Rotes & Procedures

A potent Mind 2 attack can unbalance its target through an overwhelming surge of passion. Depending upon the attacker’s wishes, this might involve a sudden depression, euphoria, lust, fury, or any other intense emotion that sends its recipient into staggering irrationality or immediate breakdown.

Story-wise, the emotional surge overwhelms a target’s judgment and determination. In game terms, each success scored by the attacker lowers the target’s temporary Willpower by one. If the attacker scores more successes than the defender has points in his Willpower Trait, then those emotions take over and send the target into an irrational state of passion. Ecstatics, Nephandi, and Marauders love to use this sort of attack despite its long-term consequences and ethical problems – see above.

As an alternative, the “attacker” could simply project a CHILL OUT impulse, calming passions instead of exciting them. In this case, the target simply descends into an intense state of tranquility. Choristers, Akashayana, and other temperate mages prefer this option over the passionate assault.

In both cases, the difficulty for the Effect is the target’s Willpower. It might rise between +1 and +3 if the passions go against the target’s current emotional state, and may drop between -1 and -3 if they reinforce that current emotional state.

(A Life 3 Effect can do similar things by flooding the body with an intense burst of chemicals that excite, depress, infuriate, or soothe the target. In this case, however, the difficulty is based on the target’s Stamina + 3 because its effects come from physical causes, not psychological ones.)