Over the years I'm sure we all tried to come up with special psi powers for our PCs and NPCs. I know I did. I'm also sure the results were never as good as we hoped. I know mine weren't. I either came up with something too powerful, too weak, too useful, too useless, you get the idea. Finding a balance was hard. Anyway, a friend of mine just loaned me a comic series called Uncanny and I think it may have the nicely balanced power I've been looking for.
The hero of the comics, Weaver, isn't much of a hero really. He's a con man, gambler, thief, and other things. He has a superpower, but he isn't flying around saving the world with it. Instead, he's making money with it on the sly.
If Weaver can make skin contact with you he knows everything you know, has your skills at your level competence, thinks you thoughts, and feels your feelings. What he siphons off you doesn't last long (more on that later) but he can make good use of it immediately.
Early in the story after losing big playing poker, Weaver is escorted back to his suite by a large chunk of muscle in an Armani suit to write a check Weaver's funds cannot cover. Weaver manages to shake hands with the muscle and immediately knows everything the muscle does. Weaver knows where his gun is, what shoe the hideout knife is in, all of it. Weaver also is immediately just as good as the muscle is when using that gun, knife, and whatever martial arts the muscle has studied. Most importantly, Weaver also knows the muscle's weaknesses as only the muscle would know. That allows Weaver to beat the man who is supposed to beat him.
Now, what Weaver can pull out of you once he makes skin contact doesn't last very long. More accurately, it doesn't last very long once Weaver starts to use it. In the case of the muscle, Weaver uses the knowledge and skills he gained immediately, beats the other man in a fight which lasts a few minutes, and then retains enough of that knowledge to go directly to the car the other man had parked much earlier in the casino/hotel's parking garage.
Just how all that lasted isn't specifically spelled out, it's a comic book and not a RPG manual after all, but 10 or 15 minutes doesn't seen like too much.
Weaver also seems to be able to "store" what he pulls out of people for a period of time. The "clock" doesn't seem to start running until Weaver actually begins using what he's borrowed. Later in the story, Weaver manages to make skin contact with a getaway driver he knows. Weaver needs the man's skills but not the man himself. He later uses those skills to evade the police after picking up a limo with the forks of a trash compacting truck.
Again, no specific time period is mentioned but a few hours doesn't seem like much.
Finally, Weaver's ability to "emulate" everything about a person he's made skin contact with isn't perfect. The loss at the poker table which kicks off the story is a surprise to Weaver. He shook hands with his opponent, thought he then knew everything about the man, and found himself being bluffed into losing a $250,000 bet. Either Weaver's own skill is slipping, has become erratic, or someone has figured out "countermeasures"
So, that's it. Emulation. Make skin contact with someone and you know everything they know, have the same competencies they have, know their feelings, and know their thoughts. Just how long you can "use" or "store" what you've gained should, like all the other listed psi talents, be linked to your psionic strength and how much you've worked on it.
Maybe I'll mull it over some more and come up with some actual numbers. However, no matter what I come up with, I figure most people will want to tweak it for their own needs. :file_21:
If anyone gives this a try, let us know, okay?
The hero of the comics, Weaver, isn't much of a hero really. He's a con man, gambler, thief, and other things. He has a superpower, but he isn't flying around saving the world with it. Instead, he's making money with it on the sly.
If Weaver can make skin contact with you he knows everything you know, has your skills at your level competence, thinks you thoughts, and feels your feelings. What he siphons off you doesn't last long (more on that later) but he can make good use of it immediately.
Early in the story after losing big playing poker, Weaver is escorted back to his suite by a large chunk of muscle in an Armani suit to write a check Weaver's funds cannot cover. Weaver manages to shake hands with the muscle and immediately knows everything the muscle does. Weaver knows where his gun is, what shoe the hideout knife is in, all of it. Weaver also is immediately just as good as the muscle is when using that gun, knife, and whatever martial arts the muscle has studied. Most importantly, Weaver also knows the muscle's weaknesses as only the muscle would know. That allows Weaver to beat the man who is supposed to beat him.
Now, what Weaver can pull out of you once he makes skin contact doesn't last very long. More accurately, it doesn't last very long once Weaver starts to use it. In the case of the muscle, Weaver uses the knowledge and skills he gained immediately, beats the other man in a fight which lasts a few minutes, and then retains enough of that knowledge to go directly to the car the other man had parked much earlier in the casino/hotel's parking garage.
Just how all that lasted isn't specifically spelled out, it's a comic book and not a RPG manual after all, but 10 or 15 minutes doesn't seen like too much.
Weaver also seems to be able to "store" what he pulls out of people for a period of time. The "clock" doesn't seem to start running until Weaver actually begins using what he's borrowed. Later in the story, Weaver manages to make skin contact with a getaway driver he knows. Weaver needs the man's skills but not the man himself. He later uses those skills to evade the police after picking up a limo with the forks of a trash compacting truck.
Again, no specific time period is mentioned but a few hours doesn't seem like much.
Finally, Weaver's ability to "emulate" everything about a person he's made skin contact with isn't perfect. The loss at the poker table which kicks off the story is a surprise to Weaver. He shook hands with his opponent, thought he then knew everything about the man, and found himself being bluffed into losing a $250,000 bet. Either Weaver's own skill is slipping, has become erratic, or someone has figured out "countermeasures"
So, that's it. Emulation. Make skin contact with someone and you know everything they know, have the same competencies they have, know their feelings, and know their thoughts. Just how long you can "use" or "store" what you've gained should, like all the other listed psi talents, be linked to your psionic strength and how much you've worked on it.
Maybe I'll mull it over some more and come up with some actual numbers. However, no matter what I come up with, I figure most people will want to tweak it for their own needs. :file_21:
If anyone gives this a try, let us know, okay?
