Passive Mind Reading

[UncreativeNameMaker]

For many fictional telepaths, reading surface thoughts is a passive ability. It's an additional sense, analogues to hearing. It doesn't take any effort, and the only resistance non-telepaths get is trying not to think about anything private. In fact it generally takes effort to not overhear everything people are thinking all the time.

How would this be modeled in GURPS?

[David Johnston]

Before I get into mechanics have you considered how amazingly annoying such a PC will be? He'll be attacking all the other PCs constantly with an effect you'll have to roll dice for. You'll have to constantly be asking other characters what they are thinking. The telepath becomes the center of everything.

That being said, you can just have Compulsive Mindreading, Empathy and Supersensitive.

[JoelSammallahti]

The Reflexive enhancement on Mind Reading sounds like a match.

[Not another shrubbery]

Reflexive would make it passive, but it sounds like you're talking about a possibly disadvantageous version. Maybe Always On or Usually On, combined with a modifier package to limit it to those a certain distance from you.

[UncreativeNameMaker]

My problem is that the RAW game mechanics are incompatible with many fictional examples of mind reading abilities. GURPS Mind Reading requires a second of concentration followed by a contested roll. That assumes an intrusion into the subject's mind that can be resisted.

In many setting with telepaths, that's not how it works. They don't need to intrude into someone's mind to pick up surface thoughts. They just receive the thoughts broadcasting from all the mind around them. It would be like making a character roll a contested contest in order to hear someone speaking in front of him.

[ravenfish]

Originally Posted by UncreativeNameMaker

My problem is that the RAW game mechanics are incompatible with many fictional examples of mind reading abilities. GURPS Mind Reading requires a second of concentration followed by a contested roll. That assumes an intrusion into the subject's mind that can be resisted.

In many setting with telepaths, that's not how it works. They don't need to intrude into someone's mind to pick up surface thoughts. They just receive the thoughts broadcasting from all the mind around them. It would be like making a character roll a contested contest in order to hear someone speaking in front of him.

But with reflexive lets an ability activate itself without any time, 'in the presence of something interesting, if [the ability is] a sense'. I think it would be fair to allow reading of all present minds to work there. Gurps (wisely) does not allow resistible abilities to become irresistible, but each level of reliable gives you a bonus on your roll, and enough can leave you effectively irresistible. It will be expensive, but the ability to know what everyone around you is thinking is powerful!

[Pomphis]

Originally Posted by ravenfish

It will be expensive, but the ability to know what everyone around you is thinking is powerful!

And potentially very distracting. It´s bad enough if a couple of people have loud conversations nearby. This will be as if everybody around you simultaneously speaks.

[zorg]

Originally Posted by Pomphis

And potentially very distracting. It´s bad enough if a couple of people have loud conversations nearby. This will be as if everybody around you simultaneously speaks.

Which is why in B5, the experience a telepath has when he can't yet screen out others thoughts is called a "Mind Burst." In one episode, a young teep collapses screaming, because the telepathic noise all around her becomes too strong.

The same thing happens in Buffy, in the episode where she gets telepathy from a demons blood.

Rules-wise, isn't there Supersensitive (Basic Set p.158) to handle the disad part of cases like these?

[Blackseasofinfinity]

Well, I guess the thing is a man of exceptional Will power will beat you. Putting Reliable 10, +50% on it will help overcome most people. And to overcome magical barriers, Cosmic: Irresistible can beat down those pesky Mind Shields. Otherwise though, gonna have to roll.

And even if there wasn't a roll, a person who knew you were doing it could roll his Mind Block skill, where he simply thinks of random thoughts so you can't understand him.

Moral to the story: Batman always wins.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Blackseasofinfinity

And even if there wasn't a roll, a person who knew you were doing it could roll his Mind Block skill, where he simply thinks of random thoughts so you can't understand him.

One of the PCs in a supers game I'm in uses Mind Block to concentrate on Fabio in a speedo to foil/traumatize telepaths. Remarkably effective.