Post/Author/DateTime	Post
AwsomeSauce 01-10-08, 04:57 PM	I posted this not to long ago on the "House Rules" board. Someone was asking about having an object that works like the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device work in DnD. I came up with a power to the best of my ability to fit the ASHPD. Portal Psychoportation Level: Psion/Wilder 6th Display: Visual, see text Manifesting Time: One immediate action Range: 40 feet Target: One flat, nonmoving surface, see text Duration: One hour Cost: 11 pp You extend your hand towards the wall. A blue ball of ectoplasm shoots forth from it, and impacts a flat surface and a shifting oval of ectoplasm is left in its wake. You then fire an orange ball at the ground before you, and hope into the resulting hole. You “fall” out of the blue portal, and travel back and forth freely. You may create one blue and one orange portal on any flat surface. A portal may not exist on a moving or non-flat surface, or a metallic or liquid surface. The surface your portal is resting on is disintegrated, the portal disintegrates with it. When looking into a portal, a creature can see where it leads. There is a small amount of space between portals. A DC 15 Balance check is required to stand on this space. The any creature the size of the manifester may fir through a portal Blue portals always link to orange ones, and vice-versa. Any creature or object of medium or smaller size may enter through a blue or orange portal, and drop, hop, or be “flinged” (see below) out the opposite. Entering a portal does not count as an action, unless you must move to reach said portal. Portals conserve momentum. For every ten miles per hour an object is moving when it enters a portal, it will be launched out that distance. For example, if an object falls into a portal at 50 mph, it will fly out the 50 feet. When manifesting this power, you must immediately fire either the blue or orange portal at a flat surface. A portal fired at a non-flat, moving, or metal surface will not be created, but you may attempt to fire it again at any time. After firing your first portal, you may take any amount of actions before firing the second. The second portal must be fired within one hour of the first. This prevents portals created across vast distances. If you manifest this power and create two portals, then wish to relocate one of your portals, you manifest this power again at half the cost, but you may only manifest one portal. A portal may not exist into an anti-magic or anti-psionic field. If one attempts to fire a portal into an anti-psionic or anti-magic area, the ball of ectoplasm dissipates and the portal is not created. When you create a portal, your portals are linked to you and you only. This means that if another creature manifests this power, your blue portal may not link to their orange portal. The manifester knows when looking at it if a portal “his” or was manifested by another. Any creature or object may enter any portal, regardless of who created it. As a free action, the manifester may cause a portal to appear as an ectoplasmic puddle. A portal has no adverse affects to a creature it was fired at. The ball of ectoplasm passes through the creature. The creature feels only a minor nauseating feeling. This lasts for only a few seconds and does not affect the creature in any way. A portal may, however, be created on a creature with a large enough flat, nonmetal surface on its body. A portal may be fired at the feet of a creature to attempt to drop it in. A creature is given a reflex save with a DC equal to the manifester’s level + intelligence modifier. Ray, cone, and missile powers (or spells) may be fired through a portal. Area spells or powers may not have their target as an area on the other side of a portal. Augment: For every additional power point you spend on this power, you may increase the range by 10 feet.
Fatalis_902 01-10-08, 09:22 PM	Interesting, but I see three flaws in the power as written ignoring the general idea (which I like). The first is the cost. A 6th-level power costs 11 PP, not 2. No power costs 2 PP without augmentation or meta-psionics being applied to it. The second is the portals themselves. How big are they? Medium-sized, which would allow any creature of medium size or smaller to enter? Bigger? Smaller? Dependant on the Manifester? Specicfy a size for the portals, maybe add an augment option to allow for resizing of the portal. Third is the duration of the portals. How long do they last? Might I suggest rectifying this and the first issue at once. Give the manifester the ability to create a limited number of portals, say 10-14, and make them last, say, 1 minute/ML. That could work effectively. The rest is fine.
Tempest Stormwind 01-10-08, 10:11 PM	Here's my take. Riftmaker Psychoportation Level: Psion 6, Nomad 5 Display: Vi (see text) Manifesting time: 1 standard action Range: Personal (See text) Target: You Save: None and Reflex Negates, see text Duration: 1 minute Power points: Psion 11, Nomad 9 You gain the ability to project portals (temporary stable gates between two points) for the duration of the power. Projecting a portal is a swift action. When you project a portal, choose its display to be either blue or orange, close all of your portals of that color, and make a ranged touch attack as if throwing a splash weapon with a range increment of 20 feet. If it hits a flat fixed surface at least 5 feet square, a portal of the corresponding color opens, large enough for a Medium creature. If you attempt to open a portal on a surface where a Medium or smaller creature is standing (or holding on to the wall, or hanging from, or similar), that creature can make a Reflex save to quickly switch its stance away from the portal; if this save fails it slips through. Portals of opposite colors (for instance, blue and orange) connect to each other. Each portal provides line of sight (but not line of effect) to the other. If you share a space with a portal or are adjacent to one and the portal is large enough, any creature can use a free action to pass between it and its partner. Larger creatures can squeeze through the portal as if it were a narrow passage between two squares. Any object passing through one portal emerges from the other exactly as if the portals were connected physically. You cannot end your turn within a portal; if you end your turn in the same space as a portal, pick a side to emerge. [Insert special case ruling here on portals on the floor or ceiling. If you want simplicity, just say that portals can only be opened on the walls.] Portals are considered Psychoportation (Teleportation) effects, and they close if the object they are attached to moves or is damaged. You can close an open portal you created as a free action. When the power ends, all open portals you created close. Augment: You can augment this power in one or more of the following ways: 1) If you spend 4 additional power points, you can choose to open yellow or purple portals as well as blue and orange. If you spend 8 additional power points, you can choose to open blue, orange, red or green portals. Only opposite-colored portals (blue/orange, yellow/purple, red/green) connect to each other. 2) If you spend 4 additional power points, you can create Large portals, provided you hit a 10' square area. If you spend 6 additional power points, the portals increase to Huge, but require a 15' square area. If one of a matching pair of portals is open, its mate must be the same size. 3) For every 2 additional power points you spend (including those spent to achieve earlier augments), the power lasts an additional 1 minute. (DC is purposefully non-augmentable. Power was balanced against Inconstant Location.)
Kanachi 01-11-08, 11:28 AM	Nice! I like your design tempest, though don’t forget that you should maintain your momentum as well (as should anything else, including objects). You should really be able to fire projectiles through them as well. Also, to be honest... written "as is" i don’t see why it costs quite so many power points, don’t forget Dimensional hop is a first level power that lets you travel a short distance and while this allows you to travel at greater distances its not equivalent to long range teleportation spell/power. Also don’t forget that these portals work both ways, so your foes can use them against you as well with equal effectiveness, sure if your stupid with your placement of them you deserve to get punished but even if your clever the risk still exists (perhaps a cheep augment to bar entrance to those you who aren’t your allies?). There is however (ignoring what I just wrote above) a potential to use these as an insta-kill machine. If you place a blue portal upon the ground on which someone is standing and then another upon the side of a tall clock tower, for example, you will instantly cause someone fall damage with no save (add a reflex save to negate entry perhaps?). Also (yet another potential issue) is that its important to state that you can’t fire a portal into a body of liquid. Mind you… what would happen if you parted an ocean (I’m sure there are numerous ways of doing this) and fired a portal into its unwatered sea bed before then firing the conjoining portal into the same clock tower mentioned before. Now then, what would happen if you then removed your restriction upon the ocean’s waters? would you flood the land or sink the ocean? Surely such an event would be catastrophic in the wrong hands (though obviously not necessarily that simple to pull off)? Oh and finally is there a maximum distance any two portals can be from one another? These aren’t supposed to be complaints, just things that popped into my head, so please don’t take any offence.
AwsomeSauce 01-11-08, 03:46 PM	Interesting, but I see three flaws in the power as written ignoring the general idea (which I like). The first is the cost. A 6th-level power costs 11 PP, not 2. No power costs 2 PP without augmentation or meta-psionics being applied to it. The second is the portals themselves. How big are they? Medium-sized, which would allow any creature of medium size or smaller to enter? Bigger? Smaller? Dependant on the Manifester? Specicfy a size for the portals, maybe add an augment option to allow for resizing of the portal. Third is the duration of the portals. How long do they last? Might I suggest rectifying this and the first issue at once. Give the manifester the ability to create a limited number of portals, say 10-14, and make them last, say, 1 minute/ML. That could work effectively. The rest is fine. Thanks for the input, Fatalis. 1) As I said, I'm not that good with levels and such. I suppose eleven power points on the dot is more reasonable: It must take a deal of energy for the ASHPD to produce the portals. 2) I suppose the size varies by the creature. Might as well edit that in as well. 3) I thought I said something about duration. 1 hour, I believe? Also, one could edit the power to only work on certain surfaces, such as, I don't know, gold or silver. That way it can only be used in the situation that calls for it.
Traverse 01-11-08, 08:53 PM	Wow, these are great additions to the House Rules post! And while I like your newest version, AwesomeSauce, Tempest's has really hit home with the 'making it DnD'. *applause for everyone*
InkBlot 01-12-08, 12:59 AM	In previous editions, didn't plain ol' dimension door work a lot like the portal gun? Anyway, I've got to try my hand at this: Aperture, Psionic Psychoportation (Teleportation) Level: Freedom 5, Nomad 5 Display: Auditory and visual (see text) Manifesting time: 1 standard action Range: 10 feet/level Effect: 5-ft.-diameter circle that teleports those who step through it Saving Throw: None and Reflex Negates, see text Duration: 1 minute (D) Power points: 9 You create two glowing circles on the wall, or other flat solid surface, which teleport, as psionic dimension door, any creatures who step into them to the other circle. At any time, as a standard action, you can dismiss either circle and recreate it on another surface within range of the remaining circle. The power fails if you attempt to set either circle under water or other liquid. The inside of each dimension circle is transparent, allowing you to see out of it's mate like a window. The circles provide both line of sight and line of effect through each other. Both physical attacks and powers pass through the circles, although creatures larger than the circles are may have cover. If you create one of the dimension circles under a medium creature, it may attempt a Reflex save to avoid falling through. If the save is successful, it can immediately move away to avoid falling (this counts against it's movement on it's next turn). Augment: For every 4 additional power points you spend the diameter of each circle increases by 5 feet, allowing you to drop a creature one size category larger, and increasing the save DC to avoid falling through by +2. edit: D'oh! Fixed the range. My intent was 10 feet of falling per level, aka 1d6 falling damage per level, and my sleep deprived brain originally parsed that as medium range (100ft + 10ft/level). Also, I'm unsure about augmenting the save DC.
Lycanthromancer 01-12-08, 12:16 PM	Shouldn't that be Aperture Science? "We do what we must, because we can!"
InkBlot 01-12-08, 01:11 PM	http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x149/Gnomick/Foghorn-1.gif That's the joke... I say, that's the joke, son.
vegetalss4 01-12-08, 03:16 PM	sip The surface your portal is resting on is disintegrated, the portal disintegrates with it. sip dont you mean IF the surface your portal is resting on is disintegrated, the portal disintegrates with it? as i stands now this power is just a strange disnitergrate
AwsomeSauce 01-13-08, 04:44 PM	dont you mean IF the surface your portal is resting on is disintegrated, the portal disintegrates with it? as i stands now this power is just a strange disnitergrate Yeah, your right. God I hate typos. With a seething passion.