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With this skill, a creature can raise the temperature
of an object by the power of thought. Target range is equal to the power
level, in meters.
Basic success with this skill allows the
pyrokinetic creature to do such things as make a human-sized
creature feel feverish, or to boil a liter of water. Strangely
enough, a target creature may instead be made to feel chilled at
this stage.
Stage Two success allows the pyrokinetic creature
to boil up to 20 liters of water, or to cause mild blistering on a
target creature.
Stage Three allows up to 50 liters of water to be
boiled, or gasoline and other highly-flammable substances may be
ignited. Alternatively, a human-sized creature can be made to suffer
heat exhaustion — profuse sweating, nausea, and weakness — making
any task rolls by that creature one level more difficult to perform.
At Stage Four, paper and other fairly flammable
materials can be made to ignite, or a target creature can be made to
suffer heat prostration. Symptoms include hot, dry skin, headache,
delirium, and possible unconsciousness (failing an Average test of
Constitution). Unconscious characters may die (if they fail an Easy
test of Constitution). Targets that retain consciousness make all
other task rolls at two levels of increased difficulty.
A Stage Five success allows the pyrokinetic
creature to cause an item such as a block of wood to burst into
flame; or a clip of small arms ammunition or grenade could be
made to explode. At this stage, living creatures suffer an automatic
slight wound to every hit location and make heat prostration
checks at one level increased difficulty.
Stage Six allows the pyrokinetic creature to
cause a target creature to burst into flame. Death inevitably
ensues. (It is from such instances that legends of spontaneous human
combustion have arisen.)
Note that these effects do not occur
instantaneously. Rather, they progress from stage to stage, taking
one combat turn (five seconds) per stage, beginning with the
turn just after that in which the Pyrokinesis roll was made. For
instance, for a human to spontaneously combust would require six
turns. In turn 1, the target would feel feverish. Turn 2 would
bring on heat exhaustion. Heat prostration would occur in turn 3.
Turn 4 would find the target growing
painfully hot to the touch, and turn 5 more so. Finally, in turn 6, the
target would burst into flames.
Additionally, in order to
progress a target through these stages, the pyrokinetic creature
must maintain concentration. The creature may perform no other
actions and must keep the target in view. As well, if the pyrokinetic
creature takes damage during this time, it must make a
Willpower
check to maintain the Pyrokinesis. If slightly wounded, it must make
an Average test; a Difficult check is required if seriously wounded;
and critically wounded means the Pyrokinesis automatically ends (in
which case the target begins decreasing in heat one level per combat
turn). Note that by maintaining concentration, a pyrokinetic
creature may prolong whatever stage is achieved, thereby causing the
target to suffer repeated damage, for instance.
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