The devil's tie pin

[Dalillama]

In my current campaign, I am working on a treasure to dangle in front of a PC. The character is a grifter trying to go clean, and the treasure is a rattlesnake shaped tie pin with a yellow diamond eye, currently owned by the leader of a gang of swindlers who are trying to take over the town. It grants the ability to cloud the minds of men or otherwise bamboozle people into doing your will. I am trying to decide exactly what this means in game terms; basically I want cool powers that boost a face-type character, but something short of actual mind control. I am running short of inspiration at this moment, and welcome suggestions.

[ArchonShiva]

Just give him an escape on failed attempts: basically, others' MoS is reduced by maybe 4-5 for the purpose of figuring out he's trying to manipulate them, but it doesn't with help actual success. This will allow him to attempt it more, and thus have more successes.

Or let him reroll critical failures once per hour.

Or just give him +X to influence and/or reaction rolls, or his targets -X to resist, but that seems less fun and more like something a few cp could afford him.

[Christopher R. Rice]

I've done something like this before. Let me see. It was a pair of cufflinks that looked like a stylized pattern, but was really 666 in a circle. Wearing them gave a couple of abilities, but the ones that would be most useful here was the ability to treat any Influence roll as if it were a Diplomacy roll if the roll failed. I also recall allowing the wearer to use the extended Reaction roll tables from Mysteries (and now Social Engineering). Both of those are basically perks - maybe a really high level of Fast-Talk skill. And luck. Dear lord lots of luck.

[Anaraxes]

Grants Smooth Operator Talent.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Oh, and if I were you I'd use the Alternate Benefit for Smoother Talker from GURPS Power-Ups 3 at whatever the campaign max is.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Also, maybe something like no matter what, people don't believe that the character is anything more than a harmless advice giver. After all, the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was making people believe he didn't exist...

Consider a low-level Mind Control too. I know you said "No mind control," but what I'd do here is something like Needful Things: the ability to tempt, nothing more. So something like Mind Control with Mind Tricks + Accessibility, Only to led another into temptation (-30% or so).

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by ArchonShiva

Just give him an escape on failed attempts: basically, others' MoS is reduced by maybe 4-5 for the purpose of figuring out he's trying to manipulate them, but it doesn't with help actual success. This will allow him to attempt it more, and thus have more successes.

Or let him reroll critical failures once per hour.

Or just give him +X to influence and/or reaction rolls, or his targets -X to resist, but that seems less fun and more like something a few cp could afford him.

Well, CP are going to be paid for the thing at some point, certainly.

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I've done something like this before. Let me see. It was a pair of cufflinks that looked like a stylized pattern, but was really 666 in a circle. Wearing them gave a couple of abilities, but the ones that would be most useful here was the ability to treat any Influence roll as if it were a Diplomacy roll if the roll failed. I also recall allowing the wearer to use the extended Reaction roll tables from Mysteries (and now Social Engineering). Both of those are basically perks - maybe a really high level of Fast-Talk skill. And luck. Dear lord lots of luck.

I don't actually have either of those at the moment, but he first one is definitely cool.

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Also, maybe something like no matter what, people don't believe that the character is anything more than a harmless advice giver. After all, the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was making people believe he didn't exist...

I really like this one; the character already has the Honest Face perk, but some kind of amplified level of it would be nifty.

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Consider a low-level Mind Control too. I know you said "No mind control," but what I'd do here is something like Needful Things: the ability to tempt, nothing more. So something like Mind Control with Mind Tricks + Accessibility, Only to led another into temptation (-30% or so).

Well, not outright mind control. Limited 'jedi mind tricks' are on the table. Is Mind Tricks in Powers? I have not run across anything specifically titled that, that I recall.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

I really like this one; the character already has the Honest Face perk, but some kind of amplified level of it would be nifty.

If you're willing to stretch Obscure a bit, "Obscure (Suspicion)" might be a valid option, with each level giving a -1 to rolls to perceive him anything other than a nice fella.

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Well, not outright mind control. Limited 'jedi mind tricks' are on the table. Is Mind Tricks in Powers? I have not run across anything specifically titled that, that I recall.

GURPS Psionics Powers, p. 15 - it's worth -30% and essentially uses the guidelines for Suggest and Sway Emotions skills (pp. B191-192).

[Dalillama]

Sounds promising. I recall the player showing interest in those skills, I might also/instead allow access to those skills. I will probably tack on a Corruption cost for active uses of the associated powers, because it's that kind of game.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Well, not outright mind control. Limited 'jedi mind tricks' are on the table. Is Mind Tricks in Powers? I have not run across anything specifically titled that, that I recall.

Yes. See the Suggestion Limit on Mind Control.