Characters are built on 200CP, minimum 50CP in Psionic Powers. I recommend using templates and lenses from Psi, especially if you're newer to powers or GURPS. If you don't have Psi we'll start a thread or message each other to work one up, you can describe to me the advantages, skills and powers you'd like and I can get it statted for you.

Mundane advantages (other than Psionic powers) are generally allowed. Weapon Master and Daredevil are also allowed. If anyone has Action, Martial Arts or Gun Fu and would like to have cinematic perks, advantages and so forth from that let me know and I'll see if they're appropriate.

Everyone receives one level of (non-Psionic) luck.

Here are some more notes:

Power Level
Characters start as very skilled individuals with an appreciable set of psionic powers.
CP: 200
* Choose a template from GURPS Psis, and any Lenses desired. Other appropriate templates may be allowed, but ultimately at least 50 points must be spent on Psi
Advantages.
* Figure Disadvantages (up to 50 points, plus campaign mandatory advantages) and spend any remaining points on character Traits apprropriate to the setting.
    * At least one character among the PCs should have the skills on the recommended skill list, and some overlap (especially on physical skills or those that benefit from cooperation) overlap and synergy between the PCs is encouraged.
    * Talents are highly recommend. Up to four levels in any Power, and as many powers as the player prefers.
    * Most technologically appropriate abilities are available to PCs, including AntiPsi. AntiPsi is mutually exclusive with Psi and rarer.
* Characters may purhcase some forms of Psychotronic equipment with their resources, if desired, but it is all under the Prototype phase. The main available tech is experimental drugs, though there are also some devices which can be operated by telekinesis, electrical manipulation, etc. These require certain Abilities and a skill roll to use. They are simple mechanical or very simple electrical devices which take advantage of Psi to power something or which channel psionic power (i.e. a club that can stun by transmitting electricity to its head).
* Most disadvantages of a mundane sort are applicable; however the characters will need to be able to work together and for Mesmerisme. Thus a character who has a Sense of Duty (Austria) might be a Republican, who wishes to destroy the Holy Roman Empire, making it acceptable for him to undermine the Habsburgs and their armies. Some tension between characters (such as Quirk-level cultural aversions) and with their work is great, but these aspects should balance out toward an initial disposition to cooperate and accomplish their assigned duties. If the characters deviate, misuse resources, or change their motivations this is OK.
Backgrounds
* Characters are most likely to be French, Austrian, Germanic, Dutch, English, Spanish, Italian or Americans. Other ethnic and geographic origins are conceivable but ought to be explained and may draw attention in some circumstances.
* As characters are meant to have a variety of 'adventurer' skills some explanation should be sought. Soldiering, with its opportunities for combat, criminality and learning of foreign places abound. Characters of a high wealth or status might have learned martial skills and athletics as part  or of their upbringing, likewise foreign languages; criminal and rural backgrounds can explain athletic, martial, stealth and streetwise skills.

Advantages
* Most technology appropriate mundane perks and advantages are available.
* Psi is the only Supernatural advantage set available.
* Some exotic advantages are available, those that invoke heroic talents and grit. Weapon Master and Daredevil, for example.
* Some exotic or supernatural advantages can be made into Psionic Powers, however I will wait on this until we play some

Automatic Traits (All [0] cost): Duty (Mesmerisme, 15 or less); Luck 1 (+0% Game Time); Patron (Mesmerisme); Rank (Mesmerisme) 1
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:23, Sun 24 Jan 2021.

Heya! My character is a face character who specializes in telepathic mind control! You can leave influence roles to me! I'd love to talk about how you guys are going to build your characters. With my brainwashing capabilities I should be able to create brainwashed minions to fill in any missing roles or support in the things you guys would like to do in play. I'm also a physician and can act as a off-healer.

Good to know, I'll avoid making the Manipulator/Celebrity than and aim at something else.  I'ts fine, I'm still early enough my concept is flexible.

I think I'll aim at Investigator who just has the best of luck... that's right, I'm one of our two Probability Manipulators.  If the other one would PM we can compare notes and see how to compliment each other (it's not like having two lucky devils is bad thing).


I'll probably be making a fairly moral PC so we'll have to figure out how much mind controlling we'll tolerate as a group.  That sort of interparty tension can be fun to play though, so I'm not all about "shutting mind control down" or anything on an OOC level (OOCly I'm fine with it, it's a game, but I have to figure out where the PC will be drawing the line).

Jean de Jordan is a Healer, Bard, and Huguenot Missionary, who seeks to minister to the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of a needy people in a needy land.  He has seen much tribulation in his threescore years upon this earth, but he serves those around him joyfully, knowing that he is in Sovereign Hands.

Healing and ESP are likeliest to make the cut, with possible cameos from other powers if CPs permit... :)

In reply to EE's PC (msg # 3):

Well you'd likely have to be pretty tolerant of it since it's a huge part of Mesmerisme's operations and I doubt your character would've joined if the line your character draws is a bit too tight. I'm fine if your character isn't too happy with it though, my character is cautious so he will probably keep it on the down low around your character, though if you're a detective type character you'll probably catch on pretty easily.

In reply to EE's PC (msg # 3):

He also has a girl he brainwashed into essentially being his personal slave. He passes her off as his lover and assistant to most people though.

In reply to OM's PC (msg # 4):

I think our PCs dynamic would be pretty interesting! My character is a atheist physician/psychiatrist himself so that's two different clashing perspectives in healing the sick. He is also able to remove and add disadvantages with mental surgery so to him mental health is extremely easy to cure but in the same vein he uses this skill for morally ambiguous things like brainwashing people for his own gain. My character is rather polite and secretive though so you need not worry about any hard conflicts between them.

Think of a Calvinist version of Shepherd Book (Firefly) and/or Obi Wan Kenobi (Star Wars IV), and you will have a decent approximation of Jean's personality and interaction style... :)

In reply to OM's PC (msg # 8):

I see! I think our characters would be polite enough to not be constantly at odds, perhaps it would be less of hostilities and more of friendly banter even. From what I've heard from the GM the institute we're working for, Mesmerisme, is essentially the CIA on steroids so there will be quite a lot of morally ambiguous projects similar to that of MK ultra and planted coups. How does your character rationalize working for a institute like that? Is he using his position in it as a means to a greater end? Kind of like working in the dark to protect the light?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:55, Mon 25 Jan 2021.

A plausible suggestion would be a loyalty to France, Fanatical revolutionary commitments, etc. that override his normally urbane and gentle approach - see Robespierre, who was polite all the way to the guillotine.

Also *most* targets are soldiers, enemy nobles, or criminal psis - at least, that's what they tell you!
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:57, Mon 25 Jan 2021.

He can be 'tolerant' and still highly disapproving.

After all, he may decide that "working with Satan himself is far better than losing France to the enemy".


I don't know that enslavement of other humans is something Mesmerisme is necessarily into, as a whole.  I have no doubt it may be part of the 'darker than black' ops, and there may be individuals who are more than happy to have units capable of literal enslavement of asset's wills... but I strongly suspect most of the institution/network/agency aren't as delighted by the more sinister side of the business.

I could be wrong.  My PC might have just found himself midst the most heinous organization to ever!

It all falls down to which is preferable treatment for ones enemies:  Death, which can be "clean" for the soul of the enemy or "obliteration of the will" which could damn them for eternity (looking at it from the PoV of a deeply religious thinker).


And a 'lucky' detective who stumbles into all the clues all the time!

I'll likely end up playing a blackpilled Jew* who believes "If it is the only way, it's best that we are the damned who do it", but if he can push for a 'cleaner' way, he will.


* There are deeply religious Jews who believe in and perform a 'form of sineating', that is, they've decided they are personally beyond salvation, so if absolutely unforgivable sins need to be committed it is best if they, the damned, do them and spare the community.  They know they will not be accepted into Shamayim (heaven) and so cut a path through the community's enemies that others can go in their stead.  It's generally all very personal, but there have been groups who look for these types and induct them into their ranks for their purposes... *cough*nazihunters*cough*Mossad*cough*  So this isn't an unknown practice.




That would certainly make it more... 'acceptable'.  Especially if their wills are returned to them later, or if at least certain of us are lied to and told that will regain their wills later...  or if certain PCs are lied to and told it's more akin to puppetry where the puppet fights every moment*, etc, etc, and thus we can be somewhat assured that their souls can be spared.

* Not exactly a lie as long as the victim isn't being slowly molded into a new personality which is happy to go along with the whatever.  And also, in some cases my PC will be less morally conflicted if the victim is being molded into being a better person.  That would definitely give him a moment of pause and reflection.

In reply to EE's PC (msg # 11):

Well you see, My character's brainwashing skill is less about the absolute obliteration of will but the implanting and removal of memes and ideas. In a way it's more of an incredibly efficient way to indoctrinate people into a way of thinking instead of how one would usually do it which is through persuasion and propaganda. You can pretty much just look at the mental surgery skill to get the gist of it. I can make someone fanatically devoted to france and they would still have their will and personality, I can make someone more truthful without affecting anything else. Complete obliteration of will is when I add the slave mentality disadvantage which I'll only do for my personal minions and probably do my best to keep a secret from you or have a way to explain it away.

My character would probably even offer to help you recruit followers in exchange for leaving him to his devices. He is a very reasonable man, get out of the way of what he wishes to do and there will be no problems. To most people he would probably explain this skill as an almost miraculous way to convert people into better men and eradicate mental illness(As he can also remove disadvantages like depression, paranoia, etc) which is true because he is an actual psychiatrist and he does actually use it for that but of course internally he mostly wishes to use it for his own personal gain.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:42, Mon 25 Jan 2021.

As an update it looks like everyone is getting close to finished. We should be starting the actual PbP in a few days. So far we have a psychic surgeon, a good Luck engineer, a psychic horseman and a healer IIRC. Good spread of focus.

Hello folks!

Gaspard here was a conscript and Cuirasser for the Army before his latent talents manifested and eventually lead to his arrest.

From a middle class family based in Brittany, he suffers from a form of Psychic Vampirism.

Looking forward to playing with you all.

I assume we are using the standard rules for Wealth and starting funds?

Correct, sir. Your Patron has Equipment but also requires a Reaction Roll, so you can count on some material issues being taken care of if you beg Mesmerisme. But anything you really want for sure you'll want to get at start.

Alright, background is up, I think I am getting pretty close to being ready.

How's everyone else doing out there?

In reply to Gaspard Carnot (msg # 17):

Yep ready as well! Got my background for both my character and my ally. What sorta things can Gaspard do if you don't mind me asking