Custom Limitation: Once per "meeting" limit

[Casanova Frankenstein]

I'm looking at building a cumulative Telepthy power that allows a person to identify Psychological Limitations, Fears, Enraging conditions, etc. The telepathy can read a subject's thoughts to look into their secrets and exploit them, but every time the telepath interacts with the same subject he can accumulate more success toward EGO, EGO +10, et al.

 

Can anyone suggest how a power like this could be written so the telepath can "save" prior progress even if it's was weeks or months earlier? What would the limitation to prevent multiple uses in one encounter? I considered charges, but I want to leave room for multiple meetings in a single day if need be. Also, he could use it against as many people as he likes, but not against the same target twice in a single encounter.

 

One final question on this power- from my reading of Telepathy, the telepath can read thoughts undetectably by default. Is there any need for IPE on this power at all? Or can a telepath with this power gradually accumulate success until he gets what he wants without the subject knowing?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

C.F.

[Hyper-Man]

I'm sure there's a way to make your current approach work.  However, I would consider creating a customized Detect based build for discovering deep personality quirks.  The trick would be defining levels of difficulty and success and not letting this become a cheaper alternative to Telepathy.

 

re: IPE

 

The effects of Telepathy on a target can be made Invisible with a +20 effect roll.  Otherwise they are detectible by the target, so IPE is a viable Advantage.

[bigbywolfe]

First, I love your screen name.  Just had to get that out of the way.
Second, generally someone knows if they are getting hit with a Mental Power unless a certain level of effect over EGO is reached.  It would probably be better to build the power with IPE than to build the power to rely on having that much effect.
Lastly, as to what you are trying to build.  It sounds like IPE Telepathy with the Cumulative Advantage and some sort of custom Limitation that it can only be used "once per meeting".  What the value of that Limitation would be is going to be very campaign dependent and depend on how you define a "meeting", how common Mental Powers are, et cetera.  
Personally I'm not sure I would allow Cumulative to last that long.  Generally it is only good for one combat or game "scene" but with GM permission can last a day or "an adventure".  

[Casanova Frankenstein]

Great responses! Succinct and incisive. I appreciate the thought that went into your points, so thanks a bunch.

Cheers, C.F.

[Casanova Frankenstein]

By the way, this is a villain power, so it's balanced by the speed of plot.

It'll work every time it needs to advance the interaction with the players. This is a horror villain... Destroy him because if you can't he'll ruin your life.

[bigbywolfe]

Just thought of something that might work better for your purposes.  Make it an incremental power.  Something like this:

Telepathy 8d6 Invisible Power Effects (+ 1/2) (60 Active Points)
+2d6 IPE (15 AP) Only Versus Opponents Previously Scanned (-0) (Real Cost 15)
+2d6 IPE (15 AP) Only Versus Opponents Scanned at least twice before (-0) (Real Cost 15)
+2d6 IPE (15 AP) Only Versus Opponents Scanned at least Four Times Before (-1/4) (RC 12)

+2d6 IPE (15 AP) Only Versus Opponents Scanned at least Eight Times Before (-1/2) (RC 10)

And so on...

I know 8d6 may not sound like much for the base power, but with an average roll of 28 it will easily get EGO+10 on "normals" and EGO or EGO+10 on many Supers without Mental Defenses.  More to the point, even if a super makes their Break Out Roll immediately or has Mental Defense and you don't get in at all, IPE means they won't even know they were attacked.  By your third run in you are up to 12d6 and still have IPE.  After running into them nine or ten times your villain is slinging around 16d6 Telepathy.  Even if they figured out he was a telepath and took measures to deal with him (bought Mental Defense somehow), he is now twice as strong as when they first encountered him.
Obviously the increments you buy and value of the Limitation will vary based on your preference and campaign balance.  Since it's an NPC Villain the Limitation value doesn't really matter all that much.
 

[Grailknight]

Or you could do this:

 

Telepathy 2d6, Invisible Power Effects (Invisible to Mental Group; +1/4), Cumulative (96 points; +1 1/4), Damage Over Time, Target's defenses only apply once, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (16 damage increments, damage occurs every Segment, +4 1/2) (70 Active Points)

 

I bought it at the highest speed value, but you can use a Limitation or Trigger to pulse as you require You can define it to take effect once it reaches maximum or at a set earlier value. 

 

Notes: you can't target a person again until all the increments are gone and you can't spend END to keep the power from decaying.

[bigbywolfe]

IPE is +1/2 for mental powers per the Mental Powers section of 6E1.

[Casanova Frankenstein]

Bigbywolf, Grailknight, I salute you. Two elegant solutions offered. I'll think it over and probably go with one of the above options unless someone is just aching to weigh in.

[Mister E]

This can be done w/ an "Extraordinary" Skill Roll used to simmulate a Power as a power-stunt.

 

The villain needs AT LEAST an 18- in Conversation. An insanely huge PRE helps.

 

Start w/ a base penalty of -10 for the "Extraordinary" roll.

 

Add -1 to the roll for every 5 ap in the Telepathy Power being attempted.

 

KS:"PC" (bought w/ Experience) can be used by the villain to keep track of "meetings" & as a Complimentary Skill Roll to Conversation.

 

ARBITRARILY allow the villain to attempt Telepathy 3d6 (15 ap)(-13 to roll) the first time they "meet"...

 

... Telepathy 6d6 (30 ap)(-16 to roll) the second time...

 

... Telepathy 9d6 (45 ap)(-19 to roll) the third...

 

... & so on.

[Casanova Frankenstein]

I looked at the "conversation bonus due to mental powers" method, but if I were to use that method I'd feel ethically obligated to role play all the conversation to give the PCs a fair shot at resisting revealing dangerous secrets.

Once I role play the villain grilling the players, they will know what his goals are and the "insidious knowledge he should not have" bit goes away.

 

I will say that if I were a PC mentalist, I'd definitely try to get social skill success boing from mental powers. It's a great idea for PCs and I plan to use it sometime.

 

C.F.