Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Forum administrators, Interface administrators, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
116,990
edits
Emotion Bomb: Difference between revisions
reorganized page
(update links) |
Looney Toons (talk | contribs) (reorganized page) |
||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
{{quote|<poem>''"The Tyrant's Blade no blood hath spilled,''
''But doth the spirit carve.''
''Soulcutter hath no body killed,''
''But many left to starve."''</poem>|The First ''[[Book of Swords]]''}}
Among the ways [[Psychic Powers]] can be used in combat is to [[Mind Manipulation|manipulate the minds of others]], stopping them from fighting you or making them [[Brainwashed and Crazy|fight]]''[[Brainwashed and Crazy|for]]''[[Brainwashed and Crazy|you]]. But not every psychic is strong enough for outright [[Mind Control]]. Inducing a particular ''feeling'' with the '''Emotion Bomb''' leaves one's victims able to choose how they react, but is often incapacitating just the same.
Line 10:
A subtrope of [[Emotion Control]]. Compare [[Mind Rape]]. Contrast [[Care Bear Stare]], which is this but with niceness, to be used against a villain. [[I Thought It Meant|Not to be confused with]] [[Angst Nuke]], where a character ''blows up'' from emotion.
=== Types of Emotion Bombs ===▼
Sapping the enemy's will to fight is always a good idea; the Emotion Bomb can make it quick and easy (barring any inconvenient [[Heroic Willpower]], of course). Victims of despair begin to think of themselves as worthless, of the enemy's victory as inevitable, and of any attempt at resistance as utterly pointless.▼
▲* '''[[Despair Event Horizon|Despair]]:''' Sapping the enemy's will to fight is always a good idea; the Emotion Bomb can make it quick and easy (barring any inconvenient [[Heroic Willpower]], of course). Victims of despair begin to think of themselves as worthless, of the enemy's victory as inevitable, and of any attempt at resistance as utterly pointless.
== Despair examples ==▼
* '''Fear:''' Hugely popular with the [[Obviously Evil]] set, an aura of terror can have similar effects to that of despair, but usually more immediate and obvious. It tends to cause less passive slumping and more panicked fleeing. Or panicked [[A-Team Firing]]. Or panicked freezing-like-a-deer-in-the-headlights. Just as long as they're panicking.▼
* '''Love/Lust:''' Definitely more a distracting tactic than an incapacitating one. When [[Love Is in the Air]], no one's mind is on their job. If it's possible to ''direct'' the emotion [[Love Potion|at yourself]], you can even use it as the lead-in to [[More Than Mind Control]], or just make sure people are reluctant to attack you.▼
* '''[[Unstoppable Rage|Anger]]:''' Despite being one of the least subtle emotions, anger requires perhaps the most finesse to weaponize effectively. Afflicting someone you're already fighting with [[Unstoppable Rage]] is... unwise. (Though it can be used to your advantage if you remove their ability to think straight—some video game foes can cause absolute
These are far from the only types possible; other emotions may be weaponized as well.
* The [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|aptly-named]] character Despair in ''[[The Faerie Queene]].'' Three guesses as to what he does...
* The [[The Fair Folk|elves]] in [[Discworld]]'s ''Lords and Ladies'' seem to include this in their general aura of "glamour". How could something as clunky and utterly inadequate and ''human'' as you ever hope to defeat an elf? You don't even deserve to ''exist'' next to, much less rebel against, something so perfect as an elf. The Auditors also fight like this when incorporeal, making people think that fighting them is pointless because there's nothing really there to fight.
Line 35 ⟶ 40:
* The [[Dungoens And Dragons]] spell ''crushing despair'' does not disable its targets completely, but is one more avenue (along with spells like ''cause fear'') to whittle away at an opponent's combat effectiveness until he can't hurt anyone, defend himself, or even run away.
▲=== Fear ===
▲Hugely popular with the [[Obviously Evil]] set, an aura of terror can have similar effects to that of despair, but usually more immediate and obvious. It tends to cause less passive slumping and more panicked fleeing. Or panicked [[A-Team Firing]]. Or panicked freezing-like-a-deer-in-the-headlights. Just as long as they're panicking.
▲== Fear examples ==
* The Ringwraiths in ''[[Lord of the Rings]]'' are constantly surrounded by a combination of this and Despair. Hardened soldiers break and run in their presence, and it's strongly implied that [[Action Girl|Eowyn]] is only able to stand up to the Witch-King because she's been [[Broken Bird|living in constant despair for years]]. She's ''used'' to it.
* Fear effects are a common game mechanic in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' and other MMORPGS, with afflicted players and monsters running randomly around the place. Many a player has cursed this when feared right into the ''next'' bunch of monsters, and it used to be that you could be scared right off a cliff!
Line 71 ⟶ 72:
* In "[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Journal]]" Jaroda and Lady Christine have access to an Aura technique called Fear Aura, which Jaroda uses to force Heath to take a job for him.
▲=== Love/Lust ===
▲Definitely more a distracting tactic than an incapacitating one. When [[Love Is in the Air]], no one's mind is on their job. If it's possible to ''direct'' the emotion [[Love Potion|at yourself]], you can even use it as the lead-in to [[More Than Mind Control]], or just make sure people are reluctant to attack you.
* General: If there are any [[Horny Devils]] who ''can't'' do this, they're very much in the minority.
* A Valentine's Day seasonal event in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' has someone do this ''worldwide'' {{spoiler|so that everyone will be moonstruck and distracted for some attack that's never followed through on.}} He has help from some naive individuals who really just want to "help ease the awkward rituals of courtship".
Line 103 ⟶ 99:
** [[Ciaphas Cain]] ('''[[In Harm's Way|HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!]]''') has had a fair bit of trouble with Slaaneshi cultists. First there was that [[Charm Person|witch]] he just managed to fight off and kill (before she could [[Fate Worse Than Death|sell his soul to Slaanesh]])... then later on more cultists {{spoiler|summoned her back as a [[Horny Devils|Daemonette]]}}, and again he managed to fight it off with [[Heroic Willpower]] ([[Spanner in the Works|and]] [[Power Nullifier|Jurgen]] {{spoiler|and more [[Big Damn Heroes|Imperial Guardsmen]]}}). Naturally, these folks have been a lovely source of his [[Bad Dreams]].
== Anger ==
▲Despite being one of the least subtle emotions, anger requires perhaps the most finesse to weaponize effectively. Afflicting someone you're already fighting with [[Unstoppable Rage]] is... unwise. (Though it can be used to your advantage if you remove their ability to think straight—some video game foes can cause absolute devestation by inflicting the Berserk [[Standard Status Effects|status]] (while others can have their ability to inflict damage or defend themselves completely nullified). But if you can deploy it from a safe distance before or between fights, especially if their alliance against you is already a case of [[Teeth-Clenched Teamwork]], it's ''amazing'' how much trouble can be caused.
* This is its own subtrope, [[Hate Plague]], so examples go there.
* The "blamethrower", from ''[[Mystery Men]]'', produces not so much Anger as petty bickering.
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'':
| |||