Psionics question

[Spinward Scout]

So, I'm reading the entry for Teleportation in the Psionics section and it says:

Teleporting with up to 500kg of equipment...

and a thought occured to me - can other people be considered equipment in this situation? 500kg is about the weight of 5 or more people.

What do ya think?

 

[drnuncheon]

a thought occured to me - can other people be considered equipment in this situation? 500kg is about the weight of 5 or more people.

"Independent items or other individuals may not be moved" (p156)

 

[CosmicGamer]

IMO, this is just reinforcing that you can not teleport objects, or people, without teleporting yourself.

You couldn't teleport an 'independant' computer, but you can teleport yourself and a computer you are carrying as a piece of equipment.

IMO, you couldn't teleport another individual but you could teleport yourself and another individual you are hugging tightly in your arms.

The rules, as usual, are open to different interpretations.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Well, that just doesn't make sense. I mean, who's going to carry 5 times their body weight in equipment? Unless it's armor. Most backpackers don't carry more than a third of their weight in a backpack. The military would carry more, but still.

Ok, so here's a workaround. You get a very large backpack and put some people in it. Strap it over your shoulders and voila! Instant equipment.

No?

 

[Icosahedron]

Sounds like it was designed for argument.
CT's system of only teleporting carryable items made much more sense.
I'll butt out again, shall I?

 

[Spinward Scout]

It is a departure from previous Psionics systems. If I remember right, the highest load in any other version was 100 kg.

 

[ThunderChilde]

Meh, for my .02 CrImp, That allows a TP wearing BD, full Ammo, and the equivalent of a jumpbag; or your luggage and carrying your blushing bride. But yes, I could see allowing the psion to move upto 500kg of other very clingy and friendly folks in a dramatic situation.

Hmm, see my new thread in Lonestar about Dramatic Situations, this just got me off on a long diversion, moving it there.

 

[drnuncheon]

IMO, this is just reinforcing that you can not teleport objects, or people, without teleporting yourself.

You couldn't teleport an 'independant' computer, but you can teleport yourself and a computer you are carrying as a piece of equipment.

You could read it that way - but that plus the continual reference to "equipment" makes it much more likely that it's only you.

The alternative is to ask people to believe that whoever wrote the psi rules referred to everything you can teleport as "equipment" multiple times and never thought to specify that people could be carried as well. That seems unlikely to say the least.

 

[CosmicGamer]

You could read it that way - but that plus the continual reference to "equipment" makes it much more likely that it's only you.

The alternative is to ask people to believe that whoever wrote the psi rules referred to everything you can teleport as "equipment" multiple times and never thought to specify that people could be carried as well. That seems unlikely to say the least.

Someone can teleport with their work computer but they couldn't bring their gaming computer because one is equipment and one is a toy?

What is equipment? I'm sure this could be debated.

Dictionary for Equipment: "anything kept, furnished, or provided for a specific purpose"

If a Psionic squad leader is equipped with a team of specialists (comm officer, explosives expert, sniper) for a specific mission, could they be teleported?

Just my thoughts on doing things, and others can do their own thing, and I have not play tested any of this so I could change my views. I can change things based on the good ideas of others. That's what these forums are for. Discussing things. My thoughts at the moment are that my 'equipment' filter for determining what can and can't be transported will be very lenient. I would probably add an additional level of difficulty for teleporting a person who is not completely still for the 1-6 seconds it normally takes to teleport - making it a very unlikely to succeed formidable -6 DM task.

 

[iaincoleman]

Well, that just doesn't make sense. I mean, who's going to carry 5 times their body weight in equipment?

I could happily carry a 500kg mass on a world with surface gravity 0.1g.

 

[fiat_knox]

It's an awkwardly-phrased sentence aimed at ruling out the following scenarios:-

1. The teleporter "apports" small objects into his hand that are out of the Psion's immediate reach, such as keys, packets of drugs or a gun holstered in a sling hung up across the room.

2. The teleporter "vanishes" small items in his hand, teleporting them somewhere nearby, thus ensuring that they are not found if the Psion is searched by law enforcement types or criminals.

3. The teleporter can't "wish somebody away to the cornfield" by teleporting them up three kilometres to freeze and drop to their death.

4. The teleporter can't make an opponent's heart, spinal column, liver or brain disappear out of their body, or cause the hostess' clothes and undergarments to just spontaneously leap two metres to the left.

Tricks like these just can't be done with the Teleportation Talent listed in the core rule book. When the teleporter uses this power, it's to teleport themselves and whatever else they are carrying with them - but they can't just telelport those items whilst themselves staying put.

It's a game balance thing. If your characters can't rip out a villain's spine and teleport it half a mile up into the air, it also prevents the villains being able to do the same to them in turn.