Help me Brainstorm! [Powers]

[Brandy]

My kids (8 and 10) asked if I would run some role-playing games for them while we are home this summer, and in talking about what they would enjoy doing we came up with the following vague idea.

My daughter, 10, loves the Harry Potter books and likes the idea of being students in a school that teaches "magic". It makes sense, and playing students with the kinds of relationships young people have is doable for both kids. So that's good.

My son, 8, wants fighting. <grin>

So, the idea that is forming in my head is a kind of cross between a fencing salle and Hogwarts. The magic would not be based on GURPS magic, rather I'd like for it to be telekinesis based. I think that the two of them can draw some inspiration for what they can do from the way swordplay is shown in Star Wars.

I'm imagining a world where the ruling class these powers, but the common people do not. The powers would be sufficient to allow PCs to face cinematic odds with swords without just having high skill and being able to use complex combat options. The kids characters would be young nobles sent for instruction, allowing some non-lethal fighting and learning how to use their powers, before thrusting them into some kind of adventure that no one expects kids to be able to solve.

So, what ideas does anyone have for structuring the Power? It would be advantage based (though probably based on Alternate Attacks). Some ideas that occur to me are:

• Innate Attack, perhaps like the TK projected pebbles from Eragon.
• Damage Reduction of some kind. A Force Field would work, but perhaps something more like an active defense (force block or something - not sure how to build this off the top of my head).
• Force Shove (a la Star Wars)
• Something to let them fall from a height (fun with defenestration!)
• Maybe a grapple, but that opens up a lot of complexity in the fighting that I would rather avoid. Perhaps a "grab and hold" power is something that advanced practicioners (i.e. NPCs) can do.

I don't imagine that the power allows for fine manipulation.

I welcome people's ideas on the powers and the setting. This is a brand new idea (like 10 minutes ago), so I haven't thought through it much at all. If anyone has run a rules-light roll-and-shout style swashbuckling game and has some tips for streamlining combat (while still making it fun), let me know.

Thanks in advance to all who reply.

[CattyNebulart]

ok here is me brainstorming a bit;
For a star wars like feel precognitive parry (from martial arts) is a must.

it sounds like you want telekenisis with attraction repulsion only (see powers) and probably extended range.

powers has a limitation called active defence only, which allows you to use a power as an active defence.

Martial Arts has some tips on running this kind of game, so I recommend reading that and looking over telekinesis in powers.

for weapons I would modify force swords with fatigue only for training, and tone down the damage or make it ST based. or give them wooden swords for training.

in short if i was running this I would make the required advantages something like Danger Sense, Telekinesis 10 (attraction/repulsion only, increased range 100 meters), DR 5 (forcefield), DR 15 (Active Defence, Forcefield, Hardened 3), and Super Jump 2.
give them an 50-100 point or so template with some social background as a basis and 50 + disadvantages or so point to individualize the characters. For equipment give them a wooden sword, while intermediate students will have a force sword with fatigue damage only and st based damage (but keeping the armor divisor of 5) and a force-sword with selectable settings (fatigue or burn) at graduation or something. Of course they might need on of those nicer swords earlier since PC's are prone to getting into trouble.
sword skill and precognitive parry skill will be important and so I would add some to the template, but not much 1 or 2 points of each. they are beginers after all.

Innate DR protect against falls IIRC so they should be able to take quiet a fall, especially since super jump decreases the amount of damage they take from falls.

[Brandy]

Originally Posted by CattyNebulart

for weapons I would modify force swords with fatigue only for training, and tone down the damage or make it ST based. or give them wooden swords for training.

Just to clarify, because in the OP I didn't say so -- I'm picturing a TL 4ish environment: a swashbuckling feel to the fighting, though the kids are in to Asian-themed stuff, so I might pull in some elements from there as well.

Definately not light sabres -- steel swords but with force-like powers in play.

[Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2]

How about for advanced students some martial-arts style telekinetic weapons?

Example: small discs that act as shields, wielded by telekinesis, that can also be thrown. Or a Hoberman Sphere wielded and expanded/contracted by telekinesis.

Shield techniques could also be taught to block incoming attacks.

[RedMattis]

The Force, and psionics in general have a rather distinct feel to them.

Orchideous! (conjures a bunch of flowers)

Harry Potter magic is a mix of several things:
Fantastic/Mysterious: Spoken spells, effects that are not clearly understandable, (unlocking a lock? how does it do that? It's magic.). Things that repel certain creatures and so on are also on this list.
Amusing/Cute: Such as the "Hair-Thickening Charm" and other amusing tricks
Force: Making things hover, pushing things around, flying etc.

If you want to keep a Harry Potter feel I'd suggest trying to make them more spell-like and fantastic.

Go take a look at one of the numerous Harry Potter rip-offs. They typically include strange Fairy-like creatures, Flight-spells that work by giving the user symbolic wings™, etc.


The need for fighting is quite a bit easier sated than the need for high school magic, so I'd suggest taking a look at how you portray it.


Just my humble suggestion, and quite possibly I have misunderstood it.

Edit: However you decide to do the Setting + Powers I'd recommend statting up whatever power a character is going to have instead of statting a whole ton of them and have them chose. Just list some ideas and make them when they become relevant.
If you're going for the TK Powers I'd very much suggest GURPS Psionic Powers, it is a great book and includes pretty much all the stuff you mentioned.

[Refplace]

OK. regular swords, wooden ones for practice.
Want them to enhance the damage from the swords? Then add a fp damage version for capturing and reg damage for war or lethal fights.
Start by identifying which kind of force powers you want...
Lightning?
Precognition? Then precog parry is a great add.
Clairvoyance? Intuition, Psychometry?
You want the lifting move abilities of the Force but limited you said.
I think Tk with Attraction/Repulsion only is a great fit for shoves.
I cant find limitations for no grapple or punch but making one is good.

[Refplace]

Oh yeah and the magic thing/theme will require some thought.
Why not use GURPS Magic?
Knowing why you don't want that may help us come up with an alternative.
But so far I think were not comimng up with what your daughter will be interested in.

[Brandy]

Originally Posted by Refplace

But so far I think were not comimng up with what your daughter will be interested in.

I think she's more interested in the setting (a school for the gifted, as it were) than the powers (Latiny phrases that open doors! Potions that make you into a cat! Riding on broomsticks!).

I may have to download and peruse Psionic Powers when time permits.

The reason I don't want to do GURPS magic is that it is so broad. I'd like to keep the number of abilities and skills to a bare minimum and the character sheets, as a consequence, should be very simple.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Bookman

I'm imagining a world where the ruling class these powers, but the common people do not.

Just to throw something out: Is the power genetic, and the ruling class a hereditary oligarchy? Or does it just "show up" and anyone found to be gifted allowed to join the nobility? Or is it a combination, with a possible distinction much like "Old Money" and "New Money"?

Originally Posted by Bookman

Damage Reduction of some kind. A Force Field would work, but perhaps something more like an active defense (force block or something - not sure how to build this off the top of my head).

See Active Defense (under Requires (Attribute) Roll) p.112 in Powers. That sounds like what you're looking for.

[Brandy]

Originally Posted by RyanW

Just to throw something out: Is the power genetic, and the ruling class a hereditary oligarchy?

That's what I had in mind. I want to use this opportunity to role-play some ideas having to do with class differences. I think that the kids will get something out of that.

I like the idea of it occasionally (quite rarely) emerging spontaneously from the underclass as well, though children of mixed parentage is another factor. Would a bastard child of a nobleman have the power? My gut response is to make that unlikely, and spontaneous empowerment of a young person even less likely still (so, young people who show the powers for no obvious reasons would be rumored to be bastard children, at the very least).