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Old 01-18-2014, 10:13 PM   #11
whswhs
 
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

See my article on the Civil Arts for Pyramid 3/54, which discusses the art of courtesanry, within which Enthrallment can be purchased with Dancing or Sex Appeal as a prerequisite. That's for cinematic courtesans, of course!

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Old 01-18-2014, 10:15 PM   #12
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by Ghostdancer View Post
I understand what you are trying to do here, but I think you're going about this the wrong way. You say this is feasible for a realistic campaign, but Enthrallment skills are not realistic. Even Mata Hari (GURPS Who's Who I) only has a Sex Appeal of 13 - so if you're using this ability in a realistic campaign...you don't want to use Enthrallment at all. OF course, your definition of realistic and mine may be very different. If you're after a "realistic" skill you just want a high Sex Appeal. Honestly, I'd just build this as Mind Control (Mind Tricks*, -30%) [35], it's a better fit for what you're trying to achieve to be perfectly honest. That other ability feels...bloated. If you want the cost to be higher, charge an Unusual Background.

* This can be found on p. 15 of GURPS Psionic Powers.
I meant feasible as in a really weak way, as in possibly but highly unlikely and more suited for a cinematic campaign which I guess I should have said to avoid confusion. I don't think it would make taking Enthrallment over Alluring Influence pointless because a) the entire usage of this advantage is only useful against roughly half the people you'd meet, unlike Enthrallment which works on anyone AND on a larger audience with each skill use, which Alluring Influence is not capable of, and b) Psionics is really campaign specific, in a cinematic campaign where psionics don't exist this would be fine. I don't plan on playing any games which involve psionics anytime soon because I dislike the general Psionic > Mage > Warrior idea if that means anything still these days.

I mean you could just use Alluring Influence on a large group of people, each one at a time in the same time it would take to use a Enthrallment skill in game, but that seems extremely tedious. Think of all the die rolls.
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Old 01-18-2014, 10:36 PM   #13
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
See my article on the Civil Arts for Pyramid 3/54, which discusses the art of courtesanry, within which Enthrallment can be purchased with Dancing or Sex Appeal as a prerequisite. That's for cinematic courtesans, of course!

Bill Stoddard
Thanks, I'll make sure to check that out. If it's just as good or better then what flavor I'm looking for (in fact "Cinematic Courtesan" is quite on spot to describe it), then I'll be so happy. :)

If I may also note, for what it does and how much it costs, I don't think it's terribly game balancing or anymore better then normal Enthrallment, IMHO. It's fun and flavor that I want the most out of it. Alluring Influence, that is.
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Old 01-19-2014, 08:09 AM   #14
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by Beguiler View Post
b) Psionics is really campaign specific, in a cinematic campaign where psionics don't exist this would be fine. I don't plan on playing any games which involve psionics anytime soon because I dislike the general Psionic > Mage > Warrior idea if that means anything still these days.
There is absolutly nothing psionic about the advantage mind control. Neither in GURPS rules nor real world usage of the word psionics.

Its an advantage that makes people do what you want. You can make that psionic you can make it magical, chemical whatever. You can also just slap a requires successful use of sex appeal on it if that makes you happy.

Its really up to you, but dislike of psionics is not a reason not to use it.

Last edited by lachimba; 01-19-2014 at 08:12 AM.
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Old 01-19-2014, 08:37 AM   #15
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

I think everybody is getting too complicated. I'd just go with replacing Public Speaking with Sex Appeal (with bonuses for high appearance, etc.).

For a longer term enthrallment, I would also require Erotic Art and some time.
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Old 01-19-2014, 08:42 AM   #16
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

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I think everybody is getting too complicated. I'd just go with replacing Public Speaking with Sex Appeal (with bonuses for high appearance, etc.).
That's a lot like what my Pyramid article did, actually. . . .

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Old 01-19-2014, 10:12 AM   #17
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by Beguiler View Post
I dislike the general Psionic > Mage > Warrior idea.
Luckily, then, that's not an idea that's central to GURPS. So, while you're free to dislike the label "psionic", it's trivial to change it to "magic" or "demonic" or "glamour" or "phermones". Bad experiences in some other system (AD&D 1e?) are irrelevant.

The point is to look at how the advantage is built.

If you like the way the Enthrallment mechanics work, then just substitute Sex Appeal for Public Speaking as the base skill you're done. You don't need to build a new power. Substituting one skill for another rarely has a lot of effect on game balance, particularly when they're of the same difficulty.
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Old 01-19-2014, 11:14 AM   #18
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

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Originally Posted by lachimba View Post
There is absolutly nothing psionic about the advantage mind control. Neither in GURPS rules nor real world usage of the word psionics.

Its an advantage that makes people do what you want. You can make that psionic you can make it magical, chemical whatever. You can also just slap a requires successful use of sex appeal on it if that makes you happy.

Its really up to you, but dislike of psionics is not a reason not to use it.
Sorry, when I think "Mind Control", I immediately think "Psionics". The context of the name mislead me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
Luckily, then, that's not an idea that's central to GURPS. So, while you're free to dislike the label "psionic", it's trivial to change it to "magic" or "demonic" or "glamour" or "phermones". Bad experiences in some other system (AD&D 1e?) are irrelevant.

The point is to look at how the advantage is built.

If you like the way the Enthrallment mechanics work, then just substitute Sex Appeal for Public Speaking as the base skill you're done. You don't need to build a new power. Substituting one skill for another rarely has a lot of effect on game balance, particularly when they're of the same difficulty.
Thing is, I don't like how it works. The idea of someone expending enough energy to exhaust them as if they ran an entire marathon all to just to seduce someone into doing what you want them to do is silly. The amount of time some of the Enthrallment skills requires just seems bloated, maybe not for storytelling, but definitely for seducing at least that's how I see it.

For point optimization though, which I try to refrain from, it may just be more sensible to take Mind Control and slap on (Mind Tricks Only, -30%) as Ghostdancer said, and (Requires Sex Appeal Roll, -20%), for 25 Points.
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Old 01-19-2014, 11:16 AM   #19
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

Requires Sex Appeal is a +0% feature in this case.
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Old 01-19-2014, 11:32 AM   #20
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Default Re: Enthrallment using Sex Appeal

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Requires Sex Appeal is a +0% feature in this case.
I don't think it should be a feature. You're adding on a additional die roll which might change the chance of success. Interpreted this from "Only while playing the trumpet" -20%, which might as well be "Requires Musical Instrument (Trumpet) Roll" -20%. There's also the fact that since we're requiring a Sex Appeal roll, it's only going to be working on roughly half the people you meet, in this case those who would be attracted to your sex. Under the Accessibility it states that if it's only going to work on half the population, then it's worth -20%. So yes, you're correct in that it's really only a feature, but the inherent limitation that Sex Appeal sets qualifies it for a reduction in point cost. So really I should've said (Only Works On Those Attracted To Your Sex, Requires Sex Appeal Roll, -20%). Basically a -20% limitation and a 0% feature lumped together, which on paper it'd be just simpler to put down (Requires Sex Appeal Roll, -20%).
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