Re: [HOE] City o' Sin: Blessing o' the Atom: Brainiac: Kineticist

[Matt and Teresa Steflik <grifflik@stny.rr.com>]

Theo wrote:

> For the Brainiac: Kineticist mutation, why can't the mutie lift
> himself?
> It seems kind of odd that, if he were strong enough, he could lift
> someone
> else but not himself. To get really silly, what if he stood on a
> surfboard
> and lifted it?

That was one of my many mutations, Theo.  The point was that I wanted to
do a mental mutation that mimicked TK while not being as powerful
overall.  Let's compare.

A Syker's Telekinesis can move an object with a strength equal to his
Spirit 20 yards per blastin' level at a Pace equal to his blastin'
level, can do fine manipulation with his Knowledge die type, can lift
himself and/or slow his own fall.  All this for 3 points for the Syker
background, 1 point for the power, and (for effectiveness) decent dice
in his Spirit and points in blastin' (and of course the requirement of
spending strain).

Now compare that to the Kineticist mutation.  Just to get the mutation
you have to pay 3 for the Blessings of the Atom edge, find a source of
radiation, expose yourself and meditate for 1d10 hours, make an Onerous
Vigor roll, spend 5 bounty points just to get level 1 and have decent
dice in Smarts (my original intent was that you couldn't buy these
mutations during initial character creation, but if your marshal wants
to offer it as an option "do as thou wilt").  Once you've got it, you
can use it to move an object the range at a strength equal to your
Smarts (must make a successful Smarts roll vs. its weight to lift) 10
yards per mutation level or throw it with a Deftness of XdY (X =
mutation level, Y = Smarts die type).  And that's it.  You can't lift
yourself, you can't slow your fall, you can't do fine manipulation, and
your range to move stuff isn't as good.  Sure you don't have to spend
strain, but its not as flexible, and IMO not as powerful.  So, anyway -
to get to your direct question "why can't a kineticist lift
himself"...because he can't.  I didn't want the option as part of the
power.  Matt's contributed explanation of:

> Just because this power can push a thing without touching it doesn't
> mean the wielder doesn't need contact with the earth (or some other
> large mass) to push *against*.  That way you can still conserve
> momentum,

works as well (thanks Matt). Perhaps I should have added the detail that
the power could only be focused on one object at a time, and that it
required concentration to maintain the effect. That pretty much fits
with how I wanted the thing to work.  Does that help?  I get the digest
of the list, so if Teller sounded off on this already, my apologies. :-)

Matt Steflik
Gimme Shelter - http://www.geocities.com/grifflik