Topic: Dodging and Energy Dispersal Psychic Abilities Questions

[Erik Sharma]

This evening when a player of mine started to create SM:P character. We came across the Psychic*Mind  Over Matter abilities that got us stumped.
Dodging and Energy Dispersal. Both have Range:Self and Area of Effect:1 attack (energy).
The description clearly states that you must be aware of the attack to be able to use the power. This led us to belive that those abilities where some kind of reaction type ability, but after reserching the rules we found nothing some form of reaction Psychic usage. That make me do the assumption that these abilities are only effective taken as a opportunity action since you don't know who will shoot at you in the declaration phase (no target for the ability).

 I for one feel that this limits these powers alot, since you have to lock up an 75% action when you can do something else like easily get to cover with a fast paced move.

Have I misunderstood something och missed something completely? Feel free to help me understand things.

[Defendi]

I don't have the books in front of me (and I wrote that in 1996).  Are they instantaneous powers?  Someone?

[Erik Sharma]

Checking the books I can't find any mention about any powers being instantaneous.

But reading on SM:P p79:

Emplying powers works a little bit differently than most actions in the battle sequence. The actual use of a psychic power require no preparation time. As soon as a psychic wishes to utilize a power he may. That is not to say, howwever, that the use of a psychic power does not extraxt a price.

Makes me wonder that maybe it's so that despite not having declared an action as long as he has atleast 75% activity left and the situation arise he can activate the power if he wishes and ofcourse loose later declared actions. After all he just need to wish for it.

[Schwarz]

dodge:

No its an utility psion that requires a movement maneuver to avoid the attack. Looks like it is supposed to replace a melee maneuver.

dispersal:
energy, adds to db against energy, highermagnitude allows to defend against more then one attack. Also looks like a defense maneuver designed to replace a combat maneuver.

[Erik Sharma]

I don't really see your point. The point was is it really worth spending 75% action and getting the refraction time (which makes you even more vulnerable) or spending 75-100% on a non-psi defense like taking cover or blocking with something.
 If it is as Defendi posted that some abilities is supposed to be instant taking 10% to activate it would make much more sense. But as I posted earlier can't find any references about any powers being instant so I hope it's just a miss.

[Schwarz]

i Havent seen instant powers either.

At level 1 the refraction isn't worth it. at level 7 you wont have that refraction time with dodge (magnitude 1 is sufficiant) and you can avoid the attack completly, if the maneuver is a success.

Energy dispersal can work against multiple attacks, ie you can use it at level 7 with no refract against one attack, level 12 two ,17 three and so on.

This isn't a power that is supposed to be used at level 1.

I do not think that some powers are meant as instant. Regarding the explanation of how psi works something like instant spells aren't psossible.

Improving positional advantages is always better then just standing around and tanking, the 25% allow to get past a gap that is under suppression fire or dodge a trap ( i would allow an alertness roll in that case, to see if the psychic is gets aware of the attack fast enough).

The power isn't useless, it is just not meant to be used like a deflect spell.

[Erik Sharma]

I do see you point and after checking through the rules I realised that agains firearms or energy weapons there is only 2 other ways to get a bonus to DB one is to take cover and the other is to take the cover with you (by the use of shields).

But you are incorrect on the magnitude of the Dodge.
Magnitude 1 is only enough to Dodge a punch and against a punch you are still better of doing a parry unless you have really crappy OB.
 To dodge a Firearm you need Magnitude 10 and to dodge a Energy Weapon you need Magnitude 15.
Not your average day joe magnitudes and to be able to do it without refraction you need to be Level 16 and 21 respectively.
And this also supports the idea the ability is used as an opportunity action since you don't know what attacks will be made at you during declaration Phase and you do have to know the type of the attack to scale the ability.
This brings question back to the beginning why waste 75% on an action that might or might not use when instead you can do anything else and be sure you do it for those 75%. If it where a instant 10% action you put on opportunity it might be worth it.

Most deflect spells in spell law are instantaneous costing only 10% and if you think preparation time is equal to the refraction time in reverse it should't even have that either. But in my opinion having no refraction time would be stretching it after all the bonuses are quite good.
 
 And even with Energy Dispersal magnitude 1 you get only +5 DB and for every 5 extra magnitudes it applies against one extra attack. I still think it's not worth it for a 75% action against 1 attack but thats my opinion and no use arguing about that.
 
 Overall when compared to the psychic shields even though they give lesser DB bonuses they are maintainable and thus in my opionion are far more superior abilities since after you have activated them you can maintain them by just using a 10% concentrate maneuver for as long as you have MPs. For example a Magnitude 10 Psychokinetic Wall gives a DB +20 and Cost only 10 MPs to activate and to maintain it costs only 10% (1 MP) every round. Considering that the average Psychic from the Master Character Table has about 83 MPs that gives him an ability to keep it up during most combat durations and take the refraction after the combat. This even makes it possible to raise the shield just before a combat if you got time to prepare.

A 10th Magnitude dodge must be directed against 1 attack and can only protect against Firearms/Projectile, or worse and he has to make an Extremely Hard maneuver to get the number subtracted from that 1 attack. Although an average lvl 10 Psychic should make that roll with ease and get an average of -100 on that one attack. But then again he has to deal with the refraction for the following 2 rounds preventing him to do any serious actions.

A 10th Magnitude Energy Dispersal can be any combination of +25 DB against 2 Attacks or +50 against 1 Attack compared to the shield the bonus is almost as great if you want to protect against more than one attacks. Which makes this ability most useful against 1 attack, but still you sacrifice 75% of you action that round and leaving you vulnerable the following 2 rounds (remember even if you just walk you still have to roll a maneuver roll during refraction).

One option I could agree on if you where to consider Energy Dispersal and Dodge as latent abilities. Which would mean that you activate the ability on yourself as a 75% action and there it lies latent on the psychic until an attack occurs that the psychic chooses to target, then he activates the ability as normal with the skill roll being made since you know the type of attack and refraction coming into play from the next round after the attack as normal. That would atleast make the abilities somewhat useful.
Or atleast something similar ruleswise.