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,
p. 358). The range modifiers from the
Size and Speed/Range Table (p. 550)
apply. You may buy a special Acute
Sense (p. 35) 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, zom-
bies, 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 and magnetic fields): 20
points.
Very Common (all life, all supernat-
ural phenomena and beings, all min-
erals, all energy): 30 points.
Note that the ability to detect cer-
tain 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 whatev-
er you detect. +100%.
Signal Detection: You can detect an
active transmission of some sort, such
as a radio, radar, or laser; see Scanning
Sense (p. 81) and Telecommunication
(p. 91). You suffer no range penalties,
but must be within twice the signal’s
own range and (if the signal is direc-
tional) within in its path. +0%.
Special Limitations
Vague: You can only detect the
presence or absence of the target sub-
stance. 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%.