Kinetic Control
Name
Kinetic Control
Type
Science
Field
Psychokinetic
MAC
7
PSP (Initial)
8
PSP (Ongoing)
3
Range
0
Area of Effect
Personal
Prerequisites
Power Score
Any object struck by the psionicist’s energy discharge is detonated. Living opponents suffer an additional 1d10 damage.
Critical (20)
The psionicist must save versus spells or detonate an object he is wearing or holding, and suffer 1d10 damage.
Description
This is the power of absorbing, storing, and redirecting kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion—the energy contained in the swing of a sword, the fall of a rock, moving water or air, an animal running, or any number of other forms. The psionicist can remove kinetic energy from one object by touch, stopping it instantly, and bestow it on another object immediately or at some point in the future.
While a psionicist maintains this power, he is immune to all physical impacts. A sword slash stops instantly when it touches his skin, arrows drop harmlessly at his feet, and monsters’ talons and fangs can’t harm him. The psionicist absorbs the damage of the blow and saves it for later use. Note that the psionicist can still be harmed by attacks that inflict their damage by contact, such as the energy-draining touch of an undead creature or the slow crushing attack of a giant python constricting its coils (critical hits can still affect the character, though usually the 'Bashing' table will be used).
Using the stored energy requires the psionicist to make a physical attack. He can deliver any damage he has absorbed previously by touch, punches, or even through a hand-held weapon such as a sword. If he hits his opponent, the absorbed damage is added to any other damage the psionicist causes.
If the psionicist ceases to maintain kinetic control while he still has energy to dissipate, he immediately suffers an equivalent amount of damage as what he has stored (he stores 10 pts., he would take 10 points of damage) and did not expend. (The psionicist can make attacks on rocks, cacti, dead foes, or whatever to dissipate this energy. Item saving throws versus normal or crushing blows may apply.)
Once the energy is expended, the power must be re-initiated. A character may never store more energy than they have total hit points + 10 (if not expended, this means immediate death).
This power can’t be used to absorb damage from a fall. To do so, the psionicist would have to absorb his own kinetic energy (in this case, he is the moving object) which is something that the power is not capable of doing. This might be a valid subject for psionic meditation and research, however.
