[Powers] Leech and nonsapient victims

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Now a days, people keep a look out for missing pets as in the real world it can be a sign of up and coming serial killers.

Famously, a woman has just been released from prison in B.C. with possibly the most complicated and onerous bail conditions in the history of Canadian justice.

She was jailed for animal abuse (eviscerating the family pets), and judged very high risk to escalate to full fledged serial killing (she admitted to taking Criminology in order to learn how to get away with crimes, wrote about serial killing, talked about it, blogged about it, and was carrying a "kill kit" when arrested which is alarming). She's now got I think 46 or 47 conditions on her bail.

[the_matrix_walker]

Originally Posted by Baldo

Thanks for all the replies, if Leech works fine even with nonsapient animals, my character is going to add a new quirk: Loves draining cats for sport.

Still, it sounds weird Steal Youth can give you eternal youth by draining the occasional cat...

Cheaper to just take Unaging if that's your only concern...

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Cheaper to just take Unaging if that's your only concern...

*nod* Steal Youth costs enough points for so little immediate effect on the subject that you have to assume that 14 points of the cost is for Unaging with a small limitation to buy the occasional "feeder mouse" from the pet store (or some other small, cheap animal).

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Bruno

*nod* Steal Youth costs enough points for so little immediate effect on the subject that you have to assume that 14 points of the cost is for Unaging with a small limitation to buy the occasional "feeder mouse" from the pet store (or some other small, cheap animal).

In fact, all of Leech is very dubious for its price. For self-healing, regeneration builds with proper limitations are more efficient and flexible. Attribute-reduction at range requires Malediction, and thus is no longer automatic. Damage potential is abysmal. FP stealing is meh.

The only reason I'd want to take Leech is if I had Mechine Leech. Then I'd get my HP from cars and buildings. Probably for some T1000 analogue.

[Bruno]

It's arguable that since Malediction Leech only applies one seconds drain per action (rather than being a passive side effect of your other actions) that there should be an additional limitation in there to "pay you back" for your loss.

On the plus side, it takes effect immediately, unlike regular contact Leech (which takes more than just a "simple" Attack or Concentrate...) but I think this hardly compensates for loosing your "free" effects after that point (conditional on continuing to grapple with the subject, but still bonus on top of whatever you're doing to grapple).

The limitation definitely won't make up for the expense of Malediction+Ranged unless you're using multiplicative modifiers.

I'm actually sort of thinking that Leech+Ranged should be available without Malediction - in this case it would work like Affliction without Malediction, or even more like a plain old Innate Attack.

In other words, you take an Attack action, you have a to-hit roll, they have a defence roll, and they apply their DR vs your "leech damage". There is no sustained leeching effect, so you need to Attack again each turn. You'd still qualify for (require) the hypothetical limitation that gives you the discount for having to make a new attack each turn, I think that's quite significant.

[vicky_molokh]

I'm still in favour of inventing a Spell Vamp enhancement for individual attacks, that simply transfers a percentage dealt injury from an Innate Attack to the attacker. Likely without the healing multiplier for high HP.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Famously, a woman has just been released from prison in B.C. with possibly the most complicated and onerous bail conditions in the history of Canadian justice.

She was jailed for animal abuse (eviscerating the family pets), and judged very high risk to escalate to full fledged serial killing (she admitted to taking Criminology in order to learn how to get away with crimes, wrote about serial killing, talked about it, blogged about it, and was carrying a "kill kit" when arrested which is alarming). She's now got I think 46 or 47 conditions on her bail.

Who do they refuse bail for if not near certain serial killers?

[Bruno]

Notable: I had an aphasic moment: parole, not bail. The thing that happens after you finish your sentence, not before your trial.

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Who do they refuse bail for if not near certain serial killers?

You can't punish people for crimes they've never committed. It's one of the principles of the western justice system. She served her legal-code mandated sentence and was well behaved and co-operative, and the law says that she has to be let go.

Technically she is being punished for crimes she has never committed by having such exceptional conditions of parole - thought-crime in it's most literal form (for having aberrant thoughts). This is exactly what the Dangerous Offenders Act was conceived to do of course, but there's still limitations on what can be done this "early" in someone's um, "criminal development?" - she hasn't assaulted anyone, she hasn't even threatened anyone[1], and psychiatry is certainly not at a stage of development where I want the legal system to lock up anyone a psychiatrist says might be a risk of offending at some point.

I don't agree with murdering housepets being treated like vandalism or theft, but legally it's a property crime, not a violent crime.

Which is why they've tried to tangle her up in the legal system as much as currently legally possible.

[1] general statements like "I'd like to kill someone some day" and "I'm taking Criminology so I can get away with murdering people one day" and "I carry around rope and a knife in my car in case I feel like killing a homeless man one day" are free speech. We have hate-speech laws in Canada, but she's not done anything like that - she's "just" deeply deeply worrying.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Who do they refuse bail for if not near certain serial killers?

<cough> She wasn't released on bail. She's on probation after serving the appropriate sentence for her crimes.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...-released.html

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Bruno

*nod* Steal Youth costs enough points for so little immediate effect on the subject that you have to assume that 14 points of the cost is for Unaging with a small limitation to buy the occasional "feeder mouse" from the pet store (or some other small, cheap animal).

Actually, it's around 17 points, since it's not just Unaging, it's Unaging with Age Control.