Mental Music Control

[Volvernon]

Greets all,

within Hero system 6th edition, I am struggling with the best way to define a power for a mentalist character with the ability to control music devices and make them play music that is stored in his focus (used for the power).  The ability is a mental power - this mentalist is a mind control type by the name of Doctor Disco.

 

My first thought was to by a version of mind control that only worked on music equipment, but given that the equipment has no EGO, a mind control attack doesn't seem to fit.

 

My second approach was to buy images vs. hearing with the requirement that a musical device be the temporary focus, but that would be creating sound regardless of the devices capabilities to produce them.  For example if Dr. Disco took control of the PA for a stadium, he should be able to leverage its power to deliver sound throughout the stadium.

 

I would appreciate you thoughts.

Thank you,

Volvernon

[Steve Long]

I'd use the Cyberkinesis (mental control of machines and devices) rules from The Advanced Player's Guide. If those weren't appropriate for some reason, I'd just work out a cost with the GM -- since I'm assuming it's more of a "character flavor" power than a combat-effective ability in most circumstances, just assigning it a low appropriate cost should work fine.

[Volvernon]

Steve,

thank you for pointing out the section in The Advanced Player's Guide - page 70 for those of you reading this.  While I have the guide, I completely spaced looking to it for a solution.  In this case, I would purchase Mental Illusions Cyberkinesis, against hearing rather than sight (audible vs. visual), with the limitation that the character may only play music [i figure a -1/2 limitation].  This character also uses a personal focus (IAF) for this action, a skull-cap hidden by his attached Afro hair-do wig, and gains another -1/2 limitation.

 

Given the table of INT/EGO for devices, I would approximate a 4D6 purchase of the power would pretty much guarantee success for most non-complex devices.