Is Independent on Mind Control worth it?

Michael Thayne · 05-20-2021, 06:32 PM

I've been trying to figure out how to build certain abilities in the broad category of "mind control", and I've noticed that while you might think "fire and forget" mind control requires Independent, it's not clear that this is the right call. Independent doesn't mean "maintain Mind Control without concentrating", it means "you can't concentrate to extend the effects of your Mind Control." The actual benefits are as follows:

No penalty for multiple targets. This seems like a must if you want a horde of mind-controlled minions, but if you only plan to mind control a handful of enemies at a time, you could just add Reliable +10, Only To Counteract Penalties For Multiple Victims, +25% or something.
Victims get no re-roll if you're knocked unconscious. Nice, but kind of situational.
A critical failure to control a new minion doesn't cause existing minions to be released. As with the first benefit, how useful this is mainly depends on how many people you hope to have mind-controlled at one time.

Looking at these benefits, it looks like Independent is arguably a must if you plan to combine Mind Control with Area Effect, especially multiple levels of Area Effect, but is a poor deal otherwise. If your only goal is to be able to dominate victims for extended periods without taking Concentrate maneuvers, Extended Duration x30, +60% is cheaper and longer lasting in most situations (unless you get knocked unconscious). That looks like the right way to build "fire-and-forget" effects. Or am I missing something?

05-20-2021, 06:32 PM	#1
Michael Thayne Join Date: May 2010	Is Independent on Mind Control worth it? I've been trying to figure out how to build certain abilities in the broad category of "mind control", and I've noticed that while you might think "fire and forget" mind control requires Independent, it's not clear that this is the right call. Independent doesn't mean "maintain Mind Control without concentrating", it means "you can't concentrate to extend the effects of your Mind Control." The actual benefits are as follows: No penalty for multiple targets. This seems like a must if you want a horde of mind-controlled minions, but if you only plan to mind control a handful of enemies at a time, you could just add Reliable +10, Only To Counteract Penalties For Multiple Victims, +25% or something. Victims get no re-roll if you're knocked unconscious. Nice, but kind of situational. A critical failure to control a new minion doesn't cause existing minions to be released. As with the first benefit, how useful this is mainly depends on how many people you hope to have mind-controlled at one time. Looking at these benefits, it looks like Independent is arguably a must if you plan to combine Mind Control with Area Effect, especially multiple levels of Area Effect, but is a poor deal otherwise. If your only goal is to be able to dominate victims for extended periods without taking Concentrate maneuvers, Extended Duration x30, +60% is cheaper and longer lasting in most situations (unless you get knocked unconscious). That looks like the right way to build "fire-and-forget" effects. Or am I missing something? Last edited by Michael Thayne; 05-22-2021 at 06:18 PM.