GM-Signal in the sky! Need help reprimanding character

[Darth Sarcastic]

Is your player running Tesla as a jerk...or ego maniacal? Or is he more of a "Hey I'm just trying to help out." kinda Tesla? I thought it interesting that you brought up the containment system from Ghostbusters. The city could send a Walter Peck (Jerkface city inspector) type to get him to shut it off. Although I agree, I think the other PCs should be stepping in in some capacity...aren't they there to protect the city? If its a minor story point, then you might want to only have the city bug him every few episodes. Also...do you want him to shut down this "new fangled" wireless electricity? Everytime the heroes save the city, stop a MAJOR villain...they back off Tesla. This also gives you some breathing room and time to come up with stuff about Tesla vs. City. Have the city or the Electric Company (HEY YOU GUYS!!) offer to buy his technology, and if he goes for it...once they own it they shut it off. That's what energy (and pharmaceutical) companies do all the time in real life.

[mattador]

If i were a supervillain I would totally unleash an army of mini-robots that are powered by Tesla-tricity

[JThunder]

Cool term for it. Tesla-tricity.

[CourtFool]

I am not sure I am clear on the OP position. Do you want to stop the player or are you trying to present a reasonable response to the character? If the player, then you need to discuss that out of game. If the character, then you have a gigantic sub plot just sitting there for you to use when you come up blank for a session.

As many others have pointed out, anyone whose profits he is cutting into is going to have it out for him. They can hire thugs to 'send a message' or saboteurs to dissuade him. What about a bank of 'experts' with research that demonstrates his 'gift' causes cancer. And if you really want to have fun with your poor PC, his devices accidentally opens a portal to another dimension and aliens start pouring in.

I do not see this as a problem but an opportunity to set up some great role playing. Don't stop it, run with it.

[Beleriphon]

Is what he's doing illegal? Who knows? The answer is that it probably isn't.

Actually, he's breaking a number of laws. You have to have a number of building permits to put up solar panels (proven, known technology) on your own property. He's using unregulated technology on downtown buildings, probably without the legal owner's permission, and exposing untold numbers of citizens to EM fields that have had no studies done on their long-term exposure effects.

That doesn't make it strictly illegal, merely a breach of building codes, possibly.

I'd also point out that being sued, and simply refusing to respond typically doesn't result in bench warrants. At worst the plaintiffs would win by default. Then they can try to collect their default damages from Time Travelling Tesla. Good luck on that one, they guy is probably judgement proof.

[Pól Rua]

If he's not playing Tesla as an obstinate jerk, you could indicate possible problems with broadcast energy. As demands increase for the power, you could have an influx of people moving into the area his power service covers which stretches existing conditions even further.
Wealthy people might start gentrifying the place, paying the poor people he's trying to help exorbitant amounts to move out, or sending hired goons to 'muscle in on them' to encourage them to leave, meaning that Tesla's idealistic desire to help the needy ends up helping the greedy and driving the people he's trying to help out of their homes.
The source for this power is a massive generator, I'm assuming, or some sort of big device thingie. Maybe the demand "HEY C'MON, FREE ENERGY!!!" stretches it to beyond its capacity to provide power. Maybe there are health risks - an increase in cases of Cancer or Leukemia (or spontaneous human combustion) in the areas affected (could be a side effect of the power or could be an evil plot to discredit Tesla - certainly not beyond the big Energy Conglomerates to hire ne'er do wells to do it). Hell, a smear campaign conducted through the media. It's not like anything Edison didn't do back in the day with the whole AC vs DC thing.
As well, you'd end up with all the NIMBY groups who get worried about a potentially explosive, potentially dangerous, potentially cancer-causing machine where they live.

A villain may decide to turn the project against him. He moves his secret base right under Tesla's nose and starts siphoning some of that delicious power to create his mind-control ray, army of robot zombies, nano-bomb or doomsday device.
Also, there's the potentially dangerous aspect of broadcast energy. If you can broadcast electricity into someone's home, you can conceivably broadcast it into someone's brain, blowing them up from the inside like a death-ray. We all know how much the government loves private citizens having access to an invisible death ray that can strike anyone without warning and cannot be defended against.

[Pól Rua]

Courtfool has the right idea. This is definitely something to talk to the player about, but certainly looks like an opportunity for some great role-playing.

[Skeptical Gamer]

That doesn't make it strictly illegal, merely a breach of building codes, possibly.

I'd also point out that being sued, and simply refusing to respond typically doesn't result in bench warrants. At worst the plaintiffs would win by default. Then they can try to collect their default damages from Time Travelling Tesla. Good luck on that one, they guy is probably judgement proof.

The city officials would be well within their rights to order Tesla to stop using equipment that projects high-level EM fields over a large area of the city. If he refuses to comply, they would easily be able to get a court to order him to comply. If he still refuses, they would be able to arrange to seize the equipment and the fun would really begin...

Also, given current beliefs that EM fields lead to cancer, a class action law suit by affected citizens might be amusing... He may be able to avoid dealing with this by time travel, but that would effectively remove him from the campaign...

However, this feels more like part of the character's schtick rather than an attempt to cause problems.

I think this sort of thing should be thought of in the same way you would think of a power's descriptor. A good descriptor adds a lot of interest to what would otherwise be bland powers ("a focused sonic shockwave" vs. "damage 5"). Sometimes a descriptor causes a character problems and sometimes it is useful.

Likewise, a character's schtick is a means of adding interest and uniqueness to a character. It should help the character sometimes and should hinder him sometimes. As long as it doesn't ruin the "feel" of the campaign, a player should not be consistently punished for having a unique and interesting character trait.

In this case, I would have some members of the city government want to shut him down and have others want to contract with him to provide free power to the city (lots of money can be saved by a probably cash-strapped city). I'd have some citizen groups sue him and seek legal means to stop him while others hailed him as a true savior of the "average man". Basically split the city down the middle on the "Tesla Issue" and then run with it. The player will get to have his character be the center of attention (for both good and ill) and you will have a very interesting sub-plot to work with.

[Zelithius]

Have the free Wireless electricity start having "reprecussions" like causing accidents or burning out systems. His power is basically channel free unlimited amounts of wattage into every device that could possibly use it......so have you considered what would happen if you say...couldn't turn off your blender, or your car, or your garbage disposal?

Is his power precise? Cause most devices have a switch to turn them on or off, and if all the metal receptors are receiving wireless electricity...there would be no such thing as "off" switches....let alone hazards such as electrically charged doornobs. Just consider what it would be like if there was an invisble car battery attached to every single metal thing in a city.......mass choas and hundreds of electical injuries.

[JThunder]

Maybe he's even thought of these things and has safeguards to prevent them... but what if someone else (electric company) is sabotaging his free power system and has found an ingenious way to disrupt his distribution network to cause the problems Zelithius suggests in the previous post?

[poodle]

On behalf of the city fathers it is obvious that it is ,dare I say it, WITCHCRAFT! Our good friends at municipal coal and power have shown us that it is IMPOSSIBLE to transmit electricity without wires. Q.E.D. it is witchcraft. He can even make voices come out of machines, surely Necromancy most foul.
We must thank the gentle and public spirited gentlemen at municipal coal and power for their impartial and scientifically proven information.

[tylrlsaa]

If you want another reason for Tesla Broadcast Energy to be a bad thing, some tech-based villians figure out how to tap into his energy broadcasts. Now, they they're getting a major power boost as long as they are in the area.

[tggdan3]

The power company hires super villains (shadowrunners) to tear down the free energy infrastructure and kill the PC.

[tylrlsaa]

Thought of another legal reason he can't set up broadcast energy. Consumer Protection Laws.

[Beleriphon]

Thought of another legal reason he can't set up broadcast energy. Consumer Protection Laws.

You're going to have to explain that one, most consumer protection laws are designed to protect consumers from a business' predatory practices (ie. enforced buyer's remorse period, rules regarding warranties on equipment, how long contracts can be for, rental increases on residences, mandatory contract terms that favour consumers in certain situations, etc.). Environmental protection is one thing, but if its free and no contract is involved then most of the time consumer protection laws don't come into play.

The other thing for a situation like this is if Triple T is only sending power to people that want it, and he isn't charging and he doesn't have a business its an implied contract between two individuals rather than between a consumer and a business. Its not that different than if I agree to dig a hole in your yard and you don't like the hole I dig. I'm not a business, consumer protection doesn't apply to our agreement unless the law says it applies to all transactions (which most don't state, that's way too broad).