Named after the human computers of Frank Herbert’s Dune, the Free Council’s Mentats perfect the ability to control their own minds and the ability to interface with computers and other electronic devices.
Mentats are a new legacy, created in the mid-1980s by a Los Angeles Libertine Obrimos (shadow) named Paul Atreides. A computer engineer and science fiction fan in his Sleeper life, Paul realized that digital storage and computers would come to dominate Sleeper life, and by extension that of the Awakened. But, no matter how useful, these devices would ultimately be vulnerable to Magical manipulation, thus Mentats gather Sleeper knowledge and preserve it in their own minds against manipulation or loss.
Mentats also plant information into computers where Sleepers can find it in the hopes of advancing Sleeper culture towards Awakening.
In Awakened society Mentats act as recorders, witnesses, and advisors, ensuring the integrity of privileged information.
Origins
Parentage: Obrimos, Free Council
Background: Many Mentats are computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, and other math oriented professions. Some are simply sci-fi fans, but those quickly acquire the skills of the others or find their progress stalled.
Appearances: Most Mentats garb themselves as normal for their professions; in Los Angeles older Mentats tend towards business-casual whereas the younger crowd, influenced by Silicon Valley culture, wear more casual clothing.
Doctrine
Prerequisites: Mind 2, Computers 2, and the Eidetic Memory merit
Initiation: The prospective Mentat is given different portions of a complex equation to memorize, one normally requiring a computer to solve, over the span of five days. On the fifth day the Mentat must reconstruct the entire problem from memory and solve it.
Organization: Mentats engage in loose correspondence, but as a new legacy have too few members to warrant a more formalized structure. There has been talk of organizing in a manner similar to the IEEE when membership warrants and coming up with a code of ethics and standardized fee structures when hired by other Awakened.
Magic
Ruling Arcanum: Mind
Instruments: Stimulants (+1 or +2 if a negative condition is imposed), computational tools (+1), server farm (+2)
Oblations: Solving a complex equation in their head, “copying” the contents of an electronic storage to their mind, teaching someone about computers.
Attainments
First: No Data Lost
Prerequisite: Initiation
The Mentat doesn’t just remember life events or have better recall than average, they can perfectly recall even the most minute and specific details with perfect clarity and astounding resolution. Mass, dimensions, color, everything can be brought back with computer-like precision. This Attainment emulates the spell “Perfect Recall” with reach assigned to Instant casting.
Optional: Forces 1
By spending a scene attuning themselves to the Aether, the Mentat can pick up and interpret all EM spectrum based data around them as the “Tune In” spell with Advanced Duration factors. The Mentat can also read data directly off of electronic storage devices by touching them and optical storage devices by viewing the data side in direct light while this ability is active.
Second: Multi-Threading
Prerequisite: Mind 2, Computers 3
By meditating for a scene, the Mentat can gain the ability to process two distinct lines of thought at once, performing two separate mental or social extended tasks or two mental instant tasks at their full mental capacity. This Attainment replicates the “One Mind, Two Thoughts” spell with reach assigned to Advanced Duration and performing two Mental instant tasks at the same time. This Attainment also allows the Mentat to "run" programs and "view" data mentally as if using a computer (for example videos can be watched and computer programs can be compiled and executed). This mind-computer provides an equipment bonus equal to Potency on any task where a mundane computer would provide an equipment bonus.
Optional: Forces 2
It’s not enough to simply read the data off of a computer, sometimes the computer must be commanded to perform a specific task or new data must be written. This attainment allows the Mentant to give an electronic device any command that it can perform and have that command performed without the need of passwords or administrative access. This include writing or deleting data, scheduling tasks, or even creating entirely new programs hidden from users. More complex tasks, such as creating programs, may require an Intelligence + Computers or Wits + Computer roll.
Third: Inviolate Mind
Prerequisite: Mind 3, Computers 3, Academics or Science 2
The integrity of their mind is of utmost import to a Mentat, it is their life and the data they hold is often of a sensitive nature. By meditating for a scene the Mentat shields their Mind from outside influence, any attempt to use a mind affecting Supernal or other Supernatural power on the Mentat provokes a Clash of Wills. This spell should be treated as a Shielding spell with primary factor Duration and reach assigned to Advanced Duration and Advanced Potency.
Optional: Forces 3
Listening in to the various and sundry broadcasts in the Electromagnetic spectrum is enlightening, but sometimes the Mentat needs more than passive reception. With this Attainment the Mentat can replicate the effects of the “Transmission” spell with reach assigned to Instant casting and Encryption.
Fourth: Mind out of Body
Prerequisite: Mind 4, Computers 4, Good Time Management merit
Sometimes the physical world can be too distracting, other times it helps to enter a dreamscape where thoughts and ideas can take shape. By spending a scene focusing the Mentat can project themselves into either Twilight or a Dreamscape. This Attainment functions as the spell “Psychic Projection” with reach assigned to Advanced Duration.
Optional: Forces 4
With this level of control over Forces the Mentat can instead project their Mind into electromagnetic form, entering and travelling through computers, routers, cellphones, and other devices. The Mentat’s Mind can change between forms when going through a converter; a fiber-optic modem will take the electrical form and turn it into light, and a wireless router or cell phone can likewise convert the Mentat’s Mind to radio waves, but the Mentat cannot dynamically change themself. While in this state the Mentat ignores mundane security protocols and can freely manipulate any electronic aspect of the device they’re in, redirecting packets, rewriting software and firmware, even shutting the device down (though this last one ends the spell). Magical security provokes a Clash of Wills. Certain complex manipulations of an inhabited device might require an Intelligence + Computers roll.
Fifth: Install Knowledge
Prerequisite: Mind 5, and either Academics or Science 3 or Academics and Science 2.
Computers gain knew “knowledge” and “skills” from simply installing software, so too does a Mentat, after a fashion. After a scene of focus and concentration a Mentat can concentrate all the data they’ve gained on a subject through even the most casual of contact into useful and practical knowledge gaining ranks in a Skill they’ve never had or improving a Skill they do have. This attainment mimics the effects of “Gain Skill” with reach assigned to Advanced Duration and changing Potency to the Primary factor.
Optional: Forces 5
"Thou shalt not create a machine in the likeness of a human mind" is the core tenant of the Butlerian Jihad that necessitated the creation of Mentats in Dune. While Awakened Mentats do not subscribe to that fictional philosophy it can still be useful to deny others the use of their "thinking machines". With this attainment a Mentat can unleash an electromagnetic pulse over a wide area, destroying all electronics not sufficiently shielded. This Attainment mimics the effects of Electromagnetic Pulse with reach assigned to Advanced Scale: Area and Instant casting.
Mentats are a new legacy, created in the mid-1980s by a Los Angeles Libertine Obrimos (shadow) named Paul Atreides. A computer engineer and science fiction fan in his Sleeper life, Paul realized that digital storage and computers would come to dominate Sleeper life, and by extension that of the Awakened. But, no matter how useful, these devices would ultimately be vulnerable to Magical manipulation, thus Mentats gather Sleeper knowledge and preserve it in their own minds against manipulation or loss.
Mentats also plant information into computers where Sleepers can find it in the hopes of advancing Sleeper culture towards Awakening.
In Awakened society Mentats act as recorders, witnesses, and advisors, ensuring the integrity of privileged information.
Origins
Parentage: Obrimos, Free Council
Background: Many Mentats are computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians, engineers, and other math oriented professions. Some are simply sci-fi fans, but those quickly acquire the skills of the others or find their progress stalled.
Appearances: Most Mentats garb themselves as normal for their professions; in Los Angeles older Mentats tend towards business-casual whereas the younger crowd, influenced by Silicon Valley culture, wear more casual clothing.
Doctrine
Prerequisites: Mind 2, Computers 2, and the Eidetic Memory merit
Initiation: The prospective Mentat is given different portions of a complex equation to memorize, one normally requiring a computer to solve, over the span of five days. On the fifth day the Mentat must reconstruct the entire problem from memory and solve it.
Organization: Mentats engage in loose correspondence, but as a new legacy have too few members to warrant a more formalized structure. There has been talk of organizing in a manner similar to the IEEE when membership warrants and coming up with a code of ethics and standardized fee structures when hired by other Awakened.
Magic
Ruling Arcanum: Mind
Instruments: Stimulants (+1 or +2 if a negative condition is imposed), computational tools (+1), server farm (+2)
Oblations: Solving a complex equation in their head, “copying” the contents of an electronic storage to their mind, teaching someone about computers.
Attainments
First: No Data Lost
Prerequisite: Initiation
The Mentat doesn’t just remember life events or have better recall than average, they can perfectly recall even the most minute and specific details with perfect clarity and astounding resolution. Mass, dimensions, color, everything can be brought back with computer-like precision. This Attainment emulates the spell “Perfect Recall” with reach assigned to Instant casting.
Optional: Forces 1
By spending a scene attuning themselves to the Aether, the Mentat can pick up and interpret all EM spectrum based data around them as the “Tune In” spell with Advanced Duration factors. The Mentat can also read data directly off of electronic storage devices by touching them and optical storage devices by viewing the data side in direct light while this ability is active.
Second: Multi-Threading
Prerequisite: Mind 2, Computers 3
By meditating for a scene, the Mentat can gain the ability to process two distinct lines of thought at once, performing two separate mental or social extended tasks or two mental instant tasks at their full mental capacity. This Attainment replicates the “One Mind, Two Thoughts” spell with reach assigned to Advanced Duration and performing two Mental instant tasks at the same time. This Attainment also allows the Mentat to "run" programs and "view" data mentally as if using a computer (for example videos can be watched and computer programs can be compiled and executed). This mind-computer provides an equipment bonus equal to Potency on any task where a mundane computer would provide an equipment bonus.
Optional: Forces 2
It’s not enough to simply read the data off of a computer, sometimes the computer must be commanded to perform a specific task or new data must be written. This attainment allows the Mentant to give an electronic device any command that it can perform and have that command performed without the need of passwords or administrative access. This include writing or deleting data, scheduling tasks, or even creating entirely new programs hidden from users. More complex tasks, such as creating programs, may require an Intelligence + Computers or Wits + Computer roll.
Third: Inviolate Mind
Prerequisite: Mind 3, Computers 3, Academics or Science 2
The integrity of their mind is of utmost import to a Mentat, it is their life and the data they hold is often of a sensitive nature. By meditating for a scene the Mentat shields their Mind from outside influence, any attempt to use a mind affecting Supernal or other Supernatural power on the Mentat provokes a Clash of Wills. This spell should be treated as a Shielding spell with primary factor Duration and reach assigned to Advanced Duration and Advanced Potency.
Optional: Forces 3
Listening in to the various and sundry broadcasts in the Electromagnetic spectrum is enlightening, but sometimes the Mentat needs more than passive reception. With this Attainment the Mentat can replicate the effects of the “Transmission” spell with reach assigned to Instant casting and Encryption.
Fourth: Mind out of Body
Prerequisite: Mind 4, Computers 4, Good Time Management merit
Sometimes the physical world can be too distracting, other times it helps to enter a dreamscape where thoughts and ideas can take shape. By spending a scene focusing the Mentat can project themselves into either Twilight or a Dreamscape. This Attainment functions as the spell “Psychic Projection” with reach assigned to Advanced Duration.
Optional: Forces 4
With this level of control over Forces the Mentat can instead project their Mind into electromagnetic form, entering and travelling through computers, routers, cellphones, and other devices. The Mentat’s Mind can change between forms when going through a converter; a fiber-optic modem will take the electrical form and turn it into light, and a wireless router or cell phone can likewise convert the Mentat’s Mind to radio waves, but the Mentat cannot dynamically change themself. While in this state the Mentat ignores mundane security protocols and can freely manipulate any electronic aspect of the device they’re in, redirecting packets, rewriting software and firmware, even shutting the device down (though this last one ends the spell). Magical security provokes a Clash of Wills. Certain complex manipulations of an inhabited device might require an Intelligence + Computers roll.
Fifth: Install Knowledge
Prerequisite: Mind 5, and either Academics or Science 3 or Academics and Science 2.
Computers gain knew “knowledge” and “skills” from simply installing software, so too does a Mentat, after a fashion. After a scene of focus and concentration a Mentat can concentrate all the data they’ve gained on a subject through even the most casual of contact into useful and practical knowledge gaining ranks in a Skill they’ve never had or improving a Skill they do have. This attainment mimics the effects of “Gain Skill” with reach assigned to Advanced Duration and changing Potency to the Primary factor.
Optional: Forces 5
"Thou shalt not create a machine in the likeness of a human mind" is the core tenant of the Butlerian Jihad that necessitated the creation of Mentats in Dune. While Awakened Mentats do not subscribe to that fictional philosophy it can still be useful to deny others the use of their "thinking machines". With this attainment a Mentat can unleash an electromagnetic pulse over a wide area, destroying all electronics not sufficiently shielded. This Attainment mimics the effects of Electromagnetic Pulse with reach assigned to Advanced Scale: Area and Instant casting.
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