Changeling thoughts
Aug. 30th, 2007 12:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esemeReading through the section in the Character Creation chapter of CtL on powers. What Changelings can and can't do. And it looks like the character idea I had simply won't work as originally envisioned. At all. There are just some things one can't do with the system.
Those things being detecting thoughts or reading minds. Not even surface thoughts. Granted, that sort of thing can get out of hand very fast, so I can see why it was eliminated entirely from the system. Still, one can't even detect emotions accurately (other than with the Ability Empathy). A Changeling can determine your greatest fear, or or greatest desire. They can incite wrath, fear, desire, and sorrow, but they don't have a power to determine what an individual is feeling right this instant. They also do not have a way of determining if someone is lying to them.
Now, I will admit that I am not very familiar with the base NWoD book (I've read a few bits of it but not the crunchy ones) so it is possible that basic Abilities like Empathy are a lot more powerful in this system and would allow someone with enough successes (in tabletop) to determine if an individual is lying.
You can achieve a similar effect by either scaring someone so much that they will tell you what you need to know (but may be so scared that they tell you what they think you want to know) or by angering someone so much that they make rash statements (or just try to kill you), or make someone so depressed that they give up and tell you their secrets (but may then be so despondent or freaked out that they don't join your terrorist group), or seduce someone into telling you the truth of why they want to join the group (but they may again tell you what they think you want to hear to impress you). None of which is a good way of dealing with most people who walk through the door- someone would need to be able to do all four things depending on the situation.
Also, given the new Pledge system, it is entirely likely that my original concept (someone in the rebellious terrorist organization Never Again who works to find moles and traitors) is completely redundant. I mean, presumably members take an Oath or Pledge of loyalty when joining and nasty things would happen if they broke it.
Still, it is just odd not to run into mental powers, as so many groups in the OWoD had them. Perhaps it all was too much of a headache.
And the other omission from the set of Changeling powers is just odd, from my standpoint (although it no doubt makes thematic sense). Changelings can create four primal emotions in mortals: Fear, Desire, Sorrow, and Wrath. What about Joy or Happiness? Changelings cannot make people happy. They can't create joy. Now, the World of Darkness in general tends to be in rather short supply of this emotion, so I can see why it is left out thematically. However, I'd argue that it is one of the most important emotions one can feel. So one wonders if the story of a child's laughter banishing the nightmares is true. Is Joy the anathema to Changelings? Is that one force the True Fae have no power over? Of does White WOlf simply think Happiness is not as powerful an emotion as fear or desire? If so, they really need to laugh more. Laughter can paralyze you. It can heal. Joy can bring you to tears. Some of our most pivotal moments in life revolve around Joy: weddings, graduations, birthdays, births, reunions... and no Changeling court truly exemplifies that emotion. Odd that something so powerful and so much a part of life is essentially left out.
In any event, I'll need to come up with a new concept. I'm still not done with the book, so I'm sure I will think of something.
Those things being detecting thoughts or reading minds. Not even surface thoughts. Granted, that sort of thing can get out of hand very fast, so I can see why it was eliminated entirely from the system. Still, one can't even detect emotions accurately (other than with the Ability Empathy). A Changeling can determine your greatest fear, or or greatest desire. They can incite wrath, fear, desire, and sorrow, but they don't have a power to determine what an individual is feeling right this instant. They also do not have a way of determining if someone is lying to them.
Now, I will admit that I am not very familiar with the base NWoD book (I've read a few bits of it but not the crunchy ones) so it is possible that basic Abilities like Empathy are a lot more powerful in this system and would allow someone with enough successes (in tabletop) to determine if an individual is lying.
You can achieve a similar effect by either scaring someone so much that they will tell you what you need to know (but may be so scared that they tell you what they think you want to know) or by angering someone so much that they make rash statements (or just try to kill you), or make someone so depressed that they give up and tell you their secrets (but may then be so despondent or freaked out that they don't join your terrorist group), or seduce someone into telling you the truth of why they want to join the group (but they may again tell you what they think you want to hear to impress you). None of which is a good way of dealing with most people who walk through the door- someone would need to be able to do all four things depending on the situation.
Also, given the new Pledge system, it is entirely likely that my original concept (someone in the rebellious terrorist organization Never Again who works to find moles and traitors) is completely redundant. I mean, presumably members take an Oath or Pledge of loyalty when joining and nasty things would happen if they broke it.
Still, it is just odd not to run into mental powers, as so many groups in the OWoD had them. Perhaps it all was too much of a headache.
And the other omission from the set of Changeling powers is just odd, from my standpoint (although it no doubt makes thematic sense). Changelings can create four primal emotions in mortals: Fear, Desire, Sorrow, and Wrath. What about Joy or Happiness? Changelings cannot make people happy. They can't create joy. Now, the World of Darkness in general tends to be in rather short supply of this emotion, so I can see why it is left out thematically. However, I'd argue that it is one of the most important emotions one can feel. So one wonders if the story of a child's laughter banishing the nightmares is true. Is Joy the anathema to Changelings? Is that one force the True Fae have no power over? Of does White WOlf simply think Happiness is not as powerful an emotion as fear or desire? If so, they really need to laugh more. Laughter can paralyze you. It can heal. Joy can bring you to tears. Some of our most pivotal moments in life revolve around Joy: weddings, graduations, birthdays, births, reunions... and no Changeling court truly exemplifies that emotion. Odd that something so powerful and so much a part of life is essentially left out.
In any event, I'll need to come up with a new concept. I'm still not done with the book, so I'm sure I will think of something.
