Name: Possession, borderline-canon P/W/C: Wisdom Appearance: The user's body transforms into a shadowy mist which hovers a few feet off the ground (The mist can float upwards or downwards slightly, but this does not grant the ability to fly). From there, the user can hover toward a target, with the intention of making contact with naked skin. Function: Upon making contact with skin, the mist enters the target and the user assumes control of the target's body, typically for the purposes of manipulation or infiltration. Think Veran from Oracle of Ages. When the possessor is done with the host body, they simply will it, and materialize next to their host. Victims of a recent possession often feel lightheaded and nauseous for a few seconds afterward. The user may also attempt to extract information from the host's mind, and can communicate telepathically with the host. Limitations: Many. -Requires Dark Affinity, and lowers resistance to Light magic. Bending the minds of other creatures to do your bidding is generally thought of as immoral. -When the user is in the "shadowy mist" phase, they are extremely vulnerable to Light magic. -The user can only use the treasures the host body has while using Possession, not their own. - Dungeon bosses are immune to this ability, as they are assumed to be magically warded or have a strong enough willpower to resist. -If the host body dies while the user is still possessing them, the user dies as well. -The user must continually engage the host in a battle of wills to retain the possession, or else risk being violently ejected from the host body, stunned and vulnerable (I'll leave the exact mechanics of this to the mods). -A possessed individual always has some kind of cue that hints that they are being controlled by another force. Their shadow might be the shape of the possessor instead of what it should be, their skin might assume a slightly blue tint, or perhaps their eyes change colour. This is up to the RPer, and it need not be the same for every possession. The cue doesn't have to be obvious, but a closer inspection should alert a suspicious person. Note that a host may willingly allow themselves to be possessed, and not attempt to resist the possessor, in which case the user need not suppress the host's will. The mods may decide to impose other limits as they choose. This will probably be on the expensive end, and possibly a major treasure as well.
I like this, especially since it's grounded in canon with drawbacks and stuff, but the only thing is that we already have the "Jewel of Control" Major Treasure, which is basically an "I possess you now." I'll wait for another Mod's opinion, though, if only because it's 4:18am where I am and I'm reaaaaaally woozy.
That's a fair point, I forgot all about the Jewel of Control... X_X However, there are a few things I think Possession has over the Jewel, which could justify its existence. 1) The Jewel is an item, and could theoretically be lost or destroyed. Possession is an intangible spell, and therefore cannot physically be taken away. 2) Possession allows the user to effectively "vanish". Say a character with it was being pursued by some guards. With Possession, they might be able to possess a guard who gets separated from the others, and walk off without a trace. The Jewel of Control can only mind-control people, not allow the user to hide in other people's bodies. 3) There's the old axiom "If you want something done, better do it yourself." Possession affords a great deal more control than the Jewel. Those affected by the Jewel might misinterpret orders, while with Possession, you have nobody to blame but yourself. :P Just a few things that could add to the discussion.
Good points, but each of them are sort of "one-ups" to the JoC, which (if added) would render it obsolete. Now, I don't have any particular love for the JoC; it seems awfully limited to me personally. If you want to propose this as a replacement, which is (how I see it) the only way this'll go through, that'd be a good discussion. Dunno if it'd work, but hey. Worth thinking about. If you wanted to do that, you wouldn't have to wait 'til March, don't worry
I can understand the fear of rendering the JoC obsolete, but I'm not sure I would agree that Possession would do that. Even with all the advantages I've described, there are areas where the JoC has the edge. For example: 1) For one thing, Possession is very much a high-risk, potentially high-reward spell. You have to take Dark Affinity to have it, buying the spell itself reduces your light magic resistance even further, you have to make contact while in the vulnerable mist state, you have to worry about the host body dying, and the host gets chances to resist all the while. With the JoC, you buy the jewel, wave it at someone, and bam, they're under your control unless they have a PWC of 5. Far less risk involved. 2) I can think of many situations where you might want to take control of someone, while still being free to do other things yourself. Say you wanted your puppet to create a distraction while you snuck into an area. The JoC could let you do that, Possession couldn't. Or maybe there are two levers that need to be pulled simultaneously, but nobody would willingly help you pull those levers. JoC can remedy that situation, Possession can't. 3) A character using Possession and gets discovered is likely in a lot more trouble than a character using the JoC whose puppet is caught. Regarding the notion of replacing the JoC with Possession, I'm a little leery of the idea. If you did that, then the only characters who could have some degree of mind control powers are ones with Dark Affinity. It's true that manipulating others in such a way usually isn't the best behaviour, but I'd hesitate to say that you have to sell your soul to do it. It seems like it would limit character concepts, which is a big no-no for me. Ultimately, I think the two treasures are distinct enough to warrant coexistence. They have different situations in which they shine, and different situations in which they fall down. (Funny how I ended up defending both of them )
You're absolutely right. There are pros and cons to using JoC instead of this or vice versa, and this wouldn't completely overpower JoC. Having said that, though, there's a different issue that needs to be addressed, one that's just as problematic as the overpowering of an existing treasure. The heart of the issue lies in the very nature of the Major Treasure category; it's a very small group of extremely powerful treasures. The essence of this treasure is the same as the essence of Jewel of Control: they both center around the possession of another. With that in mind, I don't feel comfortable having two Major Treasures be so similar, differing only in slight shades of pros and cons. As this stands, my vote is no.
Well I disagree Quill. If you think about it, this is an ability that is limited to those with Dark Affinity. Like Darth already said, it has various weaknesses yet some very great strengths as well with the actually being inside of the person's body. The JoC is not Dark Affinity exclusive therefore those that have Dark Affinity wont have a need for JoC but everyone else that wanted the ability would. Because of its tie to DA I think its just fine to have it coexist with JoC. Also, I'd like to add in a stipulation that any RPer to be possessed would have to agree to it before hand.
Well, honestly, the main reason I presented this as possibly being a Major Treasure was because assuming control of someone else's body is a potentially very powerful ability. However, if diversifying Major Treasures is an issue, you could just make Possession a regular treasure and emphasize the "risky" nature of the spell. Also, I totally agree with that stipulation, Toko. PCs are immune without permission.
After talking further with Quill, I am inclined to agree with Toko. Basically this treasure does more good than bad, as far as the site goes. There are some redundancies, but it's not the end of the world. The small detraction to how the LoT looks is outweighed by the fact that this could inspire roleplay, spells to counter it, and a closer look at the nuances between types of evil and control. It also enhances Dark Affinity further, which is great, and to top it all off it's practically canon. Drafting this could be a bit of a challenge, but I think as a concept this should stand.
After talking with Ribs, I agree. My argument basically consisted of aesthetics, and that's not really a valid argument, especially since it'll disappear through time. @ drafting: I love a challenge :P You've got my official [1/2] for this to stand as a Major Treasure.
I would also say 'Courage' based, because this is based around the idea of one person's willpower subjugating another's. The 'constant battle of wills' seems to relate more to Courage's description than Wisdom's. How's this? It's really long, so I may have missed something. *is understanding this to be an MT `Possession Canon, Skill - Offense [Communication], [Dark], [Disable], [Transformation] C5: 75 rupees C4: 100 rupees C3: 150 rupees C2: 175 rupees C1: 200 rupees Prerequisite to Obtain: Dark Affinity The caster can transform into a dark mist and hover several feet off of the ground. If this mist comes into contact with skin, it enters the target and assumes control of its body. The possessor may leave the host whenever he so chooses, exiting in much the same manner as he entered, leaving the victim temporarily nauseous. The caster may only use the host body's treasures while possessing it, and if the body were to die during possession, the caster would die as well. The possessor may also communicate telepathically with the host and attempt to extract information from its mind. There is always something that betrays the host's nature, some clue that hints to its possession. Perhaps the body's shadow is that of the possessor, or the eyes change color, or the skin itself takes on a pale tint; it varies from possession to possession. While the clue need not be obvious, it should be plain enough to alert a suspicious watcher. If the host is unwilling to be possessed, the possessor must continually engage it in a battle of wills to continue control; if he were to ever lose this fight, he would be forcibly ejected from the host and left stunned, exposed, and vulnerable. If the host is willing to be possessed, there is no need for the caster to struggle against it. Dungeon bosses cannot be possessed; they are assumed to either be magically warded or possess a willpower too strong to overcome. Possessing this treasure lowers the caster's resistance to Light magic. While the caster is transformed into shadowy mist, he is extremely vulnerable to any kind of Light magic.
Looks good to me. Only thing I might add is the obligatory "don't be a jerk and use this on other players without permission" statement.
