Cumulative Mental Power Question

[Colossus]

Need some opinions:

Cumulative Mental Powers (Mental Illusion, Mind Control, Telepathy) are a good way to build a character who needs to concentrate to use a mental power (in effectg attack several times) rather than just striking out quickly.: Obviously a legal build would be something like: Mind Control: 6d6 (+ 1 Cumulative Max Effect: 144).

In play does the attacking character then need to make a command as soon as he reaches the minimum effect level or can he just keep piling on the points to makes the Breakout roll harder. Example: X is attacking Y (Ego: 14) with the above power. X wants Y to go and turn himself into the police. Y, a murder, does not want to do this so it is ruled an Ego + 30 roll, so X cannot make the order until he accumulates at least 45 points of effect. If X’s first roll is 20, second roll is 17, and third roll is 23 he now has 50 points. Sure X can make the order, but if Y makes his Ego breakout roll at – 1 (11-) nothing happens at all. Y will get at least 3 more breakout rolls (12 - a turn, 13 - a minute, and 14 -five minutes) and if they are far from a police station or Y has to wai t to be processed he may get one or two more (15 – and 16 -). The likelihood of this power doing anything negative to Y is slight in the extreme.

If, however, you let X pile on two more rolls (say 18 each the total is now 86 and Y’s breakouts are 4 -, 5 -, 6- , 7 -, 8 -, 9-. Sure Y may escape, but he is much less likely to.

X has spent to more phases building up the attack in the second example. In this time Y can fight, run, do anything, as he has not been ordered not to, this seems fair and balanced to me, how about you all?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Cumulative Mental Power Question

 

If you want to declare a higher total than the level needed to impose penalties to the breakout roll you declare the total you are going for at the start - when you first Activate the Power. The Power does not take effect until that declared level is achieved.

 

5ER p120