beezany

Can a character use a non-weapon power (e.g., "Lightning Punch HA +10d6") with a martial maneuver? If so, does it require a Weapon Element for the power?

Re: Voodoo Mind Barrier By standard rules, Mind Scan makes it easy to find mentalists, but I'm not aware of a general recommendation that mentalists take a Distinctive Feature complication. Just because there are ways to find you doesn't mean it's worth points.

Re: Voodoo Mind Barrier There are a lot of traits about a person that are detectable without being Distinctive Features. Indeed, the rules for Mind Scan imply that merely having a lot of APs in Mental Powers makes you notable. So I wouldn't have a problem with a "Detect Mentalists" power complementary to Mental Awareness, that detects the source of the power rather than its use. I think it would be a good idea to have a skill roll attached, though.

Re: Voodoo Mind Barrier Right, although I don't think that's the point of this power. It's just to protect him from people like Professor X who can detect supers.

Re: Voodoo Mind Barrier (Possible spoilers for "Crossroads Blues.") The character is a voodoo magician with Mind Control and Summoning powers. He operates under the ruse that he's just a stage magician. Ordinarily, the fact that he's a mentalist and magician would make him easier to spot with Mind Scan, or with Detect powers designed to spot such things. The Voodoo Mind Barrier is meant to disguise him from those Mind Scans and Detects, according to the adventure, but the power as written doesn't do a very good job of that. Shape Shift seems like a better solution: The Voodoo Mind Barrier then disguises him as "me with stage magic instead of real powers." Based on the write-up, he should have a disguise for mental group (mentalists) and detect senses (mystics).

Re: Voodoo Mind Barrier Aha, thanks! I see how that works now. And actually it doesn't seem to work very well: This rule doesn't protect him from Detects, or hide his non-Mental powers. Shape Shift can do all that for less.

Re: Voodoo Mind Barrier Thanks for the information, it's a big help. I suspected that there might be a way to actively hide from detection using EGO, but I can't find it in 6E1, 6E2, or APG. Any idea where I can track that down? The power makes a lot more sense with that in mind. Although the Shape Shift is still a lot more efficient in this case. The character write-up says that he's specifically guarded from mentalists and mystic Detects, which you can cover with just mental group and detect senses. The only other point to cover is that particularly strong mentalists and mystics are supposed to be able to pierce his disguise. Any suggestions for implementing that?

Re: Voodoo Mind Barrier That would make sense, and cost a lot less too! Voodoo Mind Barrier: Shape Shift (mental group), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½). Total cost: 3 points. The original power cost 22/18 and doesn't seem to accomplish anything useful. This way only costs 3/3 and is well-defined in the power rules. Does the mental shape shift cover the anti-mystic aspect of the power? I'm wondering whether that's a special effect, or whether the power also needs to affect magical senses. That would raise the base cost to 5 and the total cost to 7 (which is still a lot cheaper).

A character in the "Crossroads Blues" adventure has this power, and I'm struggling to understand how or why it works. According to the text, Voodoo Mind Barrier protects the character "from the prying Detects of mystics and mentalists" so that he appears to have no innate powers. But the actual power write-up appears to simply be a naked advantage removing the END cost of his 30 EGO (see below). What does that have to do with hiding from Detects and Mind Scans? Voodoo Mind Barrier: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) for up to EGO 30 Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); only to hide from mind scans and magical scans

When two characters with the same DEX act in the same segment, they roll a d6 tiebreaker to see who goes first. Do they re-roll the tiebreaker every segment, or only at the start of combat time?