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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: easl on December 04, 2010, 11:27:20 PM

Title: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: easl on December 04, 2010, 11:27:20 PM
I was wondering if the skill and stunt-cloning part of the "Mimic Abilities" also requires you 'lay hands on a significant part of the victim.'  If not, what do they require - touch?

The reason I ask is I was thinking you could make a James Bond-type character using this power.  You know, your enemy challenges you to a duel, or a ski race, or a deadly video game, tiddlywinks, whatever.  You shake hands with him, and bingo, you have his skill at it.
Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: Marganma on December 04, 2010, 11:38:55 PM
Good question... the rules aren´t very clear on this.

Now, in the side commentary relating to the power, Billy says that "it´s a bit of an evil people eater" power", which suggests to me, that those powers you mimic are actually gone from your "donors"; even though only the entry on supernatural powers makes a clear statement on this. That would mean - even though a handshake might do the trick - your opponent would probably notice that something was off.

Or, you could make up your own stunt, which wouldn´t steal power, but only copy mortals stunts and skills, maybe with one mimic point for free and just the touch requirement.
Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: Arcteryx on December 05, 2010, 07:15:58 AM
Well, as per the book:

Quote
This cloning is only possible if you lay hands on a significant part of the victim—such as his brain, his heart, or a large portion of his magic power. If the victim is not dead from this, then he is at least diminished while you access his abilities (reflected by a consequence resulting from the attack that allowed you to steal from him, the terms arrived at when taking him out, etc.).

Seems to me that the whole "laying hands on brains and hearts" could be slightly inconvenient to the donor. Not often you leave those body parts flapping for the purposes of some touchy feelies.
Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: devonapple on December 05, 2010, 08:27:17 AM
Quote from: Arcteryx on December 05, 2010, 07:15:58 AM
Seems to me that the whole "laying hands on brains and hearts" could be slightly inconvenient to the donor. Not often you leave those body parts flapping for the purposes of some touchy feelies.

So... not exactly an outpatient procedure, then?
Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: Drashna on December 05, 2010, 08:59:31 AM
But being a doctor or mortician may be the perfect way to get to those juicy bits! :)
Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: Wilder on December 05, 2010, 05:05:06 PM
Isn't this directly exampled by
(click to show/hide)
in Grave Peril who literally
(click to show/hide)

You got to get up close and personal to take someones skills abilities and magic. It's part of their essence, and you got to work for that.
Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: zerogain on December 05, 2010, 06:38:37 PM
The cloning idea is better handled by reskinning Shapeshifter and limiting it how you want.  For instance, if all you want is to be able to shift your skills around so that you can better mimic this other persons abilities you'll need to change the power so you get the skill juggling, but not the form shifting.  This would reduce the cost of the power quite a bit, especially if it doesn't give you access to new powers.  You could also have that you only get this information by touching the target you wish to emulate.

As pointed out by Wilder, the Mimic ability is intended to be a nasty creature feature.  In effect I guess I'm talking about the same thing as removing that penalty... in the case of Mimic then, removing the eating clause should be at least an additional -1 refresh.  Also you need to make sure it's a skill shuffle, not more skill points for your character.
Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: easl on December 06, 2010, 01:20:24 AM
I totally agree with Arctyrix and Wilder that stealing someone's supernatural powers requires the evil people eating.

I guess my issue was that the description of what you have to do (the evil people eating) occurs in the sub-section on supernatural powers; it isn't in the general description of the power.  That's why I asked whether the other two sub-powers had the same requirement, because it seems in the written description to be specific to copying/stealing the supernatural stuff.

Also note I wasn't intending to get "cutting" someone else's skills for free.  The goal was "copying," i.e. they keep their level of ability regardless.   I would have to say that consistency of reading requires that if the evil people eating only applies to the supernatural stuff, the reduction only applies there too.


Title: Re: Mimic stunt & mimic skill - do they require people eating?
Post by: zerogain on December 09, 2010, 08:00:59 AM
Easl, the reason I was going on about skill shuffles and the like is that the people eating bit allows the mimic to get bonus skill points that he or she would not otherwise have, and as is the case with magic what you take has to come from somewhere.  Magic cannot create knowledge for your, or power.  Everything comes from somewhere.  As the "Mimic Skill" trapping says you would use that available refresh from your mimic points to give you additional skills.  While mechanically this seems to satisfy the requirement for it "coming from somewhere", it does not do so thematically.  As Harry has said, the magic doesn't know where to find your friends if you want to teleport them to you, you have to find out for it.

If you want to emulate someone's skills, then I stand by using a modified Shapeshift power and specifying in your stories how that power works, adjusting its cost so that it feels right based on how you limit it.  The full on -4 cost power is for someone that can become any shape, any time, reshuffle powers and skills to his hearts content and pretty much remake himself from scratch every time he changes shape.