Whither Portamancy?

[Mrmdubois]

Ok, I know there are some inherent problems with teleporting, like border values and thresh holds, but it still seems to me like it would be a viable method of transportation.

Line of sight should be relatively easy, though I imagine even a glass front store presents a problem to teleporting into the store since the window counts as a border.  If you're willing to do that ritual though...

For long distance The way I see it working best for casters is simply to set up relay beacons using enchanted item slots.  This is possibly feasible for locations you have never been, as well, if you have some means of getting a marker into position, allies, more magic, what have you.

It also seems plausible by messing with connections between the mortal realm and the Nevernever, I site the Gatekeeper and Odin as examples.  Maybe as an advanced application of opening a Way.

In combat, could a maneuver be invoked in order to move yourself around?  Is some other method possible?  Maybe by some very strange use of Block rules, like blocking yourself from all target zones shunts you to an undesginated one?

What do you think the difficulties of summoning mortal realm objects and people are?  My guess is you have to beat their defense, stress track and consequences, but there could be other reasons.

Teleporting has always been one of my favorite tricks and I'm having a hard time imagining it can't be done and is never worth the effort so I'd like to see reasoned opinions and get my curiosity satisfied.

[Tedronai]

The most reasonable direct way to simulate teleportation is magical skill-replacement, which is accomplishable only by thaumaturgy (and by extension EvoThaum).
In this way, the spell replicates the effect of a high Athletics roll, paying additional shifts for steps on the time chart to make up the discrepancy between the speed with which the ritual is completed as compared to the speed with which a character could reasonably cover that distance using mundane means.
You can probably see how this becomes expensive quite quickly.  That's not to say that it's impossible, but it will take significant resources to become effective, and those resources will then not be available for other purposes.

Fluff explanations of how you accomplish your magically-expedited travel are just that: fluff.  They might influence how your travel is interacted with via Aspects, but the mechanical representation likely should not change substantially.

Combat-teleportation via appropriate EvoThaum ('Thaumaturgy with Evocation's speed and methods', generally accessed via Sponsored Magic) should be quite reasonably available.  It wouldn't likely use maneuver-invoke mechanics, though, instead using the skill-replacement mechanics referenced above.

Blocks just don't work that way.  Blocks prevent actions.  'Being in zone

• ' isn't an action.

[Orladdin]

Yeah, what Tedronai said. 

I imagine if I were building a character like this, (Let's call him Telly MacPorterston,) I'd start by having him taking a self-sponsored magic, "Gate Specialization." 
Next, I'd devote some focus item slots to teleportation complexity or power/control (depending on how your table handles EvoThaum focus items).  Possibly a ring of silver running through a ring of gold on a chain, if I wanted him to be a romantic about the art-- or perhaps a superball that he spikes and says his catch-phrase "let's bounce" whenever he uses his power if I wanted him to be an '90s cultural stereotype, instead. 
Finally, I'd give Telly some enchanted items that have reactive blocking capability flavored as the old D&D cloak of the mountebank.  You can use it to put up an X strength "block" flavored such that it "makes you move just out of the way of attacks at the last moment."

Boom.  Fleshed-out teleporter.

[Richard_Chilton]

The Escape Potion is effectively teleporting and could serve as a basis for those types of spells.

Richard

[Mrmdubois]

Yeah, the escape potion is another good example of why I think it is possible.  Although the mechanics given for that potion are incredibly vague, which has its pros and cons.  Makes sense an enchanted item could do this as well as a potion could, just keep taking mental stress hits to make it work.  It should be noted I'm not shooting for nonstop teleporting action all the time everywhere, just a solution to make it reasonably possible to do at all.

To be a pain I'll argue semantics, being in a zone is an action if you consider simply acting out a verb (being) as an action, if you can only block actions just block the verb as well as the prepositional phrase.

Also, ritual and thaumaturgy allow you to accomplish an impossible task.  I don't think this always has to be modeled on the skill system.  Otherwise yeah I can totally see your point about the cost/benefit analysis of teleporting Tedronai.

Orladdin, you can do self-sponsored magic?  How does debt work then?  It's a cool idea, I'm just a little fuzzy on how that works.  Also the enchanted item you mention with reactive blocking works real well with the right flavoring, but what if you wish to move a certain number of zones in order to strategically place yourself?

Also, I'm still curious about what the consensus is on summoning objects that are native to the mortal realm.  In the books, Bob mentions that it'd be really difficult, but not impossible.  So how would you do it?

Another thought I had, would teleporting work best as a custom power?  I almost think you could do it with RAW if you didn't mind sinking a lot of Refresh into it, Mythic Speed (Probably coupled with a Limitation for a bit of a rebate) that's active only in the Nevernever and Swift Transition and/or Worldwalker give me an image of a Nightcrawler like character.  Yeah, not really teleportation some might say, but I consider teleportation to mostly be the ability to transcend all barriers at speed preferably as close to instantaneous as possible, but sometimes you can't avoid spending time and I can be cool with that.

[Locnil]

Another thought I had, would teleporting work best as a custom power?  I almost think you could do it with RAW if you didn't mind sinking a lot of Refresh into it, Mythic Speed (Probably coupled with a Limitation for a bit of a rebate) that's active only in the Nevernever and Swift Transition and/or Worldwalker give me an image of a Nightcrawler like character.  Yeah, not really teleportation some might say, but I consider teleportation to mostly be the ability to transcend all barriers at speed preferably as close to instantaneous as possible, but sometimes you can't avoid spending time and I can be cool with that.

It is on the Custom Powers List IIRC. It was priced at [-3] - apparently the writer costed it as Physical Immunity to movement barriers or something. I got the impression that not a lot of people liked it though.

[Mrmdubois]

Huh, didn't know that.

The Custom Powers List has gotten big enough I have no idea where to find anything on it...

[Sanctaphrax]

Orladdin, you can do self-sponsored magic?  How does debt work then?  It's a cool idea, I'm just a little fuzzy on how that works.

It's pretty much the same as normal sponsored magic, but the debt Compels are on your Aspects rather than on an external agenda.

Also the enchanted item you mention with reactive blocking works real well with the right flavoring, but what if you wish to move a certain number of zones in order to strategically place yourself?

Not easily doable. You can't include actions, even supplemental ones, in a defence roll. Some kind of Riposte knockoff might work though.

Also, I'm still curious about what the consensus is on summoning objects that are native to the mortal realm.  In the books, Bob mentions that it'd be really difficult, but not impossible.  So how would you do it?

Really depends on what effect you're after. Summoning a specific person or object probably uses normal forced movement rules. Summoning and binding mortals to serve you probably counts as normal summoning with a heavy complexity tax.

Another thought I had, would teleporting work best as a custom power?  I almost think you could do it with RAW if you didn't mind sinking a lot of Refresh into it, Mythic Speed (Probably coupled with a Limitation for a bit of a rebate) that's active only in the Nevernever and Swift Transition and/or Worldwalker give me an image of a Nightcrawler like character.  Yeah, not really teleportation some might say, but I consider teleportation to mostly be the ability to transcend all barriers at speed preferably as close to instantaneous as possible, but sometimes you can't avoid spending time and I can be cool with that.

If you can't find it on the custom power thread, check out the custom power text document. It's searchable.

On a related note, here's ways and means's Teleportation Power with edits from me.

(click to show/hide)

TELEPORTATION [-2]
Description: You can teleport from one space to another. Very convenient.
Skills Affected: Athletics.
Effects:
Unfettered Movement. You may ignore all zone borders and all penalties or blocks that would normally impede your movement, unless those blocks are specifically designed to block teleportation. You may also move freely in three dimensions, though this Power does not prevent you from falling to the ground. If you are being grappled or otherwise grabbed when you move, the character holding onto you must roll Might against your movement roll. If they succeed they come with you; if they fail their grasp is broken.
Rapid Teleportation [-1]. Add four to your Athletics when using it to move with this Power. In addition, you may move an additional zone when taking a supplemental action to move with this Power.
Long-Distance Teleportation [-1]. (Requires Rapid Teleportation) You may teleport to any place in the world given a few minutes. At the GM's discretion, this effect may be limited by the speed of light.
Sight-Affirmed Teleportation [+1]. Your movement is impeded by anything that blocks your vision. Apply blocks and penalties that apply to your vision to your movement, and do not ignore them with the base effect of this Power.

[Centarion]

I really like that version of teleportation, I have a few questions though. First, why does a -1 upgrade add 4 to a skill roll (in addition to another benefit). Would it be better to have +2 in the base and another +2 on the upgrade (along with the bonus movement)?

Second, would you allow a stunt/upgrade to use this power with another skill (say discipline) flavoring it as a mostly mental thing? Maybe another stunt upgrade that would allow you to use this for defense (how would you handle the bonus)? I would not allow a defense to actually move you zones, but you could say that you teleported somewhere else in the same zone.

[Sanctaphrax]

1. The -1 upgrade adds 4 because sprinting boosts are not all that powerful. And because keeping the bonus in one place is more elegant.

2. Sounds good to me. Sprinting bonuses don't apply to defence rolls.

[Mrmdubois]

 I gotcha, on the self owed debt now, thanks for clearing that up Sancta.

For the enchanted item moving you strategically I knew that a defense roll couldn't be manipulated like that, and meant it as the movement action for your turn.  I should have been more clear.

A fairly heavy complexity spike comes if you assume that teleporting someone else is a permanent change (albeit one that changes a lot, just not normally via magic), do you think that would be enough or should it be an additional tax, or just a completely different way of figuring it out altogether?  I'm not nearly as concerned with the binding bit, although I suppose others might be.  Also, mortal objects?  For instance, I left my gun at home, and I'm all the way across town and about to go into a bad neighborhood...how do I magic up my gun?

Also, yeah, that Teleport power seems well done.  Assuming for whatever reason that you wanted a caster for the full range of teleport type effects and you didn't have the refresh for buying the power yet as a "permananent ritual" effect, how would you model it with spell casting?  It doesn't seem like it would necessarily have to be an ability that takes a lot of Conviction to muster up the power for, but other than the part where you pay a Fate point per Refresh of a temporary power I'm unclear on how thaumaturgy can imitate powers.  By that I mean complexity costs.

[Taran]

Also, mortal objects?  For instance, I left my gun at home, and I'm all the way across town and about to go into a bad neighborhood...how do I magic up my gun?

A declaration?  Instead of a resource/guns declaration to have a gun, you make it discipline to say that you teleported it.  It seems like the easiest way to deal with mundane stuff that you already own.  People can do this kind of thing without any powers at all.

Also, have an Character aspect that relates to objects that you've attuned to, so you can invoke those aspects (summoning important foci or items) in situations where a declaration might not cut it.

EDIT:  I was also thinking that Rituals involving specific items might work.  You can use thaumaturgy/ritual to add a free taggable aspect on an item/yourself/place.  Then, in a pinch, you invoke it for effect and have the item appear in your hand or to the place where you set up your teleportation circle.  You'd need enough Power to get the Aspect and add shifts for durations plus any to overcome any Wards or thresholds (if you're going to teleport your foci into someone's home, for example).  Maybe you'd need extra shifts based on size if it's a very large item.  Basically, you're setting up your declaration ahead of time, to automatically succeed.

[Orladdin]

To be a pain I'll argue semantics, being in a zone is an action if you consider simply acting out a verb (being) as an action, if you can only block actions just block the verb as well as the prepositional phrase.

Simply put, that's just not how it works.  This isn't a game about linguistics.

Orladdin, you can do self-sponsored magic?  How does debt work then?  It's a cool idea, I'm just a little fuzzy on how that works. 

Debt basically wouldn't be an available option. 
[Edit:] Sancta's suggestion would work, though, pending table approval.
"Self-sponsored" is simply a common parlance for paying the cost for sponsored magic to gain a "specialization" that behaves mechanically like sponsored magic, a'la Kemmlerian Necromancy.  Kemmeler isn't still around guiding hands or anything (that we know of), it's just a flavor refit of an existing mechanical system.  The book mentions it's probably the way the Merlin throws up on-the-fly wards.

Also the enchanted item you mention with reactive blocking works real well with the right flavoring, but what if you wish to move a certain number of zones in order to strategically place yourself?

You'd need a separate item that does that.  Mechanically, the cape I mentioned would behave just like Harry's shield bracelet.

... Another thought I had, would teleporting work best as a custom power?  I almost think you could do it with RAW if you didn't mind sinking a lot of Refresh into it, Mythic Speed (Probably coupled with a Limitation for a bit of a rebate) that's active only in the Nevernever and Swift Transition and/or Worldwalker give me an image of a Nightcrawler like character.  Yeah, not really teleportation some might say, but I consider teleportation to mostly be the ability to transcend all barriers at speed preferably as close to instantaneous as possible, but sometimes you can't avoid spending time and I can be cool with that.

You could probably make a case for this mash-up to the GM and build a custom power on it that is cheaper (and has different restrictions/capabilities) than this pairing.

The strength of any RPG (and especially FATE-based ones) is the players' ability to sit down with the group and put together something that works and is what you want to play.

[Mrmdubois]

A declaration?  Instead of a resource/guns declaration to have a gun, you make it discipline to say that you teleported it.  It seems like the easiest way to deal with mundane stuff that you already own.  People can do this kind of thing without any powers at all.

Also, have an Character aspect that relates to objects that you've attuned to, so you can invoke those aspects (summoning important foci or items) in situations where a declaration might not cut it.

EDIT:  I was also thinking that Rituals involving specific items might work.  You can use thaumaturgy/ritual to add a free taggable aspect on an item/yourself/place.  Then, in a pinch, you invoke it for effect and have the item appear in your hand or to the place where you set up your teleportation circle.  You'd need enough Power to get the Aspect and add shifts for durations plus any to overcome any Wards or thresholds (if you're going to teleport your foci into someone's home, for example).  Maybe you'd need extra shifts based on size if it's a very large item.  Basically, you're setting up your declaration ahead of time, to automatically succeed.

That is actually pretty useful, I hadn't even thought of anything like hat before.

[Taran]

You Might  be able to do the same thing for allies, if you do lots of prep. in advance.  Look at YS p. 20 at "fortuitous Arrival", or under the Guide My Hand Power.  It'd cost a FP no matter what probably.