Quick Hits

I was at the dentist for two hours today and had a busy night watching the kid last night so I didn't get much done. However, a few things can be mentioned.

1. Still working on Damage Fields. I'm doing Burning Body right now and I think I want the rule to be that once you are on fire you don't get "more on fire" by being hit by more burning attacks. I need to have a look at the code and see how that works. Right now stacking these burns is very effective but I think the game-system would bog down with trying to keep track of "how many fires Jason has on him right now."
2. We're working through more use cases for Psionics. I'll try to publish some here so that you guys can add your own (you won't need rules--you'll just get to say "here's how I imagine it working!"). We have about five or six new use cases and probably want to have around 30 to use to get the "big picture."
3. The Levels system which I need to detail more when I have the time.

Here's The Psi Success Table

Here's how it works. Your character is (probably) a L2 Psi with a 13- roll (look along the top). When they do a PSI drama they make three rolls and check the success points down the first column adding up what they're made by. That's the "success level you get.

Generally you need a Level 3 success or better to get data that more or less directly leads to the breaking of the case. 

The percentages show what chance the character has to hit each level if they do nothing other than make the rolls.

Example Use Case

SCENARIO: A Psi is using Psycometry (Object Reading) to try to determine who used the gun that killed a victim.

ACTORS: The Psi (Phill), the Murder (Mark), The Victim (Victor), the guns legal owner (Owen)

SITUATION: Everyone is in the room pointing at each other (everyone but the victim). The shots were fired while the lights were off. Everyone has touched the gun and both Mark and Owen have fired it recently at the range together. Mark shot Victor because Victor was sleeping with his girlfriend (but no one knows this). Owen didn't like Victor because Victor owed him money (which people do know). 

GENERAL DIFFICULTY: Usually it's Level 3 to break the case unless it's a trivial case or something else makes it very easy. In this case the GM can't think of anything that puts it in this category--the question involves a murder. So you need L3 or better.

L1 Success: The Esper gets data concerning the gun itself. This confirms that it /was/ the murder weapon (something everyone already knows)--it has the feeling of inky black death on it. 

L2 Success: The clue is not enough to break the case but is moderately actionable. The Esper gets "green shards of jealously" (motive!). With a limited success that's all--but with a full L2 they get an image of a girl, naked on a bed, smiling: the focus of the jealousy. Her image isn't clear enough to easily identify (you know she is a pale red-head with green eyes--something that could apply to a lot of people). But some investigation will bring the motive out. THIS CLUE IS MEANT TO BE "INTERMEDIATELY ACTIONABLE."

L3 Success: The Esper gets an image of Mark, seething with green-light (which he recognizes as an aura of jealousy) as he fires at Victor. This breaks the case but does not provide the "why" data. The character sees a flash of the girl's face with a full success. With a partial success just a flash-image of "a girl" with a few distinguishing features.

L4 Success: Scenes of the bedroom, Mark finding out--notes about who the girl is--and then the shooting come to the Esper (all data). If it's a partial success some color commentary may be left out but.

-Marco