The Bay Area Masquerade

Perspectives on Storytelling: Absent Sway

Since we made the transition to the new system, I have been facinated by the apparent backlash I've seen to the Toreador Merit Absent Sway. Just to make sure we all know what we are talking about:

Absent Sway (3 point merit)
Whether you dance, paint, sing, or practice any type of art, your work invokes true emotion. When you create art or undertake a performance, you can choose one appropriate emotion or state of thought to be reflected in that endeavour. Anyone viewing the art or observing the performance feels that emotion. If an individual wishes to take an action that runs contrary to the chosen emotion, such as attacking someone in the presence of a painting that invokes calm, she may spend 1 Willpower. If she does so, she ignores all Absent Sway effects for the next hour.

The effects of Absent Sway are passive, not aggressive, and encourage observers to feel emotion or enter a certain state of mind. The emotion encouraged by the art is felt by the victim, but Absent Sway does not force the victim to act in any specific manner. You might paint a picture that provokes viewers to feel the emotion “anger.” The manner in which the individual responds to feeling anger is up to the player of that character. However, if the character wishes to act in some manner that is diametrically opposed or contradictory to the emotion encouraged by the Absent Sway, she must spend 1 Willpower. For example, if she was in the presence of the painting that evoked “anger,” she would not have to punch the person beside her, but she would be forced to spend a point of Willpower if she wanted to start peace negotiations, or announce she has forgiven her enemies for their past slights.

Absent Sway cannot affect individuals in combat and has no effect once combat starts, but the power can make it difficult for characters to start combat in the first place. Absent Sway only functions when placed on art that is of significant size or easy to observe. Only characters who can plainly see the art or performance are affected by Absent Sway.

A character does not have to spend a point of Willpower to overcome Absent Sway if acting upon the emotion caused by the art would cause the character harm or prevent the character from acting in self-preservation.

BAM ADDENDUM: Anyone with the merit can choose to include or not include the merit in an artistic piece at the beginning of the piece for free.

For performance pieces, IF they choose to include it and later during the performance wish to reverse that decision, they can by spending 1 Willpower. They cannot choose to go the other way. (Start the piece without it, and include it later.)

For Static pieces (a painting for example), it is a binary decision. It is either on or off, as chosen when the piece is crafted.

It is interesting to me because it seems to be almost universally reviled. Some of the reactions made sense to me; Mike LG reacted strongly due to a personal character history of having his emotions messed with, as an example. Some of them just seemed like they were just joining on the hate bandwagon.

I'd like to see this trend reversed, but I am not sure how to do it. I mean, to start with - this is a 3 point Merit. It's a significant investment in Merit points and I'd like to see that that makes sense as a player choice.

But also, I think that (since this is new to us as players) we've all played it a little too blatantly. I think Absent Sway should be much more subtle than people are playing it right now. It is NOT presence; it's far more subtle than that. I do not think the intention was that it was a binary "if you view this art, you immediately feel this way" type of thing... more like "as you look at this art, the more you do, the more your emotions begin to align in this way." For example, you could walk through the room with the Statue!Jackson (Thanks Justin!) and not especially notice any change in emotion. However, if you were in the room for a little while, or especially if you viewed the statue, the Absent Sway would start to affect you. As a rule of thumb, I'd say something like 'a few minutes' with the art would cause the effect.

You could not, as an example, wear a T-Shirt that was made with the Absent Sway effect of "Peaceful" and simply cause anyone who wants to start a fight with you to have to spend willpower before ever getting a chance to get a punch off.

Characters should NOT generally be able to tell if a given piece of art has Absent Sway, unless they are either versed in the power itself, have an appropriate lore, or spend a good deal of time and repeated experiences with the art. I for one will certainly be playing most of my NPCs blind to absent sway from now on. (Victor Treabelle being the exception - he DOES have the lores appropriate.)

One other point I want to make: I know that some folks have agitated on if Absent Sway breaks the rules of Elysium. While that is certainly a point to be made in character, from my personal perspective, the answer is no. This Domain (and this game) has a long tradition of magical art in Elysia - some of which affected the user, some of which were things like soul paintings.

What do you think?

Characters should NOT generally be able to tell if a given piece of art has Absent Sway, unless they are either versed in the power itself, have an appropriate lore, or spend a good deal of time and repeated experiences with the art. I for one will certainly be playing most of my NPCs blind to absent sway from now on. (Victor Treabelle being the exception - he DOES have the lores appropriate.)

I like this bit. I would even go so far as to rule that Awareness does NOT give you a chance to notice.

I'm fine with saying that unless you have the lore/experience etc that you shouldn't really notice it - but if it's an unnatural effect, I don't like saying that Awareness can't be used to tell that it's happening.

Sure, you'd have to to have all the lores etc to know WHAT is going on - but as beefy as a 3 point merit is, I don't think it should make an effect entirely immune to an ability.

That seems to me to be going too far in the other direction.

god damn mouse clicking and making a double post.

*grumble*

I agree with most of what's said here. It's being played way more obvious than how I envision it.

I was originally playing it more passive and subtle, but as Keeper kept getting it pointed out by other pcs to the point where I couldn't ignore it.

I would think a Absent Sway for 'Anger' or 'Anarchy' would breech Elysium, but that anything relaxing or even neutral would be fine and in fact encouraged in most domains.
I also think it's new enough that opinions should still be a bit in flux IC. Or, you know: totally unknown.

Pretty much anything that goes "Ha ha I can affect you and you don't even get a check to know something's up when you're suspicious about it" is sort of un-okay, in my opinion.

It might be a high-difficulty check, but even a low chance is a chance.

To me, this is a supernatural extension of a very real phenomenon. A great artist is absolutely able to convey a feeling through a work of art, and evoke emotions in those who view it. Perhaps you are walking past a Francis Bacon painting http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/201 ... UwoUflViko If you just walk by, you might think "hmm, that's odd" or "I don't like that." But if you stare at it a while, you might really develop a feeling of foreboding, fear, discomfort.

So it makes sense that a Kindred artist can imbue a painting in the same way, perhaps with intention, perhaps just through the powerful emotion it brings up as the artist works with it.

I hate to think that this then becomes abhorrent to any kindred who happen to notice the work evokes a certain feeling in them. Especially as described by STs above. Also, if a Kindred wanted to install such a piece in an Elysium, to those who notice it, it makes a certain statement depending on what it evokes. If it is a feeling of peace and well-being, it might not be any more offensive than if someone chose to decorate their space with mood music and aromatherapy. But, if the chosen piece is intended to bring up feelings of rage, hatred, blood-lust....I think that raises some very interesting questions about the person who made it, and/or the person who chose to place it in an Elysium. Yay, chances to RP!

As a player who has and wishes to use this merit, I'd like to see it not treated like such an anathema. I had a great instance of it being added to a work without Eva's intention (heck, she hasn't even figured it out yet) which I think makes some great sense, as an artist can pour their source of inspiration onto a canvas to create such a result. It's fascinating!

I'm all for treating it as an actual merit.

I will say one thing though: it is a little strange that you are codifying the emotion a piece evokes. Art often inspires a full range of emotions or entirely different responses from different audiences.

Yes, we've been overplaying it a bit. But I think the position posited here goes too far in the other direction. It should be noticeable.

- Samantha

In context, it's not that strange. It's magic. It's only supposed to make a little sense. Just enough to bridge the gap enough to be believable-ish but not so much to be easily explained.


Honestly, I don't understand the problem. Absent sway is fine as is. There is nothing unbalanced, unreasonable, or unduly invasive about the power.

It cannot force you to do anything terrible or character breaking.
- It doesn't affect characters in combat.
- It allows for a willpower resist to overcome it's affects.
- If "acting upon the emotion caused by the art would cause the character harm or prevent the character from acting in self-preservation" then the character may resit without burning willpower.

That last one is important, because if your character has the two braincells to rub together to connect that if they do action X and violate Elysium or otherwise do an act that inflicts self harm, the character can resist the power for free.

There is no long lasting character breaking affects caused by this power, unless you choose for there to be. As far as I can tell, it only affects RP and even then, only by choice. The worst it may do is make you RP your character in a way that you didn't plan for. Oh no, what a terrible thing to happen in a larp.

My concern about absent sway has largely been a combination that it's been used in obvious ways and has been set up in overt pieces that you can't really opt out of. To use my character perspective: Absent sway has been used on him in ways that he either hasn't noticed or refused to look at absent sway. Annie's cooking, for example, has absent sway, but from Mike's perspective "Of course I feel happy after eating that, who wouldn't?"

However, in general, Mike absolutely hates the concept behind it. To him, as Ralph stated, it's a violation. At his core, Mike's fueled by his PTSD more than most things, and in a few times, the use of it has inadvertently triggered it, and when it triggers, he either reacts in rage, or has to leave. That's a character thing.

That being said? I do like Absent Sway. I see tons of potential in how it can be used. Heck, I've even thought of a toreador or two who make use of it in different ways and can make their own plot on its use. However, I've felt more that the centerpiece of the art/performance is the absent sway, and the performance is secondary to the use of the merit. It kind of falls in line with a separate pet peeve where some have tried to argue "It's high quality/masterwork, therefore you like it" when, as I see it, content and context can have just as much impact in your enjoyment as quality, and high quality works can be hated due to that. That's an aside thing, mind you and more of a pet peeve than anything else.

Further, there's the option of opting in/opting out. A painting requires looking at/observing to get the effect, for example, as does a performance. However, something like "The wallpaper here is absent sway, as long as you're in the room this is what you feel", is less fun to me, because the options are: be forced to have someone else dictate what my character does without throwing a single check, I actively burn a willpower to resist it (which has mechanical drawbacks for the rest of the evening), or to leave the room and thus am removed from any RP which is to happen in there.

I'm with the idea of using it with more subtlety, which I think would address most of those concerns. Tone down the blatant bits of it, make the centerpiece the art and HOW it invokes absent sway, and less "Oh this is a poem, but here's what you feel from it". Even if you're not a poet, you can at least give some mention of imagery that's used and the mood it's putting the audience in. I like the idea of it invoking it over time, because as it is? It's felt more like "The moment you look it's effects happen", which again, isn't fun, especially if your character's undergoing an emotional reaction that's the opposite of the effect and having to immediately give it up in order to play the new emotion (or to burn the willpower)