A familiar presence contacts your mind.

[FantasyWriter]

Bringing this over from another thread because I think it would be a great addition to the game.

....why you can't figure out who Way's you or if that's just how things were coded.

Because a -foreign- presence has just entered your mind.  The mind of another creature with whom you are not intimately familiar.
I -would- actually like to see a short desc appear once a certain level of psychic intimacy has been established.


For example:
psi contact 1 from Amos: A foreign presence contacts your mind.

psi contact after 10,000 messages to and from Amos: A familiar presence contacts your mind.

psi contact after 50,000 messages to and from Amos: The tall, muscular man contacts your mind.

Input, naysayers?

[QuillDipper]

I like this because I roleplay the Way working like this a lot of the time. I mean, if I can find the grumpy man's mind a thousand times, I don't see why I wouldn't be able to find it more easily or know if hes in mine.

[Kalai]

I am fond of this idea.

[ShaLeah]

No one but <X> should have any extra mind power. I'm not even crazy about mundanes having expel.

[QuillDipper]

I'd hardly call this world shattering.

At the very least, I think the "familiar" part makes sense and would be awesome.

[Molten Heart]

Cool idea.  I like the familiarity message but not the second part where the sdesc is given.  The sdesc info may be too much, imo.

[Narf]

No one but <X> should have any extra mind power. I'm not even crazy about mundanes having expel.

If you go back to the original inspiration for the game, everyone had some measure of wifty psionic power.

Of course, conversely, not everyone could psychically communicate.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I like the idea as proposed.

[Molten Heart]

No one but <X> should have any extra mind power. I'm not even crazy about mundanes having expel.

While I agree that mundanes shouldn't be getting special abilities that give them advantages.  This ability, one that only develops over a long time and exposure to individuals, is gimp enough that it adds more flavor than actual "power".

[FantasyWriter]

I don't see it so much as an extra power, but an ability to recognize the mind of those you are familiar with.  Like they way sometime the phone ring and you just KNOW who it is before you see a number or hear a voice.

[TheWanderer]

I like the "familiar" part, but, uh, not so much with the whole sdesc thing. It'd be very detrimental to my gaming experiencing, and would thusly affect my ability to contact and cease contact on the fly. It's important my presence holds some mystery while I'm stalking you, else it's just weird. Don't weigh me down with meaningless conversations! Let me spread my wings and soar.

[FantasyWriter]

I could certainly get behind having only the familiar part.
But it also adds a sense of mystery and added challenge when you don;t WANT to be discoverable, which can be a good thing as well as bad.

[Barsook]

I dig the "familiar" part but not the sdesc part.

[Cutthroat]

I think "foreign" is being used for the Way at the moment as a synonym for "external", not "unfamiliar". Still though, I like the idea of people who share a Way connection often, getting a different message when they are contacted by that person.

[ShaLeah]

I don't see it so much as an extra power, but an ability to recognize the mind of those you are familiar with.  Like they way sometime the phone ring and you just KNOW who it is before you see a number or hear a voice.

The point is that you have to HEAR the voice to know who it is. Caller ID for the brain?

It wouldn't throw me off to see it, I'd rather not. If I can't recognize someone walking up behind me in a cloak without looking at her I don't think we should know who or what is in our mind until they tell us.

[FantasyWriter]

I think "foreign" is being used for the Way at the moment as a synonym for "external", not "unfamiliar". Still though, I like the idea of people who share a Way connection often, getting a different message when they are contacted by that person.

Yeah, I get that, too. Just feels odd seeing it then seeing someone your character is close to and knows well send a message a moment later, if that makes any sense.

[Harmless]

I dig the "familiar" part but not the sdesc part.

+1

[Lizzie]

I sort of like the "familiar presence" part, I definitely don't like the sdesc-revealing part.

I don't like the sdesc part, because what happens when you've been buddies for someone for awhile - and then you're not buddies with them anymore. You now can expel them before they ever say anything to you at all - AND you know it was them who was just trying to Way you. I don't really like that possibility very much. And if you only know one person who's used the way to communicate with you on a regular basis, the "familiar presence" would be a dead give-away to their identity, without any sdesc needed. That's why I only "sort of" like that end of the idea.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I sort of like the "familiar presence" part, I definitely don't like the sdesc-revealing part.

I don't like the sdesc part, because what happens when you've been buddies for someone for awhile - and then you're not buddies with them anymore. You now can expel them before they ever say anything to you at all - AND you know it was them who was just trying to Way you. I don't really like that possibility very much. And if you only know one person who's used the way to communicate with you on a regular basis, the "familiar presence" would be a dead give-away to their identity, without any sdesc needed. That's why I only "sort of" like that end of the idea.

How is that a bad thing? If they have become that familiar with you, why should they be able to get in your mind without you knowing who they are?

[ShaLeah]

I sort of like the "familiar presence" part, I definitely don't like the sdesc-revealing part.

I don't like the sdesc part, because what happens when you've been buddies for someone for awhile - and then you're not buddies with them anymore. You now can expel them before they ever say anything to you at all - AND you know it was them who was just trying to Way you. I don't really like that possibility very much. And if you only know one person who's used the way to communicate with you on a regular basis, the "familiar presence" would be a dead give-away to their identity, without any sdesc needed. That's why I only "sort of" like that end of the idea.

How is that a bad thing? If they have become that familiar with you, why should they be able to get in your mind without you knowing who they are?

Cause ANYONE can get into your mind, whether they know you or not.

[Zoan]

That's some NSA shit right there.

[Lizzie]

I sort of like the "familiar presence" part, I definitely don't like the sdesc-revealing part.

I don't like the sdesc part, because what happens when you've been buddies for someone for awhile - and then you're not buddies with them anymore. You now can expel them before they ever say anything to you at all - AND you know it was them who was just trying to Way you. I don't really like that possibility very much. And if you only know one person who's used the way to communicate with you on a regular basis, the "familiar presence" would be a dead give-away to their identity, without any sdesc needed. That's why I only "sort of" like that end of the idea.

How is that a bad thing? If they have become that familiar with you, why should they be able to get in your mind without you knowing who they are?

You will know who they are. As soon as they say something. In-game, if you are - somehow - blinded...or it's pitch-black with no moons -

do you know that your best friend in the whole world from childhood is still there, right next to you on his mount? Or do you just hope they're there, and confirm it when they say something?

Why should this be any different? The only people who -should- be able to tell who is in their head, are people who have skills that let them know who is in their head.

Just like the only people who -should- be able to tell who is in the same room when it's pitch-black with no moons - are people who have skills that let them know who's in that room with them.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

But you do know your life long friend when they speak, whether you can see them or not ... and the mind is an even more intimate connection.

I'm not with you on this, Liz. It would cause me no big consternation, but I'm alright with knowing that person who's been in my head 10000 times.

[FantasyWriter]

We know what players are jumping in and out of our heads without saying anything now.

j/k

[Molten Heart]

I sort of like the "familiar presence" part, I definitely don't like the sdesc-revealing part.

I don't like the sdesc part, because what happens when you've been buddies for someone for awhile - and then you're not buddies with them anymore. You now can expel them before they ever say anything to you at all - AND you know it was them who was just trying to Way you. I don't really like that possibility very much. And if you only know one person who's used the way to communicate with you on a regular basis, the "familiar presence" would be a dead give-away to their identity, without any sdesc needed. That's why I only "sort of" like that end of the idea.

How is that a bad thing? If they have become that familiar with you, why should they be able to get in your mind without you knowing who they are?

Cause ANYONE can get into your mind, whether they know you or not.

I suspect the people being contacted would be getting the advantage of slowly becoming familiar with others' mind, instead of the other way around.  But really the distinction would be made by staff if an idea like this were implemented.