 Commanding voice, What about different languages? |
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 Nov 12 2004, 12:49 AM
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#1
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Target  Group: Members Posts: 26 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Finland Member No.: 2,130  |
The order is limited to a maximum of three words, but what if the adept speaks Finnish, for example. I can come up with pretty detailed orders in Finnish that have only three words, but expand to 8-10 words when translated to English.
How about an adept ordering someone to 'tell me the security code for your apartment'. That's eight words in English, and three words in Finnish: 'kerro asuntosi turvakoodi'. And there are languages that can say even more in three words, though I'm not familiar with them. I guess adepts speaking Inuit language could say pretty much anything with three words. Of course the target has to understand the words. Still it's funny how much leeway the 'three word limit' seems to give. |
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Nov 12 2004, 12:54 AM
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#2
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Immortal Elf Group: Validating Posts: 7,999 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,890 |
If you think that's bad, imagine what you can do with the fake languages like Sperenthiel or Or'zet. :)
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Nov 12 2004, 12:55 AM
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#3
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,326 Joined: 15-April 02 Member No.: 2,600 |
Yeah, the three word limit seems like an arbitrary thing they set to keep people from arguing endlessly the exact definition of "a short phrase". It doesn't even say if you can use contractions.
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Nov 12 2004, 01:01 AM
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#4
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
You can condense almost anything into three words:
'tell me the security code for your apartment' becomes "APARTMENT CODE NOW!" But, I'm more for whatever they can spout in a single shout counts. |
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Nov 12 2004, 01:03 AM
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#5
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,326 Joined: 15-April 02 Member No.: 2,600 |
But it would be funny to shout "Don't shoot me!" and have the guy say, "Technically, thats four words, 'do not shoot me' because contractions aren't allowed." Blam!
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Nov 12 2004, 01:09 AM
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#6
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Beetle Eater Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,797 Joined: 3-June 02 From: Oblivion City Member No.: 2,826 |
While this ruins the joke, woudn't the commanding voice would still work, just on the first three words (if you went that route), "Don't shoot" (thus having the desired effect)? |
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Nov 12 2004, 02:14 AM
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#7
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
I wonder what would happen if you told the enemy mage to, "Geek the mage!"
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Nov 12 2004, 02:19 AM
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#8
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Immortal Elf Group: Validating Posts: 7,999 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,890 |
He'd probably shoot you since "mage" is a generic term for any magician when used in that context.
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Nov 12 2004, 02:22 AM
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#9
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
An adept isn't a magician, unless you are of the magician's path.
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Nov 12 2004, 02:28 AM
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#10
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 6,748 Joined: 5-July 02 Member No.: 2,935 |
An adept /is/ a magician, but they aren't a mage. See, magician replies to anyone who uses magic, while mage generally refers strictly to spellcasters and/or members of the Hermetic tradition, and sometimes is just used for magicians in general.
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Nov 12 2004, 02:30 AM
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#11
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Shouldn't that be "Awakened in general"? :D |
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Nov 12 2004, 03:50 AM
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#12
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Creating a god with his own hands Group: Members Posts: 1,405 Joined: 30-September 02 From: 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 Member No.: 3,364 |
And wouldn't the whole thing be pointless when you can just tell them to
SHOOT YOURSELVES! :spin: |
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Nov 12 2004, 04:18 AM
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#13
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Technomancer Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,638 Joined: 2-October 02 From: Champaign, IL Member No.: 3,374 |
Or perhaps "just shoot him." Remember, you don't have to out run the bullets, just the rest of your team ;)
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Nov 12 2004, 10:24 AM
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#14
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,326 Joined: 15-April 02 Member No.: 2,600 |
How 'bout, "Pleasure me softly"?
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Nov 12 2004, 02:50 PM
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#15
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Technomancer Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,638 Joined: 2-October 02 From: Champaign, IL Member No.: 3,374 |
Good for those lover/seductress/siren types! :silly:
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Nov 12 2004, 03:29 PM
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#16
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,326 Joined: 15-April 02 Member No.: 2,600 |
I am seized by an impulse to collect a few of the most absurd possible three word command combinations.
"Empty your bowels!" "Simplify your life!" "Refinance your home!" Or the classic Preacher line, "Go f@$^ yourself." |
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Nov 12 2004, 03:48 PM
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#17
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
"Become antidisestablishmentantarianist now"
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Nov 12 2004, 03:53 PM
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#18
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Immortal Elf Group: Validating Posts: 7,999 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,890 |
You know most of those would just cause the target to falter in confusion, right? Especially since the requested action can't last longer than a Simple Action or so, and only if they understand the command (as well as the language). Otherwise they just stand there confused. :)
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Nov 12 2004, 04:07 PM
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#19
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
Back to the original command, if "Apartment code now!" works in English then "Kodinturvakoodisi!" will work in Finnish. The lack of determiners, the widespread use of suffixes for nearly all grammatical stuff and the huge amount of compound words that count as single words allows for all kinds of fun stuff. I'm sure there are languages where you can fit even more meaning into a 3-word command, but English is certainly one of the worst for this.
Elikkä ollaan vaan tyytyväisiä, että pelataan tätä suomeksi. |
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Nov 12 2004, 04:23 PM
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#20
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Technomancer Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,638 Joined: 2-October 02 From: Champaign, IL Member No.: 3,374 |
Yeah, but imagine if commanding voice worked more like Influence :eek: |
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Nov 12 2004, 04:30 PM
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#21
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Target Group: Members Posts: 56 Joined: 5-October 04 Member No.: 6,729 |
Should they work?
Kill Yourself Now! (instant suicide?) Fall Asleep now! (narcolepsy?) Is the command followed up by the conscious or subconcious mind following the order? |
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Nov 12 2004, 04:35 PM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 108 Joined: 15-September 03 From: Worcester, MA Member No.: 5,621 |
Something came up from White Wolf's Vampire, where the basic ability is only one word commands. The idea was a string of commands, which, with Commanding Voice, is a single command: "Sit, stay, masturbate." Good for keeping the combat monsters from starting a fight for a while. |
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Nov 12 2004, 04:41 PM
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#23
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Immortal Elf Group: Validating Posts: 7,999 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,890 |
They either follow the order or just stop and stare at you like you're an idiot. It's entirely up to the GM to decide which happens, but both cause the target to miss his next Free or Simple Action as appropriate. Even if you came up with an ingenius way to word it so that a subject is compelled to give you his security pass, he doesn't necessarily have to do so (though I imagine most GMs would to reward the creative thinking); he can waste an action just scratching his head instead. In no way will the action proceed for more than a Simple Action, so most of the suggestions in this thread would simply result in the blank stare. |
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Nov 12 2004, 07:11 PM
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#24
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,326 Joined: 15-April 02 Member No.: 2,600 |
Or in the event of "Empty your bowels", and unpleasant odor and an awkward social situation.
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Nov 12 2004, 07:11 PM
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#25
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,088 Joined: 8-October 04 From: Dallas, TX Member No.: 6,734 |
Are you saying commands like "Void your bowels!" would fail because
1) The guy didn't understand the word 'void' (or for that matter 'bowels') or 2) Voiding your bowels is a complex action? By the way, can someone give me a quick ref page on this? I'm not sure where this ability is mentioned. |
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