Telekinesis and free action

[David]

Howdy folks,

So, after much debate, I'm thinking of ruling (permanently) that someone with free action cannot be affected by telekinesis against their will, as that would impede the free-acted person's movement abilities. Thoughts?

[Admin]

I absolutely agree with this rule... telekinesis specifically hinders movement and "forces" character/object/etc to move in a way that is not under their control. Free Action specifically allows characters to not be hindered or held (hold person, movement in water, web spells, slow, etc..).

My VERY dusty protest sign will now be put away in regards to this particular issue

[Jenn G]

yes, that makes sense to me as well.

[sgeorge1701]

david said:

Howdy folks,

So, after much debate, I'm thinking of ruling (permanently) that someone with free action cannot be affected by telekinesis against their will, as that would impede the free-acted person's movement abilities. Thoughts?

Counter-question:

Can someone under the effects of a "Hold Person" use telekenetics or other psionics?

Steve

[sgeorge1701]

david said:

Howdy folks,

So, after much debate, I'm thinking of ruling (permanently) that someone with free action cannot be affected by telekinesis against their will, as that would impede the free-acted person's movement abilities. Thoughts?

Hmmmmm, you have said many times that Psionics are distinct from Magic and that Psionics are like Science.

Now the effects of "free action" over-ride those of normal science (moving underwater is a great example). If you go this route - a TK attack on someone's muscles would be deflected by the magic (since the magic affects the real world physics) - However, the TK could still lob rocks at the "free acting" enemy.

Now, how does "Pass without a trace" work in regards to the real world? Are they altering their physics to not leave footprints etc? Or are they stepping into a parallell dimension so not to leave a physical path in *this* world?

Alternately, If you have an "illusion" that *successfully* attacts the "free actor" they would be effectively limited by the successful illusion (Super-sticky mud for example).

Can psionics affect the BRAIN and get the muscles to listen to the Altered Brain commands and have the body slow due to a round about effect?

Not sure...

Steve

[Andy]

I'll take a shot at this.

Magic and Psionics are two different disciplines, definitely seperate, definitely abiding by different laws, but often having the same effect. To blur things slightly, there are magical results from spells which mimic traditional psionic disciplines, although not the opposite very often.

The spell 'Free Action' is based (as magic is) in definition, not in scientific reality. So it can protect against a wide variety of things (mud, Bob sitting on your head, Spiderman's webs, Elmer's Glue, Death Star Tractor beams, Hold Person, etc) without worrying necessarily how it prevents these things from affecting those protected by the spell. It's particularly interesting with TK since TK's effect (whether spell or psionic) can be variable -- can the mage help the 'Free Acted' character up after he fell down? Seems reasonable. Another character could just as easily help him up after he fell over by offering his hand. However, if you tried to hold him down with hands or TK, and the character doesn't want to be held down, that's another matter.

To take it a step further, one could envision a mage TK-ing a willing character up in the air, but the spell slipping off them once the character decides that they don't want to be up there anymore. Hilarious... I'd guess David would have some shortcut to make odd situations like that more consistant though.

As per the exact mechanics how a spell functions, luckily we don't often have to worry about that, but for mental-masturbation's sake one could envision a variety of special effects depending upon who is casting it (Druid, Mage, Incantar, Sorcerer, Witch, Cleric) and what the situation is. A Druid casting 'Pass without Trace' might envoke his god to move the bushes, branches, thorns and mud out of the way then back again...or perhaps nature's own 'spirit' just lets them move themselves as a sign of good will to the Druid's nature-ness. If a mage researched 'Pass without Trace' certainly some dimentional or intra-planar effect would be reasonable. I'd guess similarly, 'Free Action' might have different components, but might work at a more karmaic level, altering the properties of the effect (No, glue is not sticky...not to me, not now) in perspective to those protected by it.

Now all of these are affecting physical properties and therby scientific reality.

On the other hand if you contact someone's brain directly (e.g. a Spectral Force, Mental Domination, etc), that's bypassing the physical and getting their brain mislead their body somehow. In those cases, Free Action notwithstanding, the person is stuck. I personally find Illusions quite entertaining -- making an illusion a person was bound in chains, particularly if they know they have free action, and the illsion would be easily foiled. Make an illusion that someone is in a 5'x5'x5' cage on the other hand, or standing on a large rock in the middle of a raging bonfire (assuming they fail a save), and they are stuck.

Anyway, the important thing seems to be the physical manifestation vs. the mental component.