Insubstantiality

Cost: [80]

Insubstantiality is an exotic Mental/Physical advantage where you can become intangible, passing through solid objects as though they weren’t there

Special Enhancements

• Ghost Air (+10%)
• Substantial Communication (+40%)

you must Ready

Basic Set neglects to mention this but it was later clarified in powers 154 that it is among the "remaining switchable abilities call for one or more Ready maneuvers to turn on or off" list

The Reduced Time enhancement could change that into a free action. This is necessary to perform a Power Dodge with it

Origin

P55 says the origin specified for the advantage determines appearance and impediments.

• "slightly transparent" is specified for Dimensional
  • movement is impeded into IRL locations which lack paralell dimension counterparts
• "god form" (the "addition of something symbolic") is specified for Divine
  • movement is impeded into IRL locations with Low Sanctity
• "man-shaped glow" or "visible shimmering" is specified for Elemental which can represent vibration or turning into energy (electricity or light)
  • movement is impeded into IRL locations where "barriers that are proof against his element"
• "misty and ghostly" or "luminous" or "shadowy" are options given for the final three
  • "Shamans with spirit powers often look like beasts." presumably only applies to 3rd type. Strangely not represented by a shapeshifting advantage
  • magical (ethereal realm v psionic (astral realm v spirit (spirit realm) are not otherwise distinguished visibly, though GMs could assign one type of variation to each
    • "might be the same or quite distinct"

For the last, the longer sentence could be divided into these ideas for the three types:

• "Spells that obstruct spirits also block this ability"
• "psi abilities that obstruct spirits also block this ability"
• "sorcerous rituals that obstruct spirits also block this ability"

"Spirits" probably meaning that anything specifying 'spirit' will stop SOME insubstantial foes (not Dimensional/Divine/Elemental since they do not include this note).

If they were the same then all 3 bullets would probably apply to it.

If they were distinct then it might be intended as one bullet affects one type, ie:

• spells obstructing spirits affect Magic-Source Insubstantiality but not Psi-Source Insubstantiality
• psi abilities obstructing spirits affect Psi-Source Insubstantiality but not Magic-Source Insubstantiality

Comparisons can be made here to how See Invisible can specify source of invisibility powers instead of type (ie See Magic Invisibility pierces Magic Invisibility to Light and Magic Invisibility to Radar)

Psionic Powers or Sorcery (magic using powers) however do not appear to need to make these distinctions, unless defining Affects Insubstantial as "one per type"

• if that is the case then Malediction would also need to specify this
  • one cannot merely subtract -20 from Malediction cost: Substantial Only is merely -10% not -20%)

touch for Possession and Neutralize

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-5.html#SS5.3.7

• If an advantage requires the user to touch his target (like Possession or Neutralize), the user can still "touch" the insubstantial character by reaching into the space he occupies, IF the attack is a supernatural one.
• Magical or psionic Possession would work; physical brain-drilling tendrils would not.
• He is vulnerable to non-physical supernatural attacks, including anything with the Malediction enhancement.

Neutralize/Possession are "supernatural" by default, they operated as touch-based Maledictions. There is a way to reengineer this (the "physical brain-drilling tentacles") using these steps:

• take Ranged +40%. This does not give either ability a 100 yard Max. As explained in Psionic Powers, this turns them into the equivalent of Malediction 2 (normally +150% to get on a normal attack ability)
• then, take Short Range 1 -10% to reduce it to Malediction 1
• then, take Weaponized to turn it into a normal innate attack with a resistance roll.

This is a one-sided resistance roll. It can't normally be a Quick Contest. However, consider the following.

• Weaponized produces something very similar to Resistible, a one-sided roll to overcome the damage
• it is possible to take requires (attribute) roll on abilities
• if you do, you can take -10% resistible and it turns that into a quick contest.

so, it is possible to have standard parameters (a DX roll to hit, 1/2 D, max range, can miss, doesn't skip barriers, etc) and still resolve with a QC if it hits.

Since resistible -10% is built into Weaponized (and can't be removed, you can at most give a -5 penalty to it) it might be possible to turn that into a QC by just adding the RAR limitation to it.

This would mean the resistance wouldn't just need to pass it's roll, but also exceed your own MOS, weirdly.

That might be cheaping out though.

immunities

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-5.html#SS5.3.7

An Insubstantial character can ignore hazardous temperatures, pressures, and radiation. Even though he needs to breathe, he is immune to toxic gases, air-borne (or any other mundane form of) disease or poison, or any other physical condition of his environment. He is immune to altitude sickness, the bends, seasickness, jet lag, G-forces from tight high speed turns; basically anything the physical world can do to harm someone except cut off his oxygen.

One would question then why some Always-On Insubstantial templates also have Immunity to Metabolic Hazards at full price when this already apparently guards against so many.

Special Limitations

• No Vertical Move (-10%)
• Noisy (-5%)
• Possession (-50%): has a Spiritual limitation when it involves an insubstantial body inhabiting a possessed one

Types

• Dimensional
• Divine
• Elemental
• Magical, Psionic or Spirit

Alternatives

• Clairsentience (Projection, +140%) and Insubstantiality (Affect Substantial, +100%; Projection, -50%) [120]
• Injury Tolerance or Shadow Form: partial solidity
• Permeation: able to pass through just one substance

powers

GURPS Powers 55 clarifies a major difference with insubstantiality as it appeared in Spirit Form (Spirits):

Paradoxically, most such entities can “anchor” themselves to material objects as needed, allowing them to stand on floors, ride in vehicles, and so on. This is a standard feature of Insubstantiality.

It did not clarify how to deal with those unable to anchor to material objects though, or whether living vehicles (ie horses) could be considered material objects.

158

Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) might let Talent aid resistance rolls against Affliction (Advantage, Insubstantiality)

Supers

see Other Dimensions and Supernatural Beings regarding Projection

FAQ

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-5.html#SS5.3.7

Spirits

pg 42:

The first level of Vulnerability allows the attack to affect the spirit in its spirit form

If the Vulnerability affects the spirit only when it is materialized, the total value is halved.

This how iron worked for the Fairies, in GURPS Fantasy this was replaced with giving them the Illusory limitation so that all physical attacks hit them for half damage, so iron ended up doing x1.5 instead of +2d6

Summoners

see Spirits in the Material World

quotes

Tuoni

2012 in http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=93942 Tuoni posted:

going the modified Insubstantiability route creates vulnerabilities that might not be realized until after play begins.

Such as the fact that the insubstantial character can be grappled by other insubstantial beings (ghosts)

This is not 100% true. It is probably based on this part from B63:

Your physical and energy attacks affect other beings using the same form of Insubstantiality, and their attacks affect you.

So to affect those using DIFFERENT forms...

1. take "Affects Substantial" for Insubstantiality
2. do the Limited Enhancements of "Affects Insubstantial" reduced by Only While Insubstantial and Insubstantial Only]" on an attack.

Or for punches/grappling/shoving ala the Subway Ghost in the 1990 film Ghost, you would do this for Modifying ST-Based Damage / Modifying Existing Damage

In the alternative, taking the Substantial Only limitation on Insubstantiality could be interpreted as meaning you aren't insubstantial relative to ALL other insubstantial beings, not just your own type.

• They could still be to you, 1-sided unless you both have the limitation) similar to how you can take that on Invisibility so that insubstantial beings can see you without needing See Invisible.

2007 discussion

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=30498 involves comparing Insubstantiality with Altered Form which endows Always-On Insubstantiality.

What they neglect to consider is that the 90% cost version of Alternate Form requires a way to change people back against their will which Insubstantiality normally doesn't have, so the difference in cost is not as big as they would think. It would be 100% of the 50% cost, not 90% of the 50%

This also requires the +50% Once On, Stays On enhancement for the basic cost.

2017 discussion on anchoring

archived here, this discussion was hidden from view by moderators due to a dislike of the thread creator, resulting in the hiding of replies by others:

Nereidalbel:

I'd call it Accessibility at a low value for "Can't catch a bus." Unless your campaign involves insubstantial beings needing to move long distances, it's rarely going to be more than -5%.

Anthony:

Well, you're still anchored to something or else your position becomes dissociated with the planet.

Malloyd:

Which is why it's a default feature. Yeah I'd call can't move along with something that could carry you in reality a (fairly tiny) limitation, -5% seems fair.

Any time you find yourself starting to think about the physics to Insubstantial, you should probably stop. The purpose of the advantage is "walk through stuff". Interpretations that let you fly at high speeds, fall into the center of the earth, be unable to move, fly off into space, bypass armor, damage things by reaching into them, turn invisible, have you end up naked, or really even become invulnerable though that one is unfortunately baked into the GURPS description, should be rethought. You can price many of them as limitations or separate traits if you really have to include them, but generally you don't need too, because the kinds of stories that use insubstantiality don't bother.

It's not and never will even vaguely realistic, so efforts to pretend it is and work out logical consequences are just missing the point.

Rainbow Factory:

The powers book has this optional modifier for Always on.

Usually On: Any advantage that can be Always On can instead be Usually On. The ability is on almost all the time – but the user can switch it off briefly by expending 1 FP per second. If Always On is no worse than -20%, Usually On is worth half as much; if it’s a larger limitation, add a +10% enhancement to find the value of Usually On.

Culture20:

Chronos from “Bearing an Hourglass” and an alternate reality version of Kitty Pryde from the X-Men have both used a form of this limitation on their insubstantiality as a pseudo-teleporation ability, detaching from one of the anchored vectors for a time and letting objects (Earth) slide around them. Kitty had very little control and used it as an emergency escape.

sir_pudding:

If that is the only way you can do it and there isn't anyway to rescue you it is equivalent to an instant suicide ability and probably should just be a perk.

http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=4466 had examples:

• Spirit Projection "Missing Powers: cannot taste/smell, or ride in vehicles"
• Genius Loci: "Missing Powers: cannot taste/smell, or ride in vehicles"

GURPS Spirits also had examples

• pg 50 Apparition "Can’t Materialize: sounds, visual, and ectoplasm effects only -5%, can’t ride in vehicles"
• pg 55 Zar "Can’t Materialize -20%, Can’t ride in vehicles" (this proves you still got the -5% discount when you were forced to purchase it by an inability to materialize
• note that on page 51, the Ascended Spirit had "Can’t Materialize: sounds and visual effects only -10%" without taking the -5% for an inability to ride vehicles, so they presumably could and it was only mandatory for the -20% version

See Also

• Affects Insubstantial
• Affects Insubstantial (Selective)
• Clairsentience
• Insubstantial Beings Affecting the Material World
• Insubstantial Only
• Shadow Form
• Substantial Communication

References

• Psionic Powers p 14-15