How to Build: "The Accoutrements of Domination"

[Ragitsu]

DESCRIPTION: The Accoutrements of Domination is a set of three items which, through careful placement, allows the owner to exert an increasing level of control over the subject that dons said items.

 

• The first item is a brooch or simple badge. Anyone wearing this is more amenable to persuasion.
• The second item is a hat (it may instead be a headband or even something entirely different such as a pair of gloves or boots...so long as it remains equally visible). Anyone wearing this is subject to a narrowly-defined type of mind control akin to the Dungeons and Dragons spell suggestion (see it here). Long story short: any sort of suggestion must be relatively reasonable and absolutely does not include any request to overtly harm themselves or others.
• The third item is a coat (or a full-sized shirt, pants, cape, etc). Anyone wearing this is totally enchanted as per the normal rules for mind control.

 

There are a few inherent properties that influence how these tools work. First of all, each one can be commanded to transmute into a form more acceptable to the recipient. Secondly, the wearer feels a strong compulsion to not remove them. Finally, you must have your mark wear each "lesser" piece of the wardrobe if you wish for the next "tier" to take effect (basically, the hat requires the brooch and the coat requires the hat)...and you cannot use their effects to force the individual to wear any piece of the trio; any convincing or manipulation must be done the old-fashioned way.

[Cantriped]

I would make the first item a Fully Invisible Suppress EGO, and/or CE (-X to Ego-Based Rolls).

The second and third items both sound like Mind Control. The second item is simply very weak. Meanwhile the third item would be a huge boost to the mind control effect Linked to the first and second item's powers (making it have no effect unless all three items are worn).

 

Personally I would suggest giving each item their own seperate minor effect (such as penalties imposed using CE).

Then I'd build the Mind Control effect like a set bonus in an ARPG; such that having any one item functions like Suggestion, but if you have the entire set they function as a much more powerful spell. The set bonus could be built as one large, partially limited Mind Control; with every 4 or so dice being Linked to a particular item's minor effect so that you only get the full effect if all three items are operational.

[Hugh Neilson]

The second item could be fairly powerful, but limited to EGO +X, so it cannot get the more extreme results of mind control.

[Doc Democracy]

I am going to give the transmute form to something acceptable to recipient as a freebie.  Too much detail for what will ultimately be cosmetic/game interaction.

 

I am going to go with cosmetic transforms for the items of clothing, the transform is invisible and cumulative effect and is to provide a complication of "I LOVE this hat!" etc.

 

After that, I am thinking they are foci for abilities someone already has rather than the ability being inherent in the kit.

 

So, Mr Persuasive might have skill levels on persuasion skills that rely on the focus, the other two levels look like Mind Control with the hat limited to first tier effects.  So Mr Persuasive might have Mind Control that costs END and is visible, these foci allow the invisible, END free use of that Mind Control. 

 

?

Doc

 

[Hugh Neilson]

I view the "changes form and wearer will not want to get rid of it" as reflective of the fact this is something forced upon the wearer, not taken on by choice.  Liken this to "The special effect of the Mind Control is that, as long as you remain under its influence, you wear the Magic Brooch and would never consider removing it".

[Cantriped]

3 hours ago, Hugh Neilson said:

I view the "changes form and wearer will not want to get rid of it" as reflective of the fact this is something forced upon the wearer, not taken on by choice.  Liken this to "The special effect of the Mind Control is that, as long as you remain under its influence, you wear the Magic Brooch and would never consider removing it".

Working from that perspective, the items could generally be represented as Mind Control; Inobvious*, No Range, and Variable Limitation (Incantations or Gestures)**, IIF Expendable (Very Difficult To Obtain) Unbreakable Restricted Universal*

* As opposed to Imperceptible because someone might recognize it.

** Because you have to offer them the item, and hand it to them yourself.

***  Inobvious because it should not be obvious that the item is the source of the power, and Inaccessible because you cannot take the power away from the user easily unless you know the trick to it. Expendible because you lose the item when you "use" it, and very difficult to obtain to represent that you'd have to take the item back (or acquire another) to use that power again. The victim cannot discard the item willingly, so you have to know to either Dispel or steal the item(s). Restricted Universal because anybody that has come into possession of the item(s), and is not currently a victim of them, can give them to someone else to trigger the effect.

[dsatow]

Personally, these sound like cursed items in a Fantasy Hero game.  I wouldn't buy these as powers, rather they would just be story items and get destroyed if they get removed. 

 

To design as a type of subtle attack, I would probably treat them as drains or transforms to enable vulnerabilities or susceptibilities, with a physical effect limitation and a trigger advantage.

[massey]

Broach:  6D6 Mind Control, target must willingly put on broach (-1), limited commands unless more stuff worn (-1/4), plus 8D6 Mind Control, only to not take off broach, hat, and coat (-1)

Hat:  +4D6 Mind Control, target must willingly put on hat and broach (-1), limited commands unless more stuff worn (-1/4)

Coat:  +4D6 Mind Control, target must willingly put on coat, hat, and broach (-1)

 

There.  Easy as pie.  The items operate similarly to a focus, except for you to use the power the target has to have the item.  The limitation is -1 because it's pretty similar to OAF.  The limitation doesn't increase for each additional thing because once you've convinced somebody to try on one piece of clothing, it isn't really that much harder to get them to try on other stuff.  I can't imagine a situation where somebody will happily put on a pair of boots you offer them, but then they're like "screw you" when you offer a coat or jacket.  But anyway, it's still pretty similar to OAF because you can just walk up and yank the hat or the button off.  The rest stop working as soon as the first one comes off.  Therefore it's easy to free your buddy once you know what is going on.

 

The "limited commands" limitation is only -1/4, because the Mind Control amounts are very small to begin with.  6D6 isn't enough to get much more than mere persuasion anyway, no matter how good you roll.  And the +8D6 to not take off the magic stuff would stack, giving you a 14D6 MC to not remove it.  That should work on most people.

 

 

This is a short term version.  You can add 0 Endurance to it, and additional dice to prevent breakout rolls, or dice to keep people from realizing they've been mind controlled once it wears off.  I'm not familiar with whatever source material you're basing it on.  If you want something really long-term, you may need Transform. But this seems to give something pretty close to what you asked for, and it's simple and straightforward.

[Ragitsu]

1 hour ago, massey said:

I'm not familiar with whatever source material you're basing it on.

 

I've read about items that allow their owners to control others ever since I was a boy, but this particular set and the way they function originated entirely from my lump of grey matter.

[Sidume]

Another option would be that the various articles have a built in DRAIN against EGO & PRE, only vs persuation, with a side effect of being addictive.

 

Definitely cursed items. ?