Limitations on Mental Miracles in Grim War

[Daniel Stack]

A question on Grim War... 

p.15 states the following:

Mutations cannot give characters HD or WD in any Mind, Charm or Command Skills, except for Intimidation— unless the GM says so. If the hyperskill makes sense as a physical extension of the mutant’s power, it might work. Mutation can’t give HD or WD in those Stats.

The “Variable Effect” Extra must be taken with an “If/Then” Flaw that limits it to a particular theme or type of power. This precludes “anything goes” Miracles based on Variable Effect, such as Gadgeteering and Cosmic Power.

Mutant
What They Can Do: Pretty much any physical effect.
Limitations: No HD or WD in Mind, Charm or Command— but see “Variations,” to the left. No telepathy, no detection or control of really abstract principles (“danger,”
 loyalty,” “madness”), no emotional control.

I'm trying to put on a "setting designer hat" to understand the reason for these limitations. I'm guessing that the Variable Effect limitation is both to prevent mutants from stepping on magician characters' toes.

What about the limitation on Mind/Charm/Command as well as related miracles? While magician characters seem to be a bit more mental in their background, their spells (and that of their daemons and archons) are a variety of physical an abstract concepts. It seems there's no characters really designed to have telepathy or similar powers. Is it a core idea of the setting that there is very little in the way of telepathy? If so, how come?

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"If we were prepared to consign minority rights to a majority vote, there would be no need for a constitution."
- David Boies
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[Greg Stolze]

Mostly it was a matter of theme. I wanted mutant powers to be
forceful but, by and large, kind of crude. The guy with limited
omniscience is kind of pushing the envelope, really. Telepathy and
hypercommand are subtle powers that require the interfacing of one
mind with another, and I didn't think that sort of thing would evolve
rapidly. Plus, I liked the idea that, in a setting so focussed on
social impact, the powers that let you most simply attain that come
with some risks and prohibitions. You want to grab the tiller?
Okay, but the handle's lined with razor blades.

-G.

[Daniel Stack]

I was wondering about that. I'd been thinking about the setting and
one thing which occurred to me was the lack of mental powers makes it
easier for me to believe history largely follows our own. I'm raiding
Grim War pretty extensively for a game I'm planning but will
probably be adding a recent point of divergence when history begins
drifting. Probably a mutant with buclear powers losing control and
raking out a city near the American heartland. - a little stealing
from Heroes and Starbrand.

[Maine75Man]

Hmm having only read the preview I assumed the prohibitions where
partly there to prevent super mutant socerers.

[Daniel Stack]

Actually the rules do allow for super mutant sorcerers. Though I imagine they'd excel at neither - you'd probably need to make someone who dabbles in magic or is a weak mutant.

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"If we were prepared to consign minority rights to a majority vote, there would be no need for a constitution."
- David Boies
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