HYPNOSIS

Source: Sorcerer Revised, White Wolf

“Look into my eyes, Mr. Reed. Now relax. And… sleep.” Jane looked at her watch, glad that Mr. Reed was the last client of the day. “You don’t want to smoke anymore. Smoking is bad for you. When you think of smoking, you will feel ill.” Jane picked up her book and let her client sit there, still in a trance. The clients didn’t believe she had done anything if she took five minutes to help them, no matter what the results were. She started to read her novel but looked up after her novel but looked up after only a paragraph. “Oh, and Mr. Reed. Pay your bill on time.”

Psychic Hypnotism takes out many of the variables that makes standard hypnosis ineffective, which relies on the susceptibility of the target. Psychics with hypnotic abilities rely on the strength and influence of their own Numina, regardless of the target. Though their abilities lack the speed of a vampire's mental commands or the effects of the Mind Sphere, hypnotic psychics achieve many of the same results, given enough study and effort.

NUMINA: PSYCHIC HYPNOSIS

◉◎◎◎◎: Psychic Hypnosis 1 - Trance State (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 60
• Energy Cost: 3
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Subterfuge, Mental Skill
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +3 Mental Defense
  • +5 Mental Skill
  • +5 Initiative

Description: 
The hypnotist can place a willing subject into a hypnotic trance. While in the trance, the Target's memories become clearer. He may also exhibit greater control of his physiology. Though the hypnotist cannot command the subject, the person in the trance automatically becomes relaxed and restful. Placing the subject in a trance takes three full turns. The subject will come out of the trance somewhat shaken or disturbed.

System:
The Player spends 3 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. The Target must be willing. This cannot be used on an unwilling subject. After three full turns of slipping the Target into a trance, the Target will now have access to parts of his brain where memories are stored. The Target can clearly remember past events and recall subtle details as if he were reliving the events, but from an outsider's point of view. If the Target has had a spell or supernatural memory block placed, the Psychic using this ability will not be able to penetrate it and those memories or directives will remain in place.

◉◉◎◎◎: Psychic Hypnosis 2 - Suggestions (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 70
• Energy Cost: 8
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Subterfuge, Mental Skill
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +3 Mental Attack
  • +5 Mental Skill

Description: 
The Psychic must first place the willing subject into a hypnotic trance (see skill 1 above). After placing the subject in a deep trance (which takes the usual three full turns), the hypnotist may command the subject to perform actions while in the trance state, each command taking a full turn. In the trance state, the subject will perform any action he would not be opposed to doing. Additionally, the entranced subject has far greater control of his autonomic responses. A hypnotized person could walk on hot coals, require less oxygen to breathe or even ignore pain from wounds. The hypnotist could also cause the subject to forget any actions that happened in the trance state.

System:
The Player spends 8 points of Energy and makes a successful Roll. The Player's Character can now make suggestions to the entranced Target. While the Target will not perform any actions he/she/they would not be opposed to doing, the Psychic can present the Target with situations in which such commanded actions would be natural.

For Example: You want your subject to walk like a chicken, flap his arms like wings, and make loud clucking sounds. Ordinarily, the Target would have no reason to do so. But putting the entranced subject into a situation where he would not be opposed to performing the action will require a bit of "setting the stage" so to speak.

"Ok Bob. You find yourself working on a farm for the day and your task is to get all the chickens back to the barn safely. However, they will only follow you if you act and sound like a chicken yourself. Do you understand? Good. Now, get those chickens into the barn safely."

The Psychic can bring the Target out of the trance at any time. The Target will not come out of the trance until the Psychic commands him to do so.

◉◉◉◎◎: Psychic Hypnosis 3 - Triggered (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy Cost: 10
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Subterfuge, Mental Skill
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +3 Mental Defense
  • +5 Mental Skill

Description: 
The subject of the hypnotist's powers now performs actions (or delayed actions) on command once the trance has been broken. The Psychic implants any command or improved memory recall from the lower levels of hypnosis, but this time, it is programmed to happen at a certain time. The commands are implanted as with "Suggestions." 

Every successful roll allows the hypnotist to implant one additional command. Additional commands require another roll and Energy Points. Each extra condition requires a success as well. It takes three turns to entrance the subject, plus one turn per command to program them. The hypnotist can make one of the commands to be to instantly fall into a trance at a later time.

System:
Once the Player has put the Target into a Trance, the Player spends 10 points of Energy and make a successful roll. The Player can then make a Triggering suggestion consisting of no more than two parts (a typical this and that statement format). While the Target will not perform any actions he/she/they might not normally do, they are much more suspectable to suggestions and can be induced to perform actions when presented with the proper scenario in which they would.

For Example: The Amazing Steve hypnotizes Denise, a member of the audience. He successfully puts Denise into a Trance from which she will not awaken until he commands her to do so. The Amazing Steve successfully rolls to use Trigger on Denise while she is in the trance. He then orders her that, when someone says the word "rabbit" she will jump on one foot and say the word "duck." After Denise does this, she will again fall back into a trance. 

Steve could also have told her to jump on one foot when someone says "rabbit," or walk to the store and take out a $100 out of her bank account from the ATM. But it would take another successful Triggering to get her to walk back to where the Amazing Steve was and hand him the $100.

◉◉◉◉◎: Psychic Hypnosis 4 - Push (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy Cost: 13
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Subterfuge, Mental Skill
• Resist: Willpower, Mental Skill
• Duration: max scene.
  
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +3 Mental Attack
  • +5 Mental Skill

Description: 
At this stage, the hypnotist has become so adept at inducing trances, that he, by a powerful act of will, may do so with a glance - even if the subject is unwilling. If the effect succeeds, the subject is entranced for the duration of the scene. While the target is in a trance, the hypnotist can then use any of the other lesser hypnotic powers on the subject. This does not require the Target's willingness to be hypnotized.

System:
The Player spends 13 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. The Target may resist by beating the Psychic-Player's roll, mod Willpower & Mental Skill. If the Target fails to resist, the Target falls into a trance under the Psychic's direction. The Psychic may then use any of his Hypnotic skills on the Target, but must expend the required Energy Points and make the successful rolls. The Target will remain under the Psychic's Trance until the Psychic releases him, or until the end of the scene.

NOTE: The Target may choose to continue to resist every fourth turn. If the Target succeeds, he/she/they will regain control over themselves again, though they will not remember what happened during the time they were entranced.

◉◉◉◉◉: Psychic Hypnosis 5 - Deep Programming (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 100
• Energy Cost: 15
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Subterfuge, Mental Skill
• Duration: Max scene
  
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +3 Mental Attack
  • +5 Mental Skill

Description:
With this ability, the psychic can perform major amounts of brainwashing on the target in order to do commands, recall memories or forget memories. With this level of deep programming, the subject will do anything the hypnotist commands, even to the point of death. 

The target must be placed in a trance, either willingly or by using Push. After that, the hypnotist spends three turns per command implanting commands into the Target subject. These do not need to be actions that the Target would normally do. They can be whatever the Psychic wishes the Target to perform.

System:
The Player spends 15 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. The Psychic may then implant as many as three separate commands. This takes three turns per command. If the Psychic wishes to implant more than three separate commands, he/she/they will need to spend another 15 points of Energy and make another successful roll for Deep Program.

Each command must consist of no more than three (3) parts (the this, that, and the other thing format). Awakening the subject does not constitute an action or command.

For Example: Once the Target is placed in a Trance, the Psychic's Player can spend 15 Energy Points and make a successful roll for Deep Program. The Psychic then implants three 3-part commands. 1) "Bob, you will take this gun, drive to Churchill's Pub, located in Miami's Little Haiti and get out of your car. 2) You will then shoot all the Pub's windows until you run out of bullets, get back in your car, and drive home. 3) You will get out of your car, throw away the gun, and go inside your house. (Awaken Trigger) You will then awaken and not recall anything that has happened here today.

Any number of commands can be implanted, depending on how successful the Player is at making his success roll and how many Energy points he has to spend. Each success gives an additional three more commands for the Psychic to implant.

Note: It's important to be very specific about your commands. Subjects must be able to clearly understand instructions or they may be confused as to how to follow them.