Custom Power Request Line

[devonapple]

If you have an idea for a custom power, but don't know how to begin building it, feel free to post it here. Many folks on the forum like to tinker with the rules, and while we're not always coming up with new powers for our own games, we might be inspired by your idea!

[bitterpill]

I was wondering how you could have a power that absorbed memories or skills of the victim without it breaking the game, how would you stat a power to steal skills?

[BumblingBear]

I was wondering how you could have a power that absorbed memories or skills of the victim without it breaking the game, how would you stat a power to steal skills?

Define steal skills.

Like... touching someone and making one of their skills go down in order to +2 one of yours for a scene or something?

[bitterpill]

I was thinking something more along the lines of a dominate so you can after you win the fight mind wipe your enemy absorbing memories and skills (the memories bit would be pretty strong in it's own right) so you could replace one of your skills with one of theirs or have temporary access to their skills list if it is better than yours.   

[BumblingBear]

I was thinking something more along the lines of a dominate so you can after you win the fight mind wipe your enemy absorbing memories and skills (the memories bit would be pretty strong in it's own right) so you could replace one of your skills with one of theirs or have temporary access to their skills list if it is better than yours.   

Hmmm.

I really can't see how this could be implemented without being a game breaker.

I know that may seem to be a cop out answer, but this skill could easily be used to artificially bump one's character up by like 10 milestones.

[Warpmind]

Best way to do something like this? Thaumaturgy. So many shifts of power to duration, so many shifts of power to the actual skill increases, and that should be pretty much it.

Just don't lose your head over this.

[Drachasor]

I was wondering how you could have a power that absorbed memories or skills of the victim without it breaking the game, how would you stat a power to steal skills?

Hmm...

Memory Thief [-2]
You Steal Peoples Memories!
Effect: If you Take Out an opponent and have time to touch its head, you may copy their memories into your head.  You gain a +1 bonus on all skills they have that are higher than your own (alternatively a +1 bonus on 3 skills they have higher than yours if the former is too hard to keep track of...which it probably is...ALTERNATIVELY you gain a +1 bonus on all Great or Higher skills they possess).  You gain the aspect "Stolen Memories" representing these stolen memories.

You gain a Debt Track for victim's persona.  You may incur 1 debt to Invoke "Stolen Memories" (either for a reroll or +2 bonus on a relevant skill or for Effect to represent something else the person knew like a combination).  The memories you have stolen compel you to do things the person you took them from would have done (e.g. you can be compelled for any of the aspects the victim had and then some).  The memories disappear if you do not incur a debt in a given scene and have 0 debt at the end of that scene starting the scene after you gain them.  If you reach a total of 3 debt (perhaps 5), the personality of the victim takes control of your body for 1 scene (and you lose 1 debt from this).

Hmm, needs some work, but I think that's a good start.  Debt track bit needs some tweaking.

[Mal_Luck]

Mimic Abilities (YS176-177) already covers the abilities to steal/copy skills with the Mimic Skills ability.   

Mimic Skill. Allocate one mimic point to copy
any one of your  target’s skills. This replaces
your  actual  rating with  that  skill while  the
allocation remains in place.

[bitterpill]

Mimic Abilities (YS176-177) already covers the abilities to steal/copy skills with the Mimic Skills ability.   

Ah sorry everyone I missed that entirely.

[BumblingBear]

Mimic Abilities (YS176-177) already covers the abilities to steal/copy skills with the Mimic Skills ability.   

That's not the same as /stealing/ those skills, though.

[Drachasor]

That's not the same as /stealing/ those skills, though.

Doesn't cover memories and such either.  I was trying to fashion something similar but a bit different from that as well.

[Mal_Luck]

I was thinking something more along the lines of a dominate so you can after you win the fight mind wipe your enemy absorbing memories and skills (the memories bit would be pretty strong in it's own right) so you could replace one of your skills with one of theirs or have temporary access to their skills list if it is better than yours.   

It's more or less what he wanted.

Memories are hard to quantify in game terms, skills/stunts seem to be the easiest way to do so. Only way I can think to do more is somehow use their aspects as if they were your own for an invoke or something.

Eat  Power.  You  may  clone  the  supernatural
powers  of  your  target  (see  below)  under
particular circumstances. 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.).

After take out, you steal their skills/stunts (memories) and they are diminished by a consequence (yay, compels for not knowing things you once knew).

[devonapple]

Mimic Abilities>Eat Power seems to do most of what we want.

Bitterpill: Is there anything else you would want this to do? We could design a potential Upgrade for Mimic Abilities.

[bitterpill]

Besides from the memories (which can be done through aspects I suppose) eat power does what I wanted the power to do, most of the effects I wanted could be shown through aspects.

Hmm...

Memory Thief [-2]
 You gain the aspect "Stolen Memories" representing these stolen memories.

You gain a Debt Track for victim's persona.  You may incur 1 debt to Invoke "Stolen Memories" (either for a reroll or +2 bonus on a relevant skill or for Effect to represent something else the person knew like a combination).  The memories you have stolen compel you to do things the person you took them from would have done (e.g. you can be compelled for any of the aspects the victim had and then some).  The memories disappear if you do not incur a debt in a given scene and have 0 debt at the end of that scene starting the scene after you gain them.  If you reach a total of 3 debt (perhaps 5), the personality of the victim takes control of your body for 1 scene (and you lose 1 debt from this).

Hmm, needs some work, but I think that's a good start.  Debt track bit needs some tweaking.

I liked the idea of memory debt as I think that consume other people's mind should impact upon yours, but I suppose this could be shown by mental stress
and GM mandate on what memories you can recall.

The power was for a NPC who I was going to turn into a Hive Mind which consumed its enemies body and soul and then used the material (Mimic Power) to augment itself and added it's victims minds to it's own.

[devonapple]

I liked the idea of memory debt as I think that consume other people's mind should impact upon yours, but I suppose this could be shown by mental stress
and GM mandate on what memories you can recall.

Maybe we can rule that as a limitation of Mimic Abilities, providing a Rebate of [+1]. The power would work the same, but whenever the Eater used a memory or Power, it would:

A) Invoke Personality Debt.
B) We could rule it like a Hunger Track (call it a Persona Track), and using the stolen abilities causes "Persona" Stress, which makes it more and more easy for the stolen personality to assert itself.
C) We can reskin Demonic Co-Pilot but, instead of a Demon and Demon agenda, it's the personality you just ate trying to turn you against yourself. Instead of taking Mimic Points, you could just determine that "Eaten Persona Co-Pilot" gives you a +1 to its important skills.