PYROKINESIS

Source Material: Sorcerer Revised Edition, White Wolf

Pyrokinesis is, quite simply, the ability to start fires with one's mind. The talent may well be an extension of psychokinesis—some ability to finely accelerate huge masses of molecules—or perhaps some sort of energy-transfer power. The pyrokinetic simply concentrates, and the temperature goes up....and up...and up....until the object melts or bursts into flames. 

Pyrokinesis allows the Character to conjure fire via a glance. The pyrokinetic must see his target and then concentrate to conjure flame at that location. How high the Player rolls determines how accurately the Psychic places the flame. If the target is a sentient creature, she may attempt to dodge the blast, Mod Physical Defense and Athletics/Reflexes.

Fire conjured by the Path of Pyrokinesis must be released for it to have any effect. Thus, the pyrokinetic might summon forth a palm of flame, but so long as he holds it, he suffers no damage, and the fire can be used to provide light, much like a torch. This does not require any energy or a roll to do. It is merely light-producing "Potential."

Once the flame has been released, however, it burns normally, and the Psychic has no control over it. A pyrokinetic is not immune to his own flame once it is released; he burns as easily as anyone else. Botches with Pyrokinesis tend to be singularly spectacular, as the Psychic self immolates or sends flame shooting wildly about.

The Storyteller may increase the difficulty of the activation roll given any circumstances affecting the target of the flame. Setting fire to a wet log, for example, would indicate a penalty of -10 Mod to the difficulty of success, while igniting asbestos or water would increase the difficulty by -30 Mod.

Psychics with Pyrokinesis often live with the constant fear that their control will slip and fire will consume everything around them. Indeed, some pyrokinetics have woken to discover that they have set fire to their homes during particularly violent nightmares.

NOTE: Pyrokinetics can always create a ball of fire in their hand that can function as a torch light source. This requires no expenditure of energy or success roll. The Pyrokinetic can light and extinguish this flame at will, but cannot burn anything with it or throw it.

NUMINIA: PYROKINESIS

◉◎◎◎◎: Pyrokinesis 1 - Match (Mental Skill)

• Base Roll: 60
• Energy Cost: 3
• Damage: 1
• Mods: Mental Skill
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Skill 
  • +3 Initiative

Description: 
The Psychic can produce tiny sparks of flame, generally only enough to light highly flammable items (paper, dry wood, gasoline, candle wick, etc.). These sparks of flame tend to come from the psychic’s fingers, though some pyros create the sparks in different manners. The sparks light anything the Psychic could physically reach, though the Psychic needs to touch the flammable material. The sparks are not hot enough to seriously burn people, though having a spark of flame appear can startle people and cause 1 HP of damage. 

System: 
The Player spends 3 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. The Player's Character can then create a spark or tiny flame and ignite combustible materials. If used as an attack, the Player can cause 1 HP of damage. Nothing serious, just a mild burn.

◉◉◎◎◎◎: Pyrokinesis 2 - Burn (Attack)

• Base Roll: 60
• Energy Cost: 3
• Damage: 2
• Mods: Mental Skill, Occult
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Attack 

Description: 
By concentrating, the Pyrokinetic causes flammable materials to burst into flame without actually touching the object or person. The Psychic can affect anything within a short range (less than 10 yards), though some materials are easier to ignite than others. 

System:
The Player spends 3 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. If used as an attack, the flame does 2 HP of Damage. 

Depending on how high the Player rolls determines how easily the Character can ignite more difficult-to-burn materials. (See Roll Chart.)

Roll Chart:

1-10 Botch!: (Rolling a natural 1-10) Flames shoot out of your hand at random angles up to 10 feet high.

11-59: No effect. 

60-69: Very easily lit materials (paper, gasoline, a vampire) ignite into flame. 

70-79: Flammable objects that normally require minor assistance to light (wood, charcoal) start to burn.

80-89: Objects that do burn with the aid of accelerants (clothing) will now ignite

90-99: Materials that do burn, eventually (people) 

100+: Anything that would be difficult to burn, such as wet wood. 

Once ignited, items continue to burn naturally. The fire created is as big as a torch, though it could easily spread with the proper materials around. 

◉◉◉◎◎: Pyrokinesis 3 - Airburst (Attack)

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy Cost: 7
• Damage: 4
• Mods: Mental Skill, Occult
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Attack 
  • +5 Initiative 

Description: 
The Pyrokinetic's control of flames has expanded. Now he can create small bursts of flame out of thin air (without any kind of fuel source) that can be thrown as a weapon, or used as a hand-held light source or to start fires. 

Psychic researchers believe that these bursts are made up of super-excited air molecules. Tiny amounts of the air molecules become plasma, which will ignite just about anything that can burn, and create bonfire-sized fires. The psychic can create these bursts at a range up to 3 yards away per level of the Character. (Level 5 Characters could shoot bursts up to 15 yards away - 3 yards x 5 Levels. Level 15 Characters can shoot bursts up to 45 yards away.)

System:
The Player spends 7 points of Energy and makes a successful roll.  This creates the ball of fire that can be held by the Pyrokinetic as a lightsource or to start fires. The Psychic can hold this ball of fire for the duration of the scene.

To use as a weapon, the Psychic will need to roll to use the ball of plasma in a ranged attack by throwing it. This will use up the fire ball. To attack again with a fireball, the Psychic will need to create another ball of fire:

• DIF: 80
• Mod: Physical Attack, Athletics/Reflexes
• Damage: 4 Fire Damage
• Those who catch on fire: To extinguish himself, the target must first roll DIF: 50, Mod: Willpower  to avoid panic to put himself out. Highly-trained operatives or supernatural creatures can usually avoid panicking automatically (barring a Vampire's fear of fire — Rötschreck, for instance), at the Storyteller’s discretion.

◉◉◉◉◎: Pyrokinesis 4 - Summoned (Mental Attack)

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy Cost: 15
• Damage: 10
• Mods: Mental Attack, Occult
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Attack 
  • +5 Physical Defense 

Description: 
At this level, the pyrokinetic can generate medium fireballs and can control both its path and shape of the fire. 

System:
The Player spends 15 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. This ability can be used in a combat situation as a ranged attack that's accurate up to about 40 yards away. Those hit by a summoned ball of fire suffer 10 points of fire damage.

◉◉◉◉◉: Pyrokinesis 5 - Combustion (Physical Attack)

• Base Roll: 100
• Energy Cost: 19
• Damage: 15
• Mods: Mental Attack, Occult
• Resist: None
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Attack 
  • +5 Mental Skill
  • +5 Initiative 

Description:
The pyrokinetic has immense and exacting control over all forms of flame. He can create large fire plumes at a distance. The fires appear up to 30 yards away the size of a bonfire. Inside in confined areas, fire fills up a 20ftx20ft space or room. People on the edge of the effect can dive out of the fire. The Inferno spreads rapidly, consuming as much as it can of combustible materials before being extinguished.

System:
The Player spends 19 points of Energy and makes a successful roll. All those within a 20ftx20ft space must roll for defense or take 15 points of damage. All Vampires must make a Rötschreck roll or flee in terror.