Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Murphy's Law

A Metamorphosis Alpha® play-by-post adventure run by ghost_of_warden

Mental Blast Interlude: Are Sofas Game Too?

ghost_of_warden

OOC

Note that Hershey cannot mentally blast a piece of furniture. That mutation only affects sentient targets.

janforbes4700

OOC

I just did a check in the MA rules regarding Mental Blast. Is there a place other than the "Mental Mutations Explained" section that indicates the blast is applicable to animate objects only? I didn't see any limitations there. Or is this a GM interpretation?

aeraxbob

OOC

Looks like a "blast from the mind" to me. I didn't see anything that says "blast from one mind to another."

plutoniumblondenapecity

OOC

Same here---no limits on what is affected by the blast, but I'll check again.

kurtgrubbins

OOC

Another set of eyes sees nothing that indicates a limit on what Mental Blast damages.

blaen_495

OOC

I've got all three editions and so far as I know, it can "blast" anything the mutant wants it to. We could always e-mail Jim and ask him....

mikejohnson_lordofdance

OOC

Three editions... I think he's a good authority.

ghost_of_warden

OOC

I think if you read the description it says, "The ability to cause direct damage with the mind." It doesn't say it causes direct damage to inanimate objects like office furniture.

MA Amazing Engine rules say, "The mutant can directly attack the mind of another creature." Again, no mention of inanimate objects.

blaen_495

OOC

I was going from memory---too lazy to actually look it up. I'll take your word. Now if I could just figure out exactly how "Time Field Manipulation" is supposed to work. The descriptions on that one just make my head go 'round in circles.

renauldrapp

OOC

I guess I'm unclear. How do these equate?

MA 1e rules

Mental Blast: The ability to cause direct damage with the mind.

GM

Hershey cannot mentally blast a piece of furniture. That mutation only affects sentient targets.

zhaxier

OOC

If we just restrict our rules search for "Mental Blast" within Metamorphosis Alpha® editions, we have the following:

1e: "The ability to cause direct damage with the mind."
2e (Amazing Engine): "The mutant can directly attack the mind of another creature."
3e (25th Anniversary): <Mental blast is not a listed mutation! Doesn't 3e suck when it comes to mutations?>

If we expand our search for "Mental Blast" to editions of Gamma World®, we have:

1e: "This is the ability to launch a mental assault worth 3 dice of damage on any being within 15 meters."
2e: "Character may direct a blast of psychic energy at a target in range, causing mental damage."
3e: "The victim must make an MS Save or also suffer Mental Damage."
4e: "The mutant can directly attack the mind of another creature using the MHAC score of this power. The creature attacked must have at least animal-level intelligence."
5e (Alternity; "Telepathic Blast"): "The mutant can direct a powerful blast of mental energy into the mind of a visible target within 30 meters."

We see that later editions of both Metamorphosis Alpha® and Gamma World® clarify the issue of what targets can be afflicted by a Mental Blast. If you restrict consideration to 1st edition MA (or GW) alone, it is not clear from the description of the mutation.

But there is further justification for limiting a Mental Blast to sentient targets that comes from reflection on the rules for mental combat in MA 1st edition, wherein all mental attacks are defended by the target's Mental Resistance score. What is Mental Resistance? "This ability deals with the player's power to withstand an attack on his or her mind by mental energy." It is strengthened by successful saves. "The rationale behind this is that the mind, after surviving an attack, forms new barriers to that type of attack." This seems to imply that mental attacks target sentience. If you buy this, then you would likely agree that Mental Blast, the archtypical mental attack, follows suit.

I poured over my manuals intent on finding something that could counter the GM's argument in the hope that Zhaxier too would be able to blast a sofa to bits and pieces when he finally discovers that he has mental blasting power. Oh well.

At the end of the day, it's still a judgement call, but I have to admit (begrudgingly) that there is ample precedent for the GM's stance.

My 2 cents,
Z.