Help with Mental Power

[Bengalelf]

I was looking through Storn's Art and Character Thread earlier today. I came across Death Tribble's "Ringmistress" I was inspired to add her to my Evil Circus villain team. I plan to add her; I was hoping everyone here would be willing to help me define a power for her.

 

I am getting tired of players hitting the egoists I put of there. My party finds an egoists and drops them first. darn it.

 

I though I would create a new power that uses their mental power to raise their DCV. Sort of an illusion that makes the attacker think they hit the target (Egoist), but really they miss. The problem is, I can't figure out how to write the power.

In game trems, I am thinking of a sort of mental illusion with a limitation only to increase DCV. Probably would have to have area effect, such as 10 hexes or more. I don't want energy blasters to still be able to hit the egoist, while bricks and martial artists can't.

I was thinking of about a +4 DCV. Something to make it harder to hit the egoist, but not impossible. Once an egoist is hit, they tend to drop quickly, at least mine do. I just want one with a little more staying power that isn't DEX 30. Any ideas would be weclomed.

 

Also is Storn's webpage down????

[David Johnston]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

Do you want it to look like she's insubstantial, or is taking damage from the attacks?

[Bengalelf]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

Yes. It could add a fear factor as she keeps getting hit, but will not fall....

[Blue]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

I was also thinking Mental Illusions with a Mind Control that is triggered by attacking the illusion; The MC effect: When the attacker sees the target crumble ina heap (per the illusion) they immediately go into grief and despair

[Deadman]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

I was looking through Storn's Art and Character Thread earlier today. I came across Death Tribble's "Ringmistress" I was inspired to add her to my Evil Circus villain team. I plan to add her; I was hoping everyone here would be willing to help me define a power for her.

 

I am getting tired of players hitting the egoists I put of there. My party finds an egoists and drops them first. darn it.

 

I though I would create a new power that uses their mental power to raise their DCV. Sort of an illusion that makes the attacker think they hit the target (Egoist), but really they miss. The problem is, I can't figure out how to write the power.

In game trems, I am thinking of a sort of mental illusion with a limitation only to increase DCV. Probably would have to have area effect, such as 10 hexes or more. I don't want energy blasters to still be able to hit the egoist, while bricks and martial artists can't.

I was thinking of about a +4 DCV. Something to make it harder to hit the egoist, but not impossible. Once an egoist is hit, they tend to drop quickly, at least mine do. I just want one with a little more staying power that isn't DEX 30. Any ideas would be weclomed.

 

Also is Storn's webpage down????

 

I usually use the premise that the mentalist in question is able to catch a glimpse of the attackers intent via telepathy and as such dodge the attack.

 

I buy it as:

10 pts. (25 Active) +5 DCV Psionic* (-1/2), RSR (Per Roll: No Active Point Penalty -1/4), Costs End (-1/2), Mental Defense Subtracts from DCV 5pts/-1 (-1/4)

 

*Only vs. attacks caused by mind that could be perceived

 

Hope that helps

[Deadman]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

I usually use the premise that the mentalist in question is able to catch a glimpse of the attackers intent via telepathy and as such dodge the attack.

 

I buy it as:

10 pts. (25 Active) +5 DCV Psionic* (-1/2), RSR (Per Roll: No Active Point Penalty -1/4), Costs End (-1/2), Mental Defense Subtracts from DCV 5pts/-1 (-1/4)

 

*Only vs. attacks caused by mind that could be perceived

 

Hope that helps

 

Oops, forgot the Mental Illusion portion...

 

Link the Mental Illusions to the DCV bonus (or the other way around) and add Trigger. With AE it could get pretty expensive though...

[ghost-angel]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

Another, rather simple solution:

 

PD/ED, Invisble Power Effects.

 

The character gets hit, a lot, and looks as though they are taking damage because, well, you can't see all those Defenses stopping it.

[Cardinal]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

I usually use the premise that the mentalist in question is able to catch a glimpse of the attackers intent via telepathy and as such dodge the attack.

 

I buy it as:

10 pts. (25 Active) +5 DCV Psionic* (-1/2), RSR (Per Roll: No Active Point Penalty -1/4), Costs End (-1/2), Mental Defense Subtracts from DCV 5pts/-1 (-1/4)

 

*Only vs. attacks caused by mind that could be perceived

 

Hope that helps[/QUOte]

 

I think this is an elegant way to do it, but in the Ringmistress's case, I would define it as her projecting mental illusions into people's mind so they shoot at the wrong target.

 

I don't think you need to link either mental illusions. Just stick with the sfx of passive mental illusions and leave it at that.

 

I would also give her some Combat Luck (as suggested by somemone below).

 

I did something similar to this for my mental illusion based character.

[incrdbil]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

 

I am getting tired of players hitting the egoists I put of there. My party finds an egoists and drops them first. darn it.

 

 

Fear of the mentalist. Well, the easiest way to keep them up is make the mentalists less accessible. A little N-Ray and telescopic vision can do wonders. Clarisentience, invisibility, or having the invisible modifiers and being part of a crowd of lots of innocent bystanders can make the PC's sweat a bit more. Don't make them target untouchable, just hard to get to, make the PC's work for it this time.

 

 

Does your team have anyone with mental powers or bought the perception to see mental attacks? Has this been happening to every mentalist they fight, and the current lineup knows that and has the tactical sense to take advantage of it?

 

If so--do the same above, and as they rush off to take down the mentalist, they fall into the carefully prepared trap laid at the sight. Using the same old tactics over and over can be a bit dangerous.

[dbsousa]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

If she is in the same hex: I would use:

 

Not where you think she is:+10 DCV vs. all attacks, uses END, only vs. attackers with minds.

 

If she is in an entirely different hex, I would use

 

You aren't even warm...:X Hexes of Images, -10 to Perception, single Image (self, X*6 feet away), only vs. viewers with minds...

[incrdbil]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

Low rent solution: If the Pc's can't see the powers, just recognize costumes of bad guys, try this good old fashioned villainous trick. Have the evil mentalist mind control a innocent bystander (a DNPC if you feel very evil) to don a copy of the villains costume, and stand out amongst the crowd; as the mental attacks hit home, the PC's may hit the wrong target.

 

Said villain could have a host of these mind controlled duplicates--maybe even for the entire team.

 

Might not be appropriate for your campaigns tone though.

[Kirby]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

I don't know what your mentalist's powers/sfx are, but giving her some straight up DCV levels would be appropriate, as would Combat Luck (you can't *see* Combat Luck). Also, a little Damage Reduction goes a long way. If they use tactics and teamwork to reduce said Mentalist's DCV, then buy Defense Maneuver III or IV.

 

Give your mentalist Range Perception modifiers/telescopic vision so she can see from far away. Give her teleportation (20" or more, position shift) so that she can half-move and fire.

 

Position the mentalist in a crowd of people and have her open up on the PCs. This way, the crowd won't see it nor react to it and the PCs won't use AoE attacks (and the mentalist doesn't have to wear a costume).

 

Position the mentalist in a crowd of people and haver her Mind Control the normals to attack the PCs. Have her Mind Control six normals to surround her and "protect" her.

 

Instead of just Illusions, why not Images? You can buy modifiers for PER rolls with Images.

 

Having stated all these, it would help us help you if you told us the tactics the PCs use against mentalists. Do they just target the mentalist first? Do they use AoE, spread their dice, teamwork, or what?

 

Also, why do they keep targetting the mentalist first? Is this the big threat you keep concentrating on? Is it just fear of being Mind Controlled? (If so, stop creating mentalists with that power for a while.) I'd say, for this Mentalist's debut, team her up with people with range powers. Snipers or some such. Spread the team out, so that if the mentalist is being teamed up on, someone on the NPC team has a shot at their back (1/2 DCV!). Rainbow Archer from 4E would be an excellent choice. From CKC, Anklyosaur (might be a good bodyguard for the mentalist), Lazer, Mechassassin, and Ogre ("Ogre, protect me from the bullies.").

 

Some other options: Use GRAB, their mentalist has shrinking (-10 for PER rolls) and the rest of them are fast.

 

Use Eurostar. Let them go after the Mentalla while Durak goes after the civilians. Is that a bus full of tourists? Durak will throw them away!

 

If they trash Eurostar starting with Mentalla, have Menton come in. He's got 35/PD 40/ED and 9 SPD. He could teach them a lesson for concentrating on his sister (he could care less about the rest of Eurostar).

 

Finally, if they love to target mentalists, then give them mentalists: PSI.

 

I hope these help and that you've obtained some good ideas from the others.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

This is another fine case where some odd power/Advantage combos can work. I once made a Mentalist with a Fully Indirect Ego Attack ... not a lot of damage, of course, but the PCs had *NO* idea where it was coming from.

[incrdbil]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

 

If they trash Eurostar starting with Mentalla, have Menton come in. He's got 35/PD 40/ED and 9 SPD. He could teach them a lesson for concentrating on his sister (he could care less about the rest of Eurostar).

 

 

He really doesn't need to 'come in". A cell phone call that just gives him a close street address is enough. A T-port followed by Mind scan, and he can start plastering PC's while being fed grapes by his harem.

[Lucius]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

Levels of DCV, Invisible Power Effects. If the attack misses because of the Invisible DCV, it looks like it hit and she takes damage.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Summon Palindromedary

[levi]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

All fine suggestions for the power you asked our help in designing.

 

I would offer you another way to think about the problem. If the PCs are always designating the Egoist and dropping this soft target first, make the Egoist not so soft. I call it the Despero Approach. In DC, there is an extra-dimensional conqueror named Despero who originally appeared as a wimpy little purple guy with a weird fin on his head and a third eye. Over the decades, Despero has become a Super-Man level brick on top of his mental abilities.

 

So your PCs come on the scene and one of them is Ego Attacked. They know the drill and zero in on the villain holding his temple and staring intently at the target of the Ego Attack. They unleash a barrage of attacks on another easily defeated Egoist only to find that when the smoke clears, the Egoist is not only still standing, but is trading punches with the team brick.

 

Don't fall victim to the D&D mentality that characters have to fit a specific archetype. Spider-Man is a perfect example of a top flight comic book hero that defies classification into a single archetype.

 

Good gaming!

[Kirby]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

I would offer you another way to think about the problem. If the PCs are always designating the Egoist and dropping this soft target first' date=' make the Egoist not so soft. I call it the Despero Approach. In DC, there is an extra-dimensional conqueror named Despero who originally appeared as a wimpy little purple guy with a weird fin on his head and a third eye. Over the decades, Despero has become a Super-Man level brick on top of his mental abilities.[/quote']

Ahh, Despero. He's an oft overlooked villain who was really awesome. I wish I had remembered him for this thread. I would like to point out that while he was trashing the Justice Leage (I/A), that Guy Gardner was the one who was giving him a beating, until he got distracted by his teammates (granted, Guy wasn't doing the team player thing, but still). I love Guy Gardner. I like Despero. More please!

[Bengalelf]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

Don't fall victim to the D&D mentality that characters have to fit a specific archetype. Spider-Man is a perfect example of a top flight comic book hero that defies classification into a single archetype.

 

That is a great idea. I have never considered giving a egoist a 60+ strength and the defenses to go with it. I am going to have to make one up. The biggest problem I run into is having time between work and gaming to create my own stoires and characters. I tend to fall back on the pre-gens Hero Games have given us.

[Kirby]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

That is a great idea. I have never considered giving a egoist a 60+ strength and the defenses to go with it. I am going to have to make one up. The biggest problem I run into is having time between work and gaming to create my own stoires and characters. I tend to fall back on the pre-gens Hero Games have given us.

Heh, I remember back in high school when I ran D&D (and it sucked because none of my friends knew how) and one of my friends was creating a mage and rolled a 15 for his strength. I told him he couldn't be a mage because he was too strong. He showed me in the book where it said that 3 or lower could "only be a mage" but there was no maximum. Boy, was I miffed at him and we argued about it for a while, but I relented. (Turns out, I was miffed 'cause he was right and I was wrong. Same thing happened when D&D 2E came out. He said it was mostly the same, only better. I wouldn't let him use the 2E book to create characters for two months. And only then because I had bought the book and said "Hey, this rocks!")

 

Anyway, back to our thread.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Help with Mental Power

 

All good suggestions here on making the mentalist tougher. I will throw out a few others, or just different flavors of what others have mentioned.

 

If you want to link the DCV levels to Mental Illusions, just give it a "skill roll" defined as "Must roll EGO+10 with Mental Illusions (-½)". Through use of Mental Illusions on herself or shear willpower, buy "Ignores the Pain" as +10 PD/ED only vs. STN. And to make players think twice about targeting her, buy "Feel My Pain" as Mental Illusions, Damage Shield, Ranged, only to duplicate incoming attacks onto attacker.

 

For a mentalist with Mind Control buy "Pull Your Punch" as extra PD/ED, requiring the "skill roll" as above but with Mind Control instead of Mental Illusions.

 

For a telepath, try +4 DCV bought as "Forget to attack me", again with the "skill roll" limitation using Telepathy this time. Or for a more powerful effect "Forget I am here" bought as Invisibility, which will make the mentalist much harder to target. The telepath could also buy a version of "Feel My Pain", but probably with a straight EGO attack.

 

Finally you might buy extra CON or Healing vs. STN, only vs. self, Requires EGO roll, to represent the mentalist's willpower to stay on her feet.

 

____________________________________________

"These aren't the droids we are looking for..."