Mind Points?

[givinguptheghost]

I was just curious how you guys use mind points while playing your quests. My friends and I are confused as to how they are utilized. For example with the Chaos sleep spell:
"This spell puts any one Hero into a deep sleep. A sleeping Hero is unable to move, attack or defend himself. The spell can be broken immediately or on a future turn by the Hero rolling 1d6 for each of his Mind Points. If a 6 is rolled, the spell is broken." Does this mean that the hero (for example the barbarian) can only roll two d6 total each turn to break the spell/ in the case of the wizard he can roll 6d6 each turn to try and break the spell? Or, can it be read as the barbarian can roll a d6 for each of his mind points, one for each turn for a total of two turns and if he fails he is completely unconscious. The wizard would roll 1 red die over the course of 6 turns until he is ultimately unconscious as well. So, what are your interpretations of how to properly utilize the mind points?

[sajungzak]

The hero can immediately roll the number of d6 die that corresponds to his current mind points. He continues to do this on each of his turns until the spell is broken or he dies because he has been unable to defend himself.

[sajungzak]

In later expansions MP can be lost; the result of having 0MP depends on the cause.

[cynthialee]

The hero can immediately roll the number of d6 die that corresponds to his current mind points. He continues to do this on each of his turns until the spell is broken or he dies because he has been unable to defend himself.

This.

At my table I also use Mind Points for figuring out stuff that is difficult.
For example: The Wizard walks into the next room and recognizes it as a wizards laboratory. He tries to figure out what the other Wizard was doing. He may roll a Combat Dice for each point in Mind and if he rolls a Black Shield he figures out the Wizards work. Say it turns out the other Wizard was making a potion, well our Wizard will have a chance to complete the work. Again, roll Mind Points in Combat Dice. Each Black Shield rolled will count as a potion of the type concocted.

I also have some traps that are very hard to detect that require a 'search roll' to discover. This relies on Mind points rolled as combat dice looking for a Black Shield. Thus the highly intelligent Heroes have a big advantage over the doofy Barbarian in some situations.

Low Mind Point Heroes are always fun for their combat power, but get that Barbarian next to a Mind Fungus* for 2 turns and he is finished....

*Mind Fungus is a monster I created that releases a cloud of spores if you are next to it. These spores sap a Mind Point. If you are reduced to 0 Mind, you become a fungal zombie. Good stuff.

[Thinker]

I always sort of imagined that Mind points were where the Hero's abilities come from. - e.g. the Dwarf's Mind score is 1 more than the Barbarian's and that's how he gets his Trap skills; the Elf's is 2 more the Barbarian's and that's how he gets a spell set. I suppose the algebra of it would be:

Barbarian 2 = Use Combat Equipment (2pts)
Dwarf 3 = Use Combat Equipment (2pts) + Disarm Trap (1pt)
Elf 4 = Use Combat Equipment (2pts) + 1 set of Spells (2pts)
Wizard 6 = 3 sets of Spells (3 x 2pts)

I seem to recall that when I played the game back as a kid, the GM gave whoever wore the Talisman of Lore an extra set of spells, seeing as how it's more-or-less useless otherwise. Since I'm a UK player and the ToL gives +2 Mind that would add up!

[mitchiemasha]

I use mind points as initiative. Also a test of mind to successfully perform certain skills, such as sneak.

[Patroclus]

Mind in HQ is like the Intelligence and Charisma of the AD&D and you can use it in your adventures as you like. For example you can put a statue in a room and every time you enter it causes fear if you don’t make a successful check on your mind score. Or if you find an NPC, and you try to convince him that you are friendly.

I also use the maximum Body points as the Strength and Constitution of a character. For example when you have to move a rock or you fall from height.

For Dexterity (as we know it from AD&D) I use a custom point system. For example, if there is a rope from the one door of the room to the other door, and below is a pit with a crocodile, and the heroes have to walk on the rope, I make a custom point system as I want. For example, the thief will roll 6 dices, the barbarian 5 dices, the wizard 3 dices and the dwarf 2. If the barbarian has plate armor I could reduce his dices -1.

Those checks are very important if you use “special rooms” in your quests.