting with projection if he is the only one brave enough to head outside the robot body.

Everyone else would be an Ally (probably with ally), Contact, or simply paid employees. The body would be given Compartmentalized Mind with various control limitations.

So you could have a "Navigator" who is basically giving you aim and evaluate actions in combat using their controls. Head of Engineering is performing emergency repairs with Healing, and tune-ups like "Dexterity+2 (Requires Manned Engineering Room (-10%), Alternate Ability, x0.2)".

Might be overpowered depending on write-up, and with too many mice personalities being run by the GM it risks that player taking up too much of the meeting squabbling with the navigator with other player characters possibly not even being aware of the dialogue. But it could be a cool concept if it fits.
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Old 02-22-2022, 01:07 AM   #9
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

Quote:
Originally Posted by RedMattis View Post
That's actually a really neat way to handle giant robots and stuff.

Now I kinda want to make an android that is run by a bunch of mice. Captain Mouse is basically the player character and thus costs nothing, could even be built as Shapeshifting with projection if he is the only one brave enough to head outside the robot body.

Everyone else would be an Ally (probably with ally), Contact, or simply paid employees. The body would be given Compartmentalized Mind with various control limitations.

So you could have a "Navigator" who is basically giving you aim and evaluate actions in combat using their controls. Head of Engineering is performing emergency repairs with Healing, and tune-ups like "Dexterity+2 (Requires Manned Engineering Room (-10%), Alternate Ability, x0.2)".

Might be overpowered depending on write-up, and with too many mice personalities being run by the GM it risks that player taking up too much of the meeting squabbling with the navigator with other player characters possibly not even being aware of the dialogue. But it could be a cool concept if it fits.
Sounds like Bertram the mechanical boy in the Freddy the Pig book series. He was run by clockwork and operated by a bird sitting inside his chest.
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Old 02-22-2022, 04:44 AM   #10
Aldric
 
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Default Re: Internal Allies?

Allies are already a pretty good deal since their cost is fixed but their power scales with the character that purchased them, while the idea is interesting, I'm not sure players need that kind of help.

For NPCs, well... they can't have allies by default, and they're not worried about point cost anyway, so they can pay "full price".
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