Using Glamour To Disguise Age

Bilanthri · 03-08-2017, 09:47 PM

I'm building a psi power that produces a glamour which convinces the viewer that the user is a different age than they truly are.

My first thought was Unaging (Control Age) but that only allows the user to age in either direction at 10x normal rate, which isn't very useful as an illusory disguise.

Elastic Skin also seems like a potential fit, but it would need to be limited to only allow cosmetic changes and only ones that alter the apparent age of the user rather than allowing a brand new face.

Illusion and Shapeshifting seem like other routes to the same solution.

Can anyone offer some suggestions on modifiers that would make one of these options functional for the user to appear, at will, to be what ever age they wish?

weby · 03-09-2017, 12:13 AM

Though technically you cannot take glamour to unaging it could be used in this case I guess. You would also need to add in a "doe not actually change age", This value is unclear, but I am using -50% as that is the "cosmetic only" from shapeshifting:
Unaging (Control Age +20%, Cosmic: can change faster then 10x speed +50%, Glamour -??%, Cosmetic only:-50%)

Shapeshifting would need to be based on morph or have a special advantage or cosmic to allow for the ages. For the cosmic the pricing is bit unclear but I would go with +50% avoiding drawback. You can also add reduced time to below if you want them to be faster than 10 seconds:
Alternate Form self (Cosmetic -50%, Glamour -??%, cosmic: can appear any age: +50%)
Morph(Cosmetic -50%, Glamour -??%, only different age forms of self: -80%)

Illusion also cannot use glamour by RAW but would seem like a possible choice in this special scenario, it also requires independent so something like:
Illusion (Accessibility, only to create illusion of self, but with different age, -80%; Extended, all senses, +100%; Independence, +40%, Glamour -??%)

Of the options I would likely go with the non RAW alternate unaging. But the shapeshiftings are fairly ok RAW builds.

Bilanthri · 03-09-2017, 12:48 AM

All good suggestions.

I think what suits my idea the best is Alternate Form. Bought w/o the Cosmic enhancement, it can easily be a 3CP starting power for a low level psi. And with Cosmic, it's still pretty cheap for what should be a parlor trick for a temporal illusionist.

Thanks for the ideas.

Icelander · 03-09-2017, 10:10 AM

If it has no other game effects than allowing a 60-year-old appear as his 30-year-old self (mutatis mutandis), call it a Perk.

If it can also increase Appearance or alter it from Impressive to normal as best suits the PC (by becoming youthful again, in the case of a character not as attractive to the opposite sex as he may have been), you also need to pay for the best Appearance level he can appear as. If he can alternate between Impressive older person and regular Appearance with higher bonus for those attracted to his gender, add Switchable +10% to Appearance.

03-08-2017, 09:47 PM	#1
Bilanthri Join Date: Jul 2016	Using Glamour To Disguise Age I'm building a psi power that produces a glamour which convinces the viewer that the user is a different age than they truly are. My first thought was Unaging (Control Age) but that only allows the user to age in either direction at 10x normal rate, which isn't very useful as an illusory disguise. Elastic Skin also seems like a potential fit, but it would need to be limited to only allow cosmetic changes and only ones that alter the apparent age of the user rather than allowing a brand new face. Illusion and Shapeshifting seem like other routes to the same solution. Can anyone offer some suggestions on modifiers that would make one of these options functional for the user to appear, at will, to be what ever age they wish?

03-09-2017, 12:13 AM	#2
weby Join Date: Oct 2008	Re: Using Glamour To Disguise Age Though technically you cannot take glamour to unaging it could be used in this case I guess. You would also need to add in a "doe not actually change age", This value is unclear, but I am using -50% as that is the "cosmetic only" from shapeshifting: Unaging (Control Age +20%, Cosmic: can change faster then 10x speed +50%, Glamour -??%, Cosmetic only:-50%) Shapeshifting would need to be based on morph or have a special advantage or cosmic to allow for the ages. For the cosmic the pricing is bit unclear but I would go with +50% avoiding drawback. You can also add reduced time to below if you want them to be faster than 10 seconds: Alternate Form self (Cosmetic -50%, Glamour -??%, cosmic: can appear any age: +50%) Morph(Cosmetic -50%, Glamour -??%, only different age forms of self: -80%) Illusion also cannot use glamour by RAW but would seem like a possible choice in this special scenario, it also requires independent so something like: Illusion (Accessibility, only to create illusion of self, but with different age, -80%; Extended, all senses, +100%; Independence, +40%, Glamour -??%) Of the options I would likely go with the non RAW alternate unaging. But the shapeshiftings are fairly ok RAW builds. __________________ -- GURPS spaceship unofficial errata and thoughts: https://gsuc.roto.nu/ Last edited by weby; 03-09-2017 at 05:27 AM.

03-09-2017, 12:48 AM	#3
Bilanthri Join Date: Jul 2016	Re: Using Glamour To Disguise Age All good suggestions. I think what suits my idea the best is Alternate Form. Bought w/o the Cosmic enhancement, it can easily be a 3CP starting power for a low level psi. And with Cosmic, it's still pretty cheap for what should be a parlor trick for a temporal illusionist. Thanks for the ideas.

03-09-2017, 10:10 AM	#4
Icelander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Iceland*	Re: Using Glamour To Disguise Age If it has no other game effects than allowing a 60-year-old appear as his 30-year-old self (mutatis mutandis), call it a Perk. If it can also increase Appearance or alter it from Impressive to normal as best suits the PC (by becoming youthful again, in the case of a character not as attractive to the opposite sex as he may have been), you also need to pay for the best Appearance level he can appear as. If he can alternate between Impressive older person and regular Appearance with higher bonus for those attracted to his gender, add Switchable +10% to Appearance. __________________ Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela!