Evocation veil that targets social stress

[bobjob]

I was just given a great idea by an old Fantastic Four comic. Let me know what y'all think of this quick veil.

Invisible Clothing
Type: Spirit Evocation, offensive attack
Power: Varies by what you think the characters perception is, typical is 3-4 shifts
Control: Roll Discipline plus appropriate specializations and focus items
Duration: One exchange
Target: One creature, with more shifts could affect everybody in a zone
Opposed by: Target's Presence
Effect: Renders the target's clothing invisible, causing the shifts of power and any spin to function as a Social attack.
Variations: The caster could add additional shifts of power to make the veil stronger (for more perceptive or against socially adept targets), to attack additional people, or to gain additional exchanges of duration without needed to concentrate and re-roll.

Thoughts?

[Ophidimancer]

How does it work and how does it constitute an attack?

[devonapple]

What was the rationale behind using the target's Presence instead of their Conviction?

How does it work and how does it constitute an attack?

If I understand correctly, it embarrasses the target by making them appear to be naked. If approved as a legitimate spell, Social stress sounds like a good way to model this.

[Bruce Coulson]

The Hugh Hefner Spell!  (Substitute your editor of choice here...)

Although I would see this spell being dodged (by Athletics), rather than resisted.  Presence would be used to maintain your savoir-faire after the spell took effect.

[devonapple]

Although I would see this spell being dodged (by Athletics), rather than resisted.  Presence would be used to maintain your savoir-faire after the spell took effect.

You just answered *my* question - the embarrassment of having one's clothing gone *is* the result of the Social attack, and the Presence reflects the savoir-faire you mentioned.

I think the issue may be that the effect "my clothes are gone" is something that should be dodgeable, but the caster wants to go straight to dealing Social stress. And since Presence is already determining how many Stress boxes are in the Social track, it's already factored in.

[bobjob]

What was the rationale behind using the target's Presence instead of their Conviction?

I went with Presence since that is what generally governs Social attacks and Social stress.

How does it work and how does it constitute an attack?

Devonapple hit it right on the nose. It embarrasses the target by putting them in what a majority of the populace would consider a vulnerable situation. You could effectively take someone out of a fight with a big enough social attack and to me, this is just another way to do it.

I got the idea from an old FF comic where Sue Storm did this to a business conference after they commented that her new costume was too revealing.

[bitterpill]

There are some enemies that I think should have immunity to social stress or at least it makes no sense for them to be taken out by it. So you make a demon look really bad in front of his henchman he doesn’t flee in shame he just rips your head off literally.

[bobjob]

Yeah, obviously the spell won't effect everybody. There is a pretty big subsection of big nasty creatures this spell would be useless against, but I think it's a pretty fun and innovative way to use a spell to create a social attack on the people it will effect.

[devonapple]

Plus this is going to have less impact on a beach in Cabo San Lucas than in the middle of a White House press conference.

My only concern is that the way it is written, those clothes will become invisible no matter what. I think it may be better to make it a Maneuver to place the Aspect "Naked" on the target, and then leave it to the caster (or someone else for whom this would be a benefit) to Invoke this as part of a Social Attack.

Follow me here: the embarrassment isn't coming from how well the spell works. It comes from the surrounding crowd and the humiliation that is caused, or how well the trickster is going to verbally stick it to the target.

So for low-level opponents, a Compel/Invoke for Effect of their sudden nudity may trigger an instant Concession and take him/her out of the Conflict.
For more resolute individuals, the GM may simply say "no Invoke for Effect - Marcone will buy out of that with another Fate Point. You can tag it for a +2, but Gentleman Jonny isn't running away just because he is naked."

[Sanctaphrax]

I'm just popping in to say that I really don't like the idea of attacking the social track with magic. Maneuvers are fine, but outright attacks are vastly too powerful. Social attacks rarely have weapon ratings and so evocation is devastating. What's more, social conflicts are one of the areas where mortals can stand up to the magical crowd and I don't want to take that away.

So yeah, I agree with devonapple. Make it a maneuver.

[BumblingBear]

I agree that it should be a maneuver.  It's actually easier to cast that way too.

Social tracks should be off limits to evocation... but mental tracks are a-ok in my book.

[bibliophile20]

Be careful on target selection for this, that's all I'm saying. 

[zenten]

Social tracks should be off limits to evocation... but mental tracks are a-ok in my book.

I think it should be possible, it should be just really difficult since you're targeting everyone *but* the "target", and it would be rather 4th law breaking to boot.

[Bruce Coulson]

Yes, do be careful with your targets.

Making Dick Cheney naked in public could constitute a Mental attack on everyone in the audience...

[BumblingBear]

Yes, do be careful with your targets.

Making Dick Cheney naked in public could constitute a Mental attack on everyone in the audience...

Any warden who would see it as such would already have an ax to grind for the person doing it anyway.