Stutterport

[robject]

This is a version of the Teleportation rules for Traveller psionics. It first showed up in T5.00, but is inspired of course by 2300AD's _Stutterwarp_ drive.

Stutterport. It is possible for an operator to continu-ously teleport an object over a series of very small distances.

To Stutterport
Range (nD) < Constant + Direct - Size
Each action takes 1/C3 seconds (Endurance-7 allows seven actions per second).

EXAMPLE.

Rogue Ank Lagash 777B77 (CP=9, Direct-9, Teleport-9) climbs aboard a slab of rock (Size=6) and concentrates. He needs to roll (9+9–6)=12 or less on 2D which is automatic. The slab moves about 50 meters instantaneously; he keeps concentrating, and the slab moves another 50 meters in the same direction. Ank could keep this up all day long (he thinks), but after perhaps 21 of this short teleports (Check Endurance each time), he feels a wave of fatigue and grounds the slab. He has moved about (21 teleports of 50 meters each) = 1,050 meters; each teleport controlling thought took about a seventh of a second: the slab had an effective speed of (21teleports / 7 ) = 3 seconds; (1,050 meters / 3 seconds) = 350 meters per second.

 

[whartung]

Is this easier than normal teleport? Is there a reason to teleport something 20 times vs just once to the destination?

(Are there rules for when that slab of rock teleports into the middle of a AFV that Just So Happened to be there?)

 

[The Pakkrat]

By this logic, the same can be attempted with The Touch. Rather than trying to heal all the characteristic damage in one very difficult attempt, try healing one or two characteristic points at a time over several applications. Each is extremely easy and effective when one has the time to attempt each psionic heal.

Telekinesis in the same manner. I have seen a power Telekinetic walk up to a Size-7 starship, lay claws on it and move the entire ship 1.5 meters without breaking a sweat. Apply that over several tries, and you can place the Object wherever you like if you have the time to devote.

 

[Grav_Moped]

(Are there rules for when that slab of rock teleports into the middle of a AFV that Just So Happened to be there?)

We're already handwaving the air moleciles that are at the hop destinations.... which isn't necessary when considering a space drive that's used, well, in space.

That said, it's either nothing (frantic handwave), 'kaboom,' or the AFV gets incorporated into the rock and is dragged along for the rest of the ride. Probably not tidily, either, in that last case.

 

[Talifon]

If Ank were to repeatedly teleport the rock upwards and let the planet's gravity take over he could weaponize this power by then dropping it on a building once it has accumulated enough velocity. If he needed to stay in physical contact with the slab while teleporting it, he just needs a parachute, jet pack, gray-belt, et cetera to make his escape.

 

[whartung]

That said, it's either nothing (frantic handwave), 'kaboom,' or the AFV gets incorporated into the rock and is dragged along for the rest of the ride. Probably not tidily, either, in that last case.

I wouldn't have a problem with a nice, AFV interior shaped chunk of rock suddenly appearing in the crew compartment. That would be amusing.

 

[Grav_Moped]

How does 2300 handle collisions? I seem to recall (but it's only what I picked up secodhand) that one thing keeping stutterwarp ships from landing on their drives is that they'd fall farther than their teleport range between teleports after a short while in a hover. Might be wrong about that in those rules, but it would definitely be an issue with psionic teleportation. While you could "apply windage" or "lead'" the payload upward at each hop, it'd rapidly gain a downward vector.

 

[whulorigan]

How does 2300 handle collisions? I seem to recall (but it's only what I picked up secodhand) that one thing keeping stutterwarp ships from landing on their drives is that they'd fall farther than their teleport range between teleports after a short while in a hover. Might be wrong about that in those rules, but it would definitely be an issue with psionic teleportation. While you could "apply windage" or "lead'" the payload upward at each hop, it'd rapidly gain a downward vector.

Tunnelling length for Stutterwarp in 2300AD is compressed by gravity, first at about 0.0001g, and then again at about 0.1g, in each case reducing effective pseudo-velocity (in the first instance to below lightspeed, but still very fast, and in the second to just enough to do orbital corrections, but not much more).

Stutterwarp tunnel length at greater than 0.1g is too small to effectively counteract gravitational acceleration.