Glad you liked them.
Some more random ideas:
-we should be able to cut phone and electrical wires (for single houses or whole blocks)
-a used way to overcome alarm is to activate it couple of times so the housekeeper switches it off or lowers its senzitivity
-poisons, sleeping pills, chlorophorm
-ability to take someone as living shield
-door chains (to make things harder)
Some of the most cunning killers were a great manipulators, so this is my idea of how this could work:
I think it would be great if instead of some kind dialogue, the success you score on the manipulation check, would determine some kind of "manipulation points". Now you can spend these point for instance to:
-control his movement
-control his actions (interaction with objects, aces to inventory, interaction with humans)
-change his status (like policeman from alerted to calm or victim from nervous to relaxed)
-change his relationship (like from stranger to friend from friend to buddy) ...now the better relation the easier the manipulation- its easier to make your buddy to give you his keys
Now different thing would cost various amount of points. Manipulating him to move him to kitchen would sure cost less points than lend you some money or switch of the alarm. But if you a good manipulator and you score high suces giving you lots of points, you could for instance manipulate a person to go to other person and try to manipulate her and such kind of crazy combinations. (like trying to manipulate bodyguard to manipulate his boss)
The thing is, we don't have to hear the dialogue, it would lead to restrictions, same as graphics in roguelikes we can imagine the dialogs.
...of course there should be limits like once you manipulate somebody you should give him some time before trying to manipulate him more, or at cost of higher manipulation difficulty.
Model situation:
-You knock on Mark Thompson's door.
-He comes to door =>You manipulate him but use all the points for removing the inside chain from the door, since this is a very point expensive action you dont have points to do anything else.
-Manipulate again=> You control Mark to go to kitchen while you enter the hall and steel garage door keys.
