[Warp] Modelling warp travel

[Heimdallr]

Well this might belong in the RPG or Rogue Trader section, but anyways:

What I envision is that the Warpdrives would take care of the "transition" to and from the Warp (regardless of Navigators). After that a Navigator can basically guide the ship to a desired destination; GURPS Powers comes to mind here with the usage of a "Warp-Travel" Power with "Jumper" or "Warp" as it's main ability. In this case the Power (Warp Travel) only has one Ability (Jumper/Warp) with enough limitations to bring it beyond the -80% threshold: Psionic [-5%]; Special Portal (WarpDrive) [-50% to -60%]; Traveling in space past "Warp Jump-Point [-40%]; etc. In the end you get:

Warp Navigation [20 points] +5 points/level
Each level would give you a +1 on your IQ test  to succeed the jump. Standard preparation-time for a jump would be 8 hours+ (giving a +10 bonus), while negative mods would be -17 for 1 ly, -18 for 10 ly, -19 for 100 ly, etc. In this case high levels of Talent (minimum of level 7) will be essential for successful Warp Navigation, bringing the standard cost to ~55 points. Now the Warp Coefficient would come into play by adding additional negative modifiers (Warp 0 is -0, Warp 0.1 is -1, Warp 0.2 is -2, etc).

...just some basic thoughts here of-course

[Kage2020]

Treating it as a Power gets my vote, Heimdallr.  Originally I was going to suggest that they might be better if integrated with the psyker rules, but Navigators certainly do deserve to get some breaks from the psyker crutch.

With that said, I'm not sure that you've "nailed it" with your description and breakdown.  Both "Jumper" and "Warp" seem to imply an active ability to open portals that, despite the implications in Farseer, do not seem part and parcel of the abilities of a Navigator.  Thus I would lump the ability of the Navigator to guide a ship through the warp to be a part of the Clairsentience ability.  As you say, though, it needs some fairly hefty modifications.

In essence, the effect is not that different, but the journey to that effect is.  Rather than implying that the Navigator is the engine, you imply that they are the eyes, or perhaps the headlights ().

Additional abilities would include an Innate Attack and, perhaps, Affliction.  Whether the abilities of the Heir Apparent are modeled here or not is another question.

Kage

[Heimdallr]

Well I went to my old Rogue Trader "40k bible" and Clairsentience seems more appropriate indeed; In this case you could use the base Clairsentience Advantage with the -10% psionics limitation, plus a -70% Navigator (Warp-only & needs starship) limitation; then a distance multiplier enhancement (levels 45-60) +450% to +600% giving:

Warp Navigation [185] +10 points/level
Base level gives a “view-distance” of 1 light year; level 2 gives 2 light years; level 3 is 5 light years; level 4 is 10 light years; level 5 is 20 light years; and so on in an exponential increase, up to level 16 which gives a distance of 100,000 light years! Each level would also act as a talent bonus giving +1 per level to the skill roll; alternatively you could separate distance and talent levels (each being 5 points per level), to differentiate between raw-power and skill level. Naturally a Navigator could extend his base range with increased fatigue costs.

Additional abilities would include an Innate Attack and, perhaps, Affliction.

From the original source (Rogue Trader) it states that Navigators only have one-and-only special ability (Warp Navigation)... not that we should be limited to that of-course

Other non-psionic abilities could include Sanitized Metabolism [1], and possibly up to several levels of Unnatural Features [-1/level] (transparent skin, large eyes, large hands/feet, webbed-fingers); but each Navigator would be different and only the most exotic ones will have all these features. And of-course this is not counting all the appropriate social disadvantages, such as Social Stigma (Navigator) [-5] or Reputation for instance.

[Kage2020]

In this case you could use the base Clairsentience Advantage with the -10% psionics limitation, plus a -70% Navigator (Warp-only & needs starship) limitation; then a distance multiplier enhancement (levels 45-60) +450% to +600% giving... [snip]

I don't think that you need the "Warp Only" and "Needs Starship" limitation, since to see into the warp this is not necessary (c.f. Vitali Googol from Watson's Inquisitor, and more appropriately Harlequin).  With that said, "Warp based" meaning that they can only use their ability for those distances in the warp is definitely an 'in,' which is probably what you were talking about in the first place.

Range... Yowzers, that increases price of the ability rather sharpish.  Perhaps not unreasonably, but in meta-gaming terms it is a rather expensive ability for something that is going to have little impact on most peoples' games.  Hmmn... Of course, that's just a GM consideration (i.e. what to allow "for free") rather than a GURPS Powers modelling issue.

Talent and Skill... I'm very keen on the idea of the use of "Astrography" as the skill, with the Talent being, well, native wit/talent.  I know that GURPS discusses this as an option and I've been exploring the possibility with reference to the GRT psyker system (which progresses beyond what I have been bothered to type up on the forums!).

Base level gives a “view-distance” of 1 light year; level 2 gives 2 light years; level 3 is 5 light years; level 4 is 10 light years; level 5 is 20 light years; and so on in an exponential increase, up to level 16 which gives a distance of 100,000 light years!

Hmmn... I would cap it at 5 or so myself...

From the original source (Rogue Trader) it states that Navigators only have one-and-only special ability (Warp Navigation)... not that we should be limited to that of-course

We do, however, have additional information from Graeme McNeill's version of Navigators from the Inquisitor article.  The idea that they can be a bit more like "psychic vampires" does have some interesting implications...

Other non-psionic abilities could include Sanitized Metabolism [1], and possibly up to several levels of Unnatural Features [-1/level] (transparent skin, large eyes, large hands/feet, webbed-fingers); but each Navigator would be different and only the most exotic ones will have all these features.

That would definitely be interesting to explore...

Kage

[Heimdallr]

With that said, "Warp based" meaning that they can only use their ability for those distances in the warp is definitely an 'in,' which is probably what you were talking about in the first place.

Well I'm starting to question the use of "range" at all... after all, simply being able to see into the Warp might be sufficient to navigate in it. In any case this would reduce the limitations to psionics -10% and Navigator (Warp-based) -60%, and getting rid of the distance multiplier enhancement.

Now, as you suggested, Astrography (a VH skill I would presume) would be used to navigate proper in the Warp with Warp Navigation as a prerequisite; appropriate DRM could then be applied for distance, Warp coefficient, base Power level, and distance from Astronomican (or Psychic Beacon)...

[Kage2020]

Well I'm starting to question the use of "range" at all... after all, simply being able to see into the Warp might be sufficient to navigate in it.

Exactly!  It is a passive, rather than active, ability.  It is one of the reasons that I posted this little ditty in the "warp travel" article:

"How does one describe the Astronomican and our relationship to it? I have heard many explanations for it, but it is from an archaic, pre-Imperium poem that provided me the most accurate statement:

'Music heard so deeply that it is not heard at all, but you are the music while the musics lasts.'

We can see with our pineal eye, true, but it is the feel of the Astronomican that truly guides us. We are mutants, they say, but we are more truly touched by the spirit of the Emperor than by those that slander against us."

In any case this would reduce the limitations to psionics -10% and Navigator (Warp-based) -60%, and getting rid of the distance multiplier enhancement.

Is it a limitation or an enhancement, though?  I can see a justification for it breaking even.

Now, as you suggested, Astrography (a VH skill I would presume) would be used to navigate proper in the Warp with Warp Navigation as a prerequisite; appropriate DRM could then be applied for distance, Warp coefficient, base Power level, and distance from Astronomican (or Psychic Beacon)...

With the caveat, of course, that Astrography can also be used by cogitators...

Kage

[Heimdallr]

Is it a limitation or an enhancement, though?

Well without the range enhancement that would indeed make sense, giving the ability a base cost of 45 points. But how about using Scanning Sense (Warp-Vision) instead; somewhat akin to Para-Radar it would enable a Navigator to simply "see" the Warp as an innate function, since it is basically a mutation (no psionics limitation). Cost would be 60 points assuming the No Intercept enhancement, 40 points otherwise.

[Kage2020]

My initial reaction is that does make a whole lot more sense.  I'll take a gander at Characters and Powers...

This is not a one line post.

Edit: Seriously, this is not a one line post, even if it took me a bit of time to get there.

Scanning Sense is far more active than I would personally have it.  I'm going to take a gander through the advantages to see if something else pops out at me.  Possibilities include:

• 3D Spatial Sense w/Requires Signal (Astronomican).
• Clairsentience (again, ick).
• Detect at the 20 point level.
• Oracle, coupled with Acute Sense (Vision)?
• Penetrating Vision might be appropriate in places...?
• Scanning Sense w/Para Radar (but see above).
• Wild Talent (a huge stretch).
  
  

Kage

[Heimdallr]

3D Spatial Sense w/Requires Signal (Astronomican): maybe a special enhancement extra-dimensional +100% would work?

Detect at the 20 point level: looks promising... would need the Precise & Signal Detection (Astronomican/Psychic Beacon) enhancements.

Oracle, coupled with Acute Sense (Vision): seems too lengthy, more suited to a ritualistic interpretation.

Scanning Sense w/Para Radar (but see above): nod, however the No Intercept enhancement makes it "un-active" (in that it cannot be intercepted).

...naturally we are just playing with point costs at this point  But it is nice to keep things consistent.

[Kage2020]

...naturally we are just playing with point costs at this point  But it is nice to keep things consistent.

Well, that's true.  I wonder which one you prefer, though?

Kage

[Heimdallr]

I'd go for the most expansive one, simply because it is a pretty unusual trait  ...or couple it with Unusual Background if the Advantage used seems "cheap". Overall though I'd be happy using either Clairsentience (making it more mystical), or Scanning Sense (making it more "mundane", as in a mutation); both are appropriately expansive.

[Kage2020]

Then it comes down to implications, in which case "Scanning Sense" seems to the be most obvious one.  I'll take a gander and see what I might come up with...

Kage