'Joe Hologram' is a newly-dunked biokinetic that has been hanging around Trinity facilities recently. The name is obviously an alias and the staff has taken to calling him JH for short (which can also stand for Joanne Hologram, depending on circumstances). The face and form JH has varies over time unless JH is actively concentrating, the young agent doesn't yet have full control and is hesitant to limit his still developing powers in any way. It may be that one day JH will be a perfect doppelganger but that day isn't here yet.
The higher-ups mention that JH is 'on leave' from Norca, which cynical Trinity Ops doubt, the grave is usually the only way to leave Norca. In any case, JH is careful not to reveal too much about himself, keep any one face or leave Trinity grounds unless needed. What is painfully obvious is how much of a young hayseed JH is, no matter how perfect the copy, any disguise is usually picked apart in moments by watching the guileless biokinetic.
While no one has read his mind (at least not openly), the powerful waves of homesickness and sadness in JH can make nearby telepaths cry. No real knowledge of Norca operations has been gained. JH doesn't remember being shown any real secrets (but that could have been a choice, Norca has telepaths too). While his judgement may be questionable, his ability and loyalty to his teammates is not. After all, he has nowhere else to go...
These are quick notes for now...
In short, Tom Hanks character in Big or a slightly more socialized Carrie from Stephen King as a reluctant black ops.
Allegiance skills; I used Trinity : Triton (Academics, Awareness, Intrusion, Linguistics, one learned ability (Investigation, Medicine, Science, Xenology), one technical ability (Computer or engineering).
Triton has a research division and that's where he worked on the Leviathan project.
Xenorelatation replace social skill when dealing with extraterrestrial. Xenology is simply social sciences on aliens (sociology and the like). Noetics (Bioware) is the skill that directly relate to Kerry's field of work.
These stats makes Kerry a world expert on biotech matters (10 dice!). Only the fact that his main contribution to the field has been working on the top-secret Leviathan project has prevented the associated fame. His desire to now do field work and be at the forefront of the research of the Teleporters (and his missing brother) will allow me to fit him nicely on a low profile assignment; Kerry needs the training and Agent Hector Ramirez wants a top notch Noeticist on the case (You'll see why soon enough).
Koo; It might be time to give your PC a name other than the placeholder 'Joe Hologram'.
And what about your Cipher background? It's very high. What is known about your PC? Does Trinity even know about his family?
---
We are about set to go. Tomorrow I will post the parameters of your powers within the freeform power system, some directive about posts and perhaps make the first post.
I wasn't sure how much time I had, so I put in a brief placeholder. Joe Hologram is an obvious alias to let people know they are talking to a biokinetic, I imagine BK's have to swap names as much as faces.
I am about to follow with rough drafts (I had hoped to get you more polished drafts) but again time is against me.
JH's real name is Pat McKnight (in some circumstances, it might be Patrick or Patricia) and I am about to follow with some posts.
I am beginning to re-think the high cipher value, I thought a BK would need a high cipher value but now I think a BK can be less worried about their identities rather than anyone else. I would welcome your advice on this.
My apologies to the team for taking so dammed long, I hope to get it all done tonight.
The McKnights are a travelling clan of nomads that migrate around the edges (in every sense) of human society. In the 22nd-Century, this typically meant extrasolar colonies. Insular and old-fashioned, the clan claims to be descended from actual British nobility. Whatever the truth, the McKnights seems at times obsessed with apparently trivial matters of lineage and bloodline. Currently, given the near non-existence of Britain as a political power, such a morbid fascination with ancestry seems near pathetic to outsiders.
In any case, the McKnight's insistence on living in the past has allowed them to eke out a living making home-made crafts and specializing in archaic forms of entertainment, despite (or perhaps BECAUSE of) the ease of modern manufacturing and the deliberate trending of the modern age. Depending on which McKnight you meet or who you talk to, the McKnight are good but backward people OR con men, carnies and thieves, maybe both at once.
What is known about the Clan McKnight is that they were amongst the first to emigrate to Britain's Camelot lunar base (now colony) in the mid-2000's. When the Aberrant's finally left the Moon for parts unknown, some McKnights went left with them, willingly, or so it seemed. To the eyes of most, those McKnights who left were Aberrant collaborators, and those who remained were Aberrant sympathizers (at the very least). The majority of the remaining clan left Camelot for the first extrasolar colonies as soon as they were opened, the McKnights now learning to keep a low profile and not to stay in one place too long...
(Game possibilities: Like any closed society, the McKnights have their fair share of conspiracy nuts keeping tabs on them, not too many, the group isn't that well-known or THAT interesting minus conspiracies.
The theories run something like this: The explosion of Hammersmith's Telluric Engine in 1920's London (which is possibly suspected, if not public knowledge in the 2120's) irradiated a local Briton with mutagenic Z-Rays, this led to a long and fruitful dynasty with a 'special' member every generation or so. This yet unrevealed 'Inspired' was an early, but not founding, member of the Aeon Society for Gentleman (although not necessarily gentle and/or a man). When the Inspired first child had signs of Z-Ray exposure, the Aeon Society used its influence to get the family into the nobility (using one of the last hereditary peerages granted by the Crown). The kind of family structures that would perserve 'blue bloods' would work very well to keep track of very uncommon blood, indeed.
A century later, it became terribly apparent that the Novas were beginning a slow but inevitable slide into Aberration, the McKnight clan would have a higher chance of Aberrant children. The clan decided to disappear from society at large and to make sure no Aberrant child was ever discovered. Whether pressure from other mysterious groups delivered this decision or the clan decided to 'thin' the herd before someone else forced that decision on them, few know. In any case, there has been no DOCUMENTED Aberrant child born to the clan. Whether Abberant children don't happen or are unrevealed, or just plain 'disappeared' is unknown, the isolation and structure of the Clan does not lend itself to a census.
With the recent discovery of psionic potential, it has occured to the McKnight and others that the clan might spawn a savior psion now and then, not just the rare abberration. True or not, psionic talent scouts, sponsored by the Aeon Trinity would visit the outer colonies once a year looking for potential. It certainly seemed that the McKnights were sure to be visited, no matter how far out in Space they were...)
2100 - Pat
Pat McKnight was born on Luna but was soon travelling with the rest of the clan to faraway colonies. The life was hard, cramped and restrictive, unless you were little and had known no other life.
To young Pat, Karoo Mining Colony was just this side of Heaven, there was always a new tunnel or cranny to explore, a new family to get to know, and the iridescent beauty of the Crab Nebula outside every window.
2113 - The chance of a lifetime
Pat was thirteen when the nice folks from Trinity arrived for their yearly visit but this time was special, but this time, they said that Pat might be 'special' too.
If Pat wanted, there would be a trip to Old Earth itself, a year of testing and even dunking for a luckly few. Pat's family was so proud and the money Pat could send back would be great help even just for agreeing to testing.
The next day, Pat and a few other hopeful students from the outer colonies were 'jumped' to Earth. Of all of the proxies the Trinity represented, Pat favored the Ministry or the Teleporters best. The psi orders said Pat's potential for any order was even, it was simply a matter of choice.
2114 - Pat was at the Trinity base in London trying to volunteer for the resuce mission of Karoo from those...THINGS. The ace card was when Pat threatened to join the Legion, THEY would take any warm body, even a desparate underage latent. Psions of various orders were trying to calm the young latent, even the telepath was having trouble.
There was something on the holonews about a space station. No one paid any attention, the ISRA psion had just enough foreknowledge to scream.
The telekinetic froze solid, the electrokinetic was shocked to death by the nearby biotech, the ISRA rep had already been holding them both. Three corpses hit the floor, one shattering and Pat still didn't understand.
It wasn't until the telepath psi-screamed, putting the pain and agony of 'millions of people crying out in terror and suddenly silenced' into Pat's mind. A horror so terrible most nearby psis suicided. The telepath shut off her mind forever and the nearby Pat was knocked into merciful oblivion and didn't awaken until the shockwave from Paris blew out the windows an hour later...
2115 - Pat stood naked amongst strangers, eyes straight ahead on the mysterious Prometheus chamber. The latent before had spent time floating in the tank with a wide-eyed expression of indescribable transcendence. To the Legionaires around them, this was just the dunk before lunch hour. Soon these would be Pat's siblings in battle. The new psion was helped out of the tank, singing in a kind of ecstatic trance.
It was Pat's turn to leave mere humanity behind. One barefoot step forward and...
"Stop." Pat did, so did everyone else, the Legion Prometheus tank was an assembly line, not to be stopped for any small reason. Everyone turned to face the voice.
"The Karoo rescue has been put on hold indefinitely, it is considered not a ...prudent use of our limited resources." The General said through clenched jaw, he also had family on Karoo. He had also been Pat's sponsor, helping the young latent speed through the recruitment process. There were groans and howls of protest throughout the Prometheus room.
"So," said a young tech, "We're the LEGION! No one can stop us if we want to go anyway."
"We aren't lawless monsters, we follow orders." The general said as evenly as he could. The protest continued for several minutes, as respectfully as protocol allowed regarding a senior officer.
In the din, few people heard Pat say quietly, "You're powerless! No, worse than that, you won't use the power you DO have." Pat turned and walked slowly towards the exit. A few latents gasped in shock at the breach of decorum and protocol but no Legionaire offered the slightest protest of resistance.
As the doors slid open, Pat asked distractedly, the idea had just occured, "General, why didn't you tell me after dunking? You would have had one more Legionaire."
"An angry, undisciplined and resentful Legionaire, bad for us and you."
Pat nodded and walked out of the Legionaire complex, never to return...
That night, Pat lay in bed in the dorm room provided by Aeon Trinity, most of the other latents had either been dunked or been disqualified by now. The Orders would still be interested despite Pat's 'outburst' earlier, even the Legion would still be willing, latents were rare enough. But to what end? The Legion was the least regulated of the Orders, all would follow orders and none of those orders would include freeing faraway Karoo. Pat eventually drifted into a dreamless sleep...
A shimmering display of phospenes cascaded across Pat's eyes which naturally forced themselves open. Standing at the end of the bed was a strange being, bipedal, two sets of eyes, rippling patterns of light across its strange body.
A Chromatic, one of the same monsters that attacked the faraway McKnight Clan!
Pat started to scream, but the creature clamped what might have been an arm around the latent's throat and began to slowly squeeze. "How badly do you want to kill me?" it taunted in an inhuman chitter. "More than anything else!" Pat would have screamed the words if possible, it was a reflex, years of rage behind it. The monster nodded approvingly in a very human way. And then it hit home, Chromatics had never been reported to talk.
It's other appendage went to its strange mouth in what would have been a 'keep quiet' gesture if done by a human being. The other hand didn't release Pat's neck until the confused teenager stopped struggling. And then the Chromatics flesh flowed like a river, sculpting, changing into the mirror image of Pat.
"Maybe it won't have to come to that." winked Pat's new twin.
It took a full minute for Pat to understand and then slowly say, "...a biokenetic,--Norca?!"
"It takes a lawless monster to FIGHT lawless monsters, something no other order understands but us."
"Wait, I heard that today at the Legion Chamber, you were there?"
"Maybe, I have one of those faces that seems to blend in."
That sank in and Pat slowly asked, "Why are you here? What do you want?"
"To give you the one best chance you might ever have to get to your family and fight these creatures, if you want it bad enough. Still listening?"
It took Pat a long time to nod but the two Pat's shook each other hands and the second began to talk to the first...
2119 The young couple on the park bench was so very obviously in love and lost in each other's company that onlookers and bystanders looked away out of respect for their privacy. Which was exactly how the two of them wanted it.
With his eyes closed, Patrick could sense the life all around him, Earth was like no other place he had ever been, here, life simply was. Out there, living things were either human, served a human purpose, were vermin, or the enemy. For now, he scanned to confirm there were no other people nearby.
Content, he willed his flesh to bring the very tiny biochip to the surface of his skin and then Camille took the biochip into herself the same way, the adaptation mode had its advantages.
"Well done," she whispered, "your control is improving, you have held this face for an hour without any noticable drift. I think your eyes are changing color, though." "Not as impressive as being a Chromatic, though." Patrick whispered back. Camille giggled, "The hard part was incorprorating the light-emitting bioware." They both chuckled, the years of working together had been pleasant.
"Do I want to know what you had to do to get this data, would I be jealous?" She teased. Patrick kissed her with more passion. "Are you answering or evading the question?" she teased.
"Whatever it took. It was worth it, I know some of what Aeon's working on."
Camille sighed, "You remembered the data?"
"It was necessary to keep cover."
"I know some friends who can help with inconvenient memories."
"No. Aeon seems to really be committed to the new starships."
Camille gritted her teeth, which were sharpening with her annoyance.
"We've had this conversation before, you will get to be on the ship to Karoo, when the time is right."
"The time is now. I have given the Norca everything. I can't remember my original face and form without a photograph. I will return but I have to go now."
"You don't just leave us!" She hissed, almost loud enough to startle nearby parkgoers, Camille caught herself and looked around warily.
"I'm not leaving, it's a ...sabbatical."
"They won't see that, they will do what it takes." Her fingernails were suddenly claw points on his neck. "I will too, if you force me."
"You won't do anything is this very public place. For now, I will make it out of this park alive and from there I will take my chances. Give my regards to Del Fuego."
And with that, Patrick gave one last kiss to his rarely startled partner and walked away into the night...
OK, that is it for now. Give me Feedback, barring any unanswered questions, I think I am ready to go. Sorry it took so long...
Well, you're quite the storyteller Kookalouris! That's good stuff and fairly in line with the Trinity Universe. Thumbs up.
---
As you know, we are using the freeform power system. That means that instead of set powers, you can improvise anything that is within the limits of your modes. You tell me what you want to do within these limits and I'll set the difficulty and roll the dice (your psi score). The difficulty is based on the rank required to pull the trick off and on the other parameters such as range, number of people to be affected etc.
If you don't generate enough success -which is usually the case-, you can spend temporary psi points or willpower to makeup the difference, which represent how exhausting using powers can be.
Some effect can be maintained long term and demand the investment of Psi points (Spent psi points that don't regenerate as long as the power is maintained). That's pretty much all that you need to know on the player's end to use your powers.
Since most players don't have the Players guide, I'll give you a description of what's allowed at your ranks and you should probably include it in your character sheet. For the sake of my sanity, I only describe ranks that are relevant to your PCs, obviously!
Remember that it's always more exhausting to use your power toward the high end of your capabilities while rank 1 stuff is so easy that it can be done almost at will.
Biokinetics
Misc.
Investment: Biokinetics can invest psi points more efficiently in order to maintain their powers. After three days of maintaining a power by investing a psi point, they can recover their psi point and still maintain the effect indefinitely. That's how Norcas can change their appearance and maintain it longterm without compromising their effectiveness, amongst other things. There is a lot of GM fiat to what (and how many) powers can be maintained that way so check with me.
Reflexive Technique: A biokinetic can activate a purely defensive Adaptation power reflexively every turn, even when unconscious. That's a free action, in D20 terms. An example would be automatically resisting a drug you have just ingested, or extracting oxygen from water if you've been tossed unconscious in a river.
Transformation Time: While adaptation is lightning fast, the other two mode are normally very slow. Ideally, you need several minutes to change your body. If you need to do this in a single turn, you take unsoakable damage equal to the level of the effect in Transmogrify or Psychomorphing.
Basic Technique; Biosense : A biokinetics can sense life around him in a small radius (Psi/mete) ror directionally (successes*psi meter). It's not some kind of danger sense, you have to focus (A full action in D20 terms) .
Transmogrify
Rank 1 : Gross changes. Knife or hammer hands, thick skin, that sort of things. The psion body must remain functional at this level. I.e. He can't adopt a shape that would crush his internal organs or substantally increase the lenght of his arms. For that he needs...
Rank 2 : Preserve Functionality. Basically remove the above restriction. He can flatten like a pancake at that level and still have a working brain.
Rank 3 : Precise Changes. The BK can make minute adjustment which allow copycat shapeshifting or turning his hands into precision tools, for example.
You can't change your mass at these levels so there's a problem if you need to become too tall or small.
Psychomorphing
Rank 1 : Biokinetic Awareness. At this level, all the BK can do is spot biokinetics powers, uncluding residual traces. Useful to spot another shapeshifter, for the most part.
Rank 2 : Internal Adjustment. Allows to fine tune your body. You can alter your physical capabilities though always at the expense of something else (Become much stronger but far less limber, for example). You can also heal yourself by closing wounds and repairing the damage, change your scent to fool a dog etc.
Adaptation
Rank 1: Resistance. Allows to block or lessen the effect of endogens influences. Drugs, diseases, fatigue, heat...
Rank 2: Acclimatization. You can adapt your body to survive in hostile environment. Breath under water, walk on Mars without a suit, become insulated to electricity etc. It could even allow to survive in space without a suit but that would takle a lot of success.
The most extreme effect might require also a sufficient level in psychomorphing and/or transmogrify.
Rank 3: Manual Override. You can heighten or slow down your body's many physical processes. Heighten reflexes, shut down pain, avoid peeing for a week...
---
Clairsentience
Misc.
Perception Range: For many powers, the range is less important than the psions familiarity with the subject. It gets complex to explain here, let's just say that the range of clairsentience can be pretty amazing in some instances.
Basic Technique : The Sight
This allows the Seer to add his rank in his highest mode to his Psi score for attunement test and for determining range (but not vulnearbility to backlash).
Psychonavigation
Rank 1: Orientation. The seer can make basic determination of locations relative to his target or his environment. i.e. My friend is near that bar I like; I'm just in range to shoot my target and barely out of his; to get to the exit I need to make two left, two right, a left, third door on the left and then right...
That sort of things.
Rank 2 : Time. Same as above but you can add a temporal component to the above. i.e. My daughter is at the bar and will be home in about one hour and seven minute. There is a modest amount of predictive ability involved since that estimation account up to a point for future event. You can also start to have a limited 'radar' in your head where you keep track of people moving around you and can, for example, use it to avoid guards as you can start estimating when they will be in sigt of you.
The later trick is a bit limited without Psychometry but is still very handy.
Telesthesia
Rank 1: Heighten Awareness. See in the dark, see as far as if you had powerful binoculars, hear as well as a cat, filter the sound to hear a couple talking fifty meters away... But it has to be based on human senses pushed to extreme levels.
Rank 2: Alertness. Good old danger sense, of course, but it can be used to put yourself on the 'lookout' for specific things of interest beside enemies. An investigator that enters a crime scene with such an effect turned on is unlikely to miss anything, for example. If you use this powers to look for a sniper in a fifty story appartment building, you'll probably see him if it is at all possible. It basically forces the things you are looking for to jump to your attention but you must be fairly specific when statinh what it is you are looking for.
Rank 3: Sensory Projection. Now we're talking! Projecting your sense is the typical seer effect, it's pretty straightforward. But beside seeing in the next house, this level of Telesthesia also allows to gain brand new senses. Sonar, Infra Red, UV etc.
Enough for tonight. I'll finish tomorrow. I'm really close from posting the first post and starting the campaign.
Ithuriel, since you have the PG, I won't post the telepathy description.
Last edited by Mal Malenkirk; 9th September 2008 at 04:51 PM..
Range: Technokinesis powers normally have a range of touch unless you use the transmit power (rank 3).
Shock: You may shock your friends if trying to do a helpful power on them.
Visibe Effect: Ongoing EK effects aren't the most subtle; flickers of light, small electriuc arc etc. betray the power. High score in Photokinesis can counteract hide this.
Basic Technique : Static Burst. For free you can give a nasty static shock at will. No harm but is rather distracting.
Also: Energy Awareness. You can sense enery pattern around you.
Electromanipulation
Rank 1: Holistic Effect. You can study a living creature (that includes bioware) nervous system as a whole and modestly affect it. Waking up someone instantly (as if he had taken five red bull) or slowing down reactions are examples of this.
Rank 2: Bioelectrical awareness. Honestly, not the best differentiated rank in the book. You can be more specific in your study and fine tune your action on the nervous system. You could use it to gain success on dodge test against one man (you read his reactions) for example or diagnose neurological disorder. Another improvement is that you can see residual trace of creatures who have left or recently died. You can't match psychometry but it can be helpful.
Rank 3: Personal Enhancement. You can affect and improve your own system. (modestly) increased reflexes, raising your intelligence, shielding yourself against electrical effect etc.
Technokinesis
Rank 1: Modify. Very basic stuff: Turn the machine on or off, (blindly) erase data etc.
Rank 2: Tap. You can read the raw data contained in the device and make holistic evaluations and modifications. At that level you can do the whol hacker schtick.
---
Psychokinetics
misc.
Collateral effect; PK powers are not pure creation of the psion and usually draw on the environment. So if you create ice, you suck the surrounding moisture out of the air and there isn't enough, it doesn't work. Same with fire and oxygen.
Extreme Success; result of 10s on the psi roll translate to an extra damage dice when attacking with psi.
Physical Effect: Victims can resist physically direct PK attacks. Might can be used to resist TK, for example.
Pyrokinesis
Rank 1: Heat Distribution. That's mostly used to diffuse heat and therefore protect yourself and your allies from it. I'm sure a clever player can fund other use for it.
Rank 2: Heat Gas. It does what it says. It can be used to do bashing damage by heating the air around target(s) or explode a tire by increasing the pressure (heating the air inside).
Rank 3: Ignite. If there is combustible around you can start a sustained fire but you can simply use the power to do a fireball effect in the air.
Rank 4: Liquefy. You can liquefy solids.
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Telepathy; Ithuriel has the book so I'll spare you and me the descriptions.
Isn't there a rogue gallery forum to post the characters?
Well, PM me a message that combine your stats and your final background (A short version that highlight the important points that might be relevant to the story).
I'm working on the first post of the campaign right now.
-Use a neutral observer narrator that isn't omniscient; don't describe what the character feels or think. Focus on what he does and how he appears to an observer.
Think of it as a movie or a (modern) comic book. It doesn't mean you don't concern yourselves with the motivations and inner working of the PCs; it just means you have to focus on how this is expressed in their words and actions.
If the game is past tense and observed, how do we handle telepathy and precognition?
For example (minor spoiler):
Pat is uncomfortable around telepaths and clairsentients (a biokinetic can't disguise thoughts and no one is faster than someone who knew about your lightning reflexed sucker punch yesterday.).
Also, it is difficult for the grief-stricken youth to understand why all of the telepaths and clairsentients couldn't anticipate the Chromatic raid on Karoo, the destruction of the Esperanza and the disappearance of the teleporters.
So, the arrogant Norca was going to 'test' the team telepath and clairsentient by mentally daring his thoughts to be read and his fast sucker-punch to the clairsentient to be stopped (it won't cause any damage, it is just a display of relative power).
Don't worry, the problem with playing a character who can be the occasional jerk is not to be a jerk as a player. As far as I am concerned, the involved players and you have complete control over the results. I wouldn't mind the recklessness of Pat to be revealed and discouraged somewhat.
I assume internal thoughts and conditional outcomes would be dealt with OOC.
As discussed earlier, precognition is a very vague, and rare power for the clears. Walking around sucker punching your team mates is not a good trust building exercise. There's no reason to expect Carlos to end up with anything other than a sore jaw and a grudge.
As for telepathy, if you want to go around broadcasting suspicious behavior, write it out in your behavior. Eventually the strain will show externally. Sweaty, nervous behavior will attract attention.
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
If the game is past tense and observed, how do we handle telepathy and precognition?
For example (minor spoiler):
Pat is uncomfortable around telepaths and clairsentients (a biokinetic can't disguise thoughts and no one is faster than someone who knew about your lightning reflexed sucker punch yesterday.).
Also, it is difficult for the grief-stricken youth to understand why all of the telepaths and clairsentients couldn't anticipate the Chromatic raid on Karoo, the destruction of the Esperanza and the disappearance of the teleporters.
So, the arrogant Norca was going to 'test' the team telepath and clairsentient by mentally daring his thoughts to be read and his fast sucker-punch to the clairsentient to be stopped (it won't cause any damage, it is just a display of relative power).
Don't worry, the problem with playing a character who can be the occasional jerk is not to be a jerk as a player. As far as I am concerned, the involved players and you have complete control over the results. I wouldn't mind the recklessness of Pat to be revealed and discouraged somewhat.
I assume internal thoughts and conditional outcomes would be dealt with OOC.
Let me know what y'all think...
That's the right place to post these kind of questions, not the game thread. This is the OOC thread after all.
Extra-sensorial powers will be dealt OOC. If a telepath or Clear uses his power, I'll give the result OOC.
If the players really wishes to write about his PC's experience during his telepathy or clair probe, he could do so in a dream sequence type of description that must be put in italics.
I.E.
Bob focused in mind and delved into the prisoners mind.
Fear, terror. The man was losing his grip with reality. Bob dug deeper, he had to know why they were betrayed. Suddenly he saw a little girl with pigtails. She must have been no older than five. She was unconscious on the floor of the house, an armed man was crouched over her body, caressing her hair but looking straight at you. He had seen this man before. It was the head of security of Gencorp.
-''If you want her to wake up, you better be very attentive to what I'm going to ask you...''
Bob came back to reality. Now he understood.
---
It doesn't have to this elaborate though. More often than not, the player can just describe the strain on his PC's face as he focus his powers and then he will expose what he learned through dialogue. It's probably the best thing to do for routine probes, as a matter of fact.
I guess the same technique can be used for flashbacks if you want to.
People are going to need to know how the Free Form Psi works if they are going to know what they are capable of. With free form you are capable of all kinds of things that wouldn't be possible in the core. A PK could shoot mulitple jets of flame, an EK could use remote transmission even if he doesn't have it yet, anyone might be able to run a power indefinitely or craft a unique power by combining modes... Here's the specifics:
Improvising Effects: You can combine your modes to create effects. The level of an effect equals the highest level mode used to create it. (A telepath using Empathy 1 and Mindshare 2 to tap into a subject's true feelings and confront her with them has a level two effect.)
Generating Psi Effects:
When you try to activate your effect, you roll Psi as normal. You have to spend at least one of the successes to trigger the power (or more depending on circumstances). Then you use your extra successes to boost the parameters of the effect- like range, duration, etc
As long as you get at least one success on the roll you can burn Psi to improve it. Each Psi counts as two successes.
Once you make your Psi roll, you are committed to the power you are trying to activate. You can change the parameters to work with your roll, but cannot switch powers or cancel the attempt.
If you roll no successes or don't spend enough Psi to achieve success, the effect fails. A failure costs you one temporary Psi point.
Modifying the Effect Roll:
Power Difficulty: A power normally has a difficulty equal to one less than it's effect level. (Level 1 is standard, Level 2 is +1 difficulty, etc)
Boosting the effect level: You can try to use your highest mode level to boost your lower level modes. Each dot temporarily added to a Mode adds +1 to the effect difficulty. This will let you try to use levels of your modes that you do not have yet. Each dot temporarily added to a Mode's rating also adds +1 to the difficulty. e.g. Transmogrify 3 is normally +2 difficulty. Say you only have Transmogrify 2 but you do have Adaptation 4. You can try to use Transmogrify 3, but it will add one to the difficulty (you only need to add one dot) so the total is +3 difficulty. You must have at least one dot in the mode to be boosted. Otherwise see "covering a mode" below.
Reducing the effect level:
You can of course activate an effect at the minimal level required to accomplish it. e.g. If you have Adaptation 4, but only want to use the first level power you can make it a Level 1 effect.
Covering a mode:
If you want to use one of your modes, but have NO dots in it, figure it as described in "boosting a mode". Then add +2 difficulty on top AND you must spend a willpower point to try it.
Mode special properties:
If you are combining modes for an effect use the range, duration and other limits from the mode which best fits your desired result. Alternatively the ST might mix and match, average them, whatever.
Investing Psi: Some psi powers can be made to last indefinitely. To make the duration indefinite spend one Psi with activation above and beyond the costs of the power. You won't be able to get this Psi point back until you cancel the effect. Your highest mode score indicates the maximum number of indefinite effects you can create simultaneously.
You can't use this for a permanent stat boost that takes you beyond the human norm or anything that is beyond level 2 on the Sensory Parameter chart (below). Also ST may refuse any use that seems to outweigh the cost.
Mastered Effect:
If you have an improvised effect that your character uses a lot you can improve it with xp to designate mastery. Mastery reduces difficulty by 2 and costs twice the effect level in xp (or 2 bonus points at char gen). This never applies to a whole level of a mode, only a specific "signature move" type of effect.
Psionic Teamwork:
Sometimes, when resonable, psions can jointly pour energy into an effect. VitaK's use it for intense lifesaving techniques and Legionarres use it to super-charge an attack. Each involved declares their intent and rolls normally. Successes are pooled.
Parameters:
Initial Rating:
Your effect gets its starting point in all relevant parameters based on the level of effect you are manifesting.
So if the Effect Level is...
1-2 you start at One dot in parameters
3-4 you start at Two dots
5 you start at Three dots
Then you use your extra successes to buy up to your goal on a one for one basis. Another Psi gets you 2 more to add in parameters. A willpower point will also give you +2 parameter points.
You can voluntarily lower parameter ratings and sometimes you have to (Norca effects are mostly self only for example).
Mode enhancing bioware: If you have bioware that enhances a mode, it instead grants extra points to spend on parameters involving that mode.
Resisting Effects: If the target rolls more successes than the power they are unaffected. Otherwise subtract the victim's successes from the power- to a minimum of one dot. The psion builds the power after the victim resists, but before point are subtracted from the result (meaning you can tailor the effect in an attempt to overcome the resistance if possible when you build the parameters).
So now the actual parameters...
Target (how much you can affect)
Code:
Rating Mass Subjects Area
O Psi score in kg one one meter
OO Psi x10 kg two Psi Score in meters
OOO Psi x25 kg three Psi x3 m
OOOO Psi x50 kg five Psi x5 m
OOOOO Psi x150 kg seven Psi x10 m
+1 adds Psi x50 kg two Psi x10 m
Mass - When targeting inanimate objects
Subjects - for simultaneous human targets
Area - maximum spherical diameter. Can change the shape, but can't leave gaps or holes in an area effect
Duration
Code:
Rating Duration
O three turns
OO 10 minutes
OOO 30 minutes
OOOO 60 minutes
OOOOO one scene
+1 adds one additional scene
Range
Code:
Rating Short Range Long Range
O one meter Psi score in meters
OO two meters Psi x5 m
OOO three meters Psi x10 m
OOOO five meters Psi x20 m
OOOOO seven meters Psi x 30 m
+1 adds two meters Psi x 10 m
short range is for delicate an precise effects - healing, stretching limbs while retaining functionality
long range is for imprecise effects that require no fine manipulation - firing ice bolts, sensing through walls
Results
Healingand Inflicting Damage
Code:
Rating Bashing Lethal
O 2 levels n/a
OO 3 levels n/a
OOO 4 levels 1
OOOO 5 levels 2
OOOOO 6 levels 3
+1 adds 1 level 1
You can "store" a healing or damaging effect for later OR create a reactive effect (energy field that damages anyone attacking you for example). Both add +1 difficulty to the initial roll.
Use the Duration parameter to figure how long an effect can be held.
Granting Modifier Bonus or Difficulty
Anything that boosts your dice or grants penalties to others- enhanced reflexes, dampening nerves to ignore pain, suppressing the light to create darkness, etc The effect must be based in what your mode could reasonably do of course.
Code:
Rating Bonus Difficulty
O +1 success OR Level +1
OO +2 successes OR Levels +2
OOO +3 successes OR Levels +3
OOOO +4 successes OR Levels +4
OOOOO +5 successes OR Levels +5
+1 adds +2 successes OR Levels +1
Bonus - Can grant automatic successes to a specific Ability OR extra levels to any Trait (Attributes, Willpower, Psi, Background, Health Levels, Soak) Up to ST approval.
Difficulty - The difficulty a target suffers to a single action for the power's duration.
Communication Result
Code:
Rating Communication Possibilities
O A handful of words- yes, no, a simple answer
OO Basic concepts
OOO General speech or specific-subject technical conversation
OOOO Workable language
OOOOO Surpassing normal speech- intuitive understanding
+1 adds Increasing nuance and efficiency of communication
Control Result (physical or mental control)
Target's resist physical with Might and Mental with Willpower, but can only resist if they are aware of the control. (subtle is good)
Code:
Rating Degree of Control
O Subconscious (forget the name of some just met; sneeze)
OO Minor (face the other direction, remember seeing someone else)
OOO Major (put away your pistol, consider a sworn enemy a close friend)
OOOO Severe/Complex (Forget your native language, climb up there and put on that Vac suit)
OOOOO Epic (Assume a new personality, reprogram that comptuer and attack anyone who comes through that door)
+1 adds An additional degree of complexity
Disability Result
Code:
Rating Minor Severe
O 2 levels n/a
OO 3 levels n/a
OOO 4 levels 1
OOOO 5 levels 2
OOOOO 6 levels 3
+1 adds 1 level 1
Sample Disabilities
Level Minor Disability Type
1 Numbness in one limb, common cold, drunkenness, acne
2 Seizure, chicken pox, disorientation
3 Hallucination, influenza
4 Despair, momentary paralysis
5 Rage, terror
6 Temporary unconsciousness
8 Trauma aftereffects, hormonal imbalances
Level Severe Disability Type
1 Small tumor, permanent cosmetic damage (baldness)
2 Nerves dead in one limb
3 Addiction, malign tumor, learning disorder
4 Blindness, AIDS, psychosis, symptoms of old age
5 Severe cancer, Ebola, deep psychosis, paralysis
6 Taint infection, symptoms of extrreme old age
7 Complete mental or physical degeneration
8 Brain Death
A toxin or disease converts to a number of disability levels equal to its Toxin Rating. 1-3 are usually minor disabilities, while 4+ correspond to Severe.
Movement Result powers that impart or remove velocity (running leaping, swimming, flying, burrowing, gliding, climbing etc)
Code:
Vertical or near-vertical movement costs one success
0 gravity costs two
Burrowing costs three
After those costs are applied, then apply successes for velocity.
Rating Velocity
O Half Psi score in km/h
OO Psi x 3 km/h
OOO Psi x 5 km/h
OOOO Psi x 10 km/h
OOOOO Psi x 15 km/h
+1 adds Psi x 5 km/h
One km/h very roughly corresponds to one meter per turn.
Instant powers (no duration) apply as a burst.
Removing velocity from a target applies as "drag"
Precision Result
For some powers (Claisentience & Telepathy) familiarity with a target defines Psi range, not distance.
Code:
Rating Accuracy Familiarity
O 15% Known (In view, have psi print, 1 year constant contact)
OO 40% Familiar (6 months constant contact, good friend)
OOO 60% Acqaintance 3 mo constant contact, current associate)
OOOO 80% Remembered (one week constant contact, long ago mentor)
OOOOO 95% "Named" (evocative memory, item is 1 of a kind)
+1 adds 0.5% n/a
Accuracy is your chance of success at that level for an unfamiliar target.
"Constant Contact" means average of 10 hours per day. Double the listed time for 6 hours a day, and again for less frequent but still regular contact.
Sensory Result
Special sensory effects (VitaK diagnosis, EK spectrum sight, Clear remote viewing, BioK night vision, etc)
A clear can "look" in a given direction as far as the range parameter allows and see some things to either side like peripheral vision.
Effects that access a specific subject's perspective (past, present, future) use the Precision parameter.
Looking behind yourself, seeing through a wall, or using sonar etc use the Long Range chart.
If a clear wants to look through time, use the Duration chart rather than Range.
You might use the Area Target instead of or in addition to others.
Expanding your senses beyond the human norm in the present requires 1 success as a base.
Looking in the past or future from a subject's point of view OR allowing for changing perspective in the present requires 2 successes to activate.
Sensing the past or future as if you are actually there requires 3 successes to activate.
Code:
Rating Sense Detail
O General Data "four blobs here and an opening there"
OO Basic Information "Those two are humans and those two are rocks"
OOO Standard Detail (distinguish between individuals, sense distances)
OOOO Subjective or abstract information ("danger"; the way to Tokyo)
OOOOO Highly accurate info (detailed descriptions of individuals, determine spatial dimensions to the centimeter)
+1 adds Unique or highly specific details
Survival Result
Overcoming environmental hazards (growing a thick hide, drawing in ambient heat to resist hypothermia, processing toxins, creating a radiation shield
Use the Modifeier Result to counteract harmful environmental effects. If the levels purchased or soak added exceed the danger, it has no effect. Same goes for sedatives and toxins.
If the environment does auto damage but the character has a mode offering defense, convert each level of auto damage to 3 damage dice. Subtract the relevant Mode score from the dice and roll for damage.
Utility Result
Using Psi to approximate tools or devices. Telekinesis to make a wrench, or wirecutters for example- maybe to patch a small hull breach. This is also a sort of catch all category if nothing else applies. A bioK squeezing under a door would use this chart.
Code:
Rating Tool Application
O Semi-functional Pitiful
OO Working approximation Sub-standard
OOO Quality substitute Fitting for the Mode used
OOOO Exceptional equivalent Exceptional
OOOOO Superior Superb
+1 adds Adds finesse
Each aptitude may grant special benefits or drawbacks tothe rules above, but I'll get to that in another post.
Last edited by Ithuriel; 10th September 2008 at 05:34 PM..
That may look like a complicated mess all together, but what it means in short... nearly all bets are off as far as your psi powers are concerned.
You can alter range, duration, number of targets, strength of effect and all that.
You can craft new effects by combining modes in new ways.
Sorry I've been dragging Mal. Working out details on my character still before I post. I switched to Triton, but the new ability group made a mess of what I had done before. Will be up soon.
Also- What about gear?
I'm actually playing in another Trinity game (weirdly after never seeing a game of this for years) and this is the system we used there:
Quote:
You may have up to 1x your Resources level in items priced 1 dot higher than your current Resources level. If you have Resources 3 or greater, you may instead have a SINGLE item priced at your Resources level + 2. You may have up to 3x your Resources level in items priced equal to your Resources level. You may have up to 10x your Resources level in items priced less than your Resources level. So, for Resources 2, you may have
2 items priced @ Resources 3
6 items priced @ Resources 2
20 items priced @ Resources 1 or lower.
If anyone takes Resources 5, you may only own up to two items priced at Resources 6 OR a single item priced at Resources 7. You can, however, have an additional 3 pieces of equipment priced at Resources 5. Any military-grade hardware will require a hefty Status background or a strong Ally, obviously.
As mentioned in the first post of the campaign, you start in Kenya near the Spaceport and are soon to be flying to the moon.
All you are bringing at first is a minicomp (computer/communication device) and agent (Operating System) of equal value to your Ressources or Status score (If using Status, it was requisitioned). You can also deduce the quality of your clothing by your ressouce score.
Lifting people from earth to moon is both highly regulated and very expensive and since Ramirez doesn't want to draw attention to the fact that he is lifting five psions from Earth for a mission that could (according to priority level) be done by two blanks already stationed at the Luna branch, you don't benefit from Trinity pulling strings to bypass the tight security or pay for extra luggage. That kind of things is easily notice by people in the accounting and admin departments.
As soon as you reach the Luna Trinity branch office, they'll give you concealed carry permit, a concealable weapon and perhaps more based on status.
Those of you who are wealthy might then opt to shop around (legal or black market) to purchase other gears according to their means (and the time they have available). Obviously, some savvy is useful for black market stuff though since you have a weapon permit, a lot of them can just be purchased off the shelves.
But basically. when you land on Luna, you're pretty much naked.
Last edited by Mal Malenkirk; 10th September 2008 at 11:19 PM..
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Linear Mode
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