Magesight

[TheDude2371]

Okay, here's what I'm trying to create, and I'm not sure if it's been done before. I don't have a copy of Ultimate Mystic as yet (planning to order it), so I don't know if it's in there.

 

Basically, here's the gist of what I'm trying to create...

 

In the Dresden Files books, the Wizards have this ability to look into a man's true soul, true nature through eye contact.

That's what I'm trying to build out, for those who are familiar with the books.

 

 

 

I'm also trying to writeup another psychic version of the same, uncontrolled via touch (doesn't always activate, mind you, randomly works). That one may be easier.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Magesight

 

I haven't read the sourcematerial ... but Aura Vision (Ultimate Mystics pp49-50) sounds about what you're aiming at.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Magesight

 

I'd probably write it up as Uncontrolled Telepathy. Don't forget that the target gets the same amount of information as the Wizard, it can be more of a hindrance than a help.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Magesight

 

Let me start by saying I haven't read ALL the books yet, so there may be some things that I haven't taken into account that are revealed in later books.

 

That said, I don't think Telepathy really covers it mechanically here.

 

First of all, the target doesn't necessarily know their own true nature on any level. Harry has often remarked that he doesn't actually have any clue what people see when they look into his soul. I'm not sure that Telepathy can get that info from a person without a healthy dose of handwavium...

 

Second, it's pretty much unfailing so long as the target has a human soul. Telepathy can fail against a target with a high EGO/Mental Defenses.

 

Third, there is the two way aspect which will probably need to be modeled with an appropriate limitation regardless of what power you use.

 

Finally, it's not your normal No Conscious Control. The effect is always on and happens whenever somone makes eye contact with a wizard for too long. A normal human can force a Soulgaze onto a wizard.

 

Of course, the Soulgaze has a couple of goofy side effects that you may or may not want to model. Susan passed out when she saw Harry's soul and the effect only ever works once per person anyhow.

 

Overall, I'd say this is really more of a campaign ground rule in most situations, probably as some kind of Physical Disadvantage. "Mortal Soul Is Vulnerable to Wizards Soulgaze" or some such.

 

Beyond that, it plays out as more of a Detect with the occasional bit of Ego Attack type effect stacked on the top.The biggest advantage of the soulgaze is not that it lets you know somone true nature. That's a highly variable effect anyhow and would probably best be solved through roleplaying. Does knowing that somone is REALLY a stone cold killer provide you any useful info? Or does it mostly just scare the crap out of you and make their threats that much more effective?

 

No, the biggest advantage to it that I have seen is that it lets Harry reliable tell if somone has a soul. If he can't Soulgaze them, they are nonhuman. But that doesn't actually clue him in on what they are. And this is obviously not something people will go around using like a Paladin's Detect Evil in D&D, because the repercussions are rather annoying: "I have confirmed she is human and she now knows my true nature."

 

So I guess the big question is: what do you actually want this to do?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Magesight

 

Well, given what Bloodstone just put down...

 

Detect: Person's True Nature (10pts)

Always On (-1/2) (represents the "uncontrolled" aspect mentioned)

Eye Contact Required -1/2

Side Effect (They See My True Nature As Well) (Minor Side Effect, Always Occurs)

Can Only Be Used Once Per Person (-1 at least)

 

Totals out around 2-3 Points, depending.

[AnotherSkip]

Re: Magesight

 

Take Mind Scan and change to Soul scan?

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Magesight

 

This is from the hip, but something like:

 

Detect True Nature; Sight Based; Transmit; SE: Duplex (Always Two-way Communication; -1/4); SE: Never Forgotten (Always; -1/4)

 

 

Also, if the target is horrifying to the point of causing insanity / mental disturbance, since the spectacle can't be forgotten it can cause some longterm harm, but this seems like more of a story element or else would only happen in conjunction with a Mental Dmg Shield.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Magesight

 

Well, given what Bloodstone just put down...

 

Detect: Person's True Nature (10pts)

Always On (-1/2) (represents the "uncontrolled" aspect mentioned)

Eye Contact Required -1/2

Side Effect (They See My True Nature As Well) (Minor Side Effect, Always Occurs)

Can Only Be Used Once Per Person (-1 at least)

 

Totals out around 2-3 Points, depending.

 

ooh...yeah, Eye Contact Required...good call. However, Eye Contact is only necessary to use it on a person. Harry has also used to it to detect the nature of other things, and to sense magic in general.

 

Its not Always On -- its normally off and is turned on as an act of will.

 

I don't think its only usable once per person per se; if someone were to change over time a later soul gaze should be able to pick that up. Rather, I think that people's true natures rarely actually change and thus there is not much benefit to multiple uses on the same person in the general case.

 

I could be wrong however; I just read the last Dresden File book a couple of months ago, but its been a while since I read the earlier ones.

[Shaft]

Re: Magesight

 

Sense True Nature; sight based, discriminatory, anaytical, Only usable on beings with a soul -1/4, side effects (user's nature is revealed to the target, always occurs) -1/2, side effect (magic weirdness at GM's discretion) -1/4

[ghost-angel]

Re: Magesight

 

ooh...yeah, Eye Contact Required...good call. However, Eye Contact is only necessary to use it on a person. Harry has also used to it to detect the nature of other things, and to sense magic in general.

 

Its not Always On -- its normally off and is turned on as an act of will.

 

I don't think its only usable once per person per se; if someone were to change over time a later soul gaze should be able to pick that up. Rather, I think that people's true natures rarely actually change and thus there is not much benefit to multiple uses on the same person in the general case.

 

I could be wrong however; I just read the last Dresden File book a couple of months ago, but its been a while since I read the earlier ones.

 

Hey, I haven't read any of them, feel free to disassemble my build for the needed bits - I'm shooting blind here.

 

Glad I could toss out a helpful bit at the least.

[Spence]

Re: Magesight

 

One of the things being left out is that you see the true nature and can never ever ever forget.

 

It is also not you looking at one thing. If the wizard opens the Third Eye he looks around like normal but see's everything's true shape and nature

 

In the books it is something a mage really doesn't do often because it cannot be undone. The books hinted at more dire consequences. In one of the books Dresden uses his sight to look at the magical threat without being eye to eye and undergoes some fairly nasty side effects, including blacking out and near insanity.

 

 

CAUTION quotes from Turn Coat.

 

 

"Whatever you see, the good, the bad, the insanity-inducing--it sticks with you forever. You can't ever forget it, and time doesn't blur the memories. It's yours. Permanently.

Wizards who run around using their Sight willy-nilly wind up bonkers."

 

-and-

 

"I checked up above me and -----

Time froze

---snip some description text--

Someone screamed, and I dimly noted that it was probably me. The car hit something that made it shriek in protest. It jounced hard up and down, wham-wham. I'd drifted into the curb. I felt the front wheels shimmy through the steering wheel, and I slammed on the brakes, still screaming, as I fought to close my Third Eye."

 

and later

 

"The memory of the thing hurt like hell-but pain wasn't anything special or new. I'd live with it before, and would do it again. It wasn't the first thing I'd Seen, and it wouldn't be the last.

I was not going to roll over and die.

Sledgehammers of perfect memory pounded me down into blackness."

 

 

 

[TheDude2371]

Re: Magesight

 

Thanks for the ideas so far, guys... keep 'em coming!

[Bloodstone]

Re: Magesight

 

However, Eye Contact is only necessary to use it on a person. Harry has also used to it to detect the nature of other things, and to sense magic in general.

 

Its not Always On -- its normally off and is turned on as an act of will.

 

 

It is also not you looking at one thing. If the wizard opens the Third Eye he looks around like normal but see's everything's true shape and nature

 

Well, as I said, I haven't read all the books yet so I may be wrong but...

 

Dresdan has a variety of supernatural senses: Listening, the Third Eye and the Soulgaze. All of them are separate things as far as I have seen. Might be related somehow, but they operate quite differently.

 

Listening seems to just be +X to Hearing Group or maybe some Telescopic, probably with some kind of Extra Time or Concentration lim on it. Or maybe Clarisentience with Blackout considering he blocks out all other sounds when he's doing it. In any event, only a few people seem to have this talent, though Harry says anyone can learn how to do it.

 

The Third Eye is a special sense that sees very minimal use. Harry talks about how there are wizards hat have driven themselves insane from using the sight all the time. It's like a refined Detect Magic effect and a Transdimensional for Sight Group rolled into one. Or something similar. Somewhat trippy/scary SFX. Unlike Listening, it seems that every wizard can do this.

 

The Soulgaze happens whenever Harry looks into a humans eyes for too long, intentionally or otherwise. Remember, Susan tricked Dresdan into Soulgazing with her... and then fainted based on what she saw there. It happens automatically with eye contact, but most people avert their gazes before hand. Harry talks about how anyone that spends any time around Wizards quickly learns to talk to their noses. Again, this is an ability all wizards share.

[Spence]

Re: Magesight

 

Well, as I said, I haven't read all the books yet so I may be wrong but...

 

 

I had Turn Coat handy and could look it up, but it has been a bit since I read the others. I may be mixing two different things up....

[TheDude2371]

Re: Magesight

 

Third Eye was also the name of a street drug in Storm Front that did pretty much the same thing, but geared more toward the "mundanes" on the street.

 

I'm getting a better idea on how to construct this ability... but, keep the ideas flowing.

[Bloodstone]

Re: Magesight

 

Third Eye was also the name of a street drug in Storm Front that did pretty much the same thing' date=' but geared more toward the "mundanes" on the street.[/quote']

 

I think Dresdan alternates between calling it "Opening the Third Eye" and just "The Sight" but I'm not positive... and may in fact be mixing up stories...

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Magesight

 

I got the sense (ha ha) that its all the same sense, being referred to creatively. But you could be right, they might be functionally similar but different abilities.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Magesight

 

It's called Soulgazing in the Dresden novels.

[TheDude2371]

Re: Magesight

 

It's called Soulgazing in the Dresden novels.

 

Right, I couldn't remember it at the time I was writing this... me, the guy who has avidly read all the books from the beginning.

You can tell what kind of week it has been...

Then again, I think I was suffering a migraine when I wrote the original post.