[Psionic Powers] Vulcan Mind Meld

Captain Joy · 12-23-2010, 01:50 PM

EDIT: I've made significant updates. They are three posts down.

I'm working up the Vulcan Mind Meld for my Star Trek campaign. This is what I've got so far.

--- --- ---
VULCAN MIND MELD

Normally employed only by Vulcans, the Vulcan Mind Meld is a deeply personal thing, part of the private life, and generally not used on aliens --Vulcan mind meld

The Vulcan mind meld is a telepathic link between two individuals, allowing for the exchange of thoughts, thus in essence allowing the participants to become one mind. It is a psionic technique for "synaptic pattern displacement". Those in a meld shared consciousness in a kind of gestalt. --Vulcan mind meld

In GURPS terms, Vulcan’s must first establish contact using Telespeak [GURPS: Psionic Powers, p. 59]. Once this two-way contact is established, you can go to the next level, which is Emotion Sense [G:PP 58], Telereceive [G:PP 58], and Telesend w/ a modified Full Communion [G:PP 60] all seni-linked together; i.e. when you use one, all three are on. There is not a single skill for these semi-linked abilities--use whichever one of the three is most appropriate to the situation. The mandatory Full Communion technique does prevent you from lying, but does not prohibit you from being able to resist mental abilities used on you. These three skills must be developed together; none of the three can be more than one level higher than the other two. While the other abilities within the Telepathy Power are available to Vulcan’s, none of them can be learned at a skill level higher than the lowest of Emotion Sense [G:PP 58], Telereceive [G:PP 58], or Telesend [G:PP 60].

While it is possible to force a mind meld on an unwilling subject, Vulcans are loath to do so, unless under the most dire circumstances. Those who find themselves frequently in this situation often use Mind Shield [G:PP 66] to overcome the problems associated with the Full Communion [G:PP 60] aspect of Vulcan telepathic contact.

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As you can see, I've gone off RAW a bit with the "semi-linked" and modified version of Full Communion. If I am missing something in the RAW that would give me these same effects, I'm all ears. I welcome comments and criticisms in general.

Fred Brackin · 12-23-2010, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

I'm working up the Vulcan Mind Meld for my Star Trek campaign. This is what I've got so far.

--- --- ---
VULCAN MIND MELD

I would use Mind Probe with the Invasive and Memory Bank Enhancements from p.62 of Powers for the ultimate level. You might add an Unreliable or similar Limit to the retention part and Two Way looks like a major Side Effect.

Conditioning from Mind Control is also possible <Spock to Kirk> "Forget".

Really, there are few Telepathic feats that can not be acompished with soem sort of Vulcan technique. You might want to distinguish the lighter "Mind Touch" from the deeper Full Meld.

Captain Joy · 12-24-2010, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I would use Mind Probe with the Invasive and Memory Bank Enhancements from p.62 of Powers for the ultimate level. You might add an Unreliable or similar Limit to the retention part and Two Way looks like a major Side Effect.

I think I'll just stick with the Deep Probe technique to handle the Invasive nature of the Mind Meld. The Memory Bank enhancement--my players will have to cold-request that; it's not something I want to be considered typical of Vulcan Mind Melds. And "Two Way looks": is that RAW? It sounds like a perfect limitation if it is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Conditioning from Mind Control is also possible <Spock to Kirk> "Forget".

Really, there are few Telepathic feats that can not be accomplished with some sort of Vulcan technique. You might want to distinguish the lighter "Mind Touch" from the deeper Full Meld.

Agreed. I'm allowing Vulcans to have access to all the Telepathic abilities, with Mind Meld as a prerequisite. This would mean that all Mind Melders can't automatically do Mind Control, or Suggestion, or Mental Surgery, etc. My intention is to limit the Mind Meld ability to the simple two-way transfer of emotions and information. I've decide to make Mind Probe part of Mind Meld, but maybe I should have left that out as a separate ability? EDIT: In fact, I did decide to keep Mind Probe separate.

Captain Joy · 12-24-2010, 01:37 PM

I'm working up the Vulcan Mind Meld for my Star Trek campaign. This is what I've got so far.

--- --- ---
Normally employed only by Vulcans, the Vulcan Mind Meld is a deeply personal thing, part of the private life, and generally not used on aliens --Vulcan mind meld

Vulcan Mind Meld 15/35/44/52/71/103 points for levels 1-6
Skill: Mind Meld (IQ/Hard).

The Vulcan mind meld is a telepathic link between two individuals, allowing for the exchange of thoughts, in essence allowing the participants to become one mind. (VOY: "Meld") It is a psionic ability producing "synaptic pattern displacement". Those in a meld share consciousness in a kind of gestalt. (DS9: "The Passenger")

In GURPS terms, this ability combines aspects of Emotion Sense [G:PP 58] and Telespeak [G:PP 59]. The subject of your Mind Meld will retain a memory of your surface thoughts and emotions (unless you block them with Mind Shield [G:PP 66]). This ability represents the most basic of the Vulcan telepathic abilities. It does not allow you to force information out of their minds, implant suggestions into their consciousness, or perform mental surgery. To do these things, you’ll need additional abilities (Mind Probe, Suggestion, and Mental Surgery respectively). It takes you a minute of Meditation to prepare properly for a Mind Meld. This (and all Telepathic abilities) suffer penalties when used on alien species.

You must make skin-to-skin contact--your hands on their face--with the subject at level 1. At level 2, any touch will do. Level 3 can be used at range, with a -1 penalty per yard of distance to the subject. This changes to normal range penalties [p. B550] at level 4, long distance modifiers [p. B241] at level 5, and no range penalties at all at level 6.

All abilities within the Telepathy Power [G:PP 57-67] are available to Vulcans; Mind Meld is a prerequisite for all of them. While it is possible to force a Mind Meld on an unwilling subject, Vulcans are loath to do so, unless under the most dire circumstances. The Universal technique, which allows you to communicate with subjects you don’t share a language with, is especial appropriate.

Statistics:

Empathy (15; Contact Agent, -30%; Link, +10%; Melee Attack, C, -30%; Requires IQ vs Will Roll, -10%; Telepathy, -10%; Weakened Outside of Species, -10%; Weakened Without Preparation, 1 minute, -10%) [3] +
Mind Reading (30; Contact Agent, -30%; Link, +10%; Melee Attack, C, -30%; Telepathy, -10%; Weakened Outside of Species, -10%; Weakened Without Preparation, 1 minute, -10%) [6] +
Telesend (30; Contact Agent, -30%; Link, +10%; Melee Attack, C, -30%; Nuisance Effect, cannot lie, -5%; Telepathy, -10%; Weakened Outside of Species, -10%; Weakened Without Preparation, 1 minute, -10%) [6]]

Further Levels:

Level 2: remove Contact Agent (from all three) [6 + 15 + 14]
Level 3: replace Melee Attack with Short Range 3 (for Emotion Sense), Short Range 1 (for Mind Reading), and Short Range 2 (for Telesend) [6 + 21 + 17]
Level 4: then reduce Short Range to 2 (for Emotion Sense), remove Short Range (from Mind Reading), and reduce Short Range to 1 (for Telesend) [8 + 24 + 20]
Level 5: then reduce Short Range to 1 (for Emotion Sense), add Long Range 1 (to Mind Reading), and remove Short Range (from Telesend) [9 + 39 + 23]
Level 6: then remove Short Range (from Emotion Sense), increase Long Range to 2 (for Mind Reading), and add Long Range 1 (to Telesend) [11 + 54 + 38]

Techniques:
Broadcast Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-7; cannot exceed Mind Meld

Deep Probe Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-8; cannot exceed Mind Meld

Full Communion Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-2; cannot exceed Mind Meld

Multiplicity Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-5; cannot exceed Mind Meld

New Approach Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-5; cannot exceed Mind Meld

Secure Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-2; cannot exceed Mind Meld

Send Senses Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-4; cannot exceed Mind Meld

Universal Hard [G:PP 60]
Default: Mind Meld-5; cannot exceed Mind Meld

--- --- ---

Comments and criticisms welcome.

12-23-2010, 01:50 PM	#1
Captain Joy Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Heartland, U.S.A.	[Psionic Powers] Vulcan Mind Meld EDIT: I've made significant updates. They are three posts down. I'm working up the Vulcan Mind Meld for my Star Trek campaign. This is what I've got so far. --- --- --- VULCAN MIND MELD Normally employed only by Vulcans, the Vulcan Mind Meld is a deeply personal thing, part of the private life, and generally not used on aliens --Vulcan mind meld The Vulcan mind meld is a telepathic link between two individuals, allowing for the exchange of thoughts, thus in essence allowing the participants to become one mind. It is a psionic technique for "synaptic pattern displacement". Those in a meld shared consciousness in a kind of gestalt. --Vulcan mind meld In GURPS terms, Vulcan’s must first establish contact using Telespeak [GURPS: Psionic Powers, p. 59]. Once this two-way contact is established, you can go to the next level, which is Emotion Sense [G:PP 58], Telereceive [G:PP 58], and Telesend w/ a modified Full Communion [G:PP 60] all seni-linked together; i.e. when you use one, all three are on. There is not a single skill for these semi-linked abilities--use whichever one of the three is most appropriate to the situation. The mandatory Full Communion technique does prevent you from lying, but does not prohibit you from being able to resist mental abilities used on you. These three skills must be developed together; none of the three can be more than one level higher than the other two. While the other abilities within the Telepathy Power are available to Vulcan’s, none of them can be learned at a skill level higher than the lowest of Emotion Sense [G:PP 58], Telereceive [G:PP 58], or Telesend [G:PP 60]. While it is possible to force a mind meld on an unwilling subject, Vulcans are loath to do so, unless under the most dire circumstances. Those who find themselves frequently in this situation often use Mind Shield [G:PP 66] to overcome the problems associated with the Full Communion [G:PP 60] aspect of Vulcan telepathic contact. --- --- --- As you can see, I've gone off RAW a bit with the "semi-linked" and modified version of Full Communion. If I am missing something in the RAW that would give me these same effects, I'm all ears. I welcome comments and criticisms in general. Last edited by Captain Joy; 12-24-2010 at 01:40 PM. Reason: Added bold.

12-24-2010, 01:37 PM	#4
Captain Joy Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Heartland, U.S.A.	Re: [Psionic Powers] Vulcan Mind Meld I'm working up the Vulcan Mind Meld for my Star Trek campaign. This is what I've got so far. --- --- --- Normally employed only by Vulcans, the Vulcan Mind Meld is a deeply personal thing, part of the private life, and generally not used on aliens --Vulcan mind meld Vulcan Mind Meld 15/35/44/52/71/103 points for levels 1-6 Skill: Mind Meld (IQ/Hard). The Vulcan mind meld is a telepathic link between two individuals, allowing for the exchange of thoughts, in essence allowing the participants to become one mind. (VOY: "Meld") It is a psionic ability producing "synaptic pattern displacement". Those in a meld share consciousness in a kind of gestalt. (DS9: "The Passenger") In GURPS terms, this ability combines aspects of Emotion Sense [G:PP 58] and Telespeak [G:PP 59]. The subject of your Mind Meld will retain a memory of your surface thoughts and emotions (unless you block them with Mind Shield [G:PP 66]). This ability represents the most basic of the Vulcan telepathic abilities. It does not allow you to force information out of their minds, implant suggestions into their consciousness, or perform mental surgery. To do these things, you’ll need additional abilities (Mind Probe, Suggestion, and Mental Surgery respectively). It takes you a minute of Meditation to prepare properly for a Mind Meld. This (and all Telepathic abilities) suffer penalties when used on alien species. You must make skin-to-skin contact--your hands on their face--with the subject at level 1. At level 2, any touch will do. Level 3 can be used at range, with a -1 penalty per yard of distance to the subject. This changes to normal range penalties [p. B550] at level 4, long distance modifiers [p. B241] at level 5, and no range penalties at all at level 6. All abilities within the Telepathy Power [G:PP 57-67] are available to Vulcans; Mind Meld is a prerequisite for all of them. While it is possible to force a Mind Meld on an unwilling subject, Vulcans are loath to do so, unless under the most dire circumstances. The Universal technique, which allows you to communicate with subjects you don’t share a language with, is especial appropriate. Statistics: Empathy (15; Contact Agent, -30%; Link, +10%; Melee Attack, C, -30%; Requires IQ vs Will Roll, -10%; Telepathy, -10%; Weakened Outside of Species, -10%; Weakened Without Preparation, 1 minute, -10%) [3] + Mind Reading (30; Contact Agent, -30%; Link, +10%; Melee Attack, C, -30%; Telepathy, -10%; Weakened Outside of Species, -10%; Weakened Without Preparation, 1 minute, -10%) [6] + Telesend (30; Contact Agent, -30%; Link, +10%; Melee Attack, C, -30%; Nuisance Effect, cannot lie, -5%; Telepathy, -10%; Weakened Outside of Species, -10%; Weakened Without Preparation, 1 minute, -10%) [6]] Further Levels: Level 2: remove Contact Agent (from all three) [6 + 15 + 14] Level 3: replace Melee Attack with Short Range 3 (for Emotion Sense), Short Range 1 (for Mind Reading), and Short Range 2 (for Telesend) [6 + 21 + 17] Level 4: then reduce Short Range to 2 (for Emotion Sense), remove Short Range (from Mind Reading), and reduce Short Range to 1 (for Telesend) [8 + 24 + 20] Level 5: then reduce Short Range to 1 (for Emotion Sense), add Long Range 1 (to Mind Reading), and remove Short Range (from Telesend) [9 + 39 + 23] Level 6: then remove Short Range (from Emotion Sense), increase Long Range to 2 (for Mind Reading), and add Long Range 1 (to Telesend) [11 + 54 + 38] Techniques: Broadcast Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-7; cannot exceed Mind Meld Deep Probe Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-8; cannot exceed Mind Meld Full Communion Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-2; cannot exceed Mind Meld Multiplicity Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-5; cannot exceed Mind Meld New Approach Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-5; cannot exceed Mind Meld Secure Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-2; cannot exceed Mind Meld Send Senses Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-4; cannot exceed Mind Meld Universal Hard [G:PP 60] Default: Mind Meld-5; cannot exceed Mind Meld --- --- --- Comments and criticisms welcome.