Detect

/ Variable

You can detect a specific substance or condition, even when it is shielded from the five human senses. This requires one second of concentration, after which the GM will secretly make a Sense roll for you (see Sense Rolls). The range modifiers from the Size and Speed/Range Table apply. You may buy a special Acute Sense to improve the roll, thereby increasing your effective range.

On a success, the GM tells you the direction to the nearest significant source of the substance, and give you a clue as to the quantity present. On a failure, you sense nothing.

Detect also includes the ability to analyze what you detect. This requires an IQ roll; the better the roll, the more precise the details. For instance, if you had Detect (Metal), you could tell gold from iron on a successful IQ roll, and might learn details – such as whether the gold is in the form of ore or bars, and its precise purity – on a critical success.

The base cost of Detect is as follows:

Rare (sorceresses, fire magic, zombies, gold, radar, radio): 5 points.

Occasional (spellcasters, magic, undead, precious metal, electric fields, magnetic fields, radar and radio): 10 points.

Common (humans, supernatural phenomena, supernatural beings, metal, electric andmagnetic fields): 20 points.

Very Common (all life, all supernatural phenomena and beings, all minerals, all energy): 30 points.

Note that the ability to detect certain phenomena can often justify other advantages. For instance, Detect (Magnetic Fields) could explain Absolute Direction.

Special Enhancements

Precise: On a successful Sense roll, you also learn the distance to whatever you detect. +100%.

Signal Detection: You can detect an active transmission of some sort, such as a radio, radar, or laser; see Scanning Sense and Telecommunication. You suffer no range penalties, but must be within twice the signal's own range and (if the signal is directional) within in its path. +0%.

Special Limitations

Vague: You can only detect the presence or absence of the target substance. Direction and quantity are revealed only on a critical success, and you cannot analyze what you detect. This limitation is mutually exclusive with Precise. -50%.