Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

[KA.]

Okay, another weird idea I came up with.

I was reading the Justice League supplement from the old Mayfair DC Heroes game, and I came across the entry for Batman.

 

I started thinking about how Batman would deal with something like an attempt to read his mind. Now over the years I have read stories where Batman had training in Yoga and other things that might help.

 

One typically "Batman" bit would be that a Mentalist is looking for Batman.

He picks up Batman's thoughts "He will never find me in the bathroom."

As the Mentalist throws open the bathroom door and starts blasting away, a Batarang hits him in the back of the head.

As Batman puts on the Batcuffs the Mentalist is furious:

"You were in the bathroom! I heard your thoughts!"

Batman:

"Well, I was thinking about the Bathroom, but I was standing on the window ledge."

 

What would you use to model something like this?

 

I was thinking of Mental Illusions with some Limitations like Self Only.

 

Basically you "fool" yourself, at least your "surface thoughts" into believing something that is false. Anyone who does not dig really deeply into your mind will pick up the false thoughts.

 

I think this would be an interesting alternative to the standard Mental Defense that just makes it harder to read your mind.

 

Opinions?

 

KA.

[Hermit]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

Invisibility to Mind Scan and other mental senses can be purchased. As can, I believe, Shape shift. That might be another.

 

Mental illusions on self only... hmm... I know can't help but worry what will happen if Bats falls for his own illusion and pees against the window.

 

Maybe Mental Illusions with Damage Shield would be better. Expensive though.

 

Or you could buy the Mental Defense with the "Fully Invisible" Advantage and assume the special effect is that the Mentalist is reading the wrong stuff.

 

Not sure on that last one though.

[KA.]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

Invisibility to Mind Scan and other mental senses can be purchased. As can, I believe, Shape shift. That might be another.

 

Mental illusions on self only... hmm... I know can't help but worry what will happen if Bats falls for his own illusion and pees against the window.

 

Maybe Mental Illusions with Damage Shield would be better. Expensive though.

 

Or you could buy the Mental Defense with the "Fully Invisible" Advantage and assume the special effect is that the Mentalist is reading the wrong stuff.

 

Not sure on that last one though.

 

Hermit,

I think the last one may be it!

The Mentalist will think he read your mind when he actually did not.

I will wait for more opinions, but that seems pretty solid to me.

Thanks,

KA.

[Hermit]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

Hermit,

I think the last one may be it!

The Mentalist will think he read your mind when he actually did not.

I will wait for more opinions, but that seems pretty solid to me.

Thanks,

KA.

 

 

Mmm if you try that one, I would also suggest tacking on "Ego Roll required (-1/2)" ..even Batman doesn't just fool mentalists without effort

[jackalope]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

Here's a few ideas:

 

Shape Shift (Mental Group), Affects Telepathy Only (-0): He makes his thoughts appear to be different thoughts.

 

Images (Mental Group), Affects Telepathy Only (-0): He creates false thoughts that disguise his real thoughts.

 

Both could be Linked to Mental Defense (Invisible Effects +1/2, Must Be Aware Of Attack, -1).

 

If the mentalist fails to actually read Bats mind, he sees the Images or the Shapeshifted thoughts, and thinks he's reading Bats mind.

[caris]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

The only potential problem with Images vs. Telepathy, which I consider a perfectly valid idea, is the PER roll. It might tip off a player that something is up.

[Brandi]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

Anyone here read The Demolished Man?

[alexraccoon]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

You can always use advertising jingles or catchy tunes as a form of mental defence. Have you ever had a tune in your head that you just can't get rid of.

[levi]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

I have let players with no Mental Defense use their Ego/5 base Mental Defense by making an EGO Roll and paying END for it.

 

I think that the Images idea has merit as a game mechanic answer. However if I was running a game and a player was trying to use this tactic on the fly I would increase the Telepath's difficulty by 5+the amount the player's EGO Roll was made by to give the Telepath a chance to see past the ploy.

 

Ex: Nightowl is being hounded by Psycher. Nightowl has no Mental Defense and Psycher's Ego Attack has Nightowl on the run. Nightowl has fled into an abandoned apartment building and psycher is just a few floors below him and moving fast to catch up. Psycher has told Nightowl that his his own thoughts have betrayed every hiding place Nightowl has come up with. Nightowl ducks into a closet near an open window and begins to concentrate on the mental misdirection (makes an EGO Roll...succeeds by 3). Now Psycher enters the room and Rolls his Area Effect Telepathy to pick up Nightowl's thoughts and see if he left the building or has tried to hide himself once again. (5D6 AE Telepathy - Difficulty is 10 for surface thoughts + 5 for the misdirection attempt + 3 for how much Nightowl made his EGO Roll = 18. Psycher's 5D6 comes out 17 - enough to pick up the surface thoughts, but not enough to se through the misdirection attempt.) Psycher exclaims, "I have you now Nightowl, I know you have left the building! You can't escape me!" As Psycher scans the fire escape, Nightowl leaps from the closet with an Offensive Strike that finds its mark on the Surprised Psycher and knocks the villain out cold.

 

No additional Powers are needed, just a solid command of HERO mechanics and some on the fly GMing.

[jackalope]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

The only potential problem with Images vs. Telepathy' date=' which I consider a perfectly valid idea, is the PER roll. It might tip off a [b']player[/b] that something is up.

 

That's why the GM makes secret PER rolls for the player. To keep them secret. And smart/evil GM's roll dice at random for absolutely no reason every few minutes, just to keep the players guessing. Asking a player what his character's EGO is at random is fun too.

[Koshka]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

You can always use advertising jingles or catchy tunes as a form of mental defence. Have you ever had a tune in your head that you just can't get rid of.

 

That one was used in one of the Serrated Edge novels -- I don't have the book handy, but IIRC Tannim slagged three Unseelie telepaths with a marathon sing-fest of They Might Be Giants.

 

In Hero terms ... well, at the least the telepath is having to dig deep to get any useful information ("surface thoughts" would just pick up the tune). I'd probably add in Levi's suggestion, or adapt the PER modifiers for cover to reflect the fact that the mentalist has a lot of junk to peer through to get to the useful information.

[Pegasus]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

I think the idea is best represented by Mental Def, Concentration throughout.

 

Add EGO rolls to taste.

[Brandi]

Re: Telepathy Defense : I'm thinking of an Elephant!

 

That one was used in one of the Serrated Edge novels -- I don't have the book handy' date=' but IIRC Tannim slagged three Unseelie telepaths with a marathon sing-fest of [i']They Might Be Giants[/i].

 

*coughs quietly and points to her original post*

 

"Ten sir, nine sir..."