Since every ear bud can have a select sound filter in it, all of them can.

"Blurt out an embarrassing secret!"

"Come out of the closet!"

"Tell (your) superiors what you (really) think (of them)!"

Or, for instant fun-time, "Boogie!"

Instant blackmail material.

I was thinking causing an awkward moment at the board meeting. They can still hear while carrying out these orders....

(And if anyone tries to argue that you can't, I'll be forced to deploy the instant arguement winner.... The raspberry.)

I just came across this in a bit of search fu-ing. Sorry for the cybermancy. Really though, how can this discussion have gone on for two pages?

Is sound amplified through cyberears? Can't even by RAW make a case for Audio Enhancement, which just enhances the range of audible frequencies, improves contrast and blocks out background noise.
Broadcast? Well it could, but to the user, it will always be sent through DNI.

Since neither case applies, cyberears don't protect against the power. Excepting Select Sound Filter, or turning them off entirely has been noted. Anyone saying anything else needs to be slapped with a dictionary. (which coincidentally tend to be heavier than an SR4a book)

Also: "Undress. Start with your armour."

a) I always thought the 'five word rule' was more of a guideline than anything else, since depending on the language the power could be made either incredibly simple or nearly impossible to use. Figure anything short and to the point works, otherwise you have all the adepts learning German so they can make five-minute-long orders against (say) German employees, and then they have to start giving security personnel headware blockers to prevent them from understanding German, and so forth. Maybe that's what magical languages are all about? Certain modes of grammar are just more effective at taking advantage of the arbitrary semantic underpinnings of magic.

b) Being too specific, or insufficiently specific, can work against you. "Shoot yourself in the head" is a good way to find out, too late, that the guy has an armored cyberskull. "Kill yourself" is a good way to find out that the guy is a demolitions specialist, and he figures the surest way to carry out his orders is to detonate everything he's carrying, including two satchel charges and a belt of grenades. While you're in the same room. On that note, how much power, exactly, do targets have to interpret their orders? Can "shoot yourself in the head" guy just wing a piece of his hair and fulfill the word of the command but not its spirit? Or are targets compelled to carry out orders to the best of their ability, which can have unforeseen consequences; "blow yourself up" has different effects depending on how much boom the guy has access to, and it's not always obvious whether he has just enough to do the job or more than enough to bring you along for the ride.

c) As was discussed earlier in the thread, the best way to leverage transient effects is to make sure they have lasting repercussions. Thank one of the guards for being such a good mole for you, and tell him he can go ahead and "kill your friends". Once you start a firefight, it's hard to stop it before the bodies hit the floor.

"Everybody dance now!"

My take: targets use the most obvious interpretation, the one they assume the speaker intended. These are direct orders and you find yourself doing what you're told before you realize what's happening. You don't get to think for ten minutes how to twist the orders - it all happens within 3 seconds (1 round).

A misunderstanding could happen, but they tend to be rare, because a 5-word command tends to be uncomplicated.

"Cuff yourselves, dear brass men."
Or the ever innocent "Look over there!"
Watch yourself around "break a leg" though.

Also, agreed with Ascaphalus. This isn't talking genies and wishes, this is people and quick decisions. If they understand what you mean, they'll do it, or stand confused. If there's a reasonable chance for misinterpretation, go for it, but don't go clutching at syntax-straws.

Whoops. Twice the post for twice the fun.

"Stop Hammer Time" ... tho could go very, very wrong

"Eat a grenade" could work well

What if the fuse on the grenade is longer than the duration of the compulsion? Suddenly you've got a guy standing there with a live grenade and a burning urge to throw it at the fucker who tried to kill him.

Yeah, but he has to fish it out of his gullet first, no?

Giving a completely new meaning to the term "projectile vomiting".

Almost fell out of my chair laughing at that one.

Depends how big it is. Unless hand grenades have been miniaturized to the size of pills in 2072, they're not that easy to swallow. He might be able to jam it between his teeth, but literally eating it is probably right out.

Take note of the Troll suicide commando, who avoided any digestiveware.

Edit: actually, add a Regenrating HMVV variant for repeat-fun potential.

Hrm. Commanding an Ogre to eat a grenade would almost be worth it...

"Boomer!"

Best accompanied by a soundtrack.




-k

Since this thread is alive again anyway, and I forgot to ask last time:

How many net hits would yo demand for a command like: "Shot yourself in the head!"
How many for "Toss me your gun!"
How many for "Drop your gun!"
How many for "Shoot at your team mates!"
How many for "Every body dance now!"
?
Because how many net hits a command needs determines how good it is too.

"Use this suppository"

"Eat some of this Slab it's brilliant this time of year."

None of these require more than a single net hit. All you have to do is win the opposed Roll, and the target will attempt to perform the action, if possible, or stand confused.

I interpret that diffent. If you command something that goes strong against the target's instincts, it will be much harder to convince the target. You will need more net hits. Especially for a command like "kill yourself", you will need many.
(Would be a little bit easy if you could waste all enemies in hearing range with one net hit.)