Darkness vs. Mental Group

[bigdamnhero]

Looking for some RAW clarification on what Darkness vs. Mental Group does/doesn't block.

 

In general, Darkness blocks Senses, not Powers. Darkness vs Sight will stop me from seeing you, but if I can target you with another sense it won't stop my laser gun, even tho that's light-based. So by that analogy, Darkness vs Mental would stop me from using Mental Awareness or Mind Scan to target you, but it wouldn't block Mind Control or Mind Blast if I can target you visually.

 

But OTOH, Darkness does block some powers. Darkness vs. Sight blocks Sight Group Images or Flash vs Sight (6e1 p187); presumably, Darkness vs Mental Powers would work the same way. Similarly, radio links are often built as Mind Link, and jamming fields are usually built as Darkness vs Radio Group, right? So why would it work differently if the SFX was mental?

 

Looked at from another angle, Darkness frequently blocks communication: if one of us is affected by Darkness vs. Hearing we can't communicate verbally even if we can see one another. (We could of course talk via sign language or lip reading, but that's using a different sense.) We don't typically think of Communicate Verbally as a Power because it's assumed to be the baseline, but why should Communicate Telepathically be any different? And by extension, if Darkness vs Hearing would block me from giving you Mind Control commands verbally, so why wouldn't Darkness vs Mental Group stop me from giving you Mind Control commands telepathically?

 

I know a lot will depend on sfx, GM's discretion, etc. But I'd love to hear some general principles. Thanks,

[Steve Long]

6E2 14 provides rules sufficient for most of the situations you describe, I think, and the rest can be handled by the GM via common sense, dramatic sense, and consideration of his campaign (i.e., any specifics about how mental powers work in his setting). If you have any specific questions you think 6E2 14 doesn't address, please post a follow-up.