Working Precognition

[austenandrews]

So I'm pondering how to make PC-controlled Precognition actually work in a game.

 

I'd like to avoid the usual vagueness and handwaving and give some real, tangible results. My very first thought was, forget the power named Precognition. Instead, reason from effects. In this thread I'll toss out a few ideas from my brainstorm. They stem from the notion that a premonition can be used to positive effect.

 

Luck - An astrologer makes a prediction about a specific topic, event, character, etc. The effect is to grant some number of dice of Luck to the person (or persons) hearing the prediction. The Luck is bought with one charge. From that point on, the recipient of the prediction may choose to make one roll of the Luck dice. Any Luck that comes up applies to the designated topic. The SFX is that the recipient receives some cryptic prediction (I'm specifically thinking of astrology in my game) which seems meaningless at first. If any Luck is rolled, the recipient just then (or perhaps had previously) figured out what the prediction means, and takes the appropriate action to exploit it. Bought as Luck, Usable By Others, Uncontrolled, 1 Charge, Only Pertaining To One Topic (season to taste).

 

Example: Preparing to battle a dragon, Sir Silverheel commissions an astrological reading and receives a prediction. It is assumed to be something cryptic and impenetrable. Later, the dragon has Sir Silverheel and Princess Imperiled trapped at the brink of a fifty-foot cliff. SS's player opts to use the Luck and rolls well. The GM rules that, unseen, a wagon full of hay will be passing under the cliff in just a moment. Sir Silverheel realizes the meaning of the prediction "The sheaf unseen shall break the fall when the iron cracks the thorn." When the dragon's iron claw crushes a thorn bush SS grabs the princess and leaps blindly into the air. They land safely on the hay.

 

5ER's "Other Ways Of Using Luck," especially re-rolls, would be particularly useful in this context.

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Skill Levels - Similar to the Luck build above, the astrologer's prediction grants the recipient some number of one-use Overall Levels. At any point thereafter the recipient may utilize these levels (once) in some way that pertains to the topic of the prediction. Bought as Overall Skill Levels, Usable By Others, Uncontrolled, 1 Charge, Only Pertaining To Designated Topic (season to taste).

 

Example: Theo the Thief consults an astrologer before breaking into the Temple of Unlikely Hidden Dangers. Inside he's working to open a treasure chest. When he makes a roll to pick the lock, he elects to use the Overall Skill Levels. Lo and behold, he understands the meaning of the weird prediction "the serpent slithers twice toward the oaken helm and thrice toward the owl": it's a clue to the tumblers, two of which are oriented toward an old bucket and three more toward a tapestry with an owl motif. He employs his lockpick (the "serpent") with convenient foreknowledge.

[Trained Chicken]

Re: Working Precognition

 

This last is your best one yet. How do you decide how many skill levels to grant?

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Detect - Basically the same paradigm as above, but applied to various Detects: Detect Safest Path, Detect Treasure, Detect Enemy, Danger Sense, etc.

 

Example: In the Temple of Unlikely Hidden Dangers, Theo the Thief reaches a fork in the corridor. He thinks back to his astrological reading and understands a cryptic prediction which suggests that the treasure vault lies to the right.

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

This last is your best one yet. How do you decide how many skill levels to grant?

Good question. It would cost a pretty high AP per Overall Level, so it could be restricted by campaign limits and the particular magic system (framework). Maybe it requires an Astrology skill roll and grants 1 level per amount the roll was made (to the AP limit, of course). Maybe it grants more levels (i.e., has a higher AP) for more skilled astrologers.

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Clairvoyance - The prediction allows the recipient to have some knowledge about what's happening somewhere else. The SFX are that the astrologer foretold what would happen elsewhere at that moment. Bought as Clairvoyance, Usable By Others, 1 Charge.

 

Example: Theo the Thief consulted an astrologer to learn where Gutgrind the Guard would be, so he could avoid him. At the moment the player employs the Clairvoyance, Theo figures out that "When the thrush knocks, Gutgrind shoots golden arrows at the setting sun" means the guard is relieving himself off the western rampart.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Working Precognition

 

You could also grant a one shot Martial Maneuver, assume the character doesn't have any, to provide the finishing move at the appropriate moment...

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Mind Control - This one's a little trickier. The prediction grants one use of Mind Control. The number of dice can be high, but the effect is limited to the first level, "Actions the target would do anyway." This shouldn't force any uncharacteristic behavior on the target, but simply give the recipient of the prediction foreknowledge of what the target will do. Bought as Mind Control, Usable By Others, IPE, NND (defense = anti-scrying measures?), Telepathic Command, 1 Charge, Limited To Lowest Level Of Effect. The rub here is that the recipient of the prediction must use his own ECV to hit the target. Maybe this could be alleviated by adding Trigger to justify using the astrologer's ECV instead?

 

Example: Theo the Thief is pinned down between two windows. Gutgrind the Guard is waiting to shoot an arrow through one of them. Normally Theo would have a 50% chance of guessing wrong. However the astrologer foretold that Gutgrind would target the left window. Theo's player rolls the Mind Control and "forces" Gutgrind to target the left window. Theo pops up in the right one and hurls a knife at his opponent.

 

 

Edit: Forgot to add that this could be made more interesting with a No Conscious Control component. So in the above example Theo can't choose which window Gutgrind will target. The GM makes that choice by whatever means he wants - randomly, for dramatic effect, etc. However, Theo's player knows which choice the Mind Control is enforcing. The SFX is foreknowledge.

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

You could also grant a one shot Martial Maneuver' date=' assume the character doesn't have any, to provide the finishing move at the appropriate moment...[/quote']

Exactly! The cool thing about these builds is that the players themselves can ensure the predictions will apply at particularly useful or dramatic moments.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Okay this is a brilliant idea! I love foreshadowing and all, but what a pain in the neck for the GM to make it work out. This not only attaches some workable game mechanics to what would otherwise be a plot device, but it gives psychic characters more flexibility and real utility. Repped!

 

Let's not forget defenses too: the psychic predicts that Harold the Hemophiliac will miraculously survive his upcoming battle with Bloodletter McVicious, the effect is +10 PD Armor, Useable vs. Others, Ranged, Indirect, only vs. attacks from McVicious, 1 charge lasts 5 minutes.

 

_____________________________________________________

"I didn't forget. I just wasn't paying attention." - R.C.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Very nice idea.

 

I take it the actual wording of the prediction is not revealed until it is used....or the GM will have to be real quick on his mental feet

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Let's not forget defenses too: the psychic predicts that Harold the Hemophiliac will miraculously survive his upcoming battle with Bloodletter McVicious, the effect is +10 PD Armor, Useable vs. Others, Ranged, Indirect, only vs. attacks from McVicious, 1 charge lasts 5 minutes.

In theory, precognition could grant just about any effect you want. I've gone with the more generic choices, but overall, the sky's the limit.

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

I take it the actual wording of the prediction is not revealed until it is used....or the GM will have to be real quick on his mental feet

Oh yes, I definitely wouldn't give out the wording beforehand. You'd twist yourself into pretzels trying to match it to whatever situation the player applied it (which, ultimately, is what I'm trying to avoid with these builds!).

[Erkenfresh]

Re: Working Precognition

 

That's a great idea. I had a guy with precognition and I was clueless (since precognition isn't on MY character sheet). I eventually told him to get rid of it and buy something else.

[Foxx!]

Re: Working Precognition

 

austenandrews!

 

These are excellent ideas. Thank you. They remind me of luck built as a VPP.

 

Cheers!

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

Mind Control - In the same vein as before, one level of Mind Control - "Actions the target would take anyway" - is used to "enforce" a certain outcome. This time it's built like a hypnotic suggestion. The "suggestion" pertains to the topic of the prediction, and can be triggered by something else (for example, "When the sun rises, take your breakfast in the great hall instead of your bedchamber"). The SFX is foreknowledge of what the person will try to do at a certain time or under certain conditions.

 

This build has the advantage of fairly specific predictions. Also, since mechanically the prediction happens when cast, not when fulfilled, it does not require the recipient of the prediction to be present at the time it is fulfilled. Knowledge of the prediction is just that - knowledge. It may be freely imparted to others.

 

The disadvantage of this build is that there's no guarantee the conditions of the Mind Control will occur (for instance, if the subject dies or is imprisoned). Also, there must be some means to "attack" the subject with the Mind Control. So the prediction must be made in the subject's presence, or imparted via some other means such as Trigger or Mind Scan. This adds up to a fairly expensive and elaborate spell to be effective. For that reason, it's probably best used sparingly.

[austenandrews]

Re: Working Precognition

 

X-Dim Movement - This one's pretty far out there, but could be fun as a one-shot plot device. The setup: A crystal ball or some such device for viewing the future. The scryer (scrier?) performs whatever ritual activates a vision of the future. Others may be present with him. Everyone who can see the vision gets hit with Extra-Dimensional Movement, Through Time, Single Destination, Usable As Attack, Trigger. When the ritual finishes, the scryer tells the group that the prediction will come to them in time. The adventure proceeds forward as normal.

 

At some point in time, the scryer's player decides to take advantage of the prediction. He makes a roll against the appropriate skill (astrology, precognition, whatever), with a negative modifier that gets worse the longer he waits. If he makes the skill roll, the Extra Dimensional Movement is triggered and the group is transported backward through time, to the point at which the prediction took place. The "future" that they just played out is actually the vision that they were granted. Play resumes as before. The same sequence of events will happen again, except that this time the recipients of the vision may change their actions. Of course the more they change, the more the "future" diverges from the original vision.

 

Complications: First of all, the GM must allow that X-Dim Movement through time & space puts the characters back at the moment of the prediction, as opposed to their future selves appearing beside their past selves.

 

Obviously this method has a lot of overhead. A "snapshot" must be made of the group at the time of the prediction, so that play can resume from there. Notes must be taken so that the "future" will occur pretty much as it did the first time. It's not necessary for every number to be written down, but whenever the group opts to diverge from the vision, they should be roughly in the same state as the first time through. (Hopefully the negative modifier on the X-Dim skill roll will discourage players from reeling off a very long future that can't be recreated.)

 

Also, it's possible for players to "game" this technique somewhat, taking actions that can be later erased or using the prediction as a "save point." Note, however, that the requirement of a skill roll means it's possible the X-Dim Movement will never happen - that is, the prediction never actually came - and the first time through is the real future. So it would be unwise for a PC to dive into a death trap just to see what it does, because his death could be real.

 

Likewise there's the complication of PCs coming along who weren't present when the prediction was made. Technically they will replay the "vision" future as they did before, but this might be difficult in actual play (especially if mistakes must be repeated). Of course these PCs are free to diverge from the original timeline, as the GM allows, when the other PCs do, since the entire sequence will eventually diverge from the vision anyway.

 

For these reasons, this build of precognition is probably not useful in regular play. But once or twice as a plot device, it could be a lot of fun!

[TaxiMan]

Re: Working Precognition

 

 

OK, so if a character buys every effect imaginable for precognition without buying Precognition -

 

(a) should he even bother buying Precog? Maybe it could be used by the GM for flavor or some such.

 

( if Precog is purchased, does it get a limitation for being nearly useless in-game?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Working Precognition

 

 

OK, so if a character buys every effect imaginable for precognition without buying Precognition -

 

(a) should he even bother buying Precog? Maybe it could be used by the GM for flavor or some such.

 

( if Precog is purchased, does it get a limitation for being nearly useless in-game?

 

a) sounds like a fair way to handle it.

 

I only allow Precog with the Uncontrolled Limitation, so it already gets a big cost break in any game I'd run.