Self Only

[PerennialRook]

I have a power I'm developing "Put At Ease" which is a Drain Mental Defence 1d6 plus Drain EGO 1d6 which Requires A Seduction Roll. The basic fx should make it so that only I get the benefit reletive to the character (I'm not softening up the person for some other mentalist). Would the Self Only disadvantage work? I had thought self only was only to apply the power to one's self, in this case I want the power to work relevant to myself. How do I do this?

-Preston

[Farkling]

I dunno...it seems a little more potent than self only since it is attack results that ONLY apply to you...

-0 is too low...
-2 is too high...

hmmm

-1 could be close in my book, depending on the abilities in your suite of powers...I would have to playtest it.

It would probably be more "mechanix oriented" if you had a self only Aid to BOOST your relative characteristic(s)...or a single target Supression Field (except that doesn't persist...) or perhaps an additional limitation of "points restored if I initiate hostile action"

y'know....considering that...maybe it is a cumulative Transform? You are applying the limitation "does not affect ME" to their already existing power...that would be an interesting design...

[Jeff]

Self Only would get you a power you could use only on yourself, so you'd be better able to reduce your own Mental Defense and seduce yourself, so it wouldn't be appropriate.

Honestly, is this really a limitation at all? You don't want to be softening them up for other mentalists. That sounds more like an advantage to me, if anything. I'd figure it's a -0 limitation at the most generous.

[Lord Liaden]

Personally, I'd chock this one up to SFX and leave it as a -0 Limitation. While you're not making the target more vulnerable to an allied mentalist, he or she also won't be more vulnerable to an enemy mentalist who could turn her against you. I'd say that the benefits and drawbacks more-or-less balance out.

[Talon]

I've done this more than once, and always with a -0.

[PerennialRook]

-0 sounds right.

[pinecone]

Geez...these dudes are hard nosed...I'd call "only drains defenses for my attacks" about a -1/4...it is a limit but will seldom come up......

[zornwil]

Depends on how the power would be used, I'd be inclined to go -1/2 to -1 if it's more of a combat thing and you're losing out on ever stacking attacks, but if it really is just for interrogation and the like, it's pretty much no longer a disad at all in my view, or -1/4 at best. I suspect it's the latter, so...-0 or -1/4 if so.

[Fireg0lem]

One of the stranger ways to do it would be Naked Power Advantage: Apply Not vs. [Name Of Your Character]'s attacks to up to N points of EGO and N points of mental defense, Useable as Attack (plus possibly ranged and BOECV), with the defense being power defense.

[JmOz]

It depends on how often the character will work with other mentalist.

In my games I would call it a -1/4 (-1/2 on a generous day), in an all psi campeign I would call it -1

[Dust Raven]

The way I look at it is like this:

You'd get a similar effect to purchase Aid or Succor to your own EGO (and Mental Powers, if appropriate). Logically, you'd apply a LImitation so that the bonus is only usable versus a single character (or small group, depending upon how it's used).

Drain costs just as much as Aid, requires an attack roll at no range, and is subject to the target's Power Defense.

I'd say the Limitation is worth -1/2 (maybe -1/4 if there are not many other mentalists about anyway).

[Hugh Neilson]

Originally posted by Dust Raven
Drain costs just as much as Aid, requires an attack roll at no range, and is subject to the target's Power Defense.

I'd say the Limitation is worth -1/2 (maybe -1/4 if there are not many other mentalists about anyway).

Drain also costs END where Aid does not. However, as you've noted, Aid could require you to buy up a lot of powers, where Drain will take the target's resistance to all ego powers down at the same time.

[bjbrown]

<P>You could define this power as a Find Weakness, put on a limitation that they only work against mental defense (-1). Buy up your Find Weakness roll to be equal to your seduction roll, and seduction is your special effect. Then buy CSLs for your mental attacks, and add the limitation that you may only use them against targets against whom you have already successfully used Find Weakness (value depending on how high your Find Weakness roll is, roughly equivalent to an activation roll).</P>

[Farkling]

This method has possibilities...you could even add extra dice that are linked to a substandard mental power and only work vs an affected target...<scribbles notes for campaign>

I still think it is more tampering with their powers temporarily by adding a limitation to their EGO and Mental Defense...and that is a Transfrom effect by definition. Cumulative and a lenient GM would let it gradually stack up...goes along with the whole "gradually seduced" concept even...