Precognition
(Judges detest this Power with a passion.) The hero can see into the future. The Power gives the hero sufficiently clear insight into upcoming events that he might be able to use that foreknowledge to his advantage. The problem lies in 2 areas, the flexibility of the timestream and the preparedness of the Judge (more on these later).
Precognition is an awesome Power and thus has more limits than the Hulk can shake a stick at. ("Hulk no need puny stick!") The Power can normally be used only once per day at full rank. Each additional use decreases the rank -1CS down to a minimum of 1 turns lead-time. Second, the player must choose a limitation on the Power. Examples include:The third limit is that the Judge, not the player, rolls the dice. The Player cannot try to influence the dice by expending Karma. The Judge never tells the player the outcome or if he even threw the dice at all. This keeps the player from knowing the accuracy of his visions.
- The Power is uncontrollable; the Judge decides when the visions occur.
- Subject matter limited to people.
- Subject matter limited to objects the hero is touching.
- Subject matter is limited to sites within 10' of the hero.
- Power only works when the hero is sleeping or in a trance.
- Power is linked to a specific mental or emotional state that is felt by the hero or a person in a vision.
- Visions surround the hero with a Hallucination of the future scene.
- The Power only works once per vision and cannot function again until the envisioned time has come to pass.
Player characters can look into the future a number of hours equal to twice the Power rank number. For example, a Gd(10) rank can see almost a day ahead, an Une(100) rank can see over a week ahead, and a CL3000 rank can see 8 months ahead.
The color FEAT determines the accuracy of the vision. White results can be completely untainted by truth; the Judge can improvise to his heart's delight. ("3 days from now… Sentinels fighting in space… an armada of aliens swarming upon them… A man named Jubal leads the aliens.") A green result requires the Judge to be truthful but to only reveal basic details. A yellow FEAT requires full disclosure of anything the Judge can imagine being visible at the time of the vision's occurrence. A red FEAT enables the hero to learn things that might not be readily apparent at the time the vision comes to pass.
1 problem with the Power is that the timestream is extremely malleable. Each decision made creates an alternate timeline, a parallel Earth almost but not quite identical to the version of Earth where your campaign occurs. Each vision is an event that will come to pass in some timestream somewhere. It need not be the hero's impending timeline. That's where Precognition comes in. Each Precog vision gives the hero a chance to consciously shape his world's timeline. Because of this, the envisioned event might never come to pass, at least not where the hero is concerned.
This leads to the 2nd problem, that of Judge preparedness. To accurately and realistically portray Precog, the Judge would need to work out a detailed timeline of the campaign's future events, including variables that account for probable player actions. This is a major headache for Judges. This is a leading reason why Galactuses throughout the multiverse devour any world where Precognition appears. Precogs are therefore warned to use their Power carefully.
Short-range Precog can be useful in combat. The hero can use his Power to discover his opponent's next move. This form can be used by any Precog, regardless of the limits otherwise constraining the Power. In game terms, the player tries to make a yellow FEAT at the start of each turn. Success means the Judge must reveal the NPCs' next moves. Initiative is rolled. If the Precog gets it, she has a chance to share her information with her teammates. This use of Precognition must be developed as a Power Stunt.
The hero gains an advantage of +1CS when she has a Precog flash pertaining to friends, special enemies, possessions and dwelling places. This increases to +2CS if the flash involves dire events occurring to the Precog herself.
The Power can be psychologically damaging to the Precog. The Power is often limited to times within the hero's own lifespan. Most of the time, there is no cause for alarm until the Power starts consistently failing. Delusions may result from frequent but inaccurate visions. Frequent, accurate visions of doom and destruction beyond the hero's capabilities may lead to aberrant behavior, such as chronic depression or chemical dependency.
Optional Powers include modified forms of Telepathy and Time Travel. Telepathy enables the hero to actually read the minds of anyone within the scope of the Precog flash. Time Travel enables the hero to actually travel to the time when the vision portrays.
Range: See Above.