08-30-2021, 08:17 AM | #71 | |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Sweden, Stockholm
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
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- Anyway, as for protecting Merchants, I think it has been said a few times here before, but... Mind Controlling someone subtly and getting a bit too good of a deal might slip by, but tricking a merchant to selling so low that he loses money or outright robbing them via Mind Control might well work on most Merchants right there and then. Afterwards UNLESS the mage was more subtle than just magically robbing the Merchant, then the merchant or people around them will figure out what the Mage is up to and it won't take long until torches and pitchforks come out. Assuming the City Guard, Thieves Guild, Mages Guild, or local Count doesn't catch the mage first. At least in my fantasy setting I don't play fair with the 'encounters' either. If three guards show up to arrest the mage and the party just straight up murders them, then they can expect to get f.ex. ambushed by a small army and dragged into prison. Of course I try to avoid TPK's, so I'll probably make up some reason for at least some of the characters to get a shot at freedom instead of just getting publicly executed. "A little bird told me that the mage might have had worked his magic on you bunch. How about you help me out to prove that you are of higher character than 'Mage Dark Mc. Evilguy', hm?"
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08-30-2021, 08:29 AM | #72 | |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Sweden, Stockholm
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
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Odious and poor-reputed people get such bad reactions so people don't even need a reason to blame them for theft. Dead Broke can't own Powerstones (or they'd have to buy it off). Lecherous Bad-tempered Obsessive Gamblers with poor CR values will get into terrible situations even before they try to mentally assault merchants, etc. Even stuff like being one-eyed, one-armed, wheel-chair-bound guy with a phobia of spiders is a pain for a scammer because it makes it trivial for others to identify them "Hey Sarah, I think the guy George warned us about rolled into the city. Let's close the shop and see how this goes down. And maybe capture a spider somewhere." As long as the GM doesn't permit power-gaming disadvantages (radiation weakness in a setting without radiation, etc.) I wouldn't view those as anything resembling free points. Lots of disadvantages would actively or passively get in the way of scamming.
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"Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared" Last edited by RedMattis; 08-30-2021 at 08:35 AM. |
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08-30-2021, 09:00 AM | #73 | |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
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I'll concede it's an issue to keep track of Disadvantages, particularly if they have a lot of them. Delvers to Grow is set up so the player just chooses two Disadvantage packages, each of which generally has three components, although some have two or even four, that add up to [-25]. This makes it a bit easier to keep track of when something might come into play, but you really do need player investment when it comes to Disadvantages.
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08-30-2021, 09:02 AM | #74 | ||
Join Date: Oct 2007
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
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Things can of course get way out of hand once you have a party of 4-6 players all with 75 points worth of Disadvantages. Quote:
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08-30-2021, 09:05 AM | #75 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Sweden, Stockholm
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
Agreed. Just making sure we're on the same page on that.
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"Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared" |
08-30-2021, 08:20 PM | #76 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pioneer Valley
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
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Nope. None of the GURPS GMs in my extended gaming circle ever has gone more than -50. Not all of us go that high. I have a group of five PCs, each with 3-4 heavy Disads, the game isn't going to be dominated by any plotline I craft, it's going to be dominated by the Disads. No thankew.
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My gaming blog: Apotheosis of the Invisible City "Call me old-fashioned, but after you're dead, I don't think you should be entitled to a Dodge any more." - my wife It's not that I don't understand what you're saying. It's that I disagree with what you're saying. |
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08-30-2021, 09:12 PM | #77 |
Join Date: Jun 2016
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
Wealthier merchants may have a trinket enchanted to turn red for an hour or two if mind control magic is used on the wearer. When a customer leaves the tent, guards stop them and glance at the trinket. It could be the tent, a lantern on the table, the merchant’s scales… Just the knowledge that such enchantments are available turns the tactic from “get rich quick” to “calculated risk”.
There could be other strategies such as the merchant has a business partner who watches for something hinky and has no say over price but is the one the guards listen to on who leaves safely. You’d have to mind control two people without either of them noticing. Or it could be like a dead man’s switch, where the merchant jingles his bracelets every minute or so. If he stops jingling, the guards investigate. This may have come up already, but even charm spells have limits. If a very dear, long lost friend showed up at your place of business, you still aren’t going to let them walk away with valuable merchandise. |
08-30-2021, 09:59 PM | #78 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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Re: How to protect merchant from mind control?
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countermeasures, merchants, spells |
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