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In this section, there are three classes of people: humans, psychics and ghosts. Humans in this game are like people in real life. They are the normal, everyday person you might meet while on a walk or shopping. They range anywhere from a nagging woman to a playful child. They could be a wild punk teen with green hair or a tidy, gentle hearted kindergarten teacher. All that matters when creating a human character is that it is human with human limitations. After that, it's on a case by case basis. The second type of humans are the psychics who are gifted people, like someone who does wonders with math or has a photographic memory. The thing to remember about creating these characters is that ALL psi gifts are rare, though some are more common then others.
Listed below are the different types of psychic powers:
Telepathy / Empathy / Pyrokinesis / Telekinesis / Clairvoyance / Psychobiology / Psychometry / Precognition / Aura Vision / Aura Manipulation / Second Sight / Ghosts
Definition- the ability to read minds.
In Depth- A strong talent for mind reading is very, very rare. But the few that have the ability, are able to read the minds of people with or without the same talent. The people that they cannot read are those who know how to block or those with natural shields. This ability also varies in degrees. Those that are very powerful, can read peoples minds without touch, but the weaker ones must be in contact with the person they are reading. And the weakest may only get the barest idea of what people are thinking, touching or not. They will see this as having good hunches and may never realize they are telepaths unless they are tested.
Drawbacks: Can become confused in their own identity without shields against others' thoughts. Can cause difficulty in relationships as 'truth' takes precedence over leaving some things best unsaid.
Example: None at this time
Definition- The ability to feel another's emotions
In Depth- This ability is very similar to telepathy superficially. An empath is a person who is able to feel the emotions of a person or persons. They will feel these emotions as their own, unless they have been trained to shield or have some natural shields (extremely rare). They also will pick up images/pictures from the person but not coherent thoughts. This ability is very rare, though not as rare as pyrokenetics. Since they are so rare, it is very unusual for two to meet. But when they do, they share a unique bond where they almost share thoughts as well as emotions. Again, this talent too, varies with strength. For some, it is very vague emotions they pick up, touching or not. Like telepaths, they often simply view it as a hunch or good judgement. Others are so strong that they become physically ill with the strong emotions around them unless they know how to shield or protect themselves. Shielding is absolutely necessary for empaths. Without shields they can be overwhelmed by other people's emotions, and may end up unable to distinguish "I" from "Them" which has gotten more than one committed.
Drawbacks: Physically exhausted or ill by strong negative emotions; responses can be fueled by outside emotions. Panic attacks from lack of barriers; may withdraw from society.
Example: Nikki Sanders, who can receive and project emotions.
Definition- The ability to light an object on fire with ones mind.
In Depth- This ability is similar to telekinesis but works on the molecular level, speeding up molecules and manipulating them, raising the heat level until objects or creatures burst into flame. The rare people that have this gift are able to light objects on fire with their thoughts alone. The object has to be in their line of sight and within a block of their location. If they are very good and very powerful, they may be able to extend their powers a bit more, but not much. When they set something to burn, it is as if that object were soaked in lighter fluid and things that are normally not combustible burn when these talented people set their minds to it. They are also able to light themselves on fire without burning. It is said that their aura protects them from the flames and that the fire is a very pale, almost white blue. The flames around them burn extremely hot and can melt a suit made for oil tanker fires which burn at 6,000 degrees. The people with this power either have it or they don't, there is no real measure of stronger or weaker. It should be remembered that while it does not happen with everyone, a lot of these people become pyromaniacs, addicted to lighting things on fire. They must learn restraint discipline at an early age. As these people get older, they seem to lose the ability to control the fire that they can call, and they spontaneously combust.
Drawbacks: Inadvertently lighting objects on fire in early stages; earlier deaths from spontaneous combustion; limited physical range of power.
Example: None at this time
Definition- The ability to move things with ones mind.
In Depth- Telekinetics, along with pyrokinesis, is among the rarest of talents if it is strong enough to be under conscious control. There are a lot of weak telekinetics out there, though most are not aware they have it. Many people that claim to be experiencing a poltergeist are actually witnessing a show of erratic displays of telekinesis by someone who is unaware of this ability. Telekinesis is another talent that some have to a greater or lesser ability. Some take a long time to master the ability to move a single salt shaker an inch, others can hold a sofa aloft without a sweat. If a person has this ability, it is recommended that they seek to learn how to control it. Uncontrolled telekinesis is dangerous and can be harmful to the wielder and the people around them.
Drawbacks: Physical toll on many telekinetics, especially in the early stages of learning to control their talent; accidental breakage; young telekinetics have difficulty separating their emotions from physical expression via telekinesis. May go undiagnosed as psi for a time as poltergeist are blamed for the physical manifestations.
Example: Xavier
Definition- The ability to far see (i.e.: to see into another room without being in it), also known as "remote viewing."
In Depth- With this ability, one can see people and places that they have never see or been to in their life just by concentrating on instructions or an object related to the subject. For instance, someone may ask a clairvoyant what the President's bedroom looks like at the White House. A person who is gifted with clairvoyance can describe everything in that room at that moment without ever stepping foot in there. Another good example are the people who help solve crimes for the police. The detectives on the case give the clairvoyant something belonging to the victim or the killer, and the clairvoyant, by concentrating, can tune in on the victim and help them locate the body, victim or give a description of the killer and his location. Often the information they gain is vague, and symbolic ('near water' turns out to refer to a billboard for a water park, for instance) but the stronger ones are very accurate. There are levels of clairvoyance. For many people, there are only occasional incidents, usually involving close family members and heavy emotional stimuli (i.e., they see a person is in a car accident halfway across the country). Some have frequent, accurate visions. Again, this ability, needs some training. Lessons in concentration and discipline are recommended.
Drawbacks: Early clairvoyants may not be able to control when they can see visions; may suffer headaches from attempting to suppress; may turn to alcohol or drugs to suppress these visions.
Example: Sandy Douglas
Definition- The ability to effect one's own body and another's with one's mind In Depth- This psi power enables people to mentally effect their own or someone else's body much like Zen masters and people who have a healing touch. The Zen masters ability to slow or accelerate their metabolism or to speed healing is more the product of extensive mental conditioning. But since it is a mental ability, it is counted as a psi power. The people with this ability that can heal are extremely rare. Most of the time, the ability to heal oneself or another person is a magical ability, not a psi one. But there are a few people that have this talent who are not magical by nature. An example of this would be the laying on of hands. Another example of this talent would be the ability to cause harm from a distance with their thought, much like some master vampires are able to do with their voices. Though it is not essential, like most powers, it is recommended to learn how to control it.
Drawbacks: Uncontrolled, one may accidently cause more harm than good to a person or oneself.
Example: none at this time.
Definition- The ability to view an object's or person's past by touching it.
In Depth- Psychometry is much like Clairvoyance, except
instead of reading the present, they are reading the past. A person with
this psi ability can, by touching an object, read it's history. And like
clairvoyance, it is useful to the police in criminal investigations. By
touching a broken pain of glass, someone with a strong talent, can give
police a description of the perpetrator. Some psychoemtrists are also necromancers
and can read the dead, accessing the last moments of a person's life. This
is extremely unusual, since it requires both necromancy and psychometry.
But more common are the people who simply read objects. They have been
know to use their power in dealing with antiques and in auction houses.
Archaeologists and anthropologists, if they have this gift, use it to confirm
an object's history. For example they may ask; Is this a real Van Gogh
or a great forgery? Is this a good place to find a hidden tomb of a Pharaoh?
Psychometry is a power that someone would have to a greater or lesser ability.
Much like clairvoyants, the strong ones will be able to discern great detail,
while the weaker ones will only have vague glimpses. To make the most out
of this ability, it is suggested that the person under go training to control
it. It is also helpful, if the power is exceptionally strong or a person
doesn't know how to control it, that they wear gloves, preferably silk
ones, to block out the history of the objects they come into contact with.
Drawbacks: Inadvertent images from objects or people when it's not desired (comes from uncontrolled talent). Weak talent may not give enough or misleading information from incorrect interpretation.
Examples: Loren, Jenny Curtiss and Lina.
Definition- The ability to foresee the future.
In Depth- Many people have this ability to a small degree. It is usually described as woman's intuition or good hunches. Many people use tools to better use their natural talents, such as Tarot cards, runes etc. But the people with a greater, more prominent version of this gift, may see visions which range from just visual to something like a movie with surround sound. But these visions are often highly symbolic and fragmentary and thus hard to interpret. This is a skill like all the others listed here and to get the bests results from it, lessons in concentration and focusing are recommended.
Drawbacks: May remain uncontrolled as to when these visions manifest. May only occur in dreams; may be subject to wrong interpretation.
Examples: Mad Jack
Definition- The ability to see the auras of living animate beings.
In Depth- A human (or supernatural) can see the aura (energy/life force) that surrounds all living things be it plant or animal. This includes vampires (which was one argument for giving them rights under the law). These people can see them either by design or inadvertently. They can not manipulate nor pull on these auras, simply see them. Being able to see auras may allow a person to interpret another's intentions as either good or bad...or determine if the person is angry or happy, sick or well. It is not a highly accurate reading for the most part. This takes practice and is subject to many errors along the way. Can also learn to use it to tell what a person is...i.e., vampire, lycanthrope, human.
Drawbacks: Not an accurate science. Can't do a lot with it unless determining what a person is is essential to one's job.
Example: Ray Helsing
Definition- The ability to manipulate the auras of animate beings. This includes the person's own aura.
In Depth- A human or supernatural can manipulate the aura (life force) around a person, animal, or plant. These people both see and manipulate auras. They can draw on the aura of another to boost their own flagging strength, or push their aura to augment another's. They can bind their aura to another's, which might warn them of danger the other person is experiencing. A manipulator of auras may be able to make their own seem helpless/harmless, or magnify it to look like they are stronger.
Drawbacks: Takes practice, if a person has the ability, to learn how to utilize one's aura. Some may not be able to manipulate their own; in the early learning stages, a person could accidently feed their aura to another and leave themselves drained...rather like having a severe case of flu. Not a finely tuned ability with the exception of creatures such as the Shadow Walkers who use it as a part of their communication. Humans use it more like gross motor skills.
Example: UgitC and SwLH (nonhumans); Ray Helsing (human)
'Knowing' things a person couldn't/shouldn't possibly know. In Depth--A combination or low level meld of empathy, precognition, and psychometry, with usually one talent stronger. Drawbacks: Can't be actively controlled...it just happens. Not a strong talent as far as being a major telepath plus the rest. Remember, it's LOW LEVEL. Example: Cam's Gran.
Like anything, there are drawbacks to psi talents. They can range from harmless, but annoying, such as seeing an aura with no consequences, to accidently setting your homework on fire. Control is the key on all and must be learned or life becomes difficult if not downright dangerous to the psi and those around him.
And finally, the third type of humans are ghosts, though ghosts can also include vampires, weres, mages, etc... Ghosts are people that have passed on, but either don't know they are dead or they believe they have some unfinished business. All that is required to write a ghost is that the character is dead and is created with the limitations of that state.
Since everyone is unique in life, so they are in death. There are different types of spirits, such as silent ghosts who only appear to the living without making any sounds. Others may only be sounds, like footsteps walking up and down the halls in a haunted house. And then there are the kind that are so life like that the only way to tell they are ghosts is that you can see right through them! There are benevolent spirits who want to help the living and then there are those who resent the living and are, well, grouchy. Some ghosts haunt places, others haunt objects and then there are some that haunt people, though they are rare.
Most of the time, a person becomes a ghost when they die suddenly or traumatically and they become confused. They either think they are still alive, or they lose their way to whereever ghosts go. Others don't want to cross over because they don't want to let go of what they had or they want to stay with the people they left behind.
Ghosts who stay on by choice are aware that they are ghosts, and have more control over their powers and their ability to manifest. They appear solid, alive, and can even move small objects, as well as communicate to the living. These are rare though, and usually have a good reason for hanging around--to protect their family, to guard something, etc.
As for what ghosts are capable of, let's just say, they are pretty limited. For most, they can't effect the physical world too severely, with a few exceptions such as poltergeist. A person who was a necromancer in life loses that ability in death. They can't call the dead. So a ghost can't control another ghost or raise the dead.
Like mentioned above, ghosts are very unique just like the people they were in life. The limitations on how far they can travel away from the place or object depends on the ghost. Some will follow a person or family and others are seemingly stuck in a never ending repetition where they don't know they can leave their haunting place. It all depends on the ghost itself.
And that covers the human's section of the rules. If there are any questions on a potential character that you are not sure about, please contact Fox at thezoo@foothill.net.
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