Trick Shot

Psychoportation
Level: Marksman 1, nomad 1
Display: Me
Manifesting Time: 1 immediate action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One Tiny or smaller object in motion
Duration: 1 round or until discharged
Power Points: 1

By altering the levels of probability surrounding a small object in motion, you can ‘trick’ it into performing seemingly impossible maneuvers. While this ability has no direct influence on an attack roll, it can nevertheless make a certain outcome possible in the first place.

Until the beginning of your next turn, you may make one Tiny or smaller moving object perform a ‘trick shot’ — a stunt that you describe — so long as it is not moving under its own power (thrown objects or fired projectiles are not moving under their own power, while an insect or a flying psicrystal are). So long as the stunt can be succinctly described in ten words or less, it occurs, no matter how unlikely this is — no rolls, no checks, no questions. This trick shot has no influence on attack or damage rolls at all, although the effect itself may allow an attack to occur.

Example trick shots include the following (which are descriptive and of varying complexity; the sentences used in manifesting are shorter):

  • Shooting an arrow through the sockets of twelve axe heads between you and your target
  • Bouncing a billiard ball off of nine different fixtures (including your friend’s breastplate) before sinking in a pocket
  • Having a crossbow bolt “loop the loop” before impacting normally
  • Forcing a tossed coin to land, perfectly stable, on its edge
  • Getting a javelin to slalom around trees between you and your target
  • Directing the tiny bead of an undetonated fireball to fly a “figure eight” around its target’s feet
  • Allowing a dagger, despite being pointy, to bounce off of the ground between a creature’s legs and continue (unhindered) to its actual target behind him
  • Additional trick shots beyond this list are possible.

In short, the most powerful combat use of this power should be to avoid small obstacles (GM’s call on what actually is an “obstacle”; trick shot should not be a single answer against cover unless the trick is relatively simple and the target doesn’t have total cover). It is more frequently used, however, to show off outside of combat (one can usually figure out if a trick shot has been performed in the area by listening for cries of “That’s not possible!”). Trick shot can be used to
shoot around corners, although without other means of sensing targets, this is effectively shooting blind.

Augments: You may augment this power in one or more of the following ways.

  • Each additional power point spent allows you to affect one additional object before the power ends.
  • For every 2 additional power points you spend, the size of an object you can affect with this power increases one step.
  • For every additional power point you spend, the power’s duration extends 1 round. The number of objects you can alter this way remains unchanged, and the power still ends when these run out.
  • Additionally, every additional power point spent to achieve any of these effects allows for your trick shots to be described in sentences of up to one word longer.
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