can I use the basic skill (strain) and control 1 - did vs did influence in the same turn? or does using he control automatically strain the mind if using a negative emotion?

2 minutes ago, LordEnforcer said:

can I use the basic skill (strain) and control 1 - did vs did influence in the same turn? or does using he control automatically strain the mind if using a negative emotion?

Hard to understand what you are really asking here.

Successfully using the Influence basic power does 1 point of strain damage to the target per force point used. It does not matter which color pip you use for this particular effect. It is possible the GM will require an opposed check with this power if it is being used against a Nemesis or Plot Significant Rival NPC.

Technically, no. You can't use the basic power and the Mind Trick control upgrade at the same time.

I, however, allow characters to do so, but no pips can be spent for more then one effect. So you still need to spend 1 pip to get the Mind Trick working, plus however many pips for the Magnitude and Range you need, not to mention how much Duration you want. But, if you happen to have pips left over after all that...sure, go ahead and strain your target(s) a little!