see p. B68
Folklore
能力値 the ability to control minds to a great many supernatural entities, including demons, nymphs, vampires, and deities. This is likely a diplomatic scrim over the realities of insanity or criminality . . . but the tales could be true in a fantasy or horror setting. Most innate gifts use unmodified 「
精神支配」. Add Telepathic (-10%) if the influence is psionic.
A few alternatives:
Cinematic
催眠術: The controller must lock eyes with his victim and hypnotize him in order to give commands. This calls for Vision- Based (-20%). Suggestion (-40%) is common.
Drugs: The attacker uses a drug to make his victim suggestible. This requires a bite, kiss, or more intimate contact. Some time after exposure, the subject gets a HT-based resistance roll.
Add Based on HT (+20%), 「
血液感染」 (-40%), Independent (+70%), and 「
遅効」 (1 minute or 1 hour) (-10% or -20%). If anyone can command the subject, add the Puppet limitation (-40%).
Pheromones: The user exudes an invisible chemical cloud that inspires attraction in those exposed to it.
Victims must be within two yards and breathe the gas --this ability doesn’t work by touch or sight. The controller can only command one subject per second, at the usual -1 per subject after the first. Add 「
範囲に効果」 1 (+50%), 「
放射」 (-20%), and Scent-Based (-20%). 「
条件限定」 (Only on opposite sex) (-20%) and Emotion Control (-50%) are likely but not required.
Vibrations: The controller emits vibrations that influence emotions.
Add Emotion Control (-50%), with Based on HT (+20%) for inaudible vibrations or Hearing-Based (-20%) for audible sounds (common for fantasy bards and mythic sirens).
■Alternatives
Extreme levels of
カリスマ (p. B41) can often achieve similar effects. The ability to turn others into
仲間 over the long term is Dominance (p. B50), while that of entering the subject’s mind and operating his body directly is 「
憑依」 (p. 67).
■New Special Enhancement
Independent: Your 「
精神支配」 doesn’t require ongoing attention. If it works, you’re free to do other things. You must still concentrate to initiate control, but you can’t claim the +2 or +4 for lengthy concentration.
If the victim fails to resist, control persists for one minute per point by which he lost the Quick Contest; you can’t maintain it indefinitely by concentrating. These drawbacks are minor next to the benefits. First, only an attempt to force the subject to act against his principles can break control; you’re “out of the loop” already, so incapacitating you changes nothing.
Second, since your attention isn’t divided, each contact is separate from all others; there’s no -1 per slave, and critical failure with one victim doesn’t free the rest. +70%.
■New Special Limitations
Emotion Control: You can’t control the subject’s actions, just his feelings.
For some guidelines on what’s possible, see the Sway Emotions skill (p. B192). Emotion Control is mutually exclusive with Conditioning Only and Suggestion. -50%.
Suggestion: You can’t command the subject to take specific actions --you can only suggest a general course of action. Effects are as for Suggest skill (p. B191). Suggestion is mutually exclusive with Conditioning Only and Emotion Control. -40%.
■Powering Up
「
精神支配」 is appropriate for many supernatural powers, especially Telepathy. In addition, hypnotism is common for chi powers, pheromones fit biological and chemical powers, and vibrations suit Sound/Vibration power. With Cybernetic Only (p. B70), 「
精神支配」 even allows control over computers (“cyberpsi”) --the definitive Machine Telepathy ability.
才能 adds to IQ rolls to use the ability in all cases.