HiBRiD Things for your Game #7: Traceblaze

Introduction

I grew up with AD&D Psionics, first and second edition. From there, I bounced from system to system over the years, always comparing “psionics” rules systems to these classics and realized that I hated how mental powers were handled in most games. While I love systems as much as any other geek, in practice, I find the majority of them unnecessarily mechanistic, complex, and crunchy. In my years of directing, I have figured out that, to quote a friend of mine, "Rules are only required for those that need them." and that a good storywriter and director should be able to design (or selectively choose to run) scenarios that automatically maintain game balance, so the mechanics of play do not have to. In essence, an inexperienced director or one who just wants to tinker and wallow in the glory of complex game systems might require or even desire such complex systems. I, however, do not.

Limiting Mentalics

If a genre is well-defined, it should be able to naturally account for the balances in any game scenario that would inherently arise if such abilities exist. It is within these natural balances of the genre that the context of a mentalics-based game can truly shine. Instead, many game systems I have found that incorporate mentalics either err in a touchy-feely, highly interpretive system that gives the director and players free reign with few, subjective, ill-defined limitations or err in the other direction of defining abilities in mechanistic terms of bonuses, task rolls, specific feats, et cetera. This was one of the main reasons for my decision for writing HiBRiD rather than continuing to just add house rules to the games I was running. I wanted a mentalics (yet another term I hate…”psionics”) system that was:

• Simple to play and run using the exact same mechanic as every other action in the game
• Rooted in basic neuroanatomy rather than mechanics-no small trick when considering the complexity of the human brain-but shelter players and directors from the science
• Intuitive, with effects defined in terms of real-world effects rather than in terms of game mechanics
• Without inherent limitations made by mechanics solely for ensuring game balance but for creating a certain feeling that reflects the genre of the game. 

Unlimiting HiBRiD Mentalics

Mentalics are not magic. Otherwise, they’d be magic.

Mentalic abilities are the remote, subtle, perception and temporary rerouting of mental traces in different portions of the brain. Directors wishing to add a level of mysticism and overcome the physical barriers of what this would entail (such as being able to use these abilities in the presence of electromagnetic fields or from inside an insulated room) can choose to integrate them with the plane of Ite’ to allow extra heroic abilities that defy explanation by science. In these scenarios, causality does not need to be explained; indeed, researching the causality could even be a plot point in a paranormal investigation scenario.

An Example

As an example, I would like to share and offer free of charge and licensing fees (under GPL2) one of the standard mentalic abilities defined in the HiBRiD Game: Traceblaze.

Using traceblaze is an involved action; no other action can be conducted in the action round. If a character moves or is damaged while using (also known as asserting) it, an opposed WILL-based task roll by the asserter against the attacker's task roll is required to prevent its disruption. The character asserting this aspect must be within within 10 meters of the character and have a direct line of sight.

There are no other limitations on this aspect; no points to spend, damage to take, et cetera; just complete concentration on asserting it. This means that any modifiers for reflexes, quickness, dexterity, et cetera are not applied whenever an asserting character is physically attacked.

Traceblaze begins with a grade of 1 when initially taken by the player for a character. In level-based systems, if a character class is based on it, the grade increases by 1 per 3 character levels. If a standalone ability, it can be upgraded for 8000 experiences points per grade. It is never a feat, because feats go against the very concept of HiBRiD.

Traceblaze

Initiation: Activated

Grading: G

Modes: Dreams, Drives, Emotions, Memories, Movements, Perceptions, Thoughts

Cost: 8 

This assertive mentalic aspect enables a character to directly attack a target and attempt to disrupt the type of mental pattern specified by the mode, and forcefully lay a new pattern of the same type.

A successful task roll inflicts 1d10 (5) points of STUN damage per grade and immediately hinders the target as if affected by incapacitating poison with an intensity equal to the grade. After a character has been reduced to 0 points of STUN, the asserting character may place one mental trace within the defender’s mind of the sort specified by the mode. This trace becomes the driving force for everything in the defender’s life from that point on, from motivations to behaviors.

The hindrance effect of this aspect lasts one hour per grade. Additional blazed traces after the first disrupt previous ones so only on blazed trace can exist in a target at one time. A critical success on the assertion task roll completely reduces the defender’s STUN to zero and blazes the trace immediately. A critical failure on the assertion task roll renders the asserting character unable to use this aspect for one hour. A trace can be removed by Mentalic Surgery.