Attacking with mentem

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Hello !
My Mentem magi will need to attack enemies. :unamused:

I think that mentem can not be used to cause real wounds, because even if your target is convinced of being wounded (or dead), that will never kill him...

So i think that 2 options are possible :

1- To convince the target that he is incapacited or has heavy wounds. A Corp requisite would be necessary (to give him the feelings of being amputated for instance). Avoiding Imagonem (and Corp !) is possible (and necessary i think :open_mouth: ), if i say that the Ment power prevent him to look at his wound and to listen to his allies (if some are there), cause he is too horrified... :wink:
=> this is a way to enfeeble him (with wounded penalties), or to convice him he is incapacitated so that he will not be able to do anything.

2- Trying to cause fatigue loss.

I guess that causing fatigue loss could be interesting, cause

  • most enemies have only 6 lvl of fatigue

  • they have no defence against fatigue loss (no armor)

  • a low level Mentem power could for instance cause fatigue loss (for instance 2 per round) and prevent the enemy of doing anything else with his brain. 8)
    That could be very powerful.

A second way of causing fatigue loss could be a very powerful Perdo Mentem power, which could simply make the target fall in a coma (unconcious during 2hours)

What do u think of that ? :unamused:

2

Some options:

  1. put someone to sleep for Sun duration

  2. Cause confusion, so that they do not know what the hell is happening around them, or make them think that they are friends of yours and their friends the foe to beat. makes for a nice brawl between the enemies of the magus.

  3. Make them forget how to use their weapons.

  4. Make them forget who they are or what is happening. Someone affected by this spell is likely to flee the area if there is a battle around them when the spell is triggered.

  5. Destroy their minds. Turn them into empty shells of flesh. Problem is that they will not recover since it is a powerful Perdo Mentem spell, and you will be left with the extremely sinfulñ act of murdering them afterwards.

Just a couple options. Cause fatigue is the area of perdo corpus, so not really applicable. Your spell about thinking they are incapacitated is good. I like it :slight_smile:

Cheers,

Xavi

3

This would be a major Muto Mentem effect (level 04) to change memories or Rego Mentem (level 05) to control natural emotions.
Controlling a Mind has a base guideline of 15 , with complete control of mind and emotions having a base effect of 30.

This is a Perdo Corpus effect of level 10.

4

Hi Septimus!

Why should you want to do damage directly? There's no need for that.
A skilled mentem magus lets other people do his dirty work. He might even make them enoy it.

Provoke an attack and use RegoMentem to make the attackers believe that one of them is you.

ReMe your ennemies to attack the local nobles guard. Make sure the local noble doesn't realize it was your fault. The guards will take care of your problem.

Or ReMe them all into butchering themselves. Or their fellows. The same would be possible via ReCo, though your ennemies would know what happens, even though the couldn't do anything about it.

Frighten them to death (PeMe)

You may want to do something more funny:
Switch the minds of your opponents around such that the mind fo opponent a controls the body of b. A still feels like A, but can see his own body outside himself and moves it like a puppet.
Make em switch around a couple of times. Sit back, watch, laugh until your ennemies decide to flee.

Use your mentem-skills for intrigue.
Make sure your ennemies got more important problems than yourselves --at least seemingly.
You could, with the help of a little imaginem, be their evil twin (see the story flaw :smiling_imp: ) and thus cause a lot of problems.

Deprive your ennemies of all their senses. Should work with both of Mentem or Imaginem.

Make them forget your'e ennemies.
Make em your friends.
Alter their memories as you see fit, give them a goal to achieve --other than harrassing you.
Drive em Mad.
Make em believe thei're the local duke/ealr/king/pope/whatever will get them into trouble.
temporarily Shatter their minds to prevent them from thinking.
Mix their minds, so theire thinking other peoples thougths half of the time.

InMe out what they really want. Maybe you can give it to them. Maybe you can find a way to find what they want in a place far, far away.

While it is difficult to cause damage with mentem directly, there is a thousand ways to do so indirectly.
Go for those, thei're much more fun anyways.

hth, fury

5

Already a treasure trove of "101 ways to be mean with mentem" so I'll only add the blunt case of having them repeatedly stab themselves.

Do it at Target: Group and it might look like the end sequence of a fabulous Monthy Python flick, but nevertheless still bloody effecient. Even if too blunt for my taste. :smiling_imp:

6

with a vim prequisite you might be able to send out a mental blast at the enemies.

7

no

8

Personally, i like the possibilites with using sleep

The Commander's Nightmare
ReMe 45
R: Sight, D: Sun T: Group
Puts up to 1000 men which the caster can see into a sleep from which they cannot be woken until sunset (assuming cast during the day)
(Base 4, +3 range, +2 sun, +2 group, +2 size)

kinda obvious, kinda blunt, and very gonna get you in trouble

9

Try drunkenness rather than sleep, then you really have a Commander's Nightmare. :stuck_out_tongue:

10

Thanks a lot for all ur ideas ! That will help me a lot, cause i'm in the beginning phase of my hero, so i'm trying to plan the best evolution for him.

I will try first to raise Perdo, cause it is useful

  • for defense (Aura of total insignificance lvl25, give u invisibility for all intelligent creatures) because my hero has a feable body
  • and for attack (Confusing aura, confusing power lvl20)

Or i'll raise Rego,

  • to seduce people D/T
  • to deal with ghosts (one is leaving near my covenant, i'll perhaps have to deal with him first of all)

But concerning all Auras (which are numberous and very powerful : Aura of terror, of total insignificance, of confusion, of command...), i have a question :

All these aura have dawn/twilight duration. But how can we stop there effect before end ? Can we stop them just by wish ? :confused:
(i hope yes...) :unamused:

11

Nope, you can't. You can design a spell that does the same for Diameter duration, though, or instill them into an effect that can be deactivated (like unlimited charges with Diameter duration and environmetal trigger to renew trhe effect if you are wearing the ring, for example). or you can create a second spell that beats the first one and nullifies it.

Cheers,

Xavi

12

I understand.
So i should for instance use another aura (like aura of command) to nullify the others aura... So that i will not have to create a new spell for that... :wink:

I have another question :
Mentem is efficient for human beings, as for ghosts, faeries and demons.

But, am i obliged to specify a type of target, or my powers will - quite - always be efficient against all of them ?

For instance a seductive or confusing power will run for human beings and for ghosts/demons as well ? :unamused:

And an Intellego Mentem power which could detect all spirits, will allow me to see humans as ghosts and others or not ? (please, answer me YES ! :frowning: )

13

To cancel the effects of your aura spells you need the harnessed magic virtue or a separate spell like wind of mundane silence.

Mentem spells affect creatures with intelligent minds. Often this means creatures with intelligence instead of cunning.

14

In Ars, a Mage has no control over a spell unless that's built in to the design. The Mage casts the spell that forms magic into X effect, and from there it's like a wind-up toy - it goes until it runs out of energy, as designed (or is dispelled/etc).

Having a spell that cancels other spells, both yours and others' (Winds of Mundane Silence) is a great play.

As Tib points out, be sure to have a spell or three that can be effective vs non-Mentem creatures- the mage mauled by a vicious dachshund just can't show his face around the Tribunal without getting a hard time.

15

As a suggestion...

I allow players to invent spells that dispel their own magics use the 'Dispel magic of a specific type' guideline used by Unravelling the Fabric of (Form).
Rather than working on just one form, but on any mage's magic... it works on any form but only their own magic. This seems suitably limited...
And, honestly, if someone wants a spell to dispel their own spells, it should be easier than the blunt-force dispel-everything 'wind of mundane silence' option.

16

Yeah... indeed i'm so feable that a dachshund could be dangerous (my Fo -3 and my dex -2).
I just have a PerIma power which allows me invisibility (but without moving). So i'll have to stay with my friends all the time during the first years to avoid this kind of bad meetings. Or i'll surly be ridiculous ! :laughing:

I'll go for the ReImagonem lvl20 power (which allow u staying near ur image all the day) and invisibility powers (lvl30) asap, but i will have to wait a little bit (perhaps 5years... !) :cry:

17

You might want something to mask smell as well you know? :slight_smile:

18

Easy : i'll use a PerIm (or PerCorp ?) spell to mask my odor. I guess a 5lvl spell is suffisant. So i'll not have to create one.

U mean that the spell could run if its lvl+die is higher the lvl of the one to dispell ? (with the form requisite ?) and it is the same for Unravelling the Fabric of (Form) ?

Yeah it would be twice easier than the wind of mundane silence, so that would be very interesting. :unamused: