Aura abilities in SC2

[Kimera757]

An aura of menace!

Tychus Findlay: "Run faster, or I shoot you!" Commissar style!

[Pandonetho]

Sounds good. Maybe he can even execute a guy to set an example.

[Nicol Bolas]

With magic, you can have a spell that turns your enemies into sheeps. How do you justify that in sci-fi?

If the transformation is permanent, then it's simply matter reconversion. They obviously wouldn't become sheep, but blocks of inanimate material would work.

If it's temporary, then the ability could force them into a state of flux, where they take more damage from weapons and can't act (or can only move slowly).

[Triceron]

If the Zerg have abilities to infest units and the ability to create units that can look almost exactly like a unit or another race/faction (Changeling), then you could make lore to turn someone into a 'sheep'. Otherwise you could say it's a teleportation machine that's swapping the unit you have out for sheep.

[Quirel]

With magic, you can have a spell that turns your enemies into sheeps. How do you justify that in sci-fi?

I agree in that the restriction isn't very strong, but it's a lot easier to make mistakes, or to come with some explanation that will be taken as bullshit, than with fantasy.

Simple:
The Improbability Field Generator alters the state of improbability surrounding a certain unit, creating a wormhole that goes back in time and terminates at the location of a random specimen of Ovis Aries, causing translocation which lasts for thirty seconds until the IFG runs out of power, and Probability reinserts itself.

And how about this for an Aura? It doesn't even require a scientific explanation:
An aura around the Ultralisk that boosts the speed of enemy infantry units, provided that the are moving directly away from the Ultra.

[Pandonetho]

Why... exactly would you want that aura?

Zerg player: Good thing I have an enemy speed boost aura! It helps my enemy marines run faster!

[DemolitionSquid]

Why... exactly would you want that aura?

Zerg player: Good thing I have an enemy speed boost aura! It helps my enemy marines run faster!

We can call it a "Scared Shitless" aura.

[Pandonetho]

Yeah, a scare shitless aura that benefits your opponent because his units now move faster when he needs to run or micro back.

It would be funny to see though lol.

[DemolitionSquid]

Yeah, a scare shitless aura that benefits your opponent because his units now move faster when he needs to run or micro back.

Sometimes you WANT the enemy to run away. Him running is the next best thing to him dying.

And anyway, we never said it was a GOOD aura. The point is that it would be logical.

[emikochan]

Sorry kk, but the word aura is just the accepted term for "area effect ability that is active without further input from the unit" Though some auras would have negative sides like disabling the casting unit (deploying in C&C for example) It's not inherently fantasy or sci-fi.

Command auras don't work in contemporary scenarios due to all communication being battlefield wide, and all military units being well trained and disciplined (or drugged =p). They aren't going to get scared for example, specially in SC where precise unit control is paramount. (if someone was microing me as a marine i'd be damn sure to obey orders since it 'd up my expected lifetime from 6 seconds...)

Getting an order from someone next to you (when in full power armour) would be exactly the same as getting it over comms. Though hearing your ground forces cheer as a Battlecruiser or Carrier looms over the horizon would be pretty special

If a marine can run faster being by another arbritrary unit, why wouldn't it be able to do it at all times? It works with creep due to a sort of symbiosis i'd imagine, like running on a racetrack as opposed to the rough ground. (and balance ofcourse, slowing enemies is more logical but less balanced, and fast zerg on creep is seriously freakin' cool)

on the "magic can do anything" argument; Nanomachines, that's your magic right there.
I wouldn't be suprised if medivacs ended up with a healing aura instead of a beam.

(and I hate being pedantic but the propaganda towers did increase attack speed =p, I agree the extra health regen was a bit weird, propaganda might make you work harder and faster, but it's not sealing any bulletholes. I remember a similar system than worked on an old console rts i played (Warzone 2100 iirc), but that had repair vehicles, that could repair faster as their upped attack.)