Flash

for each additional level
Skill: Flash (Will/Hard).
You can focus all ambient light into an “explosion” that
emanates from a single point, dazzling or blinding those
nearby. It cannot be used if the darkness penalty is -10, as there
is no light to focus! Make a skill roll, at normal range penalties
(p. B550) to the focal point. Critical failure blinds you for one
minute, in addition to any other effects! Anyone within range
(see below) of the flash must make a HT roll, with a penalty
equal to your original margin of success, and a bonus equal to
his distance from the focal point in yards. Protected Vision
adds +5, and anyone with Blindness or who had already stated
he had his eyes closed is immune. Failure by less than 5 means
the subject is stunned (dazzled) for one second, after which he
can roll against HT every second to recover. Failure by 5 or
more (or a critical failure) blinds him for minutes equal to the
margin of failure.
At level 1, everyone within two yards of the flash’s focal
point must roll to resist. Every additional level doubles this
range. There is no way to distinguish friend or foe, though you
may always choose to scale down your range.
Example: Bob, with Flash 4 and the skill Flash-15, is accosted
in an alley by three thugs, standing in a line, two yards apart.
Bob tones his power down to a two-yard range and centers his
Flash on the middle thug, five yards away. His effective skill is
13; he makes it by 3. The center thug must thus make a HT-3
roll to avoid the effects, while the two other thugs (at +2 for dis-
tance from the focal point) must make HT-1 rolls.
EVP: You can generate “electronic voice phenomena” –
electronic signals that microphones pick up as sounds
– without actually speaking. This does not let you create
sounds you wouldn’t be able to make with your mouth
(though the Mimicry advantage (p. B68) and skills
(p. B210) can get around this). However, it gives you +2 to
Singing when using an electronic microphone (you can
“double” yourself) and allows you to speak into a walkie-
talkie silently. You must be touching the microphone.
Interface: You can use a computer just by touching it.
This only works on computers that normally have some
sort of input device. The perk gives you no special hacking
ability, but it’s useful if you cannot get to the keyboard –
and it looks really cool.
Light Amplification: You can focus light, to remove all
darkness penalties in an area with a radius of (10 + current
darkness penalty) yards. For example, if the current dark-
ness penalty is -4, you could light up a six-yard radius.
Phreaker: You can touch any phone cable and talk as if
there was a phone at that location. Regular charges may still
apply! This is readily detectable and makes a lousy bug.
Power Source: You can provide energy for small elec-
tronics, as long as they remain in contact with your skin.
Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Dis-
sipation, -50%; Ergokinesis, -10%; Environmental, Light,
-10%; Malediction 2, +150%; Nuisance Effect, Blinded on crit-
ical failure, -5%; Secondary Disadvantage, Blindness, +10%;
Variable, Area of effect, +5%; Vision-Based, -20%) [22]. Further
levels add Area Effect, one level at a time [+5/level].