I love tabletop games. Most of them do not directly have extensions for the kind of hypnosis inductions I like. So I figured I'd post one I'm experimenting on for a Pathfinder one shot:


If a creature possesses an intelligence score above 6, it is no longer immune to mind controlling effects unless the gm specifies it. Assume such specification is one a individual rather than a class basis unless told otherwise. Racial will save bonuses against enchantment effects only apply to creatures with int below 11. Yes, stupid people are more difficult to mind control.

Additionally, humanoid creatures may be subject to mind affecting abilities
A player who depletes an opponents stun or hp inflicts the following status on an opponent: Broken.

Broken Status: The opponent is treated 2 alignment steps more friendly for the purpose of determining the initial attitude of the mind control skill, if broken is applied as a result of combat the opponent gains a -4 to willsaves against mind effecting abilities and checks to induce willingness gain a +10 bonus. If the opponent is a pc, they can choose whether or not to apply this penalty. Each alignment step and bluff minus forfeited grants the party 5*level*checks successfully resisted xp. Broken lasts for 24 hours or until a target rests.

Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate: A successful bluff, diplomacy request or intimidate check may be used to make an opponent 'willing' for a hypnosis check. Roleplaying allows for circumstantial bonuses to these checks. Diplomacy is used as normal to improve a characters attitude, noting that the characters attitude is adjusted upward. Making a character willing is a +10 request. A bluff to willingness is considered a far fetched lie (-10 to the bluff check). An intimidate check for willingness is made as a demoralize check with a -10 penalty. Keep in mind that this represents trying to convince a target to hand over the keys to their mind while they are awake.

A bluff check may be used to prevent a character from realizing that they are being hypnotized on a failed mc check. The bluff is opposed by either a roll of the skill Mind Control or by Sense motive.

Mind Control: May be taken as a profession (wisdom), performance(charisma) or knowledge (intelligence) skill. Mind control is a class skill of any class that has the class skills: knowledge arcana or religion, perform or on a snap judgement by the gm. The skill allows the following actions:

Hypnosis: After 3 successive fullround checks a target is effected per the hypnosis spell (including will save, as though cl 0) except that the attitude change is 1 step and the duration is 1d4 rounds (instead of 2d4) and as if cast on multiple creatures. If the target succeeds on the Will save, they wake up in 1d3 -1 rounds unless the trance is maintained, a result of zero has the target wake up immediately. No attitude adjustment occurs.
The target number for hypnosis is determined as per a diplomacy check.

Check Targets:
vs. Players:
A player may declare themselves guarded against mind control. Doing so means that a player gains Level + Willpower (or zero, if that is higher) rounds where they apply their full willpower bonus vs mc. This is a reaction against mind control, but may be waved.
To regain this benefit, a character must succeed on a willsave of 10+mind controllers level or rest.

vs. GMPC's (Antagonists, Bosses, officers, ect.):
May triple positive will modifiers, following same rules as pc's for duration.

vs NPC's:
May double positive will modifiers, following same rules as pc's for duration.

Check Modifier : Willpower modifier
Hostile: +25+Will mod: 8
Unfriendly:+20+Will mod: 4
Unaware/Indifferent:+15+Will mod : 2
Friendly: + 10 Will mod : 0
Helpful: 0 Will mod : -2
A pc may at any time declare their mood if they are aware of the mind control. If they do not, the gm will use their discretion, based on the PC's behavior.

The spell hypnosis allows for any special diplomacy request under a +5 bonus to be inflicted on the target. The spell suggestion can be used to inflict hypnosis, and pass up to CL+10 in special suggestions to target (or to inflict its normal effect). Essentially, where a this skill imitates a spell, assume the spell effects the target as normal and potentially allows for other uses.

Dominate Person does not improve the targets demeanor toward the mind controller. The altered state of consciousness it produces does not in itself interfere with the process of mind control, but it does not help (and indeed probably hinder checks by making the target unfriendly). The gm kindly suggests using Charm person.

Like diplomacy, the skill mind control may never be used by pc's against other pc's unless the pc's allow it. The GM may still make hypnotism checks against players. Hypnosis used against players grants the party 50*hd exp regardless of how it was initiated or the outcome. Double if the player takes no suggestions (deepening, conditioning, ect. do not count!).

Uses:


Pass suggestion: A successful mind control check allows you to pass an additional suggestion to a creature that has been hypnotized. This occurs as per the hypnotism skill. Each suggestion counts as a diplomacy request and adds 5 to each subsequent check.

(Varies)Lengthen duration: Lengthens the duration of a mind control effect following the below progression, with DC bonus next to duration:
(0)Turns->(0)minutes->(10)hours->(15)hours*3->(20)days->(25)weeks->(30months->(50)years
Must be made in sequence. You may only proceed 2 steps further down the progression. For example, if you freshly hypnotize someone, they wake up in 1d4 turns. Extending the duration by one keeps them hypnotized for an equivalent amount of time in minutes.

Deepen Trance: A character who is fascinated and hypnotized can be deepened. A successful check increases attitude towards the player by one adjustment step up to helpful. This attitude adjustment remains after the character is awoken, but the player may specify it only occurs while they are hypnotized.

Special diplomacy requests, note that a subject makes a willsave equal to 10+hd of requester against each effect they would not partake in:

(+15) Dominate: A character is dominated for 1d4 hours. This status add 20 to the target number of the check. The character is effected per dominate person, excepting that their is not a telepathic link between characters.

(+0, +5) Condition: Undermine a targets defenses. Each level of conditioning gives a target a -1 modifier to subsequent will saves against mind controlling effects and anyone using the mind control skill against them a +2 modifier to the skill for 1d4 hours. Up to a -10 will/+20 debuff may be inflicted on the target. Effects stack between trance. For a +5, conditioning is conditional to a group of characters.

(+Action) Trigger: Word that triggers a specific action. Treated as a normal request and lasts 24 hours. Lengthening the duration of a trigger starts at +5 to go from days to months.

(+10) Hypnosis Trigger: Rehypnotizes a target when muttered. Otherwise functions as trigger.

(0-20) Amnesia/Recall: At +0 removes memory of the session. Also used to hide attitudes and memories. A character may use the score of the hypnosis check to recall a piece of information given while they are hypnotized. They cannot recall information obtained outside of hypnosis although a +5 minimum check can instill false memories in them.
If a player succeeds at 5 checks or achieves rapport, willingness, or breaks the subject, they can automatically remove the memories of the session.

(+5) Make Willing: Inflict the willing status on the subject. A willing subject is readily accepting the hypnotists suggestions. This grants the hypnotist a +10 bonus to any check to influence the subject and inflicts a -4 penalty on the subjects will saves. The willing effect lasts for 1d4 minutes. A mc may take 10 against willing targets. Making a character willing resets requests.

(+15) Make Unconditionally willing: A character who is unconditionally willing accepts all suggestions as though they reasonable. A character cannot be made unconditionally willing if they are not a gmpc or they are not already willing. By using the entire duration of the trance, an mc may take 20 on one request against an unconditionally willing target. Useful for extending the effect of dominate. Making a character unconditionally willing resets requests.

(+20) Break: A character is broken per the effect for 24 hours. Breaking a character resets requests.

(+0 and gm's permission) Reset Requests: Normally each request made is done at a +5 minus per request. This resets requests. Used for handwaving long drawn out brainwashings.

(+5 and gm's permission)Rapport: Establishes a rapport between the target and the subject. You can now take 10 against mind controlling checks against the subject.

Multiple Characters: The character can induce multiple characters into trance. Each additional character provides the following modifiers: -2 if they have less than an indifferent attitude or resist, 0 if they are indifferent or friendly, +2 if they are of helpful (mc'd targets with a helpful attitude count!) or encourage the trance. The number of characters inducible at once is equal to 1/2 level + the ability modifier used for the mc skill rounded up. So a 10th level Bard with Perform MC can control 5 + CHA, a 5th level wizard with Knowledge MC 3 + INT, and a 1st level barbarian that somehow acquired profession mc can apply it to 1 + WIS characters.

Sexual contact and mc: At the gm's discretion, sexual activity may grant or reduce penalties to mind control. Players may suggest penalties and bonuses to their own characters, but the gm has final call. Expect a range of values from -20 to +10 on skill checks, and -16 to +16 on willsaves.

Check Failure: If the check misses, the opposing character may make a sense motive to know that mind control is being attempted on them if they are unaware. The normal target is equal to 10 if mind control is not a trained skill, 15 if it is. A bluff check may be rolled by the opposing character instead of using the default target numbers.
If the character is already hypnotized, they wake up in 1d6-Will-(2 if iron willpower is taken) modifier rounds or the end of a spell effect duration. regardless of the original duration. Multiple failed checks do not lengthen this duration.

Example Play:
Bumbler Bunnie is attempting to hypnotize Halley D. the wizard. Bumbler Bunnie succeeds initially, gets Halley deepened even, but then tries to make Halley a willing subject and fails. Halley has a willpower score of 1, and the iron willpower feat. The d6 rolls 5-3= 2. Halley is still entranced for 2 rounds and she tells Bumbler Bunnie off under trance. Bumbler Bunnie extends the trance again (succeeds). An then tries to condition Halley (Succeeds). And then tries to do it again, which fails. This counts as the second round of 'wake up time': Halley wakes up and casts Dominate Person.

On a critical failure the players should roleplay the action as appropriate, they have the option of waking up immediately or pursuing odd actions or suggestions while entranced.



And some commentary on the pathfinder rules:
This is essentially a modified version of the games normal diplomacy system. You can rapidly get very high rolls: +10 from willing, +20 conditioning, +20 break, means that a willing subject can have multiple effects thrown on them in a single trance. A bard with performance with these rules is fairly terrifying, from a balance point of view. I suspect the Pathfinder class Mesmerist would be just as bad if not worse. A current limitation is that there are no de-programming rules.

MC rules in tabletops are fairly interesting to me because they have conflicting requirements: On the one hand, they need to give a character an opportunity to put incredible leverage on another character. On the other hand, it can't be so effective that it breaks game balance and the story's drama, by extension. And you still have to respect the bonds that players have to their characters. So hopefully, the folks round here post up some other interesting rules modifications, observations, critique or base game rules that handle that conflict well.