[Donjon] Mind Control

[Hans]

Hi all:

Here is a quick question; how have you all dealt with people trying out Mind Control type effects.  Specifically, when a person makes a casting roll, and has successes over his opponents Save vs. Illusion and Confusion, what do those successes mean with regards to mind control? 

• Are they a penalty to doing anything other than what is ordered (ala the blindess example in the rules)? I don't like this so much, because it means you aren't really controlling anything; the target can always choose to do something else and live with the penalties.
• Are they facts regarding actions the target MUST take?  This seems better, but I can't figure out how to work this with durations in the casting in a consistent way.
• Are they successes that must be overcame in future in order to not follow orders?  This seems good, except that the donjon dice rules don't allow for successes without opposed rolls, so I'm not sure what the opposition would be to future save rolls.  In our game last week, I had the caster write down his roll (at least the first few numbers in it) and used that as the future target for saving throws, but this was very cumbersome.
• Is each success an action that the controller can control of the targets?  If this is the case, does it use up the casters action?
• Is there a better option I'm missing?
• Is it something simply to avoid in Donjon?

Has anyone done this, and how did you do it?  It came up in our game two weeks ago (through the back door of "Retrofit Technology" as the ability, "Adapt" as the word, and a robotic tank as the target). 

Hans

[memolith]

I think I'd go with the fourth option, and take a strict view of what constitutes a fact.

So, if your mind controller gets five successes, he can use two to make his victim attack his friend. He could reserve the other three for future actions, as long as they fell within the duration of the spell.

I don't think spending a success would use the caster's action.

This could be insanely powerful...but it uses the fact mechanic, so...who cares?

[Markku Tuovinen]

Sweet and simple order magic:
Each success is a fact.

• "The mind-controlled character uses his action to hit his friend."
• "The mind-controlled character does not try to evade (counter-attack or dodge) the attack."
• "The mind-controlled character uses his next action to play this here accordion."

Complex and crunchy chaos magic:
The spell establishes a control pool that the mind-controlled character rolls against on his every turn. If the mind-controlled character succeeds in his roll, every success decreases the mind-control pool, and he spends his turn opposing the spell. If he fails, the spell-caster states what the mind-controller character does on his turn, instead. Every success for the pool could be used for facts or for increasing the pool... semi-sentient chaos magic ;)

An analogous example from our pick-up game:
An occultist count summoned a swarm of imps (six successes) to take apart the Black Baron. The player paid one point for duration until the end of combat, so I chose to treat the successes as a damage pool that the Baron would have to resist every turn... had the Baron survived the first attack (he was at 0 flesh wounds at that point), he could have started attacking the swarm (Baron's to-hit against the damage pool; the imps are treated as always counter-attacking;if Baron hits, he then rolls a damage roll against the pool and it is reduced accordingly [if the swarm does not successfully resist the damage]; if the Baron does something else, the swarm hits the Baron directly and Baron tries to resist the damage). I found this solution aesthetic enough, and it was a new, interesting departure in Donjon interpretation for me (I like to derive improvised crunch like this; it satisfies my game design instincts quite nicely).