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telepathy and mental darkness


dsatow

Question

OK, I know

 

1) Darkness doesn't block an attack, it just affects perception.  So a laser blast in a darkness area still does damage if it hits something in the darkness field.

2) A continual attack continues to damage a character even if the target can no longer target the target so long as they keep paying end.

3) While in a darkness field that block that type of communication, you can not communicate in that way.  Morse code light signals will not pass through a darkness field.

 

Question:

1) If someone hits a person with telepathy before enshrouded in psionic darkness, can you still read their mind?

2) If you telepathically mind control someone in constant mode, if that person enters a psionic darkness field, can you still send new commands to them?

 

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Before I answer, I want to clarify a few things. You’re using terms that either don’t have defined meanings in the HERO System, or using them in such a way that I’m not sure whether you’re referring to a game element or a generic phenomenon. Forgive me if this seems pedantic, but I don’t want to cause any confusion, or to provide an answer that turns on one interpretation when you meant something different. So:

 

—by “darkness,” you mean the Power Darkness or some use of it

—by “continual attack” you mean an attack with a Constant Power or the Constant Advantage

—by “psionic darkness,” you mean Darkness to the Mental Sense Group

—by “constant mode,” you mean... actually I don’t understand what you mean by this, sorry

 

If I’ve misinterpreted something you wrote and that affects my answer, please post a follow-up or ping me with a PM and I’ll respond further or make appropriate changes. Thanx!

 

Now, on to various discussion and answers.

 

1. The Power Darkness prevents a defined Sense(s) or Sense Group(s) from functioning in, into, or through the affected area. Generally speaking it does not, as you say, “block an attack.” However, you’ve phrased this as an absolute statement, which isn’t correct. First, under the rules Darkness can “block” some attacks — for example, a Flash of X Sense Group typically won’t work in, into, or through a Darkness that affects that Sense Group. Second, the GM may rule that based on special effects, a Darkness would “block” certain attacks. For example, in a campaign that stresses “realism,” a Darkness to Sight Group defined as thick smoke might “block” some attacks defined as laseres.

 

2. As noted on 6E1 127, once a Constant Power affects a target, it continues to affect that target provided that (a) the attacker keeps paying END to maintain the power, and (B) the attacker maintains Line Of Sight to “the location of the power” (i.e., the target, in the case of most attacks). The latter consideration is particularly important when Sense-Affecting Powers like Darkness come into play.

 

3.  Darkness does not block communication per se — as noted above, it only blocks the ability to perceive in, into, or through the affected area. But depending on the circumstances this may significantly interfere with the ability to communicate. For example, a character in a Darkness to Hearing Group field can’t make any noise, so he can’t talk (though he could form the words with his mouth and hope someone who saw him could read his lips). A character in a Darkness to Sight Group can’t be seen, so he couldn’t communicate with someone via sign language or other gestures (he could speak using his voice, though).

 

4. Continuing-effect Mental Powers are not Constant Powers; they’re Instant Powers (see 6E1 151). Therefore blocking LOS to them doesn’t cause them to cease functioning the way it does Constant Powers. However, to alter such a Power’s effect (e.g., to give a new order or communicate telepathically on a deeper level), the character would have to make another Mental Attack, and lack of LOS would prevent that from being possible (barring a GM ruling or more specific rule to the contrary). But since a character can establish LOS with Sight, a Darkness to the Mental Sense Group alone wouldn’t stop him from making a Mental Attack with Telepathy — it would just prevent him from communicating if his attack succeeds.

 

5.  Telepathy functions both as a “voice” (it allows the user to send messages to the target mentally) and as a “sense” (it allows the user to “hear” the target’s thoughts). If a character affected by Telepathy enters a Darkness to the Mental Sense Group field, the Darkness cuts off both these functions:  the telepath cannot “speak” to the target or “hear” his thoughts, and the target cannot “speak” to the telepath. However, the telepath can continue to feed END to the Power if desired (to prevent the target from getting Breakout Roll bonuses, for example).

 

The same applies to any other “telepathic” ability, such as Mind Link or Mind Control with the Telepathic (+¼) Advantage.

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