RP related question; run away if you don't want to know

[robinbloke]

A thought that bubbled through my mind;

The basic dominate ability 'command' (and mesmerism) is often used to command people to 'sleep' and lo, they fall unconcious; but... is this right? The command makes people do something - does it also give control of the subconcious processes? The second type of command (mesmerism) can be applied according to how the character thinks; an 'open the door' command could have them open it with the handle, boot it open, shoulder it down - all depending on the door and the character - it takes thought.
My thought is that the 'sleep' command doesn't have the ability to do anything more than make the character curl up on the floor and get all comfy, and certainly for characters like vampires who don't really sleep, but are rather forced into it when the sun rises, they can't actually sleep. And from another direction (game balance) it's a one challenge take down. "Sleep" - they fall over - bind them, restrain them, stake them, whatever...
Should it work? Or should they just start looking for a pillow and a duvet?

Comments

[jonnyargles.livejournal.com]

The power of suggestion. Dominate, although using Intimidate for its retest, is not merely scaring people into doing things, but suggesting to their minds that htis is the action they want to take. That's how hypnotists get away with it.

As regards a one-hit takedown, if I'm standing in front of you with a gun, and you tell me to SLEEP, I'm going to take that as a suicidal action, and refuse to accept it as a victory condition. If, however, you have plotted to abduct me, and sidle up to me when I'm unaware of any threat, and suggest that I should SLEEP, I'm out like a light, whilst you send in your stomping men to stick a piece of wood into my chest.

Without degrees of success, there's no yardstick for the level of control you have over a person's mind, so you have to go with the not against nature, and not suicidal approach as laid out in the MET books.

But do Vampires sleep? That's an interesting one. They are still affected psychologically, so maybe the command makes them think that it is sun-up. They certainly dream, and have nightmares, so whereas they wouldn't get tired enough to have a kip in the middle of the night, they can certainly be coerced into taking sleeping actions, in the same way as a wideawake human can drop off by the swinging of a watch.

HMM

[kathminchin.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of a pillow and duvet search myself

Re: HMM

[jonnyargles.livejournal.com]

In Mage, you could make the focus a nice cup of Horlicks

[jonnyargles.livejournal.com]

Mesmerism: You will tell me your address again for Friday Night.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

See my mail to gossip:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UKGossip/message/21741

Including directions

[sherbetsaucers.livejournal.com]

Say sleep, that person does the fist thing that comes into there head. Also, if there standing, I'm pretty sure that, when they hit the floor, they should wake up. Look at the rules "up to 1o minuets".

A much better one could be torper, or steaked. Though again, it all depends on the personal interperation.

[sesquipedality.livejournal.com]

I think the most important thing about Mesmerism is that it allows you to look as cool as Christopher Walken in The Prophecy.

[kdrugan.livejournal.com]

Damn fine film, shame about the sequels ;-)

[sesquipedality.livejournal.com]

I liked the sequels, but you have to take them as a unit rather than considering them as 2 seperate films.

[akcipitrokulo.livejournal.com]

I always thought that dominate could make someone do something they were capable of; if you did dominate "levitate" then it wouldn't work, although they might try to. Because you don't have immediate conscious control over whether to sleep or not, you would start to *try* to go to sleep... searching for duvet idea. Mind you, would be willig to consider that it might work for mesmerism and not command as that is going deeper into psyche and stuff... but would not be real sleep? More the trance you get at a hypnotist?

Personally I prefer "undress" :-)

[sesquipedality.livejournal.com]

Mesmerism is actually an old word for hypnosis. You can certainly put someone to sleep by hypnotic suggestion, so I'd say you're probably OK doing it with Dominate.

The inestimable Dr. Klein won the prize for most depraved use of Dominate ever with "Go and commit an impure act with a dog."

[akcipitrokulo.livejournal.com]

You can't actually... you make them enter a state which has superficial similarities to sleep. Mesmerism might get to that stage, but imo command should tell you to do something you are CAPABLE of doing, and very few people can drop off on command.

(poor dog....)

[sesquipedality.livejournal.com]

Never mind the sodding dog. Poor Katerina.

I think Dominate works akin to hypnotic suggestion, so I think "Sleep" would work for command, but more certainly for Mesmerism. (Since arguably Mesmerism is a deeper form of
suggestion than command.)

[eviltwinemma.livejournal.com]

I think you would have to say something like freeze, or staked, to achieve a similar immobilising effect on a vampire. Although it would be interesting to try...