NOTE: This is a variation of the Psychic rules written by Gary Astleford (ocelot@connectnet.com). A lot of the text is cut and paste from that text, with some variations done to make things easier on myself for my own game.
New stat: POWER
Power, for all intents and purposes, is the "tenth attribute." It can
be raised like a skill with an IP multiplier of 4. If the subject
wishes
to employ a psychic talent, he adds his Power to his score in that
talent
as well as the results of a 1d10 roll and compares it to a difficulty
number.
If the result is equal to or higher than the difficulty, the effect is
successful.
Career Skill Package:
Awareness/Notice
Endurance
Disguise
Education & General Knowledge
Pharmacuticals
Cryokinesis/Pyrokinesis
Read/Block
Precognition
Telekinesis
Injure/Kill
"Psychic Talents"
These are the skills a psychic uses to do his tricks. They are all
rated as normal skills, with a rating between 1 and 10. There are five
documented talents: Cryokinesis/Pyrokinesis, Read/Block, Precognition,
Telekinesis, and Injure/Kill. They are detailed below.
Cryokinesis/Pyrokinesis
: This is the ability to manipulate temperatures.
The base difficulty is modified by range and area of effect.
EFFECT Base Difficulty
Drop/Raise
Temperature by 1-10 Degrees
Fahrenheit
5
Drop/Raise Temperature by 11-25 Degrees
Fahrenheit
10
Drop/Raise Temperature by 26-50 Degrees
Fahrenheit
15
Drop/Raise Temperature by 51-100 Degrees
Fahrenheit
20
Drop/Raise Temperature by 101-250 Degrees
Fahrenheit
25
Drop/Raise Temperature by 250-??? Degrees
Fahrenheit
30+
Note that psychics adept at Cryo- and Pyrokinesis aren't immune to their own powers.
Read/Block : This is the ability to read (or scan) someone's thoughts, as well as preventing your own thoughts from being scanned. The base difficulty to read someone is the target's COOL attribute times 2.5 (round up), modified by range. The total for this ability is also added to his own COOL times 2.5 when resisting a scan. Example : Liza wishes to keep Fred from scanning her thoughts. Her Cool time 2.5 is 18. Her Read/Block talent is rated at +4. Fred will have to roll over 22 (18 + 4) in order to read her thoughts.
Precognition
: A sixth sense, which grants those skilled in its
use a glimpse of things that may or may not occur. Results from the use
of this talent are usually fuzzy at best, but they can give the psychic
an edge in some situations. Generally, the psychic chooses a target - a
person, place, or object. He then decides how far into the future he
wishes
to search for information on that person, place, or thing. Modify the
base
difficulty by the range of the person, place, or object.
EFFECT Base Difficulty
Predict
Person/Place/Object's next 1-30
seconds
5
Predict Person/Place/Object's next 31-60
seconds
10
Predict Person/Place/Object's next 1-10
minutes
15
Predict Person/Place/Object's next 11-30
minutes
20
Predict Person/Place/Object's next 31-60
minutes
25
Predict Person/Place/Object's next 2-10
hours
30
Such predictions must be very specific. The psychic can query, "Which card will be drawn from the deck next?" or "Where will this man be in twenty minutes?" Of course, answers can be as clear or as fuzzy as the GM wishes them to be. The future is never set in stone, and the psychic can choose to interfere with the outcome of his prediction if he so wishes. Psychics with exceptional talent in Precognition are excellent gamblers who rarely, if ever, lose.
Telekinesis
: This is the ability to move objects with one's
mind. The base difficulty is modified by range and area of effect. An
object
can be thrown a distance in meters equal to the Telekinesis Talent's
level,
but a to-hit roll must be made using a second POWER+Telekinesis roll.
Figure
any damage based on the object's size and weight.
EFFECT Base Difficulty
Lift/Move
Something that Weighs 1 kg. or
less
5
Lift/Move Something that Weighs 2-10
kg.
10
Lift/Move Something that Weighs 11-25
kg.
15
Lift/Move Something that Weighs 26-50
kg.
20
Lift/Move Something that Weighs 51-100
kg.
25
Lift/Move Something that Weighs 101-250
kg.
30
Injure/Kill
: A specialized form of Telekinesis, it is used to
alter the structures of living things. With this Talent, a psychic can
pinch nerves, cause strokes, collapse lungs, burst organs, rupture
blood
vessels, or cause cuts and scratches. Of course, the more invasive the
attack, the harder it is to accomplish.
EFFECT Base Difficulty
Pain
- No damage, but causes a stun/shock roll at -1 5
1d6 Damage - Cuts, Bruises 10
2d6 Damage - Deep Lacerations, Minor Internal Damage 15
3d6 Damage - Severe Internal Damage and Bleeding 20
4d6 Damage - Major Internal Damage 25
5d6 Damage, Stat Reduction - Heart Attacks, Strokes 30
The base difficulty is modified by range to target. The Injure/Kill talent can never be higher than a psychic's Telekinesis talent.
Use
of Psychic Talents
It is important to note that using a Psychic Talent takes a lot of
concentration. A character using a Talent can do nothing else, and must
concentrate on his task. What's more, by spending more time
concentrating
than normal, a psychic can reduce the difficulty of a Talent by -1 per
turn spent concentrating, up to a ceiling of -5 to the difficulty
number.
The power will not manifest until the psychic is satisfied that he has
concentrated long enough. The psychic is unable to perform any task
other
than concentrate, and is extremely vulnerable. Also note that standard
difficulty modifiers apply (see CP2020 pg. 42).
Concentration is difficult to maintain, and even a slight disturbance
will break it. If something occurs that might cause a psychic to lose
his
concentration, he must roll a save against his COOL. The GM should
decide
the save's difficulty depending on the circumstances. If he fails, his
concentration is broken and the power does not manifest. Sample
incidents
that may call for a roll are listed below.
INCIDENT DIFFICULTY
Sudden
loud noise,
gunfire
Difficult
Explosion
Very Difficult
Psychic hit, nudged, or pushed (no
damage)
Easy
Psychic takes light
wound
Average
Psychic takes serious
wound
Difficult
Psychic takes critical
wound
Very Difficult
Psychic takes mortal
wound
Impossible
PCs are arguing/kibitzing (if psychic is a
PC)
Average
Range
and Area of Effect
Use of these powers is limited by range and, occasionally, by area
of effect. The closer a psychic is to his target, the easier it is to
perform
the selected task.
RANGE Difficulty Modifier
Touching
-
1m.
-5
2m. -
10m.
0
11m. -
25m.
+5
26m. -
50m.
+10
51m. -
100m.
+15
101m. -
250m.
+20
251m. -
500m.
+25
501m. -
1000m.
+30
Area
of effect for Talents that may require one (ie, Cryo- and Pyrokinesis)
is equal to a one meter diameter area. For every extra meter of
diameter,
add 2 to the total difficulty. For example, if Liza wants to cause a 5
meter area, centered on her, to drop in temperature by 20 degrees, she
must roll above a 13 (10 Difficulty Base - 5 for range, +8 for expanded
area of effect). Voila! Instant air conditioning.