Mind Control

You can alter the mind and thoughts of a target, altering his or her emotions, perception, or even his or her actions!
Each of the following is a separate Mind Control FX. If you have one you can acquire others as Alternate FX in an Array, but you can then only use and maintain one at a time. To use or maintain multiple Mind Control FX simultaneously, add their costs together for the FX’s total cost per rank.
* Alter Emotions: You can instill different emotions in a target whose Will resistance you overcome. If you succeed, you can shift a target's attitude regarding anyone (as many characters as you like) up one or down one steps (from indifferent to friendly or unfriendly, for example). If you succeed by 5 or more, you can shift a target's attitude up or down by two steps. If you succeed by 10 or more, you can change the target's attitude to whatever you like. Alter Emotions costs 1 point per rank.
* Compel: You can control another character’s mind, and therefore actions. If you succeed, the target is stunned and loses one action as he or she attempts to fight off your control. If you succeed by 5 or more, the target is Compelled, and you control one that character's actions (with 1 penalty to all actions). If your target uses his or her other action to actively resist, he or she gets an immediate Will check to recover, and you suffer 2 penalties to his or her action that you control. If you succeed by 10 or more, you completely control the target, and can dictate both of his or her actions.You must spend one action to issue a Command to a character you have compelled. A compelled character follows that action to the best of his or her ability until you change the command. Compel costs 2 points per rank.
* Confuse: You can make it difficult for a character to act correctly or properly. If you succeed, the target is Stunned and loses one action to random activities, such as dancing, laughing, struggling against the mysterious voices in his or her head, etc. If you succeed by 5 or more, the target becomes Confused must spend one action each turn to attack the nearest character (friend or foe), and may not attack the same target twice (until all other available targets have been attacked, even if those attacks miss). If unable to reach any immediate targets, the victim of Confuse must use the Move action to get into range of the nearest character who he or she hasn't attacked yet, or has attacked least. The target loses the other action, as if stunned. If you succeed by 10 or more, the target must spend both actions attacking (or moving) as described above. Confuse costs 1 point per rank.
The Mind Control lasts as long as you concentrate. For each time interval which passes on the Time and Value Progression Table, starting one minute after the FX occurs (then 5 minutes, 20 minutes, and so on), the target may make a Will check to recover, with a Cumulative +1 for each previous failed check.
If you stop concentrating, the subject gains a new Will check every round, with a Cumulative +1 per atttempt, until the FX is eliminated. Once you stop concentrating on the FX, you can't start again without an entirely new use of the FX.
==Extras==
* Alternate Resistance: Alter Emotion or Confusion may be based on Fortitude to reflect a biochemical FX, such as a drug or control over various hormones.
* Area: You can control everyone in the affected area. Compare the results individually against each Will ressitance to determine the effect. In the case of minions or large mobs, for the entire group and compare it against your Mind Control check result. Issuing commands to a group of thralls still takes a one action per command, so it’s easier to give a group of thralls the same command (“attack!”) than it is to issue specific commands to each one.
* Conscious (+1/rank): Your thralls are conscious and aware, but completely obedient, effectively fanatically loyal. This means the subject can be commanded to relate knowledge or use skills based on mental abilities. Thralls are aware of being controlled once the Mind Control ends, unless the effect is Subtle, in which case subjects have no explanation for their unusual behavior or simply no memory of it (your choice when you end the control).
* Contagious: Contagious Mind Control could be a contagious disease or toxin or some sort or a contagious psychic FX passed from one person to another.
* Instant Command (+1/rank): You can issue Commands to your thralls as a free action. You must have the Mental Link feat to apply this extra, since verbal commands cannot be issued this quickly.
* Mind Blank (Fixed +1): Targets don’t remember time under your Mind Control; their memory of that time is blank.
* Mental Link (Fixed +1): You can give Commands to your thralls mentally over any distance (with no need to speak). Issuing a command is still one action, however.
* Sensory Link (+1/rank): You can perceive everything one of your thralls does, like an ESP FX. Your own senses are inactive while using your sensory link and you can only perceive through the senses of one thrall at a time.
* Subtle: Subtle Mind Control is tailor-made for true manipulators, leaving victims wondering why they are acting so uncharacteristicaly. Combined with a degree of finesse in choosing the right feelings or commands to impose, the controller can escape notice altogether.
==Flaws==
* Distracting: Mind Control may well be distracting for the user, imposing this flaw while you are controlling one or more thralls.
* Limited to One Command (-1/rank): You can give targets only one command, like “sing and dance” or “live out your repressed desires.” This command is chosen when you acquire the FX and can’t be changed.
* Limited to One Direction (-1/rank): With Alter Emotion, you can only shift attitudes either up or down, causing targets to become more or less friendly. You can still control who the target feels these emotions for, though.
* Limited to One Subject (-1/rank): You can only affect one target, regardless of the duration of your Mind Control.
* Noticeable: Your Mind Control FX has some noticeable element: your eyes or head glow, your subjects’ skin changes color, a particular scent fills the air (perhaps differing according to the emotion), and so forth. This flaw often occurs in conjunction with the Sense-Dependent flaw.
* Sense-Dependent: Your Mind Control works through a target’s senses rather than as a strictly mental FX. Examples include eye contact (visual), voice or music (auditory), or pheromones (olfactory).
==Associated FX==
* Inflict: The ability to affect emotions may also involve the ability to affect someone’s sense of drive or cause disorientation, suited to the Inflict FX.
* Mind Reading: Mind Reading (possibly Limited to a subject’s emotional state) can be a useful ability to have when you intend to manipulate someone’s emotions.
Category:Rulebook
Category:Characters
Category:FX
Category:Sensory FX