Causing a Character to be Mute

[MagePro]

Other than a Transform, what can be used to invisably silence a character? Not perminatly mind you, just for the course of the combat or adventure.

 

The thought is to silence a leader so they can't give orders. (or in one case, use their voice activated powers.) I thought about Darkness that only affects the hearing perception group, but that doesn't quite fit the bill. I thought that the effects would work something like a Flash for a duration, but that has issues of its own. Transform was the only other power I could think of, but I figured that would be a Major Transformation "To a mute person" and too expensive for something so simple.

 

That leaves me with Entangle. Hmmm... That could wind up being very expensive as well. This needs to fit into a 50 point VPP as a spell with hardly any limitations (no incantations or guestures, etc.).

[Vondy]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

Other than a Transform, what can be used to invisably silence a character? Not perminatly mind you, just for the course of the combat or adventure.

 

The thought is to silence a leader so they can't give orders. (or in one case, use their voice activated powers.) I thought about Darkness that only affects the hearing perception group, but that doesn't quite fit the bill. I thought that the effects would work something like a Flash for a duration, but that has issues of its own. Transform was the only other power I could think of, but I figured that would be a Major Transformation "To a mute person" and too expensive for something so simple.

 

That leaves me with Entangle. Hmmm... That could wind up being very expensive as well. This needs to fit into a 50 point VPP as a spell with hardly any limitations (no incantations or guestures, etc.).

 

10D6 Mind Control, One Command: Don't Speak (-1). 50 AP; 25 RC.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

Darkness to Hearing Group 1" Radius, Useable as Attack (+1), Only Blocks Speach (-1/2), Only Affects One Target (-1/4).

 

Other lims and advantages flavored to taste.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

Darkness to Hearing Group 1" Radius, Useable as Attack (+1), Only Blocks Speach (-1/2), Only Affects One Target (-1/4).

 

Other lims and advantages flavored to taste.

 

Doesn't need UAA; Darkness is already an Attack Power.

 

Only To Prevent Speech I would model at -1; since Darkness normally prevents any in/out Sense.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

Doesn't need UAA; Darkness is already an Attack Power.

 

Only To Prevent Speech I would model at -1; since Darkness normally prevents any in/out Sense.

 

It does if you want it to follow somone around as they move. Otherwise the darkness stays in the hex you origionally targeted it on.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

It does if you want it to follow somone around as they move. Otherwise the darkness stays in the hex you origionally targeted it on.

 

In that case replace the UAA (+1) with the optional Mobile (+1/2) (from Fantasy Hero I think).

[Bloodstone]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

Actually, that Advantage is in 5er under AoE advantages section. It lets you move the AoE with an attack action. So if the target moves out of the AoE he could speak until you had the chance to move the Darkness back onto his new hex.

[Cosmosemeritus]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

I seem to recall that speach could be considered a sense worth a certain set value. I don't recall what that value is, but if so, couldn't it be flashed?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

It does if you want it to follow somone around as they move. Otherwise the darkness stays in the hex you origionally targeted it on.

 

I was pretty sure Darkness had it's own Mobile option. Perhaps not.

[gojira]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

I seem to recall that speach could be considered a sense worth a certain set value. I don't recall what that value is' date=' but if so, couldn't it be flashed?[/quote']

 

Good idea. Like a concussion grenade. Boom! And you get your breath knocked out of you.

[Armitage]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

I was pretty sure Darkness had it's own Mobile option. Perhaps not.

 

In 5E a self-targeting Darkness would move with the character who created it. Moving with someone else required UAA.

That's been removed from the 5ER Darkness description, but the general description of Constant Powers says No Range Constant Powers can move with the character at the GM's option (which is also referenced in the description of Mobile.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

For many years I've been using a house rule which works for this as well as almost every other possible power you can think of that would otherwise have to be a Transform. I've mentioned it several times on these boards. The basic idea is to think of Disadvantages as "Negative Powers" and then simply let Adjustment Powers work on Disads the same (but opposite) way they do on Powers.

 

In this case, you are bestowing a Disad - Physical Limitation: Mute (15 points - IIRC). So you buy this power as a Drain: Speech. When you get up to 15 points of effect, the target is Mute! Then the points return at the usual rate for a Drain. You can add on the slowed return rate advantage to make it last longer. So you could buy this as:

 

Drain Speech 4d6, points return at 5/minute (+1/4) - 50 points.

 

In most cases, I would also recommend allowing for some granularity/gradualness of the effect. If you get only 5 points of effect, the target can no longer shout, but can only speak in a normal voice. At 10 points of effect, the target can only whisper. Or something like that. The specific partial results that you use will depend on the SFX/mechanism of the power and the genre and game considerations. Another possibility is to have gradually increasing penalties to the Hearing PER rolls of those trying to understand that he's saying. Say, at 5 points, they'd have to make a normal PER roll each time, and at 10 points, they'd have to make the roll at -3. Best to work out these levels with your GM in advance.

 

Note that the target gets his Power Defense against this attack. He should also get any other powers/abilities purchased that work with the speech added onto the total of points that must be Drained. I can't think of too many examples in this case. The only one that immediately comes to mind is a sonic attack performed with the character's speech. If the target is rendered mute, then this Sonic EB would no longer work. This would represent a much more powerful voice, which should then take that much more effort to Drain. Just like it takes more to Drain 60 STR down to 0 that it would to Drain 10 STR down to 0. If the target has 60 points of power in his voice, the Drain must drain that power away first, and then make the target mute. The first 15 points of Drain would reduce the sonic scream from 12d6 to 9d6, for example.

 

I've used this technique for powers that inflict Limitations (usually Physical ones), and for powers that alleviate Limitations, with Aid (usually Psychological ones). Yes, you could theoretically give someone a DNPC or a Secret ID, or remove someone's Hunted, or Code of Conduct with this technique, but I can't think of a SFX that would justify it. It still has to make sense and fit within the genre and game.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

Can't think of an SFX that would justify it?

 

Clearly you have not considered the implications of a wild night on the town, sir!

 

Why, with just a few 40's and a someone's sister, I could easily manage an AID to DNPC (baby, baby's momma: group DNPC), Hunted (Father, Brother, federal government) and Secret ID (changed name in attempt to avoid child support).

 

Course, you might have to DRAIN the character's code of conduct first, but like I said, there are large quantities of alcohol involved!

 

((sorry for the derail, couldn't resist))

[Sean Waters]

Re: Causing a Character to be Mute

 

5ER p 352 - voice is a sense worrth 20 points (sort of) so you can darkness or flash it, or presumably drain or supress it.