Hi all

with control upgrade, sense power gain effect to read mind (superficial thought)

the question is:

you just need to activate mind reading (the "new effect") or you still need to activate basic power (ie activate "emotional reading") and then spend any additional FP to activate "superficial thought mind reading"?

power description state "Effect: Spend FP. The Force user senses the current thoughts of one living target with whom he is engaged."

in the rulebook says "The user gain ability to read superficial thought; this power gain the effect: Spend FP. The Force user senses the current thoughts of one living target with whom he is engaged"

that's looks like an an ALTERNATE power, so long you can either: "spend a FP to sense all living thing", "spend a FP to sense the current emotional status" "spend a FP to read superficial thought" and thus you just need to spend 1 single FP to activate either one of them

But we had some suspect RAW are misleading and that means "after activating 'read emotional status' effect you can spend an additional FP to read superficial thought"

This question could apply to some other powers too: to use a control upgrade you still EVER need to activate basic power, or some effect are alternate version of basic power?

(ie for Move, you should activate basic power before the control upgrade "throw object to a target" or is an alternate effect?)

You just need the FP for the new effect, as it is effectively an alternate effect of the base power.

Generally speaking, if a Control Upgrade says "send FP to activate this specific effect," then it can be considered an alternate effect of the base power. It's only when the Control Upgrade says "when activating the basic power" that you would indeed have to generate enough FP for both the base power and control upgrade.

Sense is one of the Force powers with the highest number of unique effects it gives you. The basic power gives you two: sensing life forms, and reading emotions. The left-hand column gives you two more, increasing defense and increasing offense, and the control upgrade on the right gives you another, sensing thoughts.

I can't off the top of my head think of any other power that gives you five unique abilities. Enhance and Seek come close with four, but five?