In a minor hero campaign...

[SittingBull]

Where 1 major is all the majors you can have. What major power really shine when it could be your only power?

[Incriptus]

Depends on your goal of course, but I would suggest something that covers offense, defense, and movement. I have a character who uses APS Air . I'm certain there are other APS abilities to do the same. Although it seems to defeat the purpose of being a minor hero

[SittingBull]

A minor hero is, apparently, just someone who hasn't had the time and education to become a full hero.

APS blood is good. Extraordinary strength. Physical damage doesn't hurt. Can manipulate its shape like water so it can get past locked doors, windows, etc. Can heal himself by draining others. Has a frenzy mode if your friends and innocent bystanders can be kept out of the way. Can transfuse to anyone (by touch) and is a universal donor and up to 10 pints per level. Can stop bleeding from cuts and wounds. Gives HF 15. Plus other minor stuff.

[Slight001]

Matter Expulsion: Steel/Metal, functional armor and the ability to create any ancient weapon the PC can think of. I'm sure a creative player with a liberal GM can have a lot of fun with the ability to cover items with metal. Sadly it's been worthless in my experience.

[Glistam]

Vibration
Matter Expulsion: Crystal
Zombie Flesh

[flatline]

Create Force Fields...at least if you're using revised. HU2 nerfed the power.

Vibration is excellent.

If it's a truly low powered campaign, just about any major can be fun.

[SittingBull]

APS Air good, sneaky, offensive.

ME Metal is very good. It's a solid power and gives some good bonuses.

Another major power that, by itself, is just that much stronger... is Monstrous Form.

AR
SDC and SDC per level
superhuman strength
2d6 claws
taller and heavier, looks different to no change of being recognized.

some of the abilities that can be gotten with this one power (some not all):
hawk like vision and 2,000' nitevision
2d6 per bio-regen
combat reflexes offensive(+1d6 dmg to melee attacks) and defensive (auto dodge)
strength boost to supernatural
increased speed and leg muscle strength
etc.

[SittingBull]

Create Force Fields...at least if you're using revised. HU2 nerfed the power.

Vibration is excellent.

If it's a truly low powered campaign, just about any major can be fun.

True, but sometimes some major powers do stand out more than others.

[SittingBull]

Matter Expulsion: Steel/Metal, functional armor and the ability to create any ancient weapon the PC can think of. I'm sure a creative player with a liberal GM can have a lot of fun with the ability to cover items with metal. Sadly it's been worthless in my experience.

Would be a great way, if the power works fast enough to cover up a grenade or a bomb.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Many of the APS forms can be quite fun. From the old Standards of Ice, Fire, Plasma, Energy. To some of the new ones. Gel/slime while not a power house is very fun. Mercury is nice. APS pebbles/stone (I usually modifiy it a bit to make it ball bearings or small metal sphers but that's me.) APS Light is just down right mean.

Monstrous form is a a great one with huge versatility, but is kinda an end run around 'One power' as you get a total package. But it 'would' fall under the '1 major' even if it's pacage deal is impressive. So are some of the APS's package deals.

I love the Matter Expulsion powers myself. Steel, Stone, or Plastic but I modify the last a bit for my game, so that's just me.

One that's often over looked is Chemical Secretion. That power is wicked too. It works best if you can couple it with APS Gel/slime or APS Liquid but under the "1 major only" Rule you would just have it by itself. Chemical Secretion has the 'Acid' that even APS Acid doesn't have. (Which is just silly if you ask me) It's got a number of uses that can get alot done.

[The Artist Formerly]

Only one major? Metal Manipulation. It's a power house.

[SittingBull]

Metal Manipulation is a very strong power.

[say652]

Where 1 major is all the majors you can have. What major power really shine when it could be your only power?

Top 5.

Aps Ice.
Vibration.
Sonic Speed.
Karmic Power.
Negative Matter.

[Regularguy]

Well, there's Mimic: in a street-level campaign where nobody really has any powers, then apart from some inhumanly perceptive sleuthing you don't get to shine -- but neither does anyone else -- and, to the extent that fantastic elements appear, you kinda automatically scale up to whatever is in play.

(So you don't get overshadowed by your super-powered teammates, and you do get to slug it out with super-powered villains like an equal -- but, again, whenever you're in a purely mundane context, you have to rely on body armor and conventional weapons and so on, as the most athletic guy in the room. Which makes for a weird but interesting approach.)

That said, you could do a lot worse than lunch-bucket Invulnerability: yeah, it's all on you to play detective and come up with solutions -- but against unexpected stuff, like an incendiary grenade suddenly going off next to you, or a shot from a sniper rifle smacking into the back of your head, you have a catch-you-if-you-fall defense. So it's still up to you to win, but you've got a pretty terrific way to not lose.

[Regularguy]

You know, if you're going the antihero route -- or, well, the antivillain route -- all kinds of options open up.

I mean, the only thing really keeping Gem Powers off the go-to list is bankrolling your use of it -- so if you're open to illicitly getting that money, and you make no life-threatening suggestions, then even one minute of Empathic Transfer is enough to get an unhesitating rundown of someone's blackmail-worthy info; or their passwords; or whatever. And if you have the cash to fund even one minute of invisibly and invulnerably flying in and out of places, you can -- well, plant bugs, or bombs, or anything, really; but also pull impossible high-speed heists, plundering the underworld to finance your plunder-the-underworld operations.

Ditto for just using Transfer/Possess: attempt to clean folks out, or kill 'em off, or whatever, as someone who either gets away with it or -- well, gets killed off, but, hey, that's not your problem, right? Just start over in a new disposable body! And if you ever score a body with more than one super power, feel free to graduate from "minor" to "mega"!

[Her0man0]

Love this topic

Illusions would be good if played well

I've always thought prodigious limbs or stretching would make good stand alone powers

APS or matter expulsion bone, wood, or rubber would be a good alternative if one of the stronger APS or matter expulsion powers would unbalance the game....

[Sir_Spirit]

Lets see, there was a "campaign" of make believe from when we were kids. We started with a cop with stretching, a mutant vigilante with magnetism[me], A-bomb(atomic scientist who was testing A-bombs in his basement. Safely. Without blowing his basement up. We were kids, roll with it, he got caught in an explosion and gained Self -Explosion.) A guy with polymorph came later.

[say652]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=149042&hilit=Minor+hero+Chill

A minor hero I made a while ago.

[SittingBull]

Stretching is a very good power on its own.

Magnetism, with some work with the GM, could be stellar.

Polymorph, now that is a challenge. Just good for spying?

[SittingBull]

Yeah, in its own rights, Metal Manipulation is nice.

[Sir_Spirit]

Stretching is a very good power on its own.

Magnetism, with some work with the GM, could be stellar.

Polymorph, now that is a challenge. Just good for spying?

Well, the guy I was thinking of could turn into any object but was immobile.
Polymorph, despite what it initially says, goes on to talk about you taking actions and stuff. Notably it mentions turning part of you back so you can talk. From the looks of it could give your allies a club or a sword, or a bike/wagon(thus making you an excellent team player). Also if you have wheels you can go 3x's your normal speed. A low level speedster(I mean, these are minor heroes anyway). And while you don't get more SDC you do get the AR of whatever you look like. And since humans don't have AR it can make you tougher in a pinch.
And if you are partially turn into stuff that could be freaky/horrorifying in a situational sense(to some people). Thus you could talk to the GM about trying ot make your self have a horror factor for a moment(surprise attack basically).

OTOH if we are talking minors heroes and thinking more street level PI types, the spying aspect is incredibly useful by itself.
Though for a PI taking Animal Abilities Wolf/canine would be very good. You can track and ID things by scent. Control Dogs(so you can train them as a side job, the ultimate Dog Whisperer). You can hear stuff others can't. You get night vision, useful to not need a flashlight.

IF you have read the Worm Web Serial you know how useful Control Insects and Arachnids is. Control Black Widows or Darwins Bark Spiders to weave you a spider silk constume that puts Bulletbroof vests to shame, use insect team work to tie up bad guys and well freak out criminals who challenge you. Or choke Superman to death by having them crawl into his lungs. Make fake you shaped swarms, perhaps with a fake mike/camera so you can hear and see what you should sense if you were standing there, then "speak" by using the swarm of bugs to make humanesque noises. Be the perfect Exterminator not just of bugs, but also of rats and what not(they can't survive controlled swarms of bugs).

[SittingBull]

Neat idea on the silk armor, but you have to have a GM that is open to powers doing feats that aren't printed in the books. Some GM's will be like 'no'. Can't hurt to ask though.

[SittingBull]

Animal metamorphosis (all animals) would be a pretty sweet stand alone power.

[Regularguy]

Animal metamorphosis (all animals) would be a pretty sweet stand alone power.

Bonus points if your teammate is a Minor Hero who only has Copy Animal Attributes: you want Criminal Intuition while playing sleuth? It's yours. Sneak past guard dogs? Done. A kid is pinned under a car? Supernatural Strength. You suddenly need Sonic Speed? It's on tap. How about you go excavate us a base of operations? I gave you access to that as a package deal with Nightvision and Impervious to Magic. And so on.

[SittingBull]

Yeah that would be a true team there.

[SittingBull]

I thought of a neat idea where each person, with their one power, can form together to form a gestalt with all their power. Would only work with a small group and in a chat or table top setting.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Ether Create FF, Create FF constructs, or APS quicksilver.

[SittingBull]

Quicksilver is nice.

The force field powers are nice also.

[Sir_Spirit]

Quicksilver is nice.

The force field powers are nice also.

Perhaps compromise and take APS Forcefeild?
xD

[Sir_Spirit]

~Also APS Coral (or to a lesser degree APS Sponge) makes for a nice "water hero" that is very useful on land. You get some armor, a "barrier reef" that acts as a temporary wall, and a ranged and melee attack.
~Aerodynamics give you some nice movement defense and offensive capability.
Also the armor that ME:{any] powers give you doesn't have any SDC it just give YOU more SDC and HP. Which I found to be interesting.
~APS:Wood is also interersting, doesn't give you super strength, but, like coral gives you some armor/toughness, a Ranged and Melee attack, plus some camo power.(You can be a tree in a grove of trees).
~Ectoplasmic Armor is also nice for a paranormal investigator. You get armor and shield and melee weapons and some climbing claws and a prehensile tentacle. Plus you can Hurt "ghosts". Some nice utility even if you aren't hunting ghosts.
~Molecular Compression is similar to APS CORAL, a wall, armor, ranged/melee attack.

[Regularguy]

For a street-level campaign, Spin At High Speed would be a pretty good all-arounder: you're bulletproof, which is huge; and you can attack folks while staying bulletproof, which ain't always the case with 'bulletproof' powers; and you can zip away at superspeed if you're suddenly facing enemies who can injure you despite you being bulletproof, which also ain't always the case with 'bulletproof' powers.

You want to play a one-power speedster who isn't bulletproof? Yeah, good luck with that. You want to be bulletproof by dint of not really being able to affect the bad guys? Well, good luck accomplishing much of anything. You want to riddle the bad guys with your projectiles while laughing off their projectiles -- while using your superspeed to keep everybody in "projectile" range? See, that sounds like a plan.

[Sir_Spirit]

Hmm, Animate Objects is a useful power for a creative person. Not a combat monster, but still, really good in a housefight or bank or other palce with lots of little stuff to animate.
APS Foam is kinda cool, YOu can 'tie up" badguys, put out fires....
Flesh Works can make for a creepy hero, but you can be top notch Cosmetic Surgeon and disguise artist. Hollywood might even be a good paying gig(special affects/costumes with out the makeup/CGI!).
APS:Bone makes for a creepy hero again.
TechnoForm would let you "Transform and Roll Out." Heheheh....

[Pepsi Jedi]

What's it called... Swarm Form?
The power that lets you split into a group of smaller versions of yourself. That one could be really fun too. If memory serves the power itself needs some ..er.. 'work' to make it a viable power. I.E. you gotta house rule it a bit to get it to function well, but still. Fun concept in general.

[Regularguy]

What's it called... Swarm Form?
The power that lets you split into a group of smaller versions of yourself. That one could be really fun too. If memory serves the power itself needs some ..er.. 'work' to make it a viable power. I.E. you gotta house rule it a bit to get it to function well, but still. Fun concept in general.

At that, I'd like to know what happens if you use Control: Others to -- well, not make someone commit crimes and hand over all their worldly possessions to you; that's of course possible, and you can do it later if you want, but for now figure you're just out to have the guy trust you and answer some questions honestly. Obviously he'd remember doing that afterwards; I just can't tell whether he's supposed to know that he was mind-controlled.

If the answer is no, then I figure I could pretty easily build a Minor Hero around that one power. If the answer is yes, then -- well, I figure I could still do it; and he'd still get to shine; but it'd be a lot harder.

[SittingBull]

Control Others, I read it as done willingly. Rather he spilled the beans because he wanted too or because a power helped him want too, I don't think that really registers with the 'victim'.

[Sir_Spirit]

They will remember you telling them to do stuff. And remember doing the stuff. It should not be hard for them to figure out "mind control" even if they don't automatically know it's you controlling them.

[Regularguy]

They will remember you telling them to do stuff. And remember doing the stuff. It should not be hard for them to figure out "mind control" even if they don't automatically know it's you controlling them.

Hmm. What if you offer him money or something, and he accepts?

I mean, sure, you could've just gotten a 'yes' without money changing hands -- and, sure, you could've gotten that 'yes' while having him hand money to you -- but figure that you helpfully explain how it's a win-win proposition, where both sides get something of value, so he'll recall it as a bargain where you had to give him stuff in exchange.

You left with the info. He's got the cash you bribed him with. Everyone remembers you asking how much it would cost, and him agreeing to the deal once you proposed a number. What happens next?

[Sir_Spirit]

That's kinda up to your GM, I think.

[Regularguy]

That's kinda up to your GM, I think.

That was kind of my point.

If it's obviously mind-control in retrospect, I think you could still shine as a one-power Minor Hero who can still get a lot done -- getting people to reveal info, so you can blackmail them into cooperating after the effect wears off; ending a fight, by having your opponent drop his weapon and handcuff himself instead of risking death; and so on.

But if your GM rules that a reasonable enough interaction just involves people remembering that they agreed to a deal -- listen, Al, we both know the cops are probably going to find the body, and then you'll get the death penalty. But if you confess now, by telling us where the body is, you'll be up for parole in twenty years!

Wow, you drive a hard bargain as always, Bill. But, okay: if I can produce the body, along with a signed confession, you'll take Murder One off the table and put him up for parole in twenty years? Okay, great.

Look, you've still got a pretty good pile of chips there, Cal -- but if you go all in, and I'm not bluffing, you'll be flat broke. So if I were you, worried that my opponent had four aces, well, I'd fold. You should probably fold.

Gosh, that's an excellent point, Dave; how about you give me those documents in exchange for all of this money I just won playing poker? How does that sound?

If you tell a plausible story, you basically get to make the story happen!

[eliakon]

Well it would be more of a Minor Villain to be honest.
And I would think that in a world where Mind Control is a regular known thing that there would be legal precedents to explore the claim of mind control. Which since that is what this is the person would not only get off, but now YOU look like an evil horrible mind controlling danger.

I guess a GM can make a ruling that your mind control includes a full mind wipe and memory alteration and that no one notices that your raping their brain.....
...but I don't see anything in the power that would suggest that.

[SittingBull]

THAT is exactly the reason mind control would not be know about be those who its used on. The ripple effects. If they don't remember no ripples. If they remember then there's a new arm of the police, new paranoia, and more all in effect altering the campaign because one player just used his power. Less work for the GM.

They followed the commands of their own (bent) will. So if anything they would be left asking themselves (more than anything) why did I do that and mentally confused.

[Regularguy]

Well it would be more of a Minor Villain to be honest.
And I would think that in a world where Mind Control is a regular known thing that there would be legal precedents to explore the claim of mind control. Which since that is what this is the person would not only get off,

I can see that maybe torpedoing the confession -- but take the other half, where I'm just locating the body he's hidden. Imagine that, without that body, it'd be hard to prove murder at all; but with the body, we have evidence of the killer's identity (the bullet matches his gun, his hairs and dried blood are on the victim who'd fought back, whatever).

That said,

I guess a GM can make a ruling that your mind control includes a full mind wipe and memory alteration and that no one notices that your raping their brain.....
...but I don't see anything in the power that would suggest that.

Honestly, I don't see anything in the power either way.

It just says that someone you used it on will remember his actions -- which, I agree, will stick out like a sore thumb if you casually make him dance for your amusement and bark like a dog after handing you his wallet, or whatever; if you don't have some means of altering memories, yes, it screams MIND CONTROL.

But, again, if you propose some kind of favor-for-a-favor transaction -- or a payment-for-services one, or any other arrangement that gets framed in hey-this-would-plausibly-be-in-your-best-interests terms -- then, sure, they'll remember their actions, but those actions can be described as "accepted a reasonable-sounding offer".

That doesn't scream MIND CONTROL; it screams I AGREED TO A DEAL AND GOT SOMETHING IN EXCHANGE.

[eliakon]

Well it would be more of a Minor Villain to be honest.
And I would think that in a world where Mind Control is a regular known thing that there would be legal precedents to explore the claim of mind control. Which since that is what this is the person would not only get off,

I can see that maybe torpedoing the confession -- but take the other half, where I'm just locating the body he's hidden. Imagine that, without that body, it'd be hard to prove murder at all; but with the body, we have evidence of the killer's identity (the bullet matches his gun, his hairs and dried blood are on the victim who'd fought back, whatever).

All of which is totally inadmissible.
Fruit of the Tainted Tree. This is why we can't charge any of the terrorists we tortured....EVERYTHING is inadmissible once you torture them. Its all irrevocably tainted.

That said,

I guess a GM can make a ruling that your mind control includes a full mind wipe and memory alteration and that no one notices that your raping their brain.....
...but I don't see anything in the power that would suggest that.

Honestly, I don't see anything in the power either way.

It just says that someone you used it on will remember his actions -- which, I agree, will stick out like a sore thumb if you casually make him dance for your amusement and bark like a dog after handing you his wallet, or whatever; if you don't have some means of altering memories, yes, it screams MIND CONTROL.

But, again, if you propose some kind of favor-for-a-favor transaction -- or a payment-for-services one, or any other arrangement that gets framed in hey-this-would-plausibly-be-in-your-best-interests terms -- then, sure, they'll remember their actions, but those actions can be described as "accepted a reasonable-sounding offer".

That doesn't scream MIND CONTROL; it screams I AGREED TO A DEAL AND GOT SOMETHING IN EXCHANGE.

Why would I seriously NOT think I was mind controlled if I agree to something that I would not normally agree to.
Just because you mind control me and tell me "accept this bribe" doesn't mean that I will think "gee that was normal" it would seem to me that I would remember "I had this overwhelming unpredictable desire to agree with everything you said"
It doesn't change how they think. Just makes them into your slave and forces them to do what ever you tell them.
Now if you were using something like Hypnotic Suggestion where the person rationalizes their own action maybe...
...but this just yanks their mind and makes them do your will. Nothing about it says that they will rationalize it, or that they will think it was their fault that you forced them to do stuff.

[eliakon]

THAT is exactly the reason mind control would not be know about be those who its used on. The ripple effects. If they don't remember no ripples. If they remember then there's a new arm of the police, new paranoia, and more all in effect altering the campaign because one player just used his power. Less work for the GM.

They followed the commands of their own (bent) will. So if anything they would be left asking themselves (more than anything) why did I do that and mentally confused.

How are you going to make someone forget that they were being mind controlled though?
The power doesn't give you any amnesia and they recall their actions. There is no way to just make them think what you want...
Maybe if you were a psychic....but not this way. This way allows overt, open mind rape. No more no less.

[Regularguy]

All of which is totally inadmissible.
Fruit of the Tainted Tree. This is why we can't charge any of the terrorists we tortured....EVERYTHING is inadmissible once you torture them. Its all irrevocably tainted.

As I understand it, "tainted tree" only bars the government from using evidence illegitimately gathered by government personnel. If a private citizen -- a "vigilante", if you will -- gathers some, it's admissible.

Why would I seriously NOT think I was mind controlled if I agree to something that I would not normally agree to.
Just because you mind control me and tell me "accept this bribe" doesn't mean that I will think "gee that was normal" it would seem to me that I would remember "I had this overwhelming unpredictable desire to agree with everything you said"

See, it seems to me you're going a step too far, there.

What do you think happens if you only ask people to do stuff they would've done anyway? Do you figure they still remember 'an overwhelming desire' to do whatever you ask?

(What if you don't ask them to do anything? Do you figure they recall having that desire while awaiting instructions that never came?)

All I know is, the description of the power says they'll remember their actions. It doesn't say anything, either way, about whether they also remember feeling some overwhelming desire.

Nothing about it says that they will rationalize it, or that they will think it was their fault that you forced them to do stuff.

And nothing says they won't see a plausible sales pitch followed by fairly reasonable actions as anything but -- a plausible sales pitch, followed by a fairly reasonable action. All it says is, they'll of course remember taking the action; I could easily see one GM ruling one way, and another ruling another way, because AFAICT it's simply not addressed.

[SittingBull]

THAT is exactly the reason mind control would not be know about be those who its used on. The ripple effects. If they don't remember no ripples. If they remember then there's a new arm of the police, new paranoia, and more all in effect altering the campaign because one player just used his power. Less work for the GM.

They followed the commands of their own (bent) will. So if anything they would be left asking themselves (more than anything) why did I do that and mentally confused.

How are you going to make someone forget that they were being mind controlled though?
The power doesn't give you any amnesia and they recall their actions. There is no way to just make them think what you want...
Maybe if you were a psychic....but not this way. This way allows overt, open mind rape. No more no less.

If you did it if your own will, first off, you would be referring to it as rape.

[eliakon]

THAT is exactly the reason mind control would not be know about be those who its used on. The ripple effects. If they don't remember no ripples. If they remember then there's a new arm of the police, new paranoia, and more all in effect altering the campaign because one player just used his power. Less work for the GM.

They followed the commands of their own (bent) will. So if anything they would be left asking themselves (more than anything) why did I do that and mentally confused.

How are you going to make someone forget that they were being mind controlled though?
The power doesn't give you any amnesia and they recall their actions. There is no way to just make them think what you want...
Maybe if you were a psychic....but not this way. This way allows overt, open mind rape. No more no less.

If you did it if your own will, first off, you would be referring to it as rape.

Yes I would
Forcing a person to do something they do not want to do?
Yeah, that is pretty much a form of rape.
Call a spade a spade. But mind control is [/i]nasty[/i] stuff.
Its easy to just ignore the implications and pretend that its all cool and for the best intentions...
But this is a violation of the core of what it means to be a person. Where you remove their basic ability to consent and then use them to do what you want.

[eliakon]

All of which is totally inadmissible.
Fruit of the Tainted Tree. This is why we can't charge any of the terrorists we tortured....EVERYTHING is inadmissible once you torture them. Its all irrevocably tainted.

As I understand it, "tainted tree" only bars the government from using evidence illegitimately gathered by government personnel. If a private citizen -- a "vigilante", if you will -- gathers some, it's admissible.

Nope. To be admissible the vigilante themselves has to be willing to testify in court for instance (complete with revealed identity)
And all the other rules apply (chain of custody, etc.)
Which is why you wont get any convictions for vigilantes. It doesn't matter if you tie them up on the police doorstep....unless they are wanted else where for something else your just committing assault and proving that your a villain.
And one of those rules is that if a piece of evidence is gained illegally, then any evidence gained from it is also illegal. You can not get around peoples rights by just sub-contracting for instance.

Why would I seriously NOT think I was mind controlled if I agree to something that I would not normally agree to.
Just because you mind control me and tell me "accept this bribe" doesn't mean that I will think "gee that was normal" it would seem to me that I would remember "I had this overwhelming unpredictable desire to agree with everything you said"

See, it seems to me you're going a step too far, there.

What do you think happens if you only ask people to do stuff they would've done anyway? Do you figure they still remember 'an overwhelming desire' to do whatever you ask?

(What if you don't ask them to do anything? Do you figure they recall having that desire while awaiting instructions that never came?)

All I know is, the description of the power says they'll remember their actions. It doesn't say anything, either way, about whether they also remember feeling some overwhelming desire.

Nothing about it says that they will rationalize it, or that they will think it was their fault that you forced them to do stuff.

And nothing says they won't see a plausible sales pitch followed by fairly reasonable actions as anything but -- a plausible sales pitch, followed by a fairly reasonable action. All it says is, they'll of course remember taking the action; I could easily see one GM ruling one way, and another ruling another way, because AFAICT it's simply not addressed.

I guess we will just have to disagree here
I really don't see any reason why someone should be allowed to just say that no one notices mind control.
Maybe if it was something that the person really wanted. But just because its 'plausible' means less than nothing unless the person in question actually wanted it. Or put another way. Unless your plan would work with OUT the mind control then its still going to be glaringly obvious.

[Regularguy]

All of which is totally inadmissible.
Fruit of the Tainted Tree. This is why we can't charge any of the terrorists we tortured....EVERYTHING is inadmissible once you torture them. Its all irrevocably tainted.

As I understand it, "tainted tree" only bars the government from using evidence illegitimately gathered by government personnel. If a private citizen -- a "vigilante", if you will -- gathers some, it's admissible.

Nope. To be admissible the vigilante themselves has to be willing to testify in court for instance (complete with revealed identity)
And all the other rules apply (chain of custody, etc.)
Which is why you wont get any convictions for vigilantes. It doesn't matter if you tie them up on the police doorstep....unless they are wanted else where for something else your just committing assault and proving that your a villain.
And one of those rules is that if a piece of evidence is gained illegally, then any evidence gained from it is also illegal. You can not get around peoples rights by just sub-contracting for instance.

Oh, you certainly can't subcontract around it.

But I can provide you with any number of cites that the fruit-of-the-tree exclusionary rule has been held not to apply to evidence illegally seized by a "private actor" who isn't a government employee; such evidence is inadmissible if the police explicitly request that a private citizen conduct the search, but it can be plenty admissible absent that.

Maybe if it was something that the person really wanted. But just because its 'plausible' means less than nothing unless the person in question actually wanted it. Or put another way. Unless your plan would work with OUT the mind control then its still going to be glaringly obvious.

You're thinking of it in binary terms.

Try this: imagine that I have, oh, say, an inexpensive wristwatch. And imagine somebody asks to buy my wristwatch for two cents; I'd say no. But imagine somebody asks to buy it for two hundred dollars; I'd say yes.

Now, with Control: Others, you can get me to say 'yes' to either. As you say, in one case I'll remember saying 'yes' to something I would've said 'no' to -- which will be glaringly obvious. And in the other case, I'll remember saying 'yes' to something I would've said 'yes' to anyway -- which won't be glaringly obvious.

So far, so good. But what about 'maybe'?

There's a range of amounts -- not a couple of pennies, and not hundreds of dollars, but somewhere in between -- where maybe I'd say 'yes' and maybe I'd say 'no'. At that: would I trade my wristwatch for concert tickets? Maybe. For a bottle of scotch? Maybe. A DVD? Maybe.

If you use Control: Others to implausibly turn a 'no' into a 'yes' -- sure, that'll be obvious later. (It still has its uses, but that's not one of 'em.) But if you use it to plausibly turn a 'maybe' into a 'no' -- would that be obvious later? I don't see why; the whole point of 'maybe' is that you could plausibly go from there to 'no' or 'yes'.

And that's where I was going with the "if you tell a plausible story, you basically get to make the story happen" line: you can't build a story where the answer at any step would've been a flat 'no', or else it'd be obvious. But you can build a story where the answer at each step could've been a 'yes' -- which is to say, would've been a 'yes' or a 'maybe'.

So think of it that way: Control: Others as the power to plausibly turn every 'maybe' into a 'yes'. Yeah, you can also use it to implausibly turn a 'no' into a 'yes' -- but imagine you never bother with that; imagine you only ever use it to make things go the way they might have gone anyway.

[RockJock]

I go on the basis that most major powers could be a powerhouse in a game like this. What are the bad powers?

Immortal with the right character/game can be fun to play, if not exactly a powerhouse. The average Joe with immortal is not fun, but make them an FBI agent, or military soldier attached to a super team, he could be nasty.