Telekineticist clarifications

[Wilson Abrams]

I am currently participating in a RotR campaign, and I'm considering dropping my Warpriest for a Kineticist at the end of the first arc. I will be building him as a level 4 Telekineticist, with a focus on stealth and trickery.

One idea that came to mind was the use of a garrote. By RAW, combat maneuvers with our latent telekinesis is not possible until the Telekinetic Maneuvers wild talent is selected. How should this apply to the action of using a stealth check to thread a length of rope around someone's neck, using Telekinetic Finesse?

Then there's the question of damage/effect. With Telekinetic Haul, I am able to move objects up to 100 pounds per level, or 1,000 pounds per level if I take Burn. Could this be applied to an exertion of force upon an object (such as the strength with which the rope is tightened upon the target's neck)?

Bonus question: The effect of Self-Telekinesis reads:

You use your telekinetic abilities to move yourself. Otherwise, this wild talent functions like flame jet.

What should be inferred by the bolded section? Could it function as a form of flight? How would this be modified by Greater Self Telekinesis? Would it start as levitation, and become flight with the Greater version? I feel like the ability's description should have been more specific.

[MrTooly]

Having just picked up Occult Adventures a few days ago and building a (strangely enough) 4th level Telekineticist. Was able to play around with it last night.

If your group is very RAW-centric then I don't think you would be able to use a garrote with a grapple using Telekinetic Maneuvers without some fiddling, and GM approval. Once you have Telekinetic Maneuvers you can use your Telekinetic Blast to effectively throw the garrote at the enemy (using the option to forgo your blast damage in order to maintain weapon properties), and then if the enemy is unaware/helpless while this is happening (and again, the GM allows it) you can grapple with Telekinetic Maneuvers and choke. Though the garrote and the enemy would both take some damage.
If your group is very RAI/Rule of Cool, then you could ask your GM about being able to garrote with telekinetic maneuvers.

Putting the rope around an enemy's neck would be a sleight of hand check, but I understand you want the rope to be hidden as you're getting it there :P I can't really offer much insight in terms of RAW. I suppose the rope would have a size bonus to stealth (+4 or +8?) and no ranks or ability scores... not much in the rules.
Probably the easiest solution would just be to use your stealth modifier since you're controlling it.
You could boil a lot of it down to flavour i.e. Telekinetically grappling an enemy and holding him against a ship's mast (only thing I can think of with rope), and when you pin you're taking the rope from the mast and wrapping it around the enemy. No inherent game bonuses, and you're effectively concentrating while you're grappling via telekinetic maneuvers, so when you're done the ropes fall away.

Self-Telekinesis had me confused too (I was looking in the WRONG place for Flame Jet lol). I think they could have devoted more time to this ability, especially since a Telekineticist that has Telekinetic Haul at say level 4, can lift a large 200lb flat something that he is standing on (unless your character is a giant anyway) and not exceed the weight limit. Flying for all intents and purposes.
I think the part of Self Telekinesis that you bolded is flavour text.
So we look at Flame Jet with Aether in mind and you use telekinetic energy as a standard action to propel you 60ft in a straight line - upward movement costs double - and then if you end your turn mid-air, you fall on your next turn unless you use Self-Telekinesis again.

So yes, you can use Self-Telekinesis to fly as high and as far as you like, but it's a standard action each turn to do so. As long as you keep taking that standard action, you won't fall.
Greater Self-Telekinesis changes the action needed to a move action, and you can hover without spending an action. At this point you're able to fly into the sky, stop, gather power, and blast. It only differs from the fly spell in that it's always a straight line that you move in.

Hopefully I could help a little bit. I'm still getting the ins and outs of the Kineticist. I only wish the Telekineticist had a few more composite blasts available...

[Sphynx]

2 things. Telekinetic Finesse is -not- an application of Basic Telekinesis, unlike Telekinetic Haul, so by RAW, the 2 do not work together. You're either doing powerful TK, or fine TK, but not both.

You could probably tie a noose/garrotte around someone's neck, but it wouldn't do any damage unless someone came and pulled on it hard.

[Wilson Abrams]

Sphynx wrote:

2 things. Telekinetic Finesse is -not- an application of Basic Telekinesis, unlike Telekinetic Haul, so by RAW, the 2 do not work together. You're either doing powerful TK, or fine TK, but not both.

You could probably tie a noose/garrotte around someone's neck, but it wouldn't do any damage unless someone came and pulled on it hard.

Ah, you are correct. Thank you for the clarification.

Though, would instead be able to use Basic Telekinesis to bring the garrote to the targets neck, use Telekinetic Finesse and a Stealth/Sleight of Hand check to coil it around the neck, and then end with a Telekinetic Haul action to constrict with the appropriate strength (up to 400lbs or 4,000 with Burn at level 4)?

It's a roundabout way to do it, I know. I just want to choke people with my mind before level 8.

[Sphynx]

You could get the garrote there and wrap it with finesse, but those are standard actions.

However, telekinetic haul is not written in a way that would allow you to pull, just move or throw. However, since that would also require a second standard action, he would easily unravel it before you got amchance to pull.

[Taenia]

Is your goal to choke someone out or to prevent them from speaking?

Choking someone out would be difficult given the hold breath rules and that you get an equivalent at level 10, Suffocate.

If you are trying to silence someone not sure what to do by raw. There is a feat called chokehold (requires BAB +6 and other prereqs. You prevent them form speaking and breathing.

I would suggest one of two things:
If you want to do it in combat, wait til 10th use suffocate.

If you want to do it outside of combat, don't make it a roll play thing make it a roleplay thing, tell your GM what you are trying to accomplish and have him/her say yes or no. I have done this before in other games where the Rogue character wanted to knockout a guard. I looked at his stats, described his approach, and technique and just ruled he KO'd the guard. Probably more of a skill check/ability use than a combat roll situation.