How to... Gun from "Lookers"

[FOUNDATION]

I hope this is the correct forum to post a "how to" question...

 

I'm trying to reproduce the gun from the movie "Looker's" (I think the movie was made around 1980). As best as I can tell, the gun fires a pulse of light that causes victims to go into a "mental bliss" state. They're effectively asleep except for the fact that they remain frozen in place while under the effect.

 

The effect wears off after a fairly short time. It can also be dispelled if the victim is strongly jostled (or punched). If treated gently, the victim can be picked up and carried without dispelling the effect though.

 

The gun also has limitations similar to a visual flash attack. If the target averts his eyes, it will have no effect. Also, there are special glasses that renders one immune to the gun's effects. The weilder of the gun needs to wear these glasses or he too will be affected as soon as he pulls the trigger.

 

Because of the nature of how the weapon affects its targets, it does not seem that entangle is the correct power for this. I suppose some mental power could be used, but that would make the gun very expensive - especially if it was to be fully self contained (i.e. an agent could effectively use the weapon).

 

Any suggestions (perhaps this is just one of those weapons that are too effective and not really feasible for Champions)?

[Doug Limmer]

Re: How to... Gun from "Lookers"

 

Originally posted by FOUNDATION

I hope this is the correct forum to post a "how to" question...

It's as good a place as any for this.

I suppose some mental power could be used, but that would make the gun very expensive - especially if it was to be fully self contained (i.e. an agent could effectively use the weapon).

Well, it instantly incapacitates the target. That probably should be expensive. The special glasses/averted eyes suggests some sort of NND. You might look into an entangle based on EGO (or CON?).

[Edsel]

I remember the movie, here's how I'd do it.

 

4d6 Entangle (40 Act. Pts), Takes No Damage from Physical Attacks (+1/4), Works against EGO, Not STR (+1/4), Limited: No Effect Against Targets w/Visual Flash Defense or Those Who Avert Their Eyes (-1/4), OAF: Gun (-1), Limited: Any Significant Physical Contact Will Free Target (-1/2), 12 Charges (-1/4).

Active Point: 60, Real Points: 20

 

The entangle takes no damage from physical attacks, so no physical (or energy) attack possessed by the victim can be used for breakout. Since it works against EGO, a high STR is no aid to escape, EGO is used as STR in escape attempts and 4d6 is enough to hold most normal (any many non-mental paranormals fast). It is ineffective against those who have any sort of visual flash defense (goggles, etc.) and since you can also avoid the attack by averting your eyes it works like a flash attack against targets for purposes of hitting (note I gave this a -1/4 limitation value but that's a GM caveat). I limited the attack so that any Significant physical attack will break the entangle. A gentle touch won't do it, but a slap would, I give this a -1/2 limitation since it makes the victim capable of being freed by about anybody (again a GM caveat).

 

You could further reduce the cost of the attack by giving it the Reduced by Range Limitation; I seem to remember that these things were pretty limited in range. I don't think they were very limited by ammo so I gave them 12 shots. You might want to consider an Area Effect advantage of some sort, again I don't remember if they could affect multiple targets with one shot (perhaps an AE cone).

 

SFX of the attack is a flash and the odd little noise they made when fired. You'll have to rule that the effect wears off after an unspecified period of time, that'll be a GM call. The attack can be reflected off light reflecting surfaces (mirrors and the like).

[FOUNDATION]

yes, but...

 

Edsel, thanks for the response. Something along the "entangle" lines was my original thought too. The problem with this is that entangle really does not produce the same effect. Yes, in both cases (how I described it (i.e. how it is in the movie) and how you described it), I think we have the weapon's limitations nailed down and the effect on the target causing them to be "frozen" in place - but there is a key difference...

 

In your example, the target, after being hit, should be thinking (or perhaps even saying) "Damn, that guy over there shot me with his gun and now I'm stuck - hmmm let me think about what I should do to try and break out - perhaps I should use my mind link or head set to ask for help from one of my team mates".

 

This differs from the movie version where, once hit, the target has been mentally "blissed out". For all intents and purposes, he has been rendered senseless - as if he/she is asleep. That's why entangle (at least by its self), does not quite cut it. It accomplishes the "freeze" effect, but not the associated "blissed out" effect. I don't see linking a flash that affects every sense group (really expensive!) will even do it since the target will still be able to think (albiet while floating in a virtual sensory deprivation tank). It's also why I mused that a faithful reproduction of this weapon may just be infeasible using the Hero game mechanics (since to do it properly probably means the weapon's active cost would be several hundred points).

[nblade]

You know this thread is really wierd, I was talking to a friend about this movie just the other day. Guess there really is a cosmic conciseness

[Chris Goodwin]

How about a STUN Drain or Suppress? The blissed out effect seems like unconsciousness.

[Edsel]

Perhaps it should be done as a dispel vs. SPD. The average human is SPD 2 therefore a 8d6 Dispel should easily take them to 0 SPD. Of course you'd have to make it continous, maybe something with 1-hour continuing charges or something like that.

 

Anyway a character with 0 SPD is frozen in place and can't do anything but take post PHA 12 recoveries. But as to whether or not they are able to perceive, that's not addressed as far as I can find.

 

An NND EB vs. Flash Defence might work, you could always say the SFX is the target is just frozen in place instead of falling down when rendered unconscious.

 

Its late now or I'd work on it some more but alas I have to work tomorrow. If the topic is still active perhaps I'll come up with something by then.

[Yamo]

This differs from the movie version where, once hit, the target has been mentally "blissed out". For all intents and purposes, he has been rendered senseless - as if he/she is asleep. That's why entangle (at least by its self), does not quite cut it. It accomplishes the "freeze" effect, but not the associated "blissed out" effect. I don't see linking a flash that affects every sense group (really expensive!) will even do it since the target will still be able to think (albiet while floating in a virtual sensory deprivation tank). It's also why I mused that a faithful reproduction of this weapon may just be infeasible using the Hero game mechanics (since to do it properly probably means the weapon's active cost would be several hundred points).

 

Orgazmo Ray:

 

Mind Control 14d6, Telepathic (+1/4), NND (defense is any Sight Group Flash Defense, closed/averted eyes, or blindness/lack of eyes; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (157 Active Points), Set Effect (stand still overcome with bliss; -1/2), OAF (gun; -1), Subject to Range Modifier (-1/4), Visible (-1/4), Limited Power: Attack Roll Based On OCV Instead Of ECV (-0), Limited Power: Effect Ends Automatically If Target Is Handled Roughly Or Subjected To Violent Force (-1/2), Total Cost: 45 Points

 

Everything else is special effects, baby!

[FOUNDATION]

Outstanding! Throw in an AOE Cone and a couple of other hoo-ha's and I think that's got it nailed. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Edsel]

Good job Yamo.

[Supreme]

I've seen "Looker," and I can't see the Looker gun as an entangle because an entangle stays in place until broken. The Looker gun specifically freezes a person in place for one hour. That sounds like a transform, with the recovery condition being "once one hour has elapsed."

[Osprey]

I worked this up myself years ago.

 

(From Memory now) it looked something like this:

 

Looker Gun: 8D6 EB. NND (Flash defense). Limitations: Instant Awaken (-1), OAF.

 

The "Instant Awaken" Limitation is from "Gadgets!". an 80s supplement for Champions and Danger Int.

The attack is STUN Only.

It only works if the stun of the attack exceeds the Victim's CON.

Any stimulus that would wake a sleeping person returns all STUN instantly.

[pinecone]

Looker gun

 

That was one of the great films....at least if you're old enough to have had a jones for susan day...Aaron alston's page used to have a looker write up a few years ago if'n I remember...

[Armitage]

Originally posted by Osprey

I worked this up myself years ago.

 

(From Memory now) it looked something like this:

 

Looker Gun: 8D6 EB. NND (Flash defense). Limitations: Instant Awaken (-1), OAF.

 

The "Instant Awaken" Limitation is from "Gadgets!". an 80s supplement for Champions and Danger Int.

The attack is STUN Only.

It only works if the stun of the attack exceeds the Victim's CON.

Any stimulus that would wake a sleeping person returns all STUN instantly.

 

The Autohypnotic Gun, by Aaron Allston.

Adventurer's Club #9.

 

Instant Awaken:

The target takes no damage at all if they are not Stunned or Knocked Out.

On the Phase they recover from being Stunned or Knocked Out they instantly regain all Stun lost to the attack.

A slap, loud noise, or similar stimulus allows immediate recovery from the attack.

[Osprey]

AC9! Thanks for the reminder!

Maybe it wasn't mine:(

 

I've been thinking...

 

The Autohypnotic wouldn't necesarily prevent the victim from falling. (In the movie, victims kept standing), so maybe adding a Speed Drain would be appropriate.

 

I also remember a scene where someone who had just recovered from the guns effects could not see the gun weilder when looking directly, but saw his legs when looking under a table! Mental Illusions? Sense Distortion?

[FOUNDATION]

The "not falling down" issue is significant when it comes to the "Instant Awaken" limitation approach. IMHO, adding speed drain to it just makes the whole thing overcomplicated. I still think Yamo's "Orgazmo Ray" comes closest to reproducing the effects (as I said earlier, you'll still need to add AOE Cone and a couple of other hoo-ha's to it to really make it ideal).

 

Besides, I'm not sure if you could carry someone under the effects of IA without waking them up (I believe the first person to die (in the movie) was carried to the balcony of her high-rise appartment and dropped over the edge (after being zapped with a "looker" gun)).