Teleport to Beacon from HQ in Z-Space

[RocketLord]

With Justice starting to let her HQ in Z-Space be used as a base for the EC heroes, Durf (I think) suggested I could get the HQ a Teleport power limited to one way to a Beacon Device, requiring a 1EP or 1PP Feature to get to the HQ, citing the original Young Freedom had something like that.

 

So, attempt at the power. Not sure if I wanna go with rank 7 or 8, same cost, but not sure I want it to be that distance.

 

Teleport 7/8 (Flaws: Limited [One Way, to Beacon devices], Long-Range; Feats: Dimensional) (200/2000 mile range from Emerald City) [5EP]

 

So, with that, what's the thought for the beacon? A 1EP Equipment Feature or a 1PP Feature?

Edited April 20, 2020 by RocketLord

[Amelia]

I leaned toward 1PP Feature.

 

I don't think you want the Limited flaw on the HQ's Teleport power. I don't remember exactly, because it's been over a decade since I came up with the whole idea (the YF teleportals were based on the redesigns I did for the Freedom League's teleportal network), but I vaguely recall that the general idea was that anyone who had a beacon on their person could remotely access the HQ's Teleport effect to open a portal to the HQ from wherever they were. But if you were starting from the HQ, you could open a portal to any location within range. I think it also had the Complication that it was a Sensory (Radio) effect, so an Obscure Radio Senses effect would prevent it from working.

 

So that would look more like this:

 

Teleport 8 (Range: 800ft / 2,000 miles [Continental]; Extras: Affects Others, Duration 2 [Continuous], Portal; Flaws: Limited [Others]; Feats: Easy, Progression [Portal Size] 1 [10ft x 10ft]) [50PP]

 

A 1EP rank of the HQ "Power" feature gives you PLx2 points to work with, so a PL10 character like Justice would get 20PP per rank. So that power would cost her 3EP (and leave her with 10PP left over to buy one or more other HQ powers).

 

In hindsight, this might be broken.

 

UP lists a -1PP/rank flaw for Teleport effects, "Anchor", which specifically limits you to teleporting to a specific place. That's exactly what the beacons did.

 

So maybe instead, a beacon should be a full-on Device, like this:

 

Device 7 (33/35PP Container [Passive: No Action, Permanent Duration]; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [28PP]

 

Teleport 8 (Range: 2,000 miles [Continental]; Extras: Duration 2 [Continuous], Portal; Flaws: Anchor [HQ], Long-Range; Feats: Progression [Portal Size] 1 [10ft x 10ft]) [33PP]

 

Per Kenson's rulings on the subject, that would require a full action to move through the portal, and you'd be flat-footed for a round when you got there (not a huge concern given that you're going to your own HQ).

 

That's pretty expensive, but maybe being able to open up a gate to your HQ from anywhere on the continent should be.

 

You could make it cheaper by making it a vanilla Teleport effect instead of a portal, or by not buying up the portal duration and forcing whoever opened it to actively maintain it (maybe they need to keep pressing a button or something).

 

[RocketLord]

Making it a full on Device would be a bit too expensive for what would basically be a way for people to get to the remote HQ in another dimension that Justice has set up, but I'll give it some more thought when I'm a bit more awake, and I doubt everyone would like to buy a beacon at 28PP out of their entire budget.

[RocketLord]

As an alternate, how would you go about only being able to teleport to the beacon devices, and then back to the previous location. 

 

So, you're on the corner of X and Y, and you activate your device to get to the HQ. Then, when you go back, you return to the same location at the corner of X and Y, instead of just any location. Something like this in the limited, maybe? I think that should work for a Teleport power on a HQ:

 

Teleport 7/8 (Flaws: Limited [From Beacon Device to HQ, back to Original Destination], Long-Range; Feats: Dimensional) (200/2000 mile range from Emerald City) [5EP]

[angrydurf]

I think the dimensional aspect might make it trickier.  Since z-space like the void and astral plane is a transitive dimension so it doesn't really have corresponding locations in prime to base TP range off of.  This is both a benefit and a difficulty for the purpose of the HQ teleportal effect.

 

Looking at what's here I think the best bet is to have the beacons be some kind of device though that may get into devices at less than 5PP.  The device just has dimensional movement (to z-space) either limited or just handwaved to be only able to transit to the HQ.  The IG effect is the person with the device can trigger it to move to the HQ as a move action. 

 

Device X(telebeacon; Flaws: hard to lose;) [XPP]

Super Movement 1(Dimensional Movement(To Z-space HQ);) [2DP]

 

Though container which device is built on is a 5PP for 5PP of container so we run into the weird 5PP minimum on a device.  There is an argument to be made that a single power can be bought with the hard to lose flaw which woudl be a 1PP cost for  the beacon as a hard to lose standalone power since we don't need it bundled with other effects.

 

Getting out of z-space requires the HQ dimensional TP system which would be teleport, long range only effects others, others only, accurate, easy?, with the dimensional feat.  Where the HQ is in relation to anywhere on prime for the Teleport range is a sticky question but given justice is in EC probably just treat the origin as EC.

 

That basically comes down to a feature for members to get to the HQ (Which is a fair price IMHO) then all you have to define on the HQ is the power to get where you want people to be able to get to.

 

 

 

 

[Amelia]

If you want a 2PP power to be mechanically removable because it's tied into an object, then just give it a -1PP/rank flaw or a 1PP drawback (Power Loss in the latter case) to drop it down to 1PP (either will work, numerically).

 

[RocketLord]

Alright, a final draft for Teleport power and the 1PP Beacon. Thoughts?

 

Teleport 8 (Flaws: Limited [Return to Previous Location on Earth-Prime], Long-Range; Feats: Dimensional) (2000 mile range from Emerald City) [5EP] (Descriptors: Earth Teleport, Technology)

 

Super Movement 1 (Dimensional Movement [To Justice's Z-Space HQ]; Flaws: Hard-to-lose) [1PP] (Descriptors: Z-Space HQ Teleport Beacon, Technology)