“PW: Limited Telepathy” is “limited” in that it is simply a method of communication and, therefore, cannot be used for aggressive purposes (such as reading someone’s mind, implanting disturbing thoughts, driving someone insane, preventing sleep, etc.) Some common attempts to misuse Limited Telepathy are 1) bombarding a recipient with telepathic messages until they “break” and do something the sender wants, or 2) tricking the recipient into thinking the telepathic message is the voice of God, the voice of the recipient’s superior, etc.

In regard to the first, because Limited Telepathy is a non-aggressive form of communication, any recipient can choose to ignore (and essentially “block”) messages from an unwelcome sender. Thereafter, the recipient might remain aware that the sender is attempting communication, but this awareness will not be distracting, disturbing, or even annoying.

In regard to the second, in the world of The Savage Soul, the existence of telepathic communication is almost as well known as the existence of mobile phones in the modern world. Thus, when a recipient hears a voice in his mind, he is far more likely to conclude that it is a telepathic communication, rather than the voice of God, the voice of his conscience, the voice of madness, etc., just as if someone in the modern world were to receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be God. Additionally, Limited Telepathy does not automatically grant the ability to mimic voices (or similarly imitate other individuals). In fact, one’s telepathic “voice” is even more unique than one’s spoken voice. So, even with a high Performance attribute, “PW: Voice Mimic,” etc., it will be very difficult for the sender of a telepathic message to convincingly imitate (or conceal the identity of) someone the recipient actually knows.

As always, if an individual GM wishes to allow a creative use of Limited Telepathy in any given situation, that is his prerogative . . . but he should be aware of the slippery slope that could lead to repeated misuse of what was meant to be a communication ability.