Hypnotism
Defaults: None.
This is the skill of inducing a suggestible state in another person through verbal or mechanical means. It requires five seconds and a successful skill roll to use. If you fail on a cooperative subject, you may try again. The second attempt takes five minutes, and the roll is at -5. If this attempt fails, you may not try to hypnotize the subject again that day.
A successful Hypnotism attempt puts the subject to sleep. This counts as an anesthetic for the purpose of Surgery. At the GM's option, further Hypnotism rolls might help the subject remember something he had forgotten, while Psychology rolls might help him get over mental problems.
A hypnotized individual is extremely suggestible. Roll a Quick Contest of Hypnotism vs. the victim's Will for each suggestion. The subject resists suggestions that threaten his life or his loved ones, or that go strongly against his character, at +5. You may also give "posthypnotic suggestions," instructing the subject to do something in response to a trigger after the hypnosis ends. The subject's resistance roll for such suggestions takes place when he encounters the trigger. He resists at +1 to Will per week since he was hypnotized.
You cannot use Hypnotism as an attack, except in highly cinematic games. You can use it on an unaware or unwilling subject out of combat, but he resists at Will+5. If he resists the initial attempt, he is considered uncooperative, and you may not make a second attempt that day. A subject who is unfamiliar with Hypnotism might not know what you attempted, but he suspects something – possibly witchcraft!
In all cases, a hypnotic trance lasts 1d hours unless you end it sooner.
Modifiers: +2 if you send hypnotic suggestions via Telesend (see Telecommunication), since voices in the head are harder to ignore.