Alter Emotion (New Telepathy Power (3.5))

[Qwertystop]

Here's a power I've been tossing around in my head for a while:

Alter Emotions
Psion/Wilder 1
Display: Visual and Olfactory (See text)
Range: Close
Target: One intelligent creature (INT >2)
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 1

When you manifest this power, choose an emotion. The target's general emotional state changes to that. Some possibilities are: joy, sadness, fear, amazement. Other emotions are also possible, but those are the ones which have mechanical effects specifically listed in this description. Effects of others should be determined by DM. This gives a +2 morale bonus on skill checks if they are positive or help with focus, or a -2 penalty on skill checks if they are negative or distracting. Of those listed, Joy is positive, Sadness is negative Fear is negative unless the skill check is to escape the scaring thing, in which case it is focusing, and Amazement is distracting unless it is amazement with something relevant to the skill check, in which case it is focusing.

The display is dependent upon the emotion selected. The olfactory portion is as the standard olfactory display, except that the "long-buried memory" that is brought to mind is always an emotional memory, and it cannot be kept active for the duration of the power. The visual portion takes the form of a small cloud of light that hovers around the manifester's head for 1 round from the time the power was manifested. It is a different color depending on the emotion, but never obstructs the manifester's view, spreads more than an inch from their head (scaled up or down for creatures with non-normal-human-head-sized heads, of course), or otherwise has any mechanical effect. The colors are a bright cheery yellow for joy, a dark, deep blue for sadness, a faint dark green for fear, or bright, shifting colors for amazement. Any other emotion should have the display determined by the DM.

Augmentation:
For every 2 extra power points spent (not including the 4 spent on the "increased effect" augmentation), the save DC for this power increases by 1. If you spend 20 or more power points on this augmentation, the power merely has a quartered duration on a failed save.
If you spend 4 extra power points, the emotion is strong enough to have an increased mechanical effect as follows: Joy mimics the effect of the Good Hope spell (a +2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls) on the target. Sadness mimics the effect of the Crushing Despair spell (-2 penalty on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls) on the target. Fear causes the target to be Frightened on a failed save, decreasing to Shaken after the duration of the power is halfway up. Amazement causes the target to be Fascinated by the least normal, non-noticeably-hostile thing they can see for the duration of the power or until something occurs that would normally cause Fascination to end (in the latter case, the feeling of amazement continues, and the Fascination will return if they fail an equal will save the next time they see that thing within the duration of the power). Other emotions should have effects determined by the DM, roughly on par in power with those listed here.



So, what do you think? Please comment!

[Gamer Girl]

This power has no effect unless you augment it? That's a bit weird. Don't you think the power should have some mechanical effect?

The increase to the save DC bugs me as a cheat, but even so this power has little effect, so it does not matter.

[Qwertystop]

This power has no effect unless you augment it? That's a bit weird. Don't you think the power should have some mechanical effect?

The increase to the save DC bugs me as a cheat, but even so this power has little effect, so it does not matter.

What was the cheat about having a dc-boosting augment? Many powers have such a thing. And I made it a first-level power because the effect would be rp-only (and there are no psionic cantrips). THe augment to make it mechanical boosts it to the cost of a second-level power, unless I mis-figured something.

[Gamer Girl]

What was the cheat about having a dc-boosting augment? Many powers have such a thing. And I made it a first-level power because the effect would be rp-only (and there are no psionic cantrips). THe augment to make it mechanical boosts it to the cost of a second-level power, unless I mis-figured something.

Well, a 1st level power is equal to a 1st level spell right? And a 1st level spell can effect emotions and mechanical effects. Like cause fear, bane, bless, or the spell Doom. So should not a 1st level power give some effect?

Does a psionic power need to be 2nd level to have a game effect?

You might also want to let the base power alter any emotion to another, not just a couple. That would be much better for rp effects. What about giving a -2/+2 morale effect to skill checks depending on the emotion? Like a sad person would be at -2 on skill checks.

Then have the five augments for the intense emotions.

[Qwertystop]

Well, a 1st level power is equal to a 1st level spell right? And a 1st level spell can effect emotions and mechanical effects. Like cause fear, bane, bless, or the spell Doom. So should not a 1st level power give some effect?

Does a psionic power need to be 2nd level to have a game effect?

You might also want to let the base power alter any emotion to another, not just a couple. That would be much better for rp effects. What about giving a -2/+2 morale effect to skill checks depending on the emotion? Like a sad person would be at -2 on skill checks.

Then have the five augments for the intense emotions.

That sounds good. The reason I made i require an augment to have mechanical effects is that the only ones I could think of went beyond what I thought was fair for a 1st level spell. The reason I didn't allow any emotion was because I couldn't think of a system for determining effects and displays for any emotion, ever, so I went with a few.


EDIT: Added the minor effects to the first post. Does that seem good? Also, if it reaches a really good stage, I will put it as a power in a thematic Telepath or Wilder build, and put it on the homebrew-playtest thread. If I do so, I will link to it here for those interested.

[Gamer Girl]

I like the any emotion alter. I can think of a dozen emotions you might want to alter for RP, but to have a power that can only do five is of not much use. For example your base list does not even have the opposite of fear..something like confidence or hope. Or disillusionment for the opposite of fascinate. And so forth.

Just wondering though...why do you want a showy power? If I wanted to alter an emotion, I would want to do it quiet/sneaky like.

[Qwertystop]

I like the any emotion alter. I can think of a dozen emotions you might want to alter for RP, but to have a power that can only do five is of not much use. For example your base list does not even have the opposite of fear..something like confidence or hope. Or disillusionment for the opposite of fascinate. And so forth.

Just wondering though...why do you want a showy power? If I wanted to alter an emotion, I would want to do it quiet/sneaky like.

I have put in the option to do any emotion, I just could only think of major effects for 5, so those are the ones I made examples for. Pretty much all psionic powers have displays, and the defaults are often more flashy than what I put. I figured that it had to have some kind of display, so I made it smaller to fit how it is sort of sneaky, and relevant to the emotion selected to spice it up a bit. The display can be suppressed, just like any other power, but a tiny cloud is still more covert than a wide rainbow flash, a loud telepathic noise, or covering everything in shiny goop.