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Help with 2 Character Concepts


PlatFleece

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How would I go about creating the effects for these two characters I'm attempting to recreate in HERO?

 

Character A: A character who has a natural ability that when you look at them, you'll slowly become more willing to obey their orders. This extends to looking at videos and pictures of them. My idea was to make a Cumulative Mind Control power that probably costs no END, now I'm just trying to figure out how the power would "activate" when someone looks at them, and how to simulate "it counts if you're even looking at them through a photograph or a TV". Preferably I'd like the images outside of real life observation be at a lower strength of mind control though.

 

Character B: This character is able to take memories and emotions away from someone by touching them and then convert them to edible consumable objects. If they consume these objects, they'll regain those memories and emotions, and more importantly, if someone else consumes them, they gain those memories and emotions as well. This character takes a bit of time to take out the deeper memories, but could take surface level ones at an instant. As for effects in combat, the most prominent one would be twofold, removing any aggression towards them, and removing memories of how to do certain combat moves (they forget how to fight). The more beneficial ones include enhancing someone with memories and training, or making someone feel aggression towards this person (the last part I don't even think needs simulating unless it counts as a CSL towards that specific target or something.). I'm assuming this is some kind of Suppression with a Focus that's Usable on Others, but I'm not sure what I'm Suppressing exactly.

 

These two have been slightly complicated to me. Any help would be appreciated!

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Character A

 

I don't think this is particularly mechanically difficult but it is a potential logistical nightmare.  If I am the player, I say that I want a random NPC to do something.  You, as the GM, have to assess how long and how often that NPC has been looking at the image of my PC.  If I am the GM, then players HATE having their agency removed from them and will resent that villain hugely, those without codes versus killing WILL kill the villain at the first opportunity.

 

Beyond that, I would purchase MInd Control in stages.  The first level might only be 6D6, then add 1D6 for every step of the time chart that someone has spent looking at my image up to a maximum of whatever I am willing to pay for - maybe six steps which is equivalent to 6 hours spent looking at my face, or eight steps which is equivalent to a few days.  Not hugely difficult there.  More difficult if you want to judge limitations that do not follow the time chart but pretty simple if the GM is willing to put in the work.

 

Character B

 

For the first part you are editing people's memories.  I think that this is covered in Transform.  You are changing things.  I would be happy to OK a transform that resulted in a person with specific memory transformed into someone without memory and a little biscuit (an additional Transform - person with memories, triggered by eating biscuit).

 

There is ALL kinds of potential for mischief and munchkin behaviour here.  Be careful what you allow.  I would probably limit the Transform to memories that had been accessed by Telepathy (you have to identify them before you can extract them).  The triggered transform would be interesting too, as someone with too much power defence would simply not be affected.  I would be inclined to also limit the triggered transform to increase the difficulty of future transforms - so someone already packing additional memory etc would be more difficult to give additional memories etc, unless the first changes were being replaced....like additional POW Def comes with the Transform.

 

Questions also on whether the consumption of the biscuit would need to be voluntary, whether the recipient of the memories was able to get rid of them at will, etc etc etc.

 

 

Doc

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I think a bit more detail is needed for Character A. 

 

For example, with the people only seeing his/her picture or image for long enough, do they then have to come face to face with Character A for him/her to use the mind control power, or can Character A use the mind control remotely without ever having met the person they are controlling? And is Character A giving specific commands to each individual person under his/her control, or is it just general commands that all the effected people will obey? Or is it more like that the people under his/her control or just big fans of Character A and they just generally want to do what Character A wants and if they ever met him/her and were given specific commands they would do those as well? 

 

One version is full on mental slavery to Character A, the other is more like becoming an obsessive fan  of Character A or falling in love with Character A.

 

I might be wrong, but I feel like you are more looking for the second option given the "more willing to obey his orders" you mentioned in your write-up, plus with Mind Control you need to be able to communicate with the target either verbally or if you take the Telepathic adder. Either way, Character A needs to be directly addressing each person under their control. 

 

So, iff it is the second one (people "falling in love" or "becoming a willing slave" with Character A) then maybe it is a cumulative, long lasting Drain PRE Power vs people who see his/her image with the limitation it is only vs Character A's Presence Attacks. Or maybe a cumulative Mental Transform to give the people seeing his/her image overtime a new Psychological Complication "Obsessed/In Love with Character A - Total" 

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I like your idea of it being in stages for Character A Doc. And Mallet, it's definitely the "Big fans of A." They will generally be more susceptible to A, and A can't really remotely mind control them. Actually, if it's possible to simulate, it's less the "become my slave" mind control and more "Wow this person is perfect" mind control. In the sense that you'll be far more susceptible to doing what they ask you, and you'll be more inclined to follow what A says. I make the distinction because in an ideal situation, the power would still allow you some freedom of control. For example, if the character thinks doing something is in A's best interests, even though A doesn't think so, they would do it "for A's sake." I don't know how to properly model that, so I was assuming Mind Control is the simplest. The PRE attack thing seems to work better now that I think about it.

 

As for B, you're right. It's just a Transform power. Wow, I kind of missed that. I think the Telepathy to discover what they can change would be great. And I've already got some ideas just rereading the 6E on Transform Mind. Perhaps a No Range Requires Touch Transform will work best. I don't think B can erase power usage from their powers, though forgetting how to use your powers is possible. In that case it should just add a "Requires a Roll" limitation to the power they're "dememorizing". For hand to hand skills, should I simulate "B is taking away your memories of training" by decreasing CVs for fighting?

 

Also, would this be multiple transforms in a multipower? A compound power? Or a linked power for B? It seems like it should be able to do a lot, but B would have to pick what they actually want to do.

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Depends on if points are not a problem.  :)

 

Also note, that you could probably also do this as a set of powers and not just a single power.

 

This is just off the top of my head.

 

For character A: 

1d6 mind control, cumulative(48 pts max), Telepathic, AoE 4m radius, Megascale X10000, No range, set effect ("be my biggest fan"), conditional "requires a visible image of attacker", Indirect, personal immunity, 0 end, persistent

Approx 31 active, 14 real.

 

Note power is not invisible.  I put indirect on it to get around enclosed barriers and the like.  Because its cumulative, a little bit of mental defense will go a long way of delaying or stopping the power.  Because they are a fawning fan, they still have free will in how to worship you but are likely to do what you ask probably to the limit of the level of mind control.  

 

For character B:

Transform

Telepathy

Mind Control

Drain and Aid.

Multiform usable on others - To give you skills you wouldn't have.  This is very abuse-able and very expensive.

 

Again, just off the top of my head and quite possibly illegal or not tolerable to most GMs.

 

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