overmentalizing

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: overmentalizing

 

Having NPCs that can reasonably expect to encounter this hero take steps to counteract his known abilities is not a nerf. It's tactics and strategy and it's what seperates the criminal masterminds from the hobgoblin hordes. I'm stunned that every one of The Kingpin's men doesn't carry a dog whistle, for example.

 

Telepathy is not open license to peek at the GM's notes. People are dumb, misinformed or misremember. It's not a nuclear power in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Taking steps to maintain the drama of uncertainty can only improve the game. But I would say the biggest concern is that the Telepath is grinding the game to a halt while he goes cerebellum surfing. The other PCs are left sitting around with their thumbs up their butts. It's the Hacker dilemma of CyberPunk gaming, where the Decker dives into the virtual world and the rest of the players can go on a munchy run. For hours.

 

I don't think anybody's disagreeing with you. We're just saying there are better, more interesting, and more fun ways to deal with the issue beyond 'everybody on the face of the planet has Mental Defense' or 'Mooks programmed to go head-asplodey when mind probed'.

[Christopher]

Re: overmentalizing

 

True to an extent. However' date=' a dog whistle is something you can buy in a store for a few dollars. What a lot of people are talking about here are things like widespread mind-bombs, special anti-psi training, custom scanners to detect invisible telepathy use ... not stuff you can just buy at the corner store. You'd need not only your own mentalist/psi-inventor, but specifically one with some unusual powers. Some organizations may be powerful enough to have all that - but not the majority[/quote']

You can't buy them in our world, because telepathy doesn't exists in our world. But how expensive would it be, to make a Scanner Using "Mental Awareness" as it's sense?

There are dozen of Detect-Build Tools in our world: Detect Speed of Moving Object, Detect Solution to Mathematical Equation (some Mathtematic-Websites have Equation solvers), Detect Blood Alcohol (based on Scent). So once it starts to be a major problem, who says there isn't a company inventign the right tools for the job. And the heroic mentalist can't possibily say something against it, or does he do unjust things that could be proven with it?

[Shadow Hawk]

Re: overmentalizing

 

You can't buy them in our world, because telepathy doesn't exists in our world. But how expensive would it be, to make a Scanner Using "Mental Awareness" as it's sense?

There are dozen of Detect-Build Tools in our world: Detect Speed of Moving Object, Detect Solution to Mathematical Equation (some Mathtematic-Websites have Equation solvers), Detect Blood Alcohol (based on Scent). So once it starts to be a major problem, who says there isn't a company inventign the right tools for the job. And the heroic mentalist can't possibily say something against it, or does he do unjust things that could be proven with it?

 

In Champions Universe, there are a number of organizations (Viper, PSI, Argent) and individuals (Wayland Talos) who would be glad to provide a anti-hero-psi-device for a small fee. An adventure to attempt to prevent such devices being delivered might be called for.

[casualplayer]

Re: overmentalizing

 

I don't think anybody's disagreeing with you. We're just saying there are better' date=' more interesting, and more fun ways to deal with the issue beyond 'everybody on the face of the planet has Mental Defense' or 'Mooks programmed to go head-asplodey when mind probed'.[/quote']

 

Thought I suggested both some carrot and stick methods, and while I suggested the progressive earworm I wasn't the one that suggested booby trapped henchmen. The way I would personally address the depth this PC is delving is by not giving him the uninterrupted time to dig that deeply by introducing another matter that requires his attention. I am actually amazed that the PC doesn't run out of END in less than a minute also.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: overmentalizing

 

"Congratulations. Due to his highly effective interrogation techniques, Mindworm has been drafted to special service. He's going to be busy for the next few years going through Gitmo, federal prisons, everyone potentially connected to any missing persons cases, and everyone involved in the last few rounds of financial meltdown. While he's busy, what would you like your next character to be like?"

 

If you want to keep him in the game, let him do the stuff, but don't have the rest of the campaign sit around while he does it. "OK, you're partway through the scanning of thug #2, and there's another emergency. Do you want to sit in a corner writing up questions, or would you like to come along with the rest of the team?" "After finishing with thug #4, you notice that you have new messages on your phone. Apparently you forgot your date and forgot to go to work, and missed the team calling you for a bank robbery. You're also very tired and hungry, and notice that it's now Thursday. Looking in the back room, you notice that your teammates have deposited another half-dozen thugs for your queue. Maybe you should feed them too. Or at least put up some air freshener."

[Grimble]

Re: overmentalizing

 

I have a group ready and waiting for any mentalist that ruins too many plotlines (I haven't had to use them, yet). They are normals who use paramilitary tactic and training to hunt down and take out mentalists. They also use training in mental discipline (natural mental def.) and scientific shielding in helmets to block out mental powers. Their main weapons are guns and AoE sonic attacks that hinder concentration (They use special earpieces to protect themselves.

They usually hunt down mentalist villains, but if a mentalist superhero were crossing lines...

[Christopher]

Re: overmentalizing

 

Okay, my last post in that direction got deleted somehow, let's try it again:

 

Mental Manipulation Handscanner:

Mental Awareness (5 Base Points) + Discriminatory (5 Base Points) = 10 Base Points; OAF (-1)

Real Cost: 5

 

Retroactive Detector (Compound Power):

Mental Awareness as above (10 Base Points); Active Cost Part: 10

plus

Clairsentience + Retrocognition (40 Base Points), Requires a Roll (appropirate SS, Forensics or Similar Skill; -1/4), One Sense Only(Mental Awareness only; -1/4), Retrocognition Only (-1), Time Modifiers (-1/2); Active Cost Part: 13

Active Cost for generall Limitations: 23

Generall Limitations: Obvious, Accesible, Immobile Focus (Something around a "X-ray computed tomography"-machine; -2)

Real Cost: 8

At the worst calculation Model, the Active Points cost would be 50, but both values are still less than those of most automatic firearms.

 

Both should have a Eidetic Memory added, or be linked up to an Eidetic Memory device (computer) to record findings. But if not, then you can still use the Forensic Specialist using it as Witness, the same way you do with a coroner and other "has to be interpreted by specialist" forensics-guy.

Both still require a INT-Roll from the character to find the proof and neither works against a Mental Power with total IPE (for that, a different detect, maybe with Analysing, is nessesary).

[Ice9]

Re: overmentalizing

 

Sure, the AP isn't that high. Of course, the AP for an antigravity belt (Flight 2m, Fuel Charge, OIF) is even less, and actually, so is the AP for a perpetual motion generator (TK, No END, OAF Bulky). I'm not saying that psi-scanning devices are inherently improbable, just that AP is not a good guideline for how common something is.

 

Sure, it makes sense that some organizations would take measures against it. And that they would also take measures against teleportation, clairvoyance, invisibility, n-ray vision, super-pheremones, cyberpaths, desolidification, shapeshifting, standard spying, tactical prediction,, and pretty much opposing forces in general. How much resources they can devote to each of those areas depends on the organization, but if the answer is "plenty", then we're looking at a group that you can't use anything but brute force on. And if everyone operates like that, it makes things rather monotonous, IMO.