Syker Powers
Scent Swap (concept by Rick Catanzaro)
Type: Sykokinetic
TN: 5
Strain: 1
Speed: 1
Duration: 30 minutes/blastin' level
Range: touch
"Works pretty slick. I chain brained a couple squirrels and slapped my scent on one of 'em while on the run from the Baron's hunting packs back on the bayou. Them dogs was runnin' in circles for hours."
- Lt. Renee "Boner" Bonhomme, Voodoo Gurus
Rumor has it that a member of the Voodoo Gurus came up with this odd bit of strangeness while poaching back on earth to keep away from a land owner's hunting dogs. To use this power, the Syker must touch another living mammalian target and make a TN 5 blastin' roll. If successful, the Syker and mammal temporarily switch body scents for a duration of time equal to his blastin' level multiplied by 30 minutes. During this period of time, anything that tracks mainly by scent that is pursuing the Syker makes its tracking rolls at -1 die coordination per success/raise above the power's TN to pick him up. The mammalian target that now has his scent however, can be tracked as normal. Since the scent will always be stronger on the poor critter, it will usually become the new target. Yes, this power may be used on a fellow human as well.
Sound Board (concept by Rick Catanzaro)
Type: Sykokinetic
TN: 5
Strain: 1
Speed: 1
Duration: instant
Range: self
"Yeah, that's not bad...but d'ya wanna hear somethin' REALLY scary?"
- Lt. Renee "Boner" Bonhomme - Voodoo Gurus
Definitely another of the "weirder" powers from the Voodoo Gurus - great for diversions. With this power, a Syker can accurately mimic any sound he has ever heard. To use this power, the Syker must first tell the Marshal what sound he is trying to mimic. The Marshal then assigns a Knowledge difficulty roll for the Syker to accurately remember the sound (for example, the sound of a blast of automatic gunfire would be easier to remember than the exact words and voice of a dead posse member). A failed knowledge roll means the sound can't be mimicked at that time ("Just can't quite remember how ta get my tongue around it..."). On a successful knowledge roll, the Syker can attempt to produce the sound by rolling the TN for the power. For each raise above the TN, the Syker can choose to spend 2 wind to kick up the volume of the sound past normal human voice level. Additional effects that this might cause must be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Marshal.
Fleshrip (concept by Rick Catanzaro)
Type: Biokinetic
TN: Opposed (Vigor)
Strain: 3 (optional additional 3 per raise)
Speed: 1
Duration: instant
Range: touch or 10 yards/Blastin'
"You need some information from our guest here? Give me five minutes and this here bucket and our friend will give us the world. What's the bucket for? Probably best that you don't know."
- 1st Lt. Luther "Hardboiled" Creed - Phantom Brigade
This power was developed "in the field" on Banshee originally as an interrogation tool. It was later discovered that with a bit of finese, it could be utilized in combat situations as well. While it involves some of the same basic principles as Fleshknit, Fleshrip is the complete antithesis of the healing power. On an opposed Blastin' roll versus the target's Vigor, the Syker focuses destructive mental energies into his hands and, through touch, causes the target's flesh in a given body location to burst and "rip" open causing one wound, or cause the flesh to spasm painfully causing 6+1d6 wind. For each raise, the Syker can choose to spend an additional 3 points of strain to cause an additional wound or an additional 6+1d6 wind. In an interrogation situation in which the target is immobilized and the Syker can lay his hands upon the target, rolls for called shots are not neccessary. Anyone (besides a Syker familiar with the power) who sees its effects in action must make a Easy (TN 3) Guts check. If used in a combat situation, a Syker must be able to touch the target to perform a called shot action with the Fleshrip power. To do this, the Syker must utilize the fightin' brawlin' skill with appropriate mods (first make the opposed Blastin' vs. Vigor roll, paying any additional strain as appropriate - THEN roll fightin' for the called shot...it is possible to miss and waste the strain, as the summoned energy must be released quickly and cannot be stored). Even though it wasn't designed as such, it was found by a few enterprising Sykers that Fleshrip could be used as a (slightly less effective) ranged attack by "throwing" the energy from their hands at a target. When used at range, the Syker's Blastin' roll receives a -1 step modifier for each 10 yard increment the target is away from him (for example, if the Syker has Blastin' at 5, the maximum range for the power is 50 yards, but that far out he would receive a -8 modifier to his opposed roll). Also, since called shots are impossible without touch, wounds caused with a range attack from the less focused "thrown" energy are random (roll body location). One perk that Fleshrip has over some other offensive Syker powers is that due to its biokinetic nature, its effects are unhampered by the presence of clothing or artifical, man made armors (they are ignored for the purposes of the power). This does not mean the Syker could use Fleshrip on someone within the bowels of a hovertank - the Syker must be able to see the target. Natural, biological armors however give the target a +1 step modifier to their Vigor roll per level of the armor (for example, a creature with natural armor with an AV of 1 would receive a +2 bonus to their Vigor roll). Fleshrip only works on biological targets.
Biorhythm (concept by Rick Catanzaro)
Type: Biokinetic
TN: 5
Strain: 1
Speed: 1
Duration: instant
Range: touch or 1 yard/Blastin'
"Aw, crap. Heart rate's 20 beats per minute and dropping. What's it mean? How the hell do I know - I thought you were the medic! All I know for sure is we're losing him...fast! Fine...so I got a little too rough. I admit it. Satisfied? Look...whose in charge here, anyway? Are you gonna stand there like a green cadet or are you gonna try to save this civilian's life? Do SOMETHING fer cryin' out loud - that's an ORDER! I still got too many questions to ask him!"
- 1st Lt. Luther "Hardboiled" Creed - Phantom Brigade
This ability was developed primarily as an aid for medics on Banshee. Sykers used this power to "read" the autonomic functions of another living person in order to aid field medics in diagnoses without the use of electronic aids. The power allows the syker to detect and analyze organ funtion and body activity. In game terms the power gives the Syker +1 per raise to diagnostic Medical rolls. Only a Syker with medical skill can gain specific information (i.e. pulse, heart rate, respiration, etc). On the other hand, a Syker with no medical skill can use this power in an entirely different way. Each successful raise gives the +1 to any Scrutinize roll for the purposes of interrogation. (detects increases heart beat, respiration, etc). As with most biokinetic powers, Harrowed are not effected by Biorythm.
Empathic Bonding by Jay Kyle
Type: Psionic
TN: 5
Strain: 1
Speed: 8 weeks initially, then 1
Duration: Continuous until broken
Range: Continuous presence to initiate, then 10 miles/blastin' level
This power capitalizes on the phenomena noticed among twins and mothers and their children. It was long recognized that some sort of mental bond existed between these people in which they could sense what the other was feeling or what was happening to the other. The syker researchers improved on this natural occurrence through the alignment of the meridians of pairs of people to allow the psychic resonances to be felt, even by non-sykers. This power was usually used between siblings or spouses, although some cases exist of this power being used between very close friends.
To initialize this power, the syker must have been very close to the recipient (usually a sibling, lover, spouse) for at least 8 weeks. At the end of the initializing period, the syker makes a Fair (5) blastin' roll and loses 1 Strain permanently. This Strain loss allows the syker to have a continuously "open" link to their bonded mind. The bonded individuals, if both are sykers, can automatically send images, feelings, and emotions to their partner, and, on a Fair (5) blastin' roll, can send short (25 word or less) messages. If their partner is a non-syker, the syker can receive emotions, mental state, and a sense of the partner's well-being. The non-syker cannot send specific messages (that's what psychic link is for).
If one of the bonded individuals dies while bonded, the other must make a Hard (9) Vigor roll. Failure results in psychic scarring, causing sykers to permanently lose a step in Knowledge, while non-sykers suffer 3d6 in damage to the head.