[Johnny1A.2]

The CONSUMIDORO continued...

SPECIAL PARANORMAL ABILITIES:

A consumidoro can not wield personal psionic powers, nor can they tap directly into the vast power of the Matrix/Flux. However, they can and do draw upon the power of the Malignium, which can enable them to duplicate many abilities they can not personally possess, or to do specific unusual things.

The list of paranormal effects a consumidoro can potentially invoke is long, and no one consumidoro has ever been known to have access to them all. Why the Malignium grants the specific effects it does to the specific consumidoro it grants them to remains a deep mystery.

There are some limits to the paraphysical abilities of a consumidoro. The abilities are drawn from the Malignium, and if the Malignium is distracted or occupied, there is a chance the ability will fail. Likewise, if some force interferes either with Malignium, the ability may be weakened, or it may fail entirely, depending on the situation.

Ordinary Antipsi is ineffective against the power of a consumidoro, but the more potent power of a Psychonull is another matter. The presence of one or more strong Psychonulls can always weaken, and sometimes entirely disrupt, the paranormal abilities of a consumidoro.

Further, and more importantly, Psychonulls represent an existential threat to the very existence of a consumidoro. Recall that if anything breaks their connection to the Malignium, they will rapidly perish. A Psychonull tends to interfere with this connection. Physical contact with a Psychonull is disorienting and painful for a consumidoro, and sustained physical contact can actually slay a consumidoro. Likewise, the sustained close proximity of a very strong Psychonull, or a group of moderately powerful Psychonulls, can also be a threat to the survival of a consumidoro.

In GURPS 3e terms, in order to use of his or her paranormal gifts, a consumidoro must roll 3d. Normally, the ability works on a 16 or less. Various circumstances, such as interference from a jamming device, or the presence of a nearby Psychonull, can reduce that target number substantially.

Subtract half the Power of any Psychonull within the immediate area (generally, about 100 meters) from the roll. Thus, a Power 10 Psychonull would force the consumidoro to roll an 11 or less on 3d to make the ability work, and if worked it would be weakened by the Psychonull.

If the Psychonull is touching the consumidoro, meaning flesh touching flesh, subtract the full Power of the Psychonull from the roll. So that same Power 10 Psychonull would reduce the target number to a 6, within physical contact, and even if it worked, it would be greatly weakened.

Since most paranormal effects can be likened to combinations of psionic effects, they have Power levels, and the presence of a Psychonull at hand will reduce that strength by his or her own Power.

To be continued...