what happened to Erin Tarn's Mental Affinity?

[Axelmania]

I was comparing her Africa/CWC stats and while we're given an explanation for her Spd dropping (slowing down to old age) I noticed MA dropped 1 point without explanation.

There are some symbiotes in Splynn Dimensional Market which can sap MA... some in Wormwood too....

I also notice that if we assume Tarn rolled minimum SDC (4 on 4D6 for scholars, 1 on 1D6 for running) that 5 points plus the 20 points for being a scholar/adventurer with super powers (per the conversion book) would result in the 25 SDC she has... so it's POSSIBLE. We're told she has no psi, but not that she has no super abilities

Anything that boosted attributes to some minimum level she lacked (like ExtPS/SHPS) or which gave an SDC bonus would be clearly off limits though.

I could totally see her having 4 minors like Instant Wardrobe / Instant Weapon / Unremarkable / Untrackable though. Would help explain how she's evaded detection so long. If it was possible to get more than that, maybe something like Longevity to explain why she looks younger?

Thorpe is another interesting mystery. He seems to have 110 MDC armor from Wormwood (even though the heaviest it goes to is 100 MDC) AND a suit which ALSO has 110 MDC which is full environmental. That AFAIK wasn't even made possible until SOT4 which introduced the heavier type which could go up to 120 MDC.

Plus he was weirdly classified as a Master psionic (probably some saw that as an error, that he should only be major) while only having 3 powers...

One thing I wonder is maybe he has undefined cybernetic/bionic implants which halved his psychic powers and damage? Considering the +1d6 bonus that masters got in SOT4 which got even more generous in RUE...

We do know that his cybernetics section doesn't mention everything... it neglects to mention his cyber-armor for example, which is only mentioned under his MDC with his stat. So maybe other parts were also overlooked, which reduce psi?

Not sure where to find rules on that though since all I remember from RMB is the borg section saying going partial conversion halves your ISP but doesn't mention anything besides that. Not harsh at all compared to magic, where partial conversion COMPLETELY removes spellcasting ability. I think RUE went into more detail SOMEWHERE.

[Mlp7029]

Where are you getting that Erin Tarn has some super powers?

Regarding Sir Thorpe - I see no evidence his ISP has been halved due to cybernetics.

[Axelmania]

It went from 74 at 9th to 78 at 10th.

An increase of 4 points is feasible as an unpenalized result of 1D6/level in RMB (1990) however since he is described as a "Master" psionic (albeit pre-SOT before this was statted) per RUE 64 if you rolled 8 on 2D4 and halved it, that could also explain an increase of 4 points.

Thorpe has ME 19 so per RUE a 10th level master-psi cyberknight would have 6D6+29+20D4 ... that is possibly 145 ISP so if I halved it per Bionics 49's inconveniently titled section (header only specifics magic but it talks about psi too) I would get 72 or 73 if rounding up ISP.

That leaves me coming up slightly short but that could easily be explained by some bonus-mining. Thorpe could be ex-CS (Psyscape 145) so he got a 2D6 bonus. If his base goes up to 157 then half of that is 77 or 78 if you round up.

"Super Tarn" theory is basically because we know NPCs do not necessarily define all their aspects, and because her OCC is in a category which would allow them, and because having them would help to explain her success/survival.

[fbdaury]

Pre SOT4 and RUE, all Cyber Knights were considered Major Psychics so I would guess that the three extra Psi powers cause him to get bumped up to Master level, still in the Main Book (Original) it doesn't mention extra ISP per level for extra Psi so he got 1d6. Non-Mystery solved.

PS: Why your insistence that Erin is a D-Bee or mutant anyways? Are you so infatuated with the CS that you cannot believe that there are DECENT human beings that abhor what the leadership of that Fascist state stands for without being an active victim of their persecution (well, until she started writing the TRUTH about them anyways)? If so, that says more about you than about a fictional character...

[Axelmania]

Erin may not know she has super abilities, the theory extends from it being only available to scholar/adventurer classes and it helping to explain her survival.

[Orin J.]

she's an adventurer, surprising survivals come with the turf. he just has no powers the same way batman has no powers, because the writers are able to sneak something in to help them whenever the story requires it.

[HWalsh]

She's just a stock human.

[Axelmania]

he just has no powers the same way batman has no powers

No known/established powers

She's just a stock human.

Rogue Scholars basically need to say "Super Powers: None" for me to assume that.

[Orin J.]

he just has no powers the same way batman has no powers

No known/established powers

She's just a stock human.

Rogue Scholars basically need to say "Super Powers: None" for me to assume that.

being aggressively obtuse does not make an argument. i feel pretty safe declaring this one settled in spite of your objections.

[Axelmania]

being aggressively obtuse does not make an argument.
i feel pretty safe declaring this one settled in spite of your objections.

I was simply pointing out that Tarn's SDC despite being low still falls within the range of possibility of the SDC possibly for super beings in the conversion book which gets a huge bonus. You could otherwise use too-low SDC to rule out the possibility of being a super being.

The main consideration is still the curious MA drop and other subtleties.

[Nekira Sudacne]

being aggressively obtuse does not make an argument.
i feel pretty safe declaring this one settled in spite of your objections.

I was simply pointing out that Tarn's SDC despite being low still falls within the range of possibility of the SDC possibly for super beings in the conversion book which gets a huge bonus. You could otherwise use too-low SDC to rule out the possibility of being a super being.

The main consideration is still the curious MA drop and other subtleties.

Even if that's true, it doesn't prove she has superpowers.

[Orin J.]

being aggressively obtuse does not make an argument.
i feel pretty safe declaring this one settled in spite of your objections.

I was simply pointing out that Tarn's SDC despite being low still falls within the range of possibility of the SDC possibly for super beings in the conversion book which gets a huge bonus. You could otherwise use too-low SDC to rule out the possibility of being a super being.

The main consideration is still the curious MA drop and other subtleties.

Even if that's true, it doesn't prove she has superpowers.

by this metric it implies some good oak shelves might have superpowers.....

[Axelmania]

Even if that's true, it doesn't prove she has superpowers.

thus me merely quipping in the OP "so it's POSSIBLE"

You seem to be arguing a strawman based on Mlp's initial reply misinterpretin that as claiming "she has"

by this metric it implies some good oak shelves might have superpowers.....

Only oak shelves who acquire an Adventurer OCC

[MadGreenSon]

She could just be getting less charismatic as she ages. I've seen it happen. My grandfather got more blunt, rude, and less willing to tolerate any BS during the last thirty years of his life.