How Do I...

[Guest Worldmaker]

One of my players asked the following:

 

"I need a bit o' help here. The FX of the power I'm lookin' to build are as follows: a person essentially takes over the target's body by 'leaping' into them. They then have control of the person and access to their thoughts and memories, to a certain extent. They are essentially possessing the target and are untouchable except by psionic powers, until either the victim forces them via Ego roll, the possessor leaves voluntarily, or the possessor is 'knocked out' through psionic attacks or feedback."

 

What do you think the best way to build it would be?

[FTJoshua]

The powers basically sound like: Telepathy, Mind Control and Desolid. (By the way, how many points are we talking here? This guy won't be able to do much else by the time you're done, point-wise.) I guess there are modifiers you could add. As usual, I don't have book here, but off the top of my head: (-x meaning minus whatever limitation level seems appropriate to you.)

 

*Desolid, -x, only to inhabit a humanoid form, -x, requires an attack roll/skill roll/activation (or some such thing, to simulate the "jump" into another person)

*Mind Control, -1/2, linked to Desolid, -x, only vs. target being inhabited

*Mind Control, -1/2, linked to Desolid, -x, only vs. target being inhabited.

 

I do not vouch for the mechanics of this in absence of a book. Also, I'm not sure a desolid PC can use mental powers.

 

Other folks here on the boards doubtless know a more elegant/practical way, but that's essentially what it sounds like to me.

[Tom McCarthy]

There's a few ways to do this.

 

In the forthcoming/newly released Millenium City, Bodyjacker does this through a large Mind Control with the advantage Affects Physical World and the limitation Must Achieve EGO + 30. Linked to this are desolidification, clinging to mind control target (Affects Physical World), and telepathy (Affects Physical World). A Side Effect for -0 or -1/4 has Bodyjacker be affected by mental attacks on his mind controlled target, not the target, and is hit by attacks that exceed the target's defences. Invisibility may be in there, too, and maybe LS: Breathing. This costs huge amounts of active points.

 

Still very expensive, but slightly less so, would be to use Extra Dimensional Movement instead of Desolidification and Invisibility, and the less expensive Transdimensional instead of Affects Physical World.

 

The third option requires GM approval (really, really, really). Since this is Mind Control with some advantages (mentalist is physically hidden from retaliation until driven out) and some disadvantages (can't mind control multiple targets, can't act independently in support of mind controlled body, must reappear near the target when control broken), the GM could just make a new power based on Mind Control with the specific effects the player wishes.

 

Other options include:

- Floating multi-form: Multi-form to be target's body and displace target using extra dimensional movement

- Transform target (BOECV, vs. EGO not BODY) to have mentalists mind, and mentalist hides using extra dimensional movement or desolidification and invisibility