How does offensive telepathy work in the SARP?

[Zakalwe]

I have a few questions about what telepathy can do to others in the hands of a powerful telepath.

1, Since telepathy in its most basic forms is the transfer of information, your thoughts into their mind, could you not send visual style information instead? For example could you send what you are actually seeing (not really offensive), or send your minds eye? By this I mean whatever image you are imagining at that moment.

Another argument for this is that not all people 'think' in words, some think in images. I have a friend who does that for example In that situation thought protection would be in images, and as such sending images should be possible. Does this follow?

2, In my mind I can scream as well as create thoughts. Is it possible, as an attack, to send a telepathic scream of incredible magnitude? This would most likely cause a distraction, possibly great psychological pain. Following on from this could you send your thoughts but at a huge magnitude, and by doing so make it incredibly hard to think?

3, If you can send thoughts into someone else's brain, could it not be possible (for a powerful enough telepathic), to send commands as well? I command my arm to move, and my fingers to type, much in the same way as I think. Since what telepathy is allowing you to do is send these signals over a greater distance, why should you be able to send your thoughts and not your commands for movement? I would suggest that if this is possible it is only possible in a limited form and only for the most powerful of telepaths.

 

[Tom]

Just for the record: I've read what happens with offensive telepathy (as it gets abused far too easily, despite any players best intentions NOT to do so) and do not approve of any character possessing it.

No player should ever possess a means to be able to influence how another player roleplays his character. Ever. (mind control, brute force psionics)

Nor should a player ever have a cheap means of gaining knowledge from another player that he or she has absolutely no right to as a player. (mind reading)

These things are earned through good roleplaying and mutual agreement with your fellow players.

Despite what one may think, offensive telepathy steps on other players' toes in a rather invasive, if not subversive way.

Being shot is one thing.

Having your character's mind attacked or manipulated in any matter is the equivalent of roleplaying rape.

This is one of those sensitive topics for me. I seem to get very worked up over this.

 

[Xerena]

I really hate sounding like a veteran codger here. But offensive telepathy, in the hands of PCs, does not exist. Period.

(emphasis is mine, not Doshi Jun's)

This would not seem to prevent PCs from being on the other end of a telepathic attack, and it would be helpful to know what can and can't be done to PCs as well as what PCs can and can't do.

No player should ever possess a means to be able to influence how another player roleplays his character. Ever. (mind control, brute force psionics)

Being shot is one thing.

Being shot is like roleplaying, well, being shot, and quite possibly killed. Since there is no afterlife for characters without ST backups, being killed may result in Death. Death tends to influence a player's ability to roleplay that character.

I wasn't even aware "mind reading" was even allowed (unless you count mind-machine interfaces and ST backups).

I agree that mind control, while probably being the first thing that comes to most peoples' minds (in general, not specifically people on this site) when someone says "offensive telepathy", really has no place in the SARP (even if a practical way to implement it did exist, and none does given the way telepathy works in the SARP).

On the other hand, I don't see how hitting someone with a deafening "GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" or "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" is any closer to rape than is shining a very bright light or a laser pointer in someone's eyes, or how a telepathically-induced migraine or concussion is any different than one induced by a rubber bullet, other than the technical details of how it happens (mechanical blunt trauma vs some form of electromagnetics interacting with the brain and nervous system). Same goes for unpleasant sensory input ("screaming toddler inside your head" or "bad itching/burning sensation" type attacks). Telepathically-conducted psychological warfare (which could be as simple as taunting. the enemy, or trying to create fear, despair, doubt, defeatism and a long list of other things mostly beginning with "d"), might be harder and less straightforward to implement but not unethical.

Another possible "offensive" use of telepathy is creating confusion, typically by one telepath attempting to impersonate another. For example, a telepath might try to impersonate a telepathic enemy commander and issue bogus orders or information. This is NOT a form of mind control - it is a form of information warfare. I could propose doing the exact same thing with radio transmissions instead of telepathic transmissions, and people would certainly argue over the technical obstacles (encryption, for one) to actually doing it, but nobody would have any fundamental objections or reasons to disallow it from being at least attempted.

 

[Doshii Jun]

Basically, if PCs are attacked by a psionic whatever by a GM, they're fucked -- and the GM will have a good reason why.

*smiles* This issue's closed, Xerena. Keep at that character.

 

[Wes]

I'd like to comment that one of the main reasons for the Star Army's switch to only Yamataians and Nekos is their ability to communicate securely via encrypted data transmissions.