Insta-kill by Teleprojection and making the target naked (aka Fun with Zhodani Psionics)

[Yenaldlooshi]

Ohhh - I'd never thought about inspiration

Yes, I know. I sensed it with my own psionics. It's as if I was using this forum as my psionic Zhodani(Teleprojection) ability in real life to perform the Inspiration power on you.

 

[Yenaldlooshi]

I get that this might be a clever rules interpretation, but it doesn’t sit right with me. Traveller psionics were never meant to be instant-win buttons. Zhodani are unsettling because of what they represent - control, manipulation, cultural fear of mind invasion - not because they can bypass every threat with one power.

Just because something works by the rules doesn’t mean it fits the tone of the setting.

(As always, 'Your Traveller May Vary")

You are so very correct. That is why IMTU I have a house rule that effectively makes it that either your target must volunteer for the process by holding completely still , or you must fully subdue your target. The weird sensation when it starts makes 99% of all sophonts or animals to move involuntarily, breaking the process.

 

[Yenaldlooshi]

They can't. Give them 3 opponents and that Zhodani is still dead. It is more effective to just kill people with a long-range rifle.

Heavy Laser Rifle 6D at 1,200 meters Gun Combat/2 + Dex/2 = 4 + 2D6. At Diff 8+ you need a 4 or better. Effect 2 on average. 6D6+12. Dead. Way easier and simpler than Psionics and way more powerful and it can be done by any decent sniper. One shot, one kill.

This seems a bit situational and controlled by the GM. GM can do anything. Pocket nukes. Why stop at 3 opponents? Make it 3,000! All, carrying pocket nukes!

My point was, if you happen to be that Zhodani who can teleport others, the way the rules as written read, the targets don't have to volunteer for it, which means it's an instant kill. No equipment required. Doable at most Traveller ranges (which are indoors). No die rolls needed for damage. Just dead due to vacuum or what have you.

IMTU I have since gimped that possibility with a house rule that states if the target reacts then it fails, so the targets must really be like "ok, send me now!", which I am sure was the writers intent when they imagined Zhodani special forces when they want to send their troops in this way.

 

[MasterGwydion]

This seems a bit situational and controlled by the GM. GM can do anything. Pocket nukes. Why stop at 3 opponents? Make it 3,000! All, carrying pocket nukes!

Which is more common in Charted Space? Psions with Teleprojection or guys with Heavy Laser Rifles? My situation happens perhaps thousands of times per day across Charted Space. I bet 10+ people are killed across the world each day currently with a .50 cal sniper rifle. One shot. One kill. Doesn't matter if it is psionics or technology. Dead is dead. You can get all hysterical if you wish, but you seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill. 999 times out of a thousand, that guy with the rifle is the more dangerous of the two. Also, to be clear, every situation is situational.

My point was, if you happen to be that Zhodani who can teleport others, the way the rules as written read, the targets don't have to volunteer for it, which means it's an instant kill. No equipment required. Doable at most Traveller ranges (which are indoors). No die rolls needed for damage. Just dead due to vacuum or what have you.

Psion has to roll a 7+ 59% chance of success. Once per day.

Guy with a rifle? 91% as many times per day as there is energy to keep shooting. That averages 21 damage. 72% chance for 27 damage average. All for the low, low price of 14,500Cr.

IMTU I have since gimped that possibility with a house rule that states if the target reacts then it fails, so the targets must really be like "ok, send me now!", which I am sure was the writers intent when they imagined Zhodani special forces when they want to send their troops in this way.

That is the best interpretation for RAI, I agree. Although I don't really think it matters as any PC with 15KCr sitting around can do better than that psion.

 

[Yenaldlooshi]

Which is more common in Charted Space? Psions with Teleprojection or guys with Heavy Laser Rifles? My situation happens perhaps thousands of times per day across Charted Space. I bet 10+ people are killed across the world each day currently with a .50 cal sniper rifle. One shot. One kill. Doesn't matter if it is psionics or technology. Dead is dead. You can get all hysterical if you wish, but you seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill. 999 times out of a thousand, that guy with the rifle is the more dangerous of the two. Also, to be clear, every situation is situational.

Psion has to roll a 7+ 59% chance of success. Once per day.

Guy with a rifle? 91% as many times per day as there is energy to keep shooting. That averages 21 damage. 72% chance for 27 damage average. All for the low, low price of 14,500Cr.

That is the best interpretation for RAI, I agree. Although I don't really think it matters as any PC with 15KCr sitting around can do better than that psion.

on a law level 10 world with good security checks? I have plenty of rifles and almost never take them anywhere with me in my day to day. Even if I was in the infantry during war time, a rifle is not always slung over my shoulder or in my hands at the ready. My brain sure is though!

Also, if my Zho can close to Melee range, which you usually can at the ranges that typically occur in Traveller, then poof! your rifle becomes a club at 2D. Rules as written. Did you roll and take Melee(Bludgeon) at the same levels as your Gun Combat/2? Probably not. So even giving you your "DEX/2" which means of course you managed to get a score of 12 in Dexterity, this gives you a roll of 6+? Doable sure. But only 8+ if we are imagining normal people DEX with at least a Melee-0 skill. Possibly 11+ if you have normal DEX and put all your combat skill on Gun Combat. +1 for a 7+ roll if you have high dex and no levels added to Melee(unarmed). This is most of my characters that are not melee centric.

But never mind that, YOU HIT! 2D... odds are my Zho is still awake... and he is imaging you being out in space without a vacc suit, or any clothes on at all, right just a couple of meters past that bulkhead you guys are fighting next to on the starship.....

.....poof. No damage roll. What is that you are trying to suck into your lungs? Oh, right... NOTHING.

Which ironically is also equal to the same quantity of credits he had to spend on rifles, ammo... etc.

 

[Yenaldlooshi]

Which is more common in Charted Space? Psions with Teleprojection or guys with Heavy Laser Rifles? My situation happens perhaps thousands of times per day across Charted Space. I bet 10+ people are killed across the world each day currently with a .50 cal sniper rifle. One shot. One kill. Doesn't matter if it is psionics or technology. Dead is dead. You can get all hysterical if you wish, but you seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill. 999 times out of a thousand, that guy with the rifle is the more dangerous of the two. Also, to be clear, every situation is situational.

dude, I am fine. I am not hysterical. lol... yes, guy with rifle can kill. I agree.

I bring up this rare example because it allows for an instant kill with no defense. It's a game mechanic flaw imho.
Your example has multiple methods to counter the attack; movement, environment, armor etc.
My example does not have any counter or defense. Depending on where the target is sent, it could be a kill with no dice rolls for damage.
Most of the psionic abilities are gimped to prevent such attacks.

that's alllllll I am saying. Now, go cradle your carbine. Tell it it's a good carbine. shhhh.... nasty psions, will never separate you from your rifle. *softly sings as a lullaby "This is my rifle... there are many like it..."

 

[Sigtrygg]

Ahh the good old days of instant death with no saving throw...

"Each warrior is armed with a disintegrator pistol (using the same principal as the nuclear damper in Mercenary). The pistol's targeting mechanism is complex and telepathic: to fire, the warrior looks at the target and imagines it gone. Control is sufficiently precise to vanish one man from a crowd or destroy a party's weapons while leaving everything else intact. The only limitation is that the warrior must see his target while firing; the pistol never misses and there is no defense."

 

[Geir]

Best to keep in mind that a Zhodani misusing the ability to teleport others will be thoroughly reeducated. It's no worse different than a heart surgeon who decides that carving a tic-tac-toe pattern in a patient's heart is more fun than fixing that left ventricle. (Yes, I get the part about 'lack of consent' but once you're out, you're out, and even if it were an issue: "Wouldn't you like to get out of this room for a spell?" "Sure, yeah, I could use some fresh a-")

 

[MasterGwydion]

on a law level 10 world with good security checks? I have plenty of rifles and almost never take them anywhere with me in my day to day. Even if I was in the infantry during war time, a rifle is not always slung over my shoulder or in my hands at the ready. My brain sure is though!

Also, if my Zho can close to Melee range, which you usually can at the ranges that typically occur in Traveller, then poof! your rifle becomes a club at 2D. Rules as written. Did you roll and take Melee(Bludgeon) at the same levels as your Gun Combat/2? Probably not. So even giving you your "DEX/2" which means of course you managed to get a score of 12 in Dexterity, this gives you a roll of 6+? Doable sure. But only 8+ if we are imagining normal people DEX with at least a Melee-0 skill. Possibly 11+ if you have normal DEX and put all your combat skill on Gun Combat. +1 for a 7+ roll if you have high dex and no levels added to Melee(unarmed). This is most of my characters that are not melee centric.

But never mind that, YOU HIT! 2D... odds are my Zho is still awake... and he is imaging you being out in space without a vacc suit, or any clothes on at all, right just a couple of meters past that bulkhead you guys are fighting next to on the starship.....

.....poof. No damage roll. What is that you are trying to suck into your lungs? Oh, right... NOTHING.

Which ironically is also equal to the same quantity of credits he had to spend on rifles, ammo... etc.

Law Level A world? Isn't your psion illegal, just for existing, on Law Level 1 worlds?

Whoever acts first survives. Whoever acts second, never acts. Welcome to the world of snipers, technological or psionic. It is still one shot, one kill. No warning, no fair play, just dead. Also, a guy who carries a sniper rifle as his primary weapon isn't the guy who kicks in the door, he is the guy in a perch waiting for his target or targets. So, I am not sure that your encounter range is correct unless your Psion's movement rate is 200 meters or more. The Psion is a firework. One and done. Plus, one person disappears in plain sight, the whole planet is going on a Psion hunt due to propaganda and paranoia. One guy gets assassinated with a rifle, people don't even blink an eye. There were snipers killing people in the US along the expressways. You know what people did? Nothing, they kept going to work on the same route they took every day before.

Psions are cool, and I like them, but they aren't as effective in combat as most other builds. My psion-builds are usually for flavor as opposed to combat. If I build a computer hacker, I want him to be able to hack more than one computer per day. If I build a Marine, I want him to be able to kill more than one person a day using his primary skill.

 

[Yenaldlooshi]

Law Level A world? Isn't your psion illegal, just for existing, on Law Level 1 worlds?

Yup, but you have to discover his ability first. Who do you think attracts more attention in a line up. The guy with no apparent weapons or the GUY WITH THE RIFLE.

Whoever acts first survives. Whoever acts second, never acts. Welcome to the world of snipers, technological or psionic. It is still one shot, one kill. No warning, no fair play, just dead. Also, a guy who carries a sniper rifle as his primary weapon isn't the guy who kicks in the door, he is the guy in a perch waiting for his target or targets. So, I am not sure that your encounter range is correct unless your Psion's movement rate is 200 meters or more. The Psion is a firework. One and done. Plus, one person disappears in plain sight, the whole planet is going on a Psion hunt due to propaganda and paranoia. One guy gets assassinated with a rifle, people don't even blink an eye. There were snipers killing people in the US along the expressways. You know what people did? Nothing, they kept going to work on the same route they took every day before.

I cannot remember the last time combat occurred in my game or anyone else's game that was more than a 10m and was NOT in corridors. Where is the obsession with 200m, 1200m, snipers etc coming from? I mean, I get it. Snipers hold up entire battlefronts IRL sure, but in Traveller, the ranges are typically much closer than that. Don't get me wrong, I see as a GM opening up the ranges as something to give combat some variety and to give a sniper fanboy like you the chance to stretch your legs and validate your build, but honestly, I find Melee to be far more useful and deadly at typical Traveller ranges of engagement.

Historical Note: I don't know where you were at when snipers were shooting on the freeways, but being that one of those freeways is walking distance from where I am writing this post right now, and I had to drive it during the attacks, YES I ACTUALLY DO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE DID. I WAS A PEOPLE. LOL. I can tell you that our "whole planet" actually did go on a sniper hunt. We actually had 2 snipers at one point making their own separate attacks. Also, trust me, you would rather brave the snipers than try to get cross town on surface streets alone, so you throw those dice. Yup, just like Bosnia in the 1990's. or London during the Blitz...

Psions are cool, and I like them, but they aren't as effective in combat as most other builds. My psion-builds are usually for flavor as opposed to combat. If I build a computer hacker, I want him to be able to hack more than one computer per day. If I build a Marine, I want him to be able to kill more than one person a day using his primary skill.

This post was not a "How to make the bestest ever combat build using psionics" post. This was a "hey this psionic thingie may be used in a way not intended" post. So sure. You go Marine. Semper-space-Fi!

 

[MasterGwydion]

Yup, but you have to discover his ability first. Who do you think attracts more attention in a line up. The guy with no apparent weapons or the GUY WITH THE RIFLE.

If they are allowing weapons in the police line-up, I kind of doubt they are under arrest. lol. I cannot remember the last time I even heard about a police line-up where they let the suspects be armed. lol

I cannot remember the last time combat occurred in my game or anyone else's game that was more than a 10m and was NOT in corridors. Where is the obsession with 200m, 1200m, snipers etc coming from? I mean, I get it. Snipers hold up entire battlefronts IRL sure, but in Traveller, the ranges are typically much closer than that. Don't get me wrong, I see as a GM opening up the ranges as something to give combat some variety and to give a sniper fanboy like you the chance to stretch your legs and validate your build, but honestly, I find Melee to be far more useful and deadly at typical Traveller ranges of engagement.

It seems that in a lot of campaigns that We end up out in the wilderness doing things, so the ranges We encounter tend to differ from those found in a more urban game. Even in Shadows of Sindal you do a lot of wilderness traveling and several wilderness fights against feral Aslan and possibly the descendants of Ghormount. Lots of adventures have wilderness components. I can only remember one character from the past several years that was melee-focused as opposed to ranged-focused in a fight. Granted, calling several of them "focused" is pushing it as they might have had Gun Combat/0 and no Melee skill at all.

Historical Note: I don't know where you were at when snipers were shooting on the freeways, but being that one of those freeways is walking distance from where I am writing this post right now, and I had to drive it during the attacks, YES I ACTUALLY DO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE DID. I WAS A PEOPLE. LOL. I can tell you that our "whole planet" actually did go on a sniper hunt. We actually had 2 snipers at one point making their own separate attacks. Also, trust me, you would rather brave the snipers than try to get cross town on surface streets alone, so you throw those dice. Yup, just like Bosnia in the 1990's. or London during the Blitz...

Your city went on a manhunt with state and federal aid. No cops in Tokyo were actively looking for the snipers.

This post was not a "How to make the bestest ever combat build using psionics" post. This was a "hey this psionic thingie may be used in a way not intended" post. So sure. You go Marine. Semper-space-Fi!

I am pretty sure that almost every mechanic, in every rules-based RPG ever made, was not used as intended, but as written from time to time.

 

[Yenaldlooshi]

Your city went on a manhunt with state and federal aid. No cops in Tokyo were actively looking for the snipers.

I said "OUR".... "whole planet" with quotes around "whole planet" meaning the entire world to us who were affected. Not your whole planet. Not Japan's whole planet. Think rhetorical. If someone says "my whole world fell apart", they don't literally mean the earth itself disintegrated in orbit.

I swear it's like talking to Drax the Destroyer... and before you say it, I know you are not actually Drax!

.... on second thought, maybe that was confusing wording. If you heard me say it out loud though, it would have made sense.

 

[Terry Mixon]

 

[Condottiere]

Surprise tends to be fatal.