Help with a design

[Spence]

Have you ever had a brain dump?

 

Here is what I am trying to do. I need to create a non-corporeal being that being that enters and takes over a human host. During the possession the host’s gains increased strength and automation effects. Kind of a living zombie that feels and experiences everything, but has no control. But they take all of the damage and injury while possessed, they just ignore the effects until they are released.

 

I’m just drawing a blank and need a starting point.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Help with a design

 

Well, let's break it down.

 

Noncorporeal Entity: Desolidification, Persistent, Inherent, Always On.

Enters and Takes Over: Clinging, Affects Real World (to 'attach' to the body), and a fairly ridiculous amount of Mind Control.

 

Host gets increased STR: STR Aid or Succor.

Automaton Powers: ... ouch ... uh, okay ... there's where the sticking point is.

 

At this point, we should rearrange things a bit. Change to ...

a>Desolidification, Persistent, Inherent, Always On

b> Clinging, Affects Real World

c> Transformation, Affects Real World (this is gonna be pricey) to turn target into an Automaton version of themselves loyal to the possessor; Transformation reversed by forcing the possessor out of the host body, with a limitation (1/2, perhaps) that all the damage taken during the Transformation carries over (likely resulting in the death of the host).

 

That'd be my take on it, at least. I'm sure there'll be a few hundred other opinions.

[Greywind]

Re: Help with a design

 

Question: Is this for a PC or an NPC?

 

If it is for a PC, it probably would end up rather expensive. I've yet to see a decent Jericho build.

 

If it is for an NPC, lots of handwaving. "This" is what happens. "This" is the in-game effect.

 

Sounds a lot more like a plot device than actual character work.

[Spence]

Re: Help with a design

 

The entities are the threat. My upcoming game will have the PC's trying to stop an "invasion" form somewhere else. Only a very small percentage of humans are born with the ability to see/detect the presense of an invader. The PC's have this ability. While the world governments know about it, they are keepingh it secret from the general population to avert panic. A top secret organization has been established to fight an invisible war and the PC's are one of the newest teams that has been "recruited". Very little is know about the invaders. Exactly who they are, where they are from and their motives are not known. But they do not seem to be able to directly affect the world. So they are acting through possession. At least for now.

 

I know I can just handwave many things, but I have always liked to have a complete write up. It helps me maintain a sense of balance when I plan a session.

[Spence]

Re: Help with a design

 

After some thought here is what I came up with for the smaller class of invader.

 

I had to attach it as a word doc since I couldn't get it to hold its format.

 

Inputs would be greatly appreciated.

[SirViss]

Re: Help with a design

 

Here is what I came up with in 1 minute or so, so there isn't a lot of deep thinking in this one. Use at your own risk.

1. Noncorporeal Entity: Desolidification, Persistent, Inherent, Always On. (As CrosshairCollie suggested)
   
2. A Massive Transfer STR to TK[Affect Solid World, Only to 0 STR, maybe make it AVLD (Mental Defenses), maybe Continuous, with a duration seasoned to taste].
   
3. Clinging [Affect Solid World, only to remain attached to victim, maybe with extra STR so that the invader can remain "attached" if the victim suffers knockback]
   
4. Invisibilty [To every "normal" sense group, since the invader will be possessing the victim], only when possessing a victim ]
   
5. A level of TK [No Range, Affect Normal World, only to use on a victim of possession, possibly with Fine manipulation, maybe Reduced END (½ or 0 END)] you think your victims should generally have after they are taken over (I would suggest 25 STR, excluding Transfer). Could include a limitation "Only to +X STR of victim". ** Note: This could be massive if you are expecting to use this against supers, especially Brick. **
   

So what happens here is the incoporeal invader Drains the victim's STR to zero, so the victim won't be able to resit the TK Garb and Control. The victim will be conscious so will remember everything. And even if he is Stunned he will still not stop. The Transfer (instead of a Drain) is to limit how many points you need to invest in the TK. The suggested base 25 STR of TK is so that if a 60 STR Brick is attacked, he will still emerge with 65 STR after possession.

 

I await your comments.

 

(woops, didn't read the word doc. Will do that later)

[blasius]

Re: Help with a design

 

Well,

 

I just looked up some old rules from 4E (Horror Hero and Hero System Almanac 1), that detail the effects of spirits and spirits possessing living things, undead or something else called a container. Problem with TK is (as it states), that it continues to function even if the body is totally dismembered, which I think is not what Spence wants. In the 4E rules are detailled specifications for possession of living and undead beings, which pretty much sum up to best killing the PC and then possessing it (if you want an automaton). In the old rules, no additional summon was needed for that, and the spirit got no END, CON, REC or STUN. However, killing the PCs is probably not what Spence wants. I think (in 5E) that his proposal with the mind control is pretty good, but one could think about a major mental transform: removes targets sense of pain, heals back (immediately) if mind control is broken. The transform could perhaps be modified with the adding abilities adv. for the automaton powers. Since the rationale behind transform costs was that it should cost as much as killing a target (5ER p. 237), I think this is a good equivalent to really killing them.

 

Yours,

blasius

[Kelcyron]

Re: Help with a design

 

1) Multiform to change into the person being possessed,

-- plus --

2) linked EDM UAA which sends them to some pocket dimension, side effect that they see/feel everything that you're doing with "their" body (-0); defense is not having a mind or more mental defense than the base points of the EDM {requiring the full active points of the UAA'ed EDM would be too harsh}

 

You send them away and then "change into" them and they see and feel everything as if they were still actually there, which I believe what you were trying to do.

 

Element 1 may require a multiform-only VPP, as you'll need a different multiform for each person you "possess" (or a generous GM who allows you to buy a large number of multiple forms and keep some of them "open")

 

Kelcyron

[SirViss]

Re: Help with a design

 

I'll assume that this is a reply to what I posted.

...Problem with TK is (as it states), that it continues to function even if the body is totally dismembered, which I think is not what Spence wants...

Well, he did say that the victim should have some automaton characteristics, which implies that the victim would (mostly) ignore STUN. I should have specified that the TK should only work if the "victim" was still alive.

... I think (in 5E) that his proposal with the mind control is pretty good, but one could think about a major mental transform: removes targets sense of pain, heals back (immediately) if mind control is broken...

Well, Mind Control would work for controlling the victim it doesn't give him "automation effects", which is why I suggested handling the target's movement with TK.

 

The question that I would have for Spence is, while the "invader" is possessing a body, can "it" suffer pain (STUN and/or BODY) from Physical (and Energy) Attacks? This could be important for how to build the possession. I had assumed that, no they could not, mostly because of the "automation effect" mentionned.

 

Also I didn't know that the invader would eventually assimilate the skills of the host. I would have suggested Telepathy to the list, if I had known.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Help with a design

 

My take on this is a joint power - I've broken the rules below by putting the duplication into an EC but it seemed appropriate to me.

 

Essentially the person attacks by touching the victim to transform that person into their duplicate and then the duplication to combine the duplicates into a combined form. The combined form will be limited to 350 points but allows for a redefinition of the character to possess automaton powers and whatever seems appropriate from the victim.

 

 

Doc

 

 

 

30 Possession: Elemental Control, 60-point powers

27 1) Major Transform 6d6 (Individual into duplicate) (90 Active Points); All Or Nothing (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -1/4) 9

88 2) Possessed Individual: Duplication (creates 350-point form), Altered Duplicates (100%; +1) (140 Active Points); Duplicating causes possessed individual go free Power does not work in Uncommon Circumstances (-1/4)

[Spence]

Re: Help with a design

 

Here are the main points so far. First off is the Incorporeal nature. I wanted a ghost like being that actually has to enter the victims body to affect it. Desolidification seemed the way to go. I also wanted it to be vulnerable when it was possessing someone. The way I see it happening is whenever the host gets hit it takes an equal amount of damage that got through to the host. It the host would have taken 5 stun and 2 body, then the Class 4 takes 5 stun and 2 body. If the Class 4 is not actually possessing the victim, it cannot be affected. Since “Does Not Protect Against Damage” is a (-1), I adjusted my version to be (-3/4).

 

34 Incorporeal: Desolidification , Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); Does Not Protect Against Damage If Possessing (-3/4)

Notes: Exposes the entity to normal damage while possessing someone

 

 

My next step was the actual possession. I decided to base it on Mind Control with all the other powers linked to the MC. Only when the victim has been successfully dominated can the other powers be used. My take is that Mind Touch and Invisibility can be uses at the EGO+10 level and the remainder a the EGO+20 level. I bought the mind control and telepathy as cumulative to simulate a slow methodical take over of the victim. Once control is achieved (EGO+10), the invisibility kicks in. Basically all outward signs disappear except in the eyes (an the personality/actions of course). It is also at this stage that the hosts thoughts can be sifted.

 

As the Class 4 solidifies its control (EGO+20), it can begin commanding the host to fight or kill. To make the host body perform better in this aggressive role, it can override the bodies natural limits, without regard to the damage to the hosts body. All of this “damage” is held over until the MC is released. The Increased Strength has this damage bought as a Side Effect. The Ignore Stun and Body do not negate the damage, but only defers it until the MC is released. All damage is totaled up just like normal except instead of being immediately applied it is just noted. The host can effectively ignore the damage until the possession is released, and then it gets hit with the entire accumulated stun and body. Since all the defenses were already applied before, it is taken straight through. But remember the Class 4 cannot defer the damage. Each time the host gets hit and totals up damage to be noted, the same amount is applied to the Class 4. If the Class 4 gets knocked out or killed the host will be released. If the host is a regular human or less tough, it can die when all of the deferred damage takes effect.

 

Here is the write up.

50 Possession: Mind Control 2d6 (Additional Class of Minds class of minds), Cumulative (+1/2), Must Interpenetrate Victim (+1) (50 Active Points) 5

Notes: Class of Minds: Human and Animal

 

12 Mind Touch: Telepathy 2d6, Cumulative (+1/2), Use Knowledge and Skills of Possessed (+1) (25 Active Points); Usable only on possessed being (-1/2), Linked (Possession; -1/2) 2

 

13 Invisible: Invisibility to Sight Group (20 Active Points); Linked (Possession; -1/2) 2

Notes: When possessing a being the only outward physical indication is in the eyes. In the light the eyes look like they are filled with inky swirls.

 

6 Increased Strength: +10 STR, Overexertion, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Side Effect only affects the recipient of the benefits of the Power; +0), only when character stops using power (+1/4) (12 Active Points); Linked (Possession; -1/2), Usable only on possessed being (-1/2) 1

Notes: Side Effect: 3d6

 

16 Ignore Stun: Custom Power (45 Active Points); Only Deferred Until End of Possession (-3/4), Usable only on possessed being (-1/2), Linked (Possession; -1/2) 4

 

4 Ignore Body: Physical Damage Reduction, 25% (10 Active Points); Only Deferred Until End of Possession (-3/4), Usable only on possessed being (-1/2), Linked (Possession; -1/2)

[blasius]

Re: Help with a design

 

Spence,

 

how about this: the class 4 does his mind control and automatically starts a healing, only others , user takes all the damage healed (in the grimoire, there is a spell with that disadvantage; -1) and a energy blast, nnd, trigger (class 4 killed, koed or his mind control broken) and an additional disadvantage: cannot incur more damage than previously healed. If you put a fixed effect on both and put them up to the same upper limit ( and the limit should be the maximum the class 4 can take in damage plus some, since he can die of it), it should be easy to make a transfer from the healed damage to the class 4 and from the class 4 to the character later on. If the healing is instant (and instant in this case really should mean instant), then the character should suffer from no stun or body loss, voila his automaton powers.

 

Yours,

blasius

[Duke Bushido]

Re: Help with a design

 

I need to create a non-corporeal being that being

 

Like CC, Desolid leapt readily to mind.

 

that enters and takes over a human host.

 

As far as 'taking over' goes, scads of Mind Control should do the trick, as noted by others above.

 

During the possession the host’s gains increased strength and automation effects.

 

Succor works nicely for giving extra points in anything. The automaton effects--- that could get pricey, and perhaps a bit kludgy to bequeath (I don't recall the 5e rules on giving new powers to someone, so I could be wrong; it could be very simply indeed).

 

Then you added this little bit:

 

Kind of a living zombie that feels and experiences everything, but has no control. But they take all of the damage and injury while possessed, they just ignore the effects until they are released.

 

At this point, I was thinking that perhaps automaton powers might not be the way to go here after all. Perhaps these could be represented with additional Succors:

 

Succor to EGO or CON (depending on how your group handles Stunning): only for defending against CON stunning

Succor to Body and Stun. Or, if it's more appropriate, (and bear with me; it gets wiggy here for a minute) Succor to _negative_ BODY. That is, increase the amount of damage required to make them totally destroyed without increasing the amount of damage it takes to 'bring them down' (though I don't think this is what you're after, if I read this right).

 

 

Not recalling 5e rules on adjustment powers (and not having unpacked Fred yet), I don't know if you'd have to handwave the next or if it's correct with the current rules, but if the Succor stops the instant the 'hijacker' leaves, then the 'additional' damage beyond the hosts normal levels would apply to the normal levels, which could leave you with a bullet-riddled husk.

 

 

Sorry--- a lot of this has already come to you, I know. The only reason I chimed in at all was because as I was pondering this, it occured to me that using Desolid would still make the hijacker vulnerable to attacks from other characters with desolid or anything with the ADO advantage.

 

It occured to me that this might be one of those rare occasions on which I would allow EDM as something other than actually moving extra-dimensionally: EDM to the 'soul of the target' or some-such better thought out thing.

[Duke Bushido]

Re: Help with a design

 

Ack!

 

Sorry folks; I didn't notice the date....

 

thought this was a new request for ideas......

 

 

My bad.