Stormbringer (Hero in a Sword)

**Maybeso** · Apr 7th, '05, 12:00 PM

Hi all. I've been kicking around an idea about a character, and would like your ideas. Basically, the character's soul is permanently embedded in a weapon. When weilded, the weapon grants the weilder powers, combat lvls, spd, etc.

I was thinking of having a damage shield telepathy/mind control as well, so that the 'weapon' character could interact with the world in a limited fashion.

Thoughts?

**Dust Raven** · Apr 7th, '05, 01:00 PM

Is the weapon a player character? How is the weapon written up? As a character, an automaton, a computer? The methods of how it can interact with the world around it depend on how this part is done.

If it's a character, you are well within your rights to simply say it talks. If you don't want it to talk, but speak mind to mind, you can give it Mind Link, but that would require it to speak to someone willing to open themselves up to it. If it can force communication, Telepathy would work.

A tricky combination would be to give it Mind Link and rely on that until it gains the trust of the wielder, then when he had the wielder at 0 ECV to establish Mind Link (or has the Mind Link already established) it can attack with whatever Mental Powers it has to control and influence the wielder (attacking through a Mind Link automatically hits the target, though an affect roll is still necessary). You could even put Invisible Power Effects on the Mental Powers so that the target is unaware of the influence the sword is having.

**Lanith** · Apr 7th, '05, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Maybeso

Hi all. I've been kicking around an idea about a character, and would like your ideas. Basically, the character's soul is permanently embedded in a weapon. When weilded, the weapon grants the weilder powers, combat lvls, spd, etc.

I was thinking of having a damage shield telepathy/mind control as well, so that the 'weapon' character could interact with the world in a limited fashion.

Thoughts?

I'm not sure I quite understand what you're wanting to do. Is the sword the character or is the sword just a powerful tool used by the character?

Answer that and we'll see...

**prestidigitator** · Apr 7th, '05, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Dust Raven

If it's a character, you are well within your rights to simply say it talks. If you don't want it to talk, but speak mind to mind, you can give it Mind Link, but that would require it to speak to someone willing to open themselves up to it. If it can force communication, Telepathy would work.

Yes, but Telepathy is most useful for reading thoughts. If you really want it to have the ability to communicate mentally, and don't care if everyone hears (Mind Link is great because you can communicate privately, without anyone but a mentalist even realize you are doing it), you could use a trick I've pulled occaisionally: buy Mental Awareness and give it the Broadcast Adder (I'm not certain that's the exact term that's used, as I don't have my book; it is the one that is usually bought for Radio Perception and lets you send as well as receive).

This requires GM approval to communicate with anyone who doesn't have Mental Awareness (although you could possibly buy Mental Awareness, UBO, AoE, "Only to hear mental broadcasts from this character: -2"), but as a GM I like to use it for the special effect of a character who can just talk "telepathically," and anyone can "hear" them as if they were talking out loud. Other than that it has no Mental Power effects: you can't attack through it, you can't read thoughts that others aren't trying to convey to you (much like Mind Link), you can't communicate on a completely private channel (like you can with Mind Link), you can't sense other people's location except in the way you normally could with hearing, etc.

(Backgroud, FYI: some dragon write-ups give them the ability to communicate with a very limited form of telepathy that allows them to circumvent language barriers--I used this ability plus Universal Translator to mimic it.)

**Dust Raven** · Apr 7th, '05, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by prestidigitator

Yes, but Telepathy is most useful for reading thoughts. If you really want it to have the ability to communicate mentally, and don't care if everyone hears (Mind Link is great because you can communicate privately, without anyone but a mentalist even realize you are doing it), you could use a trick I've pulled occaisionally: buy Mental Awareness and give it the Broadcast Adder (I'm not certain that's the exact term that's used, as I don't have my book; it is the one that is usually bought for Radio Perception and lets you send as well as receive).

This requires GM approval to communicate with anyone who doesn't have Mental Awareness (although you could possibly buy Mental Awareness, UBO, AoE, "Only to hear mental broadcasts from this character: -2"), but as a GM I like to use it for the special effect of a character who can just talk "telepathically," and anyone can "hear" them as if they were talking out loud. Other than that it has no Mental Power effects: you can't attack through it, you can't read thoughts that others aren't trying to convey to you (much like Mind Link), you can't communicate on a completely private channel (like you can with Mind Link), you can't sense other people's location except in the way you normally could with hearing, etc.

(Backgroud, FYI: some dragon write-ups give them the ability to communicate with a very limited form of telepathy that allows them to circumvent language barriers--I used this ability plus Universal Translator to mimic it.)

Well, as an alternative I've allowed some psionic races (such as those found in fantasy and SF) define their "voice" group to be based on Mental instead of Hearing. When they speak, anyone with a functioning mind (anything with an EGO Characteristic and appropriate class of mind) can "hear" them. It costs no points, and just replaces their speach (they cannot also have verbal speach).

**prestidigitator** · Apr 8th, '05, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Dust Raven

Well, as an alternative I've allowed some psionic races (such as those found in fantasy and SF) define their "voice" group to be based on Mental instead of Hearing. When they speak, anyone with a functioning mind (anything with an EGO Characteristic and appropriate class of mind) can "hear" them. It costs no points, and just replaces their speach (they cannot also have verbal speach).

Hmm. I guess that works. You could argue that buying Broadcast (or whatever it is really called) for the Mental Group would balance out selling it back for Normal Hearing.