Adept Power : Enthralling Performance, Who becomes enthralled? Options

[pbangarth]

In Street Magic, the Adept Power Enthralling Performance is described on page 176.

The Power as described works with skills such as Artisan or Gymnastics. As worded, any use of the Artisan skill(same for Gymnastics), whether musical, carpentry, basketweaving or sculpture or whatever can be made Enthralling. I think that is too broad an ability, so the adept I play specializes in percussion under the Artisan skill, and I use his Enthralling Performance Power only with that specialization.

The question I have also stems from the wording in the description. Enthralling Performance is said to affect the 'audience', with the adepts hits on a Skill + Magic Test serving "as a threshold modifier for any Perception Test his audience might make during a performance."

This is cool and no big deal when the adept is on stage and putting on a show. How about on a run, though? Who is the audience? I would think the Power would be counterproductive if the adept's teammates were also subject to distraction. Would their foreknowledge of the Enthralling Performance Power be equivalent to the "sudden stress" or "obtrusive environmental distractions" which automatically release the audience from the trance? I believe so, but would like your thoughts.

This is a character I created for use in Shadowrun Missions, and unfortunately I haven't had much chance to play him, or to test this Power in action. With his dice pool he can add, on average, 5 or 6 to the TN for perception rolls, so it would be interesting to see what the team could get away with while he is banging on the garbage cans across the street from the guards at the door.

[Dashifen]

I would say that knowing about the adept's enthralling performance would be enough to offset it's enthralling-ness. I'd consider it much like going to see a magician and knowing how he does all the tricks. It's still cool, but you aren't quite as fascinated as you might otherwise have been.

[Moon-Hawk]

I don't know, I think the team should be largely immune, but at the same time I kind of like the idea of the big dummy on the team getting distracted and caught up in the performance.
Too bad there's not really a resistance roll, my first instinct was to give the team a generous bonus to it.

[Dashifen]

Since the performance is drumming, it's also possible that the team uses sound dampening equipment to not hear the drumming. And if watching the performance is the enthralling part (probably up to the GM), then the sound dampening equipment should help them not look at the adept.

I give you credit, though, for taking a often-overlooked power. I had an NPC who used enthralling performance (shadow puppets) to distract a whole team one time. Course, they geeked him for it when they caught on, but it was worth it :)

[Moon-Hawk]