Sleeping Gaze, Adept Power or Magical Edge? Options

[Nikoli]

After a little research i have come across an ability rumored to be possessed by Monks and other mystic/hermit types across the world through history.

Basically, it's a form of specialized very fast acting hypnosis that forces it's target to sleep for a few seconds (masters of this skill could put their victems to sleep for hours).

I'm considering adding it to my game world, but wanted to ideas for balance.
I was thinking od making this both an edge and an adept power.

The edge would allow anyone to perform the ability, but it would be uncontrolled, anyone looking into their eyes might fall asleep, never knowing what was happening.
The adept power would give them control over it and allow them to extend the time their victem was asleep.

Balancing this power is the fact you have to get close enough (3 to 7 meters or so) for your victem to see your eyes without anything blocking their view of them. They must be aware of you consciously, so no invis'ed uberstealthed adepts walking around putting hapless gurads to sleep.

I'm thining along the lines of .5 per level, max 4 levels.
Your target rolls a will test vs your essence+levels (or will for the owners of the edge but not adepts or no ranks in the power) or they fall unconscious for 4 turns, reduce time by 1 turn per 2 successes.

Comments, suggestions?

[Lilt]

Sounds very much like a sleep variant mannabolt.

[Nikoli]

Except it's non magical. no aura signature

[A Clockwork Lime]

Then it wouldn't be an adept power or a magical edge. At best, it'd be an Active Skill.

[Kakkaraun]

Uhm, how do you KNOW it's non-magical?

"Sounds very much like a sleep variant mannabolt."

AKA Stunbolt.

[A Clockwork Lime]

Because he came up with it, maybe?

[Nikoli]

Well, I'm basing it off real world examples. (read Sidartha Gautama)
Also, there is the old "hunter's trick" where the animal is put to sleep just by stareing it down, and I've done it once by accident myself.

Unless you acknowledge the existence of magic in the real world (whole other discussion)
I was just thinking of this as flavor and a non-lethal tool for stealthy characters in SR.

[A Clockwork Lime]

An Active Skill with no dice pool allowed, opposed by Willpower, seems like it has some potential. Think of it as a Social Melee Test or something. :) Apply modifiers from the Intimidation table, or new ones along the same line, and say it inflicts "Stun" damage in the form of fatigue. If you manage to get it up to Deadly, the target passes out.

[Kakkaraun]

Remember, SR contends that magic and whatnot existed before the Awakening. EG, spike babies. So, no, that has nothing to do with anyone's "real world" beliefs.

Nothing at all.

[Nikoli]

good point.

Though I was thinking of this as an all or nothing sort of deal.
You eiter fall asleep or you notice some guy looking you in the eye. Of course hilarity will ensue when guards start having this skill...

Player: I look the guard in the eye.
GM: Okay, roll your willpower Tn 4
Player: What? Shouldn't that be the other way around?
GM: Not if you both have the ability... When you look into the heart of the abyss, it lokos into yours...

[Kakkaraun]

Okay. Make a new spell for it. Pretty simple to do. Make it like a Stun version of Death Touch that you need eye contact for. I'd make it for you but I have no books on me.

[A Clockwork Lime]

If you go the magic route, it's just another spell and is pretty much exactly the opposite of what you seem to be looking for.

That aside, eye contact is nearly the very definition of LOS with only a relatively minor requirement on top of it. Touch Range is wholly unsuitable. MAYBE a -1 to Drain Power for Eye Contact Required or something, but definitely not the -1 Drain Level that Touch Range gives. It's a nebulous ruling either way since there's no inherent mechanic to determine if you have eye contact or not.

Spellwise, it's just Stunbolt: Deadly. If you do want to go the adept route, I'd stick to the basic ideas above and modify it slightly as follows.

Evil Eye: Lethargy
Cost: 1

The adept gains the power to look into the eyes of an unsuspecting foe and cause them to fall asleep. When using this power, the adept must let himself be known to his opponent -- even if it's simply through a Surprise Test -- and gazes deeply into his eyes. If either the adept or the target are wearing sunglasses or their eyes are otherwise covered, the power has no effect.

If direct eye contact is obtained, the adept makes a Magic Test with a target number equal to the target's Intelligence (Perception) score. The test has a threshold equal to one half (round down) of the target's Willpower. If the adept beats this threshold, the subject falls into a gentle slumber that lasts a number of minutes equal to the adept's Magic Attribute multiplied by the number of additional successes achieved on the test.


How's that sound for a base to work off of? I chose to go with Intelligence for the actual target number because, in my mind, it's very much dependant on the target absorbing the... whatever it is... the adept is sending his way. Willpower is used as the threshold because it's sort of the "armor" of the mind. You could always make it an opposed test with Magic (Intelligence) vs. the target's Willpower (Magic) rolls. Most successes wins, too.

[Nikoli]

I was also wanting something that mudanes could make use of (the edge) but an adept could excel at.

[A Clockwork Lime]

In that case, the Active Skill route with an allowance for Improved Ability is the way to go.

[Nikoli]

Sounds good.

I may try that with the next phys ad to entermy game world