Voice-Deactivation

[Whippersnapper]

I was recently attempting to build a "Silence" effect that prevented the target from making any vocalizations(Example was a special Throat-Punch for a ninja-type character, but a spell that sealed the lips of the target shut had been a subject of dissension a few years back) but I couldn't come up with a satisfactory method of doing this.

 

Darkness shut down everything sound related, whether incoming or outgoing from the target, Flash only shut down hearing, and transform was hideously expensive for such a relatively minor effect.

 

I figured the best way to do this would be a Drain, but that would require there to be a "Everyman Power" of Voice for the drain to target. I figured Voice would be described as some sort of Images, and figured that 15-20 Active points was an appropriate amount, considering how much the disadvantage "Mute" is worth.

 

However, it still felt clunky to have a 5d6 Drain tacked on to a punch just to temporarily silence someone, and I also began wondering how to build an entangle which also gagged the target.

 

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm considering just handwaving Flash for simplicities sake, but it feels like I'm cheating the system.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Voice-Deactivation

 

In 5e's Gadgets and Gear, the Web-Projector gadget has a slot called 'Web Gag'. The relevant part of the power is:

Darkness to Hearing Group, 1" Radius, Usable As Attack, Ranged, Only affects one person (-1/2), Only prevents speech, not hearing (-1)

 

Applying other modifiers like gestures/incantations for the spell, and such, should get you what you're after.

[Whippersnapper]

Re: Voice-Deactivation

 

Thanks, it's always nice to see a concrete example of "Limited Power." I never know whether or not I'm being flexible with it, or just throwing the rules out the window for a -1/2!

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Voice-Deactivation

 

Well, the whole point of power advantages and limitations is to change how the rules work. Limited Power is just kind of a catch-all that helps sculpt a power into what you're after.

[Christopher]

Re: Voice-Deactivation

 

In 6E Voice has a Price of 25 CP. Draining it would be somewhat wrong (hindering sense related hings is the area for Flash, not Drain). Usign Flash would have the advantage that you can build it as Martial Arts Maneuver....

 

One additional (and most likely overcomplciated) option in 6E is using an Entangle, with "Does not hinders Movement", "Does not prevents access to Foci" and "Disables Voice" (for a Advantage Value lower than what "Disables Hearing" is worth). Especially when you add things like "Resisted with CON" and "Does not takes damage from Attacks" you could build a "Throat Punch" that is extremly complex to "Regenerate".

[Christopher]

Re: Voice-Deactivation

 

Some more answers regarding 6E

Found the Rule Regarding the worth of Voice, on 6E2 10:

"Voice As A “Sense”: A character cannot use his voice to “perceive” anything. However, since char-acters’ voices are silenced by Darkness that affects the Hearing Group, the voice has some Sense-like aspects. Voice is worth 25 points as a Power"

 

Is see four "tiers" of what a Darkness could Block:

Only the Normal Voice (wich is part of the normal Hearing Sense)

Any Transmitting Sense

Any Transmitting and Active Sense

Just anything reagrding that Sense - perception, Transmission and Active Sense use

 

So at least for Darkness to only Block normal Voice would be a potentially wide step down.

 

Flash could be used arguably. Against the Mental Group it always Blocks both the "Mental Hearing" and the "Mental Voice" aspect of Powers Like Mind Scan and Telephaty. But normal Flash vs Hearing would not affect the Voice any more than making the Target deaf. So I would make it equal in cost to a Flash Hearing.

NND (no or armored throat) could be practical for this, would be a +0 and does not needs "Does Body" Advantage. You could built a "normal" version (agaisnt Hearign Flash Defense) with Martial Arts and coudl ask you GM if you could make the NND variant (it's the same cost) as Martial Maneuver instead.

 

There is also the Option of Change Environment, PER-Penalties for Voices only: "The GM should add up all of the modifiers; if the total is positive, then the character can probably perceive [...] without making a PER Roll. If the total is zero or negative, the character has to make a PER Roll with that modifier to perceive the subject."

 

Drain:

You could handle it as a 25 Point Flat Cost Power (must be totally drained, or is not affected at all) but I would not use Drain vs. anything in the Sense Area.

 

Transform:

You have to check if "Mute" would be worth only 10 Points as Complciation (for your intended targets). If it could be that low, it could fall under minor Transform.

Overall Transform is the way to go when the effect should be permanent/long healing (unless the target has Regeneration).

You can drop the Real cost by applying limitation like "Avad: Goes against PD, not Power Defense" -1 (does not Requires "Does Body" in 6E) but it might still be problematic because of the high needed active Points.

 

Darkness, UAA:

I am not a friend of UAA.

You usually get Problems like: How can you resist? How long does it last? Shouldn't my Brick/Superhero be more Resistant than a mook?

 

Entangle (for things like the Spiderweb gun):

Stops A Given Sense-Adder (+10), Takes no Damage From Attack +3/4*, Doesn’t Prevent the use of most Accessible Foci (-1), Does not Impedes Movement (-2)**

 

*guessed; could be +1/2 or +1 depending on how hard you want it to be or even left away totally when any attack has a chance to break it.

**guessed again; Only hands or only feets is a -1; neither might not be that much more.

[Christopher]

Re: Voice-Deactivation

 

"Flashing" the Voice is discussed in APG II, Page 28.

It's a "at GM's option" use and is calculated as if Voice was a non-targetting sense.