Not when we’re playing by SPOOFE’s rules it’s not.
Speaking of which, where is he to clear up this whole pesky range thing?
Relax.
We’ll stop him first.
Most comic-book, movie, or novel stories general give the impression that a telepath’s talents and precision increase with practice.
In theory… a telepath could develop his skills so that he’s constantly monitoring the thoughts of every man, woman, and child on the planet. He’s just gotta have an efficient filing system in his brain.
On another vein, it’d be an interesting notion for our friend the Crazy Mindreader to put a bit of subconscious “coding” in everyone’s head to not want to turn against our telepathic master…
(Can anyone guess that telepathy is a subject of fiction that I find amusing?)
Ever read Larry Niven’s World of Ptavvs? You should. He anticipated you. 
And it’s a great book. (Although I think it’s out of print. Any good used bookstore should have a copy, or if not http://www.bookfinder.com will)
Fenris
Well, SPOOFE, what’s the effective distance of your telepath? If it’s too short, one of those neato keen sniper rifles w/ a mile+ range should do the job nicely.
Otherwise, if he’s monitoring the thoughts of everybody it depends on how great his attention span is, as in “will he pay attention to what I’m thinking if there’s something more interesting going on.” If he can’t, I’ll just have my hottest female friends fantasize and masturbate furiously around me as I take aim. This may postpone the assassination by a good fifteen minutes or so, but who’s complaining?
As a DM in many psionic AD&D campaigns, i usually rely on an adult intellect devourer or two to reign those pesky telepaths in.
If we are going to ponder over this situation without the assistance of creatures of fantasy, or other telepaths, and can’t resort to items like Juggernaut’s helmet, then I’d have to suggest shooting him in the head with a powerful long range rifle while he slept.
Just to be safe, we’ll use a hollow point bullet. And why not coat it with a fast acting poison. Oh, and make it silver, just in case. Oh oh, and the silver can come from melting down a crucifix. You never know.
“In theory… a telepath could develop his skills so that he’s constantly monitoring the thoughts of
every man, woman, and child on the planet. He’s just gotta have an efficient filing system in his
brain.”
Oh?
Let’s say that the human body is about 4 watts. There are around 6 billion people on the planet. If you connected to them all at once, you’d be taking in 24 billion watts.
How long do you think one could stand something like that?
Nice observations, everybody.
Reality Chuck: you’re welcome. From all of us. You know what for!
Everyone pick an NSYNC song and get it stuck in your head. He’ll either give up reading minds or go insane. I know I would.
Telepathy has nothing to do with connecting BODIES, handy, just the minds!!
Just to clarify, I’m coming at this with the assumption of the “mind/body dualism” aspect of philosophy coming into play… that the mind is a separate entity from the body.
I’d hit him in the head with a rock.
I’m curious as to why any of you think a telepath has the advantage in a one-on-one situation. Think about what is going on in his mind while you are attacking him or her.
- All of his thoughts.
- All of your thoughts.
- The thoughts of anyone within range.
What’s going on in your mind?
- I’m gonna kill that s.o.b.!
While we’re at it, let’s talk about what a telepath would “hear”. Do any of you think in clear and concise linear sequences? I know I don’t.
You just have to plug the controller into the second-player slot…
I never plug my controller into the “second slot” on the first date.
Well, almost never.
Well, he still has to sleep, right?
Why does he want to take over the world, anyway?.. That gives me an idea. If everyone thinks thoughts along the lines of “there’s no reason to take over the world”, maybe he’d decide to give up…
Um, what?
The human body is about 4 watts?
What the heck is that supposed to mean? Why watts? Why a measure of power at all? Why 4? I know; let’s make it 28.2 ergs! No, wait, 22 kilopascals! Oh, hold it, I’ve got it; 8.4 femtofarads!
What exactly does it mean to say that the human body is 4 watts? Do you mean that they radiate 4 joules per second? Is that from body heat, or is there something else involved here? Are you saying that if we screwed a 4-watt lightbulb (mighty dim, I know) into a person, they could light it? What?
Sorry for the hijack, SPOOFE, but I was provoked.
Anyhoo…
I agree with Mnementh, only I was going to say “cut off his head”. First thing that occurred to me upon reading the subject of this thread. But seriously (?), I’d probably have to go with the Demolished Man approach (that was a killer book, by the way, Rue DeDay, you heretic, you).
Czarcasm…
We’re assuming he’s also got the ability to “turn off” his ability… although uncontrollable telepathic powers are an interesting notion, too.
Lindy…
I’m just wondering WHERE they’d screw that lightbulb…
Hey, I just got a good idea for a lamp design!
Send a buddhist monk that practices yoga 24/7 after’em. Them’s the guys that can not think about stuff and just sit and not think right? Ya tell’em what to do and then not ta thinks about it and whammo ya gots yerself one dead telepath.
That would make a rather good (or bad, but definitely the good sort of bad) film.
It’s got everything a movie needs: sci-fi, kung fu, and some more sci-fi and some more kung fu. If you brought in the idea of fighting telepathy with annoying eighties pop lyrics, you could even have George Michael and Andrew Ridgely saving the world with the help of the monks from the Shaolin Temple.
It’s a winner.
What’s the monk gonna do, Dippitydoo?
Bore him to death?
Or maybe sit on his face in a yoga position until he suffocates?
SPOOFE, most of the actions people take when fighting are done instinctively. You don’t think to yourself. “He’s moving left-perhaps I should slide to the left and hit him in the stomach!”, you just react almost instantly to his movements.