The Forgettable Man

[Hakkonen]

I like characters with strange superpowers The last supers game I played in was a Marvel Universe RPG where I played a man with a severely limited form of telepathy: no one within ten feet of him could tell a lie. He couldn't control it or turn it off. That was his only power, and it led to some pretty interesting situations.

 

The other day I had an idea for another strange power: the power to be forgotten. He's not invisible; as long as you're looking directly at him, you can see him perfectly clearly... but as soon as you look away, you forget he's there. After a few minutes you've forgotten what he looks and sounds like, and a few minutes after that you've forgotten that he exists at all. How would I build this?

[L. Marcus]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Sounds like a Major Mental Transform. Damage Over Time, maybe?

[薔薇語]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

This was actually one of the character ideas used in an old show I really loved, Dark Angle. One of the super soldiers they designed was a super genius but he also had the unfortunate / fortunate power of never being kept in memory. If you want to know more about how they explored the character concept, I'm sure I can find the DVD set somewhere and track down the episode number.

 

There are several ways to do this. Each with their own advantages and lims. Each needing needing GM scrutiny.

 

The first and most obvious is to go with a mind control. Probably built with AOE and cumulative. This will help you achieve large effects while still being cost effective. The MC will then have a limited effect lim, always on, etc.

 

The second way is a HERO standard - Transform. You can do a minor transform on people with AOE. The transform would end up being to remove memories. This can get quite expensive but seems rather straight forward.

 

Perhaps my personal favorite build, though, is to just buy Invisibility vs memories. This is a very simple build with a strong effect. 23pts Invisibility to Mental Group (seems most apropos), No Fringe (to help ensure no trace come up), Persistent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (35 Active Points); Always On (-1/2).

 

La Rose.

 

PS: I'm steeling this character idea for my character thread. But if you would like to do a full write up of it instead, I'll gladly hold off.

[Vulcan]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Our GM did it with Invisibility, Invisible Power Effect. Sure, you could see him... but unless he did something noteworthy you just really didn't notice him. "Social Invisibility" he called it.

[Lucius]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

I made a character like that, but I don't remember where I put it....

 

 

 

 

Phantom

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

15 STR 5 12- Lift 200.0kg; 3d6 [1]

18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6

13 CON 6 12-

10 BODY 0 11-

18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-

14 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5

20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6

6 COM -2 10-

 

4 PD 1 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD)

4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (0 rED)

4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

6 REC 0

26 END 0

26 STUN 1 Total Characteristic Cost: 70

 

Movement: Running: 5"/10"

Leaping: 2"/4"

Swimming: 1"/2"

Swinging: 3"/24"

Teleportation: 7"/14"

 

Cost Powers END

 

57 No such person.: Mind Control 6d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Telepathic (+1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), MegaScale (1" = 100 km; +3/4), Cumulative (144 points; +1), Continuous (+1) (187 Active Points); Always On (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Set Effects: Only commands like "Ignore me" "Forget me" "Destroy evidence of my existence" etc. (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Gradual Effect (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12); -1/4), Mandatory Effect EGO +10 (-1/4)

 

7 Mental Defense (10 points total)

 

25 Luck (Usually takes the form of people looking the other way, detectives losing evidence or overlooking clues, etc.) 5d6

 

14 I wasn't there: +5 with DCV (25 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2), Limited Power Not Vs. mindless things like automata (-1/4) 2

 

3 The subtle effects of his power have long range.: Anonymity

 

12 You don't really want to hurt me.....: Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED)

 

21 Danger Sense (self only, any danger, Discriminatory (Specifically to tell if it's an Area Effect Attack), Function as a Sense) (32 Active Points); Limited Power Psionic: only for intentional dangers posed by people with thinking minds (-1/2) 13-

 

11 I'm not there: Teleportation 7", Position Shift, Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger requires a Half Phase Action to reset, Character does not control activation of personal Trigger; Danger Sense detects an Area Effect Attack; +1/4) (24 Active Points); No Conscious Control (Only Effects cannot be controlled; -1), Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4) 2

Notes: He was never really where you thought he was....

 

10 I knew that was coming: Defense Maneuver I-IV

 

7 +2 with interaction skills (10 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Limited Power Not effective against characters with 10 or higher Mental Defense (-1/4) 1

 

2 Swinging 3", x8 Noncombat (13 Active Points); Requires A Climbing Skill Roll (RSR Skill is subject to Skill vs. Skill contests & Situational Modifiers, Must make roll again for every arc; -1 1/4), OAF (-1), Limited Power Must stop after each arc to detach grapnel, and cast it again (-1), Extra Time (Extra Phase, One phase to throw grapple and check it's secure, one phase to swing.; -3/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4) 1

 

Perks

3 False Identity ((several))

3 Contact: Major Mentalist or Occult Villain (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has very useful Skills or resources, Contact is blackmailing the character) 11-

1 Money: Well Off (Being rich is less useful than you think, if no one remembers who you are.)

2 Bases (Hide outs, bolt holes, and safe houses)

 

Skills

International Jewel Thief

3 1) Climbing 13-

3 2) Stealth 13-

3 3) Concealment 13-

3 4) Shadowing 13-

3 5) Breakfall 13-

3 6) Acrobatics 13-

3 7) Lockpicking 13-

3 8) Sleight Of Hand 13-

3 9) Security Systems 13-

3 10) Electronics 13-

3 11) Acting 13-

3 12) Disguise 13-

2 13) Computer Programming (Security Systems) 13-

3 14) Streetwise 13-

3 15) Contortionist 13-

3 16) High Society 13-

2 17) Forgery (Documents) 13-

3 18) Seduction 13-

3 19) Trading 13-

3 20) Combat Driving 13-

3 PS: Appraise Jewelry 13-

0 PS: International Jewel Thief (everyman profession) 13-

3 Linguist

0 1) Native: Language: English (imitate dialects)

2 2) Language: French (idiomatic)

2 3) Language: German (idiomatic)

2 4) Language: Italian (idiomatic)

0 5) Language: Yiddish (fluent conversation)

3 Traveler

1 1) AK: Germany (2 Active Points) 11-

1 2) AK: Great Britain (2 Active Points) 11-

1 3) AK: New England (2 Active Points) 11-

1 4) AK: Western Europe (2 Active Points) 11-

1 5) CuK: European cultures (2 Active Points) 11-

 

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 256

Total Cost: 326

 

200+ Disadvantages

20 Normal Characteristic Maxima

5 Age: 40+

15 Hunted: Major Mentalist or Occult Villain 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching)

10 Social Limitation: Person without a past - no one knows him, no documentation except forgeries, etc. (Occasionally, Major)

5 Hunted (somewhat ineffectively): Law Enforcement agencies who don't know who they're really looking for. But sometimes a dogged investigator comes too close for comfort.... 8- (As Pow, Character is very hard to find., Capture)

10 Psychological Limitation: Loner (Common, Moderate)

5 Social Limitation: Harmful Secret: Is actually an international jewel thief (Occasionally, Major, Not Limiting Among Criminals)

10 Psychological Limitation: Resents the villain who is blackmailing him. (Common, Moderate)

46 Experience Points

(4 points unspent)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 326

 

Background/History: Anton Sophiony had always been a very successful criminal, eventually specializing in stealing that most concentrated and portable form of wealth, gems and jewelry. He knew he was good, and he knew he was lucky. But in other ways, unlucky. Partners might stick around for one job, but eventually drifted off. He faded into the crowd, easily overlooked - useful for getaways, but annoying when trying to get service in a restaurant or store. And he had a good reason not to trust banks - he's lost track of how much money he's lost because when he returned, they had no record of his account and tellers denied ever seeing him before. He now keeps money in safe deposit boxes - show up with the key and you can usually get to your money. It was when he finally decided to retire that life got really strange....what do you do when you buy a house and then next week the real estate agent is showing it to someone else and doesn't remember that you bought it already?

Then things got worse. An arrogant egoist with the power to back up his pretensions shows up to tell him what he already knew but did not want to admit - his success was largely due to his own unconscious psychic powers. He couldn't read minds, exactly, nor make someone do what he wanted, but his awareness and influence on the psychic plane was pervasive - and only someone with a powerful or well defended mind could resist the compulsion to deny his existence. Just his luck that the one person who does not find him totally forgettable, is a cunning villain who carefully assembled all the evidence needed to prove that Anton Sophiony, the man nobody knows, is really the mysterious Phantom, the thief no one ever saw, let alone caught....and now the "invisible jewel thief" becomes the invisible pawn in a game not of his choosing.....

 

Quote: I was never here. I was never anywhere. I am nowhere now.

 

Campaign Use: Pawn of a master villain

 

Appearance: Who knows. I certainly don't remember what he looks like.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises

 

[Christopher]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

I think there were similar Aliens in Star Trek Voyager once.

 

Before I can say anything definite, let's establish it's limits:

How does this effect work? Is it pheromones (stuff in the air)? Is it affecting the targets mind? What if someone views him through a camera?

What if he is put into a cell with 20 Mental Defenses and Airseal (LS: Self contained Breathing). What about simple distance (someone looking at him from 1 km through googles)?

 

 

Step 1 (where did you come from?):

"He's not invisible; as long as you're looking directly at him, you can see him perfectly clearly... but as soon as you look away, you forget he's there"

How fast does this go? When you eat with him and look down to take a bite, would you be surprised to see him there? What if I have a 4 hour conversation, would it still affect me that strong?

 

 

Step 2 (what did he looked like?):

"After a few minutes you've forgotten what he looks and sounds like".

Not decided. Several ways I can see.

 

Step 3 (was there someone?):

"and a few minutes after that you've forgotten that he exists at all"

The most tricky one. And the one I would advise you to limit the most or leave out at all. a Villain has a hard time finding work if no one ever remebers he exsists. Heroes would have trouble if thier team keeps forgetting them.

 

 

Judging from your are picturing to play him, what will the game effect of "not being remembered" be? What type of game will you play him in? Will he be Villain or Hero?

[dmjalund]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

there was definitely an alien race with that ability in Doctor Who

[death tribble]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Yes. That is The Silence. As long as you are looking at them, you know about them. The instant you look away you forget everything about them.

[Christopher]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Another question (to the ones above):

What happens if he meets someone for the 3rd time? Would they suddenly remember any earlier contact they had with him (as long as they stay in his presence)? Or would those memories "stay lost"?

[dmjalund]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

there was definitely an alien race with that ability in Doctor Who

 

Yes. That is The Silence. As long as you are looking at them' date=' you know about them. The instant you look away you forget everything about them.[/quote']

not quite

The Silence is not a species, it is a religious order or movement. Their core belief is that Silence will fall when the question is asked.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Has anybody looked at one and then shouted "Silence! I KEEL YOU!"

[hancock.tom]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Mind control makes this power extremely expensive, when really its just very strong invisibility with an odd weakness. I guess it depends on how you want it to work.

 

In Dr. Who, capturing them on camera didn't matter because as soon as you looked away from the TV, you forgot they were there. Does this really require long range constant telepathy? Or is it better served as always on invisibility that has an oddball special effect?

 

EDIT: Point being, why not just pay to be invisible 100% of the time, and then take a -1/4 disadvantage for the fact that you are seen when people look at you? On Dr. Who, they did not forget that these creatures existed once they learned of them, but it was very hard to learn of them because they thought they never saw them. If I was actually writing up the Dr. Who creature The Silence, I would write it up with an invisible power effect presence attack too, since their main deal seemed to be scaring the shit out of people and then the people forget why they were scared. (I think they zapped a lady with lightining in one episode, but that wasn't very important to their overall plans)

 

This one is a little different than "easily forgettable" which has been done several times in HERO terms

[evilaustintom]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

This power is really affecting memories - not senses (which is why I'd stay away from invisibility). I think the mental transform is the way to go, with the appropriate advantages and limitations, such as:

 

AoE

0 End

Constant

Persistant

Fully Invisible Power Effects

Transform based on Ego, not Body

AVAD (mental defense, rather than power defense)

Always On

No range

Limited (needs to be aware of PC)

 

...and possibly...

Delayed Effect (perhaps staggered, so it becomes more effective over more time)

...or...

Trigger (once the allotted time has passed)

...or...

Timed (or something similiar - I can't remember the name of the advantage exactly, but it lets the power take effect at a later date. I may be mixing that up with Delayed Effect)

 

It's still going to be pretty expensive, because if a person only glances at you once, you still need to have enough dice to make the power work.

[evilaustintom]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

...I think the mental transform is the way to go...

 

Of course, if you go with a triggered attack that auto-resets, you could make the range LoS rather than AoE. But then you run into the situation of a stealthy foe not being affected because you never became aware of them.

 

Another thought - Sticky. So some bad guy organizes his henchmen to chase you down, but you give them the slip. Even people that didn't see you may forget about you...

[Christopher]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

This power is really affecting memories - not senses (which is why I'd stay away from invisibility).

If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and works like a duck it might just be a duck-falvored killing attack.

 

The reason for Invisibility goes like this:

When you are invisible, you have the absoltue right to be not noticed. At all. And when you are not noticed, you cannot be remembered at all.

 

A character that useses "Mental Illusions" to hide himself from sight does not uses Mental Illusions the power. He uses Invsibility, Psionic (APG II, -1/2).

[BhelliomRahl]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

The key thing is that as soon as sight of the target is lost the person forgets about their existence. Its why in Dr Who each time they saw them they put a mark on their arm. The next time they looked their arms they would have dozens of marks on them. The other key aspect of the Silence in Dr Who was that they worked out the existence of the Alien race (The Silience was a Religious order but an specific Alien race were forgetable not the whole order) by secondary means because any perceived information was forgotten when perception was lost. Later in the series they wore external data storage devices which recorded all that was percieved and constantly uploaded it to the persons mind so they could remember the Silence.

 

If the GM is generous he might let the Forgettable Man get away with invisibility vs memory suggested by The Rose. An interesting idea, usually invisibility is to a sense not an information storage system (the Mind). As I read The Rose's idea you can perceive the Forgettable Man but none of this information is stored in the memory. Simple and effective.

 

However if the GM is no so flexable I think you will have to resort to either Mind Control or Transform. These would need to be No Endurance, Trigger (When Person stops perception of any form of Forgettable Man (includes AV recordings)), Mega Scale Range (Global) (This is to cover people looking an image of him), No Range Modifier. However its done it is going to be expensive to do.

[Balabanto]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

I like characters with strange superpowers The last supers game I played in was a Marvel Universe RPG where I played a man with a severely limited form of telepathy: no one within ten feet of him could tell a lie. He couldn't control it or turn it off. That was his only power, and it led to some pretty interesting situations.

 

The other day I had an idea for another strange power: the power to be forgotten. He's not invisible; as long as you're looking directly at him, you can see him perfectly clearly... but as soon as you look away, you forget he's there. After a few minutes you've forgotten what he looks and sounds like, and a few minutes after that you've forgotten that he exists at all. How would I build this?

 

Buy Pretty Hate Machines and take a look at the Plain Jane sheet. That might be a good jumping off point.

[Sean Waters]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

This sounds like a good idea, but it is almost unplayable in a RPG. If the character is a PC then the GM has a real problem dealing with the character as they keep getting forgotten about. moreover, it presumably works against the PC's team mates and having to explain every time you meet who you are and what you are doing there is tiresome. and no one ever invites you to meetings or remembers your birthday. If it is a NPC, then the players have to interact with the character and then forget they have done so. It is fine for an interesting plot in a scripted entertainment like Doctor Who (and, BTW, if they could mark a mark on their arms to remind them, why could they not write down 'There ia an alien race that you can not remember unless you are looking at them.'? Reason: it was cool to have the protagonists have marks accumulating on them and not having a clue why they were there). I'm pretty sure there was a psychic power like this in Traveller, several editions back, or some other similar game, and the GM introduced a NPC with this power. It was bloody frustrating.

 

If someone came to me with this concept, my first question is 'how does it work?'. If it actually interferes with memories then they buy it with mential illusions, mind control or, best of all, a mental transform. It is a damn mess to administer in a game, so they can damn well build it properly and have to deal with proper defences against it.

 

I wouldn't allow limited invisibility, because it is not really limited, it is quite different. Invisibility stops you perceiving something, and does not interfere with your memories. 'Memories' is not a sense group. I mean, I admire the ingenuity, I'd just say no. If you could edit memories that easily, where does it stop? It is not the cost, it is the principle of the thing.

 

My strong advice is that this is a game wrecker, unless the GM is willing to go to extraordinary lengths, and script an entire solo game around this character.

 

OK, having said that...

 

Sorry, I was distracted for a minute...: Major Transform 1 point (Transforms memories of the character into nothing, Healed by being in the presence of the character), Attack Versus Mental Defense (Common to Common, Power Defence to Mental Defense; +0), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Persistent (+1/4), Constant (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Indirect (Source Point is the Character, path can change with every use; +1/2), Planetary MegaScale (1m = 10,000 km; +2), Quad Penetrating (x4; +2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible, effects of Power are Invisible to both target and other characters; +2) (28 Active Points); Always On (-1/2) (19 Real Points)

 

Basically anyone in his presence is healed, so can remember him, and past contacts with him. Anyone not in his presence and within 40,000 km, gets a 1 pip cumulative quad penetrating mental transform, which will pretty quickly make them forget him. Even when he is sleeping at SPD 1, that is 5 points accumulating evey minute for almost everyone on teh planet, and even if you have a 40 EGO, 16 minutes away from him and he is gone, and a lot less when he is awake and operating at full SPD. If the character is SPD 4, and awake, then 1 minute per 10 EGO and you can not remember him.

 

IIRC in Doctor Who they had some sort of eyepiece that kept reminding you that the silence existed, so you never forgot them, so it was obviously built as one point of quad impenetrable mental defence in a focus, with a limitation that it only works against this power, or similar builds.

 

Alternatively this is one example of where EDM could work, given a sufficiently complex multiverse: you keep moving to a Universe where you have never existed. that would be quite cheap too.

 

So, Transform or EDM: you know things are getting desperate.

 

This is Hero of course, so you CAN build it, but being able to build it does not mean it is a good idea to do so.

 

BTW I'm not sure that Mind Control can be made to work as well, even with 'cumulative' as, IIRC, you have to define an effect level and, when you reach that the accumulation stops. Of course you could argue that you are then immediately accumulating another total and so on, but if he were ever to have the power turned off (some sort of dampening field) or go outside the area, then people would start to remember him. This way the memory can not return unless he is there.

[Sean Waters]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Maybe not Traveller. Psi World? Can't remember...hmm...

[Hakkonen]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Sorry, I was distracted for a minute...: Major Transform 1 point (Transforms memories of the character into nothing, Healed by being in the presence of the character), Attack Versus Mental Defense (Common to Common, Power Defence to Mental Defense; +0), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Persistent (+1/4), Constant (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Indirect (Source Point is the Character, path can change with every use; +1/2), Planetary MegaScale (1m = 10,000 km; +2), Quad Penetrating (x4; +2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible, effects of Power are Invisible to both target and other characters; +2) (28 Active Points); Always On (-1/2) (19 Real Points)

 

Basically anyone in his presence is healed, so can remember him, and past contacts with him. Anyone not in his presence and within 40,000 km, gets a 1 pip cumulative quad penetrating mental transform, which will pretty quickly make them forget him. Even when he is sleeping at SPD 1, that is 5 points accumulating evey minute for almost everyone on teh planet, and even if you have a 40 EGO, 16 minutes away from him and he is gone, and a lot less when he is awake and operating at full SPD. If the character is SPD 4, and awake, then 1 minute per 10 EGO and you can not remember him.

 

I quite like this idea.

[Christopher]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

I wouldn't allow limited invisibility' date=' because it is not really limited, it is quite different. Invisibility stops you perceiving something, and does not interfere with your memories. 'Memories' is not a sense group. I mean, I admire the ingenuity, I'd just say no. If you could edit memories that easily, where does it stop? It is not the cost, it is the principle of the thing.[/quote']

The Talent "Simulate Death" is built as Invisibility to Detect Life Signs/Paramedics

 

"Eidetic memory" is built as a +5 to INT Rolls, Only to Recall Memorized/perceived Information

With a defeult 10 INT, that would mean a 16- INT roll to recall something is "pratically unfaillible".

How about a Change Environment, -10 to INT Rolls (you need enough for -5 and to counteract the +5 of anyone with Eidetic memory), Megascale, Only to Recall Memorized/Perceived Information, not when perceiving the Character directly.

(note: Still needs some form of Defense, the same way bad weather does).

 

 

I have to totally agree on the part of "unplayability"/"unuseability", but only because of inproper definition. The others have thrown out the idea of "the Silence", but I don#t know what you actually want Hakkonen.

Could you answer theses questions for a better definition please?

Before I can say anything definite, let's establish it's limits:

How does this effect work? Is it pheromones (stuff in the air)? Is it affecting the targets mind? What if someone views him through a camera?

What if he is put into a cell with 20 Mental Defenses and Airseal (LS: Self contained Breathing). What about simple distance (someone looking at him from 1 km through googles)?

 

 

Step 1 (where did you come from?):

"He's not invisible; as long as you're looking directly at him, you can see him perfectly clearly... but as soon as you look away, you forget he's there"

How fast does this go? When you eat with him and look down to take a bite, would you be surprised to see him there? What if I have a 4 hour conversation, would it still affect me that strong?

 

 

Step 2 (what did he looked like?):

"After a few minutes you've forgotten what he looks and sounds like".

Not decided. Several ways I can see.

 

Step 3 (was there someone?):

"and a few minutes after that you've forgotten that he exists at all"

The most tricky one. And the one I would advise you to limit the most or leave out at all. a Villain has a hard time finding work if no one ever remebers he exsists. Heroes would have trouble if thier team keeps forgetting them.

 

 

Judging from your are picturing to play him, what will the game effect of "not being remembered" be? What type of game will you play him in? Will he be Villain or Hero?

[Lucius]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Some people's response is, "You want a forgettable character? Forget about it!"

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Unforgettable palindromedary

[Hakkonen]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

Is it pheromones (stuff in the air)?

No.

Is it affecting the targets mind?

Yes.

What if someone views him through a camera?

It works against remote viewing (technological or otherwise, including things like Clairsentience) just as well as against being in the same room with him.

What if he is put into a cell with 20 Mental Defenses and Airseal (LS: Self contained Breathing).

Airseal is irrelevant. A sufficiently strong (precise value TBD) Mental Defense could block the effect.

What about simple distance (someone looking at him from 1 km through googles)?

See above about remote viewing.

Step 1 (where did you come from?):

"He's not invisible; as long as you're looking directly at him, you can see him perfectly clearly... but as soon as you look away, you forget he's there"

How fast does this go? When you eat with him and look down to take a bite, would you be surprised to see him there? What if I have a 4 hour conversation, would it still affect me that strong?

 

Step 2 (what did he looked like?):

"After a few minutes you've forgotten what he looks and sounds like".

Not decided. Several ways I can see.

 

Step 3 (was there someone?):

"and a few minutes after that you've forgotten that he exists at all"

The most tricky one. And the one I would advise you to limit the most or leave out at all. a Villain has a hard time finding work if no one ever remebers he exsists. Heroes would have trouble if thier team keeps forgetting them.

I quite like Sean Waters' idea of a Mental Transform that is healed by being in the character's presence. Having dinner with him presents no problems. In the case of the conversation, as soon as he leaves the room you forget that he was ever there, and while you would remember having the conversation, after a few minutes you would no longer remember who you had it with.

Judging from your are picturing to play him, what will the game effect of "not being remembered" be? What type of game will you play him in? Will he be Villain or Hero?

This is strictly a thought experiment. I don't have a campaign in which to play him.

[Guest steamteck]

Re: The Forgettable Man

 

I'd call it invisibilty vs being recognized/appearance remembered and call a day myself. No need to make things overly complicated. Thats the build we've used for a whole family tree in my camapign over literally over a decade and its worked fine for us.