Pyrokinesis
Attribute: Empathy
A psionic can raise the temperature of an object or life-form by accelerating molecular friction inside the subject. The effects are not immediate, but progress through stages, each stage of success taking five seconds (one combat phase), beginning on the phase after the Pyrokinesis skill roll is made. Thus, it takes six phases (30 seconds) to reach Stage Six and kill someone. Concentration has to be maintained during the process-if the psionic suffers a Slight wound during the process, he has to pass an Routine vs. Willpower test to continue. If he suffers a Serious wound, the Willpower check to continue is Standard. A Critical wound automatically makes the psionic stop. the process. Furthermore, the target must be kept in range and in sight the entire time, or the process stops. Note that by maintaining concentration, a psionic may prolong whatever stage is achieved, thereby causing the target to suffer repeated damage, for instance.
If a Pyrokinesis procedure is interrupted or stopped, the heat decreases at one level per combat phase (entropy does away with heat more swiftly than heat can do away with cold).
The stages of Pyrokinesis are as follows :
Basic Success allows the boiling of a liter of water, or making a human-sized creature feel feverish (strangely, this may make the creature feel chilled instead).
Stage Two success allows the boiling of up to 20 liters of water. If the psionic has targeted a small object (such as a steering wheel, glass window pane, or pistol) the object will become hot enough to inflict painful blisters on any creature touching it.
Stage Three success allows the boiling of up to 50 liters of water. Gasoline and other highly flammable substances may be ignited. Human-sized creatures suffer heat exhaustion-nausea, profuse perspiration, weakness-making the creature's task rolls one level of difficulty higher.
Stage Four success boils 100 liters of water, ignites paper, cotton cloth, and other readily flammable materials, and human-sized creatures suffer heat prostration-headaches, dry skin, delirium, and possible loss of consciousness (pass an Routine: Constitution test or pass out). Unconscious targets may die, if they fail an Simplistic: Constitution test; conscious targets perform all tasks at two levels of difficulty greater than normal.
Stage Five success boils 200 liters of water, ignites wood, synthetic cloth, and other flammable materials, or "cooks off" explosives like small arms ammunition, grenades, and dynamite. It also causes an automatic Slight wound to every damage location on living creatures (half wounds to NPCs and animals), and gives the effects of heat prostration, but all Constitution checks and skill tests are at one level higher than those noted for Stage Four.
Stage Six success boils 400 liters of water, ignites anything flammable and scorches nonflammables, and causes instant death to human-sized creatures ("spontaneous combustion").
Anyone with the Cryokinesis skill can combat the effects of Pyrokinesis by achieving an equivalent stage of Cryokinesis success, matching the effects of the Pyrokinesis.
Pyrokinesis has a range in meters equal to the psionic's final power level. *Psionic
A psionic can raise the temperature of an object or life-form by accelerating molecular friction inside the subject. The effects are not immediate, but progress through stages, each stage of success taking five seconds (one combat phase), beginning on the phase after the Pyrokinesis skill roll is made. Thus, it takes six phases (30 seconds) to reach Stage Six and kill someone. Concentration has to be maintained during the process-if the psionic suffers a Slight wound during the process, he has to pass an Routine vs. Willpower test to continue. If he suffers a Serious wound, the Willpower check to continue is Standard. A Critical wound automatically makes the psionic stop. the process. Furthermore, the target must be kept in range and in sight the entire time, or the process stops. Note that by maintaining concentration, a psionic may prolong whatever stage is achieved, thereby causing the target to suffer repeated damage, for instance.
If a Pyrokinesis procedure is interrupted or stopped, the heat decreases at one level per combat phase (entropy does away with heat more swiftly than heat can do away with cold).
The stages of Pyrokinesis are as follows :
Basic Success allows the boiling of a liter of water, or making a human-sized creature feel feverish (strangely, this may make the creature feel chilled instead).
Stage Two success allows the boiling of up to 20 liters of water. If the psionic has targeted a small object (such as a steering wheel, glass window pane, or pistol) the object will become hot enough to inflict painful blisters on any creature touching it.
Stage Three success allows the boiling of up to 50 liters of water. Gasoline and other highly flammable substances may be ignited. Human-sized creatures suffer heat exhaustion-nausea, profuse perspiration, weakness-making the creature's task rolls one level of difficulty higher.
Stage Four success boils 100 liters of water, ignites paper, cotton cloth, and other readily flammable materials, and human-sized creatures suffer heat prostration-headaches, dry skin, delirium, and possible loss of consciousness (pass an Routine: Constitution test or pass out). Unconscious targets may die, if they fail an Simplistic: Constitution test; conscious targets perform all tasks at two levels of difficulty greater than normal.
Stage Five success boils 200 liters of water, ignites wood, synthetic cloth, and other flammable materials, or "cooks off" explosives like small arms ammunition, grenades, and dynamite. It also causes an automatic Slight wound to every damage location on living creatures (half wounds to NPCs and animals), and gives the effects of heat prostration, but all Constitution checks and skill tests are at one level higher than those noted for Stage Four.
Stage Six success boils 400 liters of water, ignites anything flammable and scorches nonflammables, and causes instant death to human-sized creatures ("spontaneous combustion").
Anyone with the Cryokinesis skill can combat the effects of Pyrokinesis by achieving an equivalent stage of Cryokinesis success, matching the effects of the Pyrokinesis.
Pyrokinesis has a range in meters equal to the psionic's final power level. *Psionic
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