Steak

Aspects

 * Defining Aspect: Self-Exiled Salut Psionic Pilot
 * Character Aspects
 * To boldly go
 * You can't take the sky from me
 * The greater good
 * Stranger in a strange land

Advantages & Equipment

 * Fly Boy (Expert Advantage P6)
 * Scary (Expert Advantage P8)
 * Navigator (Expert Advantage)
 * Control (Psychic p154)
 * Pulse Carbine (Gauss Carbine P305)
 * Underslung Shell Launcher (Grenade Launcher P306; P270 for Explosives)
 * Salut Psyweave Flight Suit (Powered Recon Armor P308)
 * Salut Std. Issue Dagger (Dagger, Mono-Edged P307)

Background
Steak was born as Vor'thak on the Lumen space station orbiting Magnus Salus. He was literally bred (his patriarch and matriarch both being highly prized genetic donors) to be a superior pilot of the Salut Air-caste. His initial placement testing at age 5 revealed a 95 percentile psionic suite of abilities, top-notch physical capability with unprecedented hand-eye co-ordination, and a specific personality disposition for exploration (denoted with a small marker regarding a penchant for 'individual' thinking). To his excitment, he was immediately placed as a top priority candidate for training as a starship pilot.

During his time in training, the news of the first encountered alien culture (the Vacuus), was reported. The excitement of a new culture and future co-operation was quickly curbed though as the Vacuus parlayed just long enough to bring in a large chunk of their fleet to bear and then outright slaughtered the water-caste Ambassador to begin the war. With war-time motivation, Steak was able to finish his training to be put into active duty in time for the final campaign fought mainly at Magnus Salus. The bloody affair was ultimately won by the Salut against greater numbers of Vacuus because of their ability to co-ordinate all military activity flawlessly with their shared mind-link.

The Salut Praetors imediately called all star ships to be grounded so that they might remove themselves from further entanglements and rebuild their homeworld. Steak's Captain, being off-planet and thus not under the full strength will of the Praetors, disagreed with the islolation of the Salut. He believed the Salut finding allies and resources off-planet was for the 'greater good' and to not do so was to go against the most coveted of Salut beliefs. He offered his crew a choice; they could return to the planet or use the ship for its original purpose of exploration. The crew unanimously agreed to explore the unknown.

Unfortunately for the crew, the next alien species the Salut would encounter would be the human race: Steak was the lone survivor of his crew.

Aspects

 * Self-Exiled Salut Psionic Pilot
 * Steak defected from his home planet to fulfill his destiny as a starship pilot and he proudly moves forward in his mission to discover new worlds and to obtain new allies


 * To boldly go
 * An explorer at heart, not detered by the setbacks he has faced, Steak charges into the unknown


 * You can't take the sky from me
 * Having his life goal almost stripped away, Steak strongly believes in fulfilling one's purpose whatever that might be


 * The greater good
 * Steak grew up and was shaped by a society where doing what was best for the whole was of the most absolute importance


 * Stranger in a strange land
 * Steak finds himself in various unknown worlds with customs completely alien to himself


 * Psionically enhanced Air-caste Salut
 * Born of the air-caste, Steak has a lean frame with natural nimbleness enhanced by his higher brain function


 * Prediction is the fastest reaction
 * Steak's higher brain function and genetic breeding allow him to interpet and process a large amount of environmental information, even able to pick up other's actions with an intuitive sense


 * The mind is the most powerful muscle
 * Slight and physically weak from being in micro-G environments all of his life, Steak relies on his telekinesis for any heavy lifting


 * A world of influence did not deter me
 * Although a literal planet of Salut called back his starship and crew, he was able to resist and make his own way


 * Human emotions are alien to me
 * Humans and their self-motivated actions sprinkled with the occasional self-sacrifice are confusing to Steak who is used to always looking at the needs of a greater whole

Expert

 * Fly Boy (P6): Gain +2 bonus on rolls to pilot an aerial vehicle or space craft, may grant bonus to vehicle when it makes rolls.
 * Wrestler (P10): You gain +2 bonus to grappling related rolls, such as when attempting to push, pull, throw, restrain, pin or trip another.
 * Navigator: You gain a +2 bonus to rolls relating to spacecraft, spaceports, systems, and space navigation.

Powers
Power Source: Psionics

Affinity: Willpower

Psionics (Control P153)
A signature trait of the Salut, Steak possesses a very high level of psionic capability for his race.
 * Base AP Cost: 7 (Psionics)
 * Total AP: 7
 * Activation Difficulty: Base Difficulty (1) + Control Modifiers
 * Activation Time: Simple Action (Increase activation difficulty by +4 for Free Action, or by +6 to activate as a free action on another’s turn)

Psy-blade (Control Attack, Melee P105)
Focusing psionic power into the form a small blade of pure energy protruding from his arm, Steak is able to inflict serious mental anguish on foes that come into contact with it 
 * Activation Affinity Roll: 1 + 5 (Ignores Armor) + WR Desired
 * Attack: Affinity vs. Agility (Mental Damage)

Defense
Often times your use of Control may allow you to roll your Affinity Ability to defend instead of one of your mundane Abilities. or example, you may be able to divert incoming projectiles with a current of air (substitute your Affinity instead of dodging with Agility), or disrupt a telepathic control spell with your own mastery of mind magic (substitute Affinity for Willpower).

To do this, you must roll to activate your Control. This is a free action, and you use your base difficulty. Once activated, you may use your Affinity Ability instead of your normal Ability to for a single defensive roll that turn.

Also, for every +2 by which you elect to increase your activation difficulty, your Affinity is considered +1 higher for the purposes of that defense roll.

Protection: By rolling against your base activation difficulty, you may create some sort of armor or shield for yourself. This protection lasts for one round and provides an Armor Rating equal to your TL. You may further increase the AR by +1 for every +1 by which you increase the activation difficulty of this use of Control.

Air-Caste Telekinesis (Telekinesis P138)
An exclusive trait of the Salut Air-caste, Steak can lift massive objects with only his mind
 * Base AP Cost: 7 (Metro)
 * Total AP: 7
 * Activation: 3 (4 Base + 1 Emulation - 2 Rote) + Telekinetic Strength
 * Activation Time: Free Action
 * Duration: One Turn
 * Metro +5 bonus to Strength/Strong +2 bonus to Strength
 * Lifting: Can lift 1000lbs. per Strength roll (4 = 4,000 lbs.)

Modifiers:
 * -1 Visible Force (Your telekinetic force is visible to others. It appears as translucent tendrils of glowing mist originating from you, or something similar.)
 * +1 Strong (Your Telekinetic Strength is increased by +2 for free. You may also take this Modifier with the Effortless Modifier. characters can purchase a more powerful version of this Power. The super version of this Power functions exactly the same as the normal version, but has a higher base AP cost in exchange for an added bonus to your telekinetic Strength rolls and an increase in your Size category for the purposes of determining your telekinetic lift capacity.)

You have the ability to control objects at a distance, without physically touching them, using an invisible force. Each activation allows you to manipulate the object for one turn. You may attack by smashing or crushing your target with telekinetic force or perform Maneuvers as if you were interacting with the target with a pair of giant invisible “hands”. The Strength of the “hands” is determined when you activate this Power. And their Agility is equal to your Affinity. When you activate this Power, you must determine the Strength of your Telekinesis. The activation difficulty is equal to your desired Telekinetic Strength + 4. For instance, if you want your Telekinetic Strength to be 3, then the activation difficulty is 7. Attacks rolls made by striking with your Telekinesis are made with its Strength.

Telekinetic Field (Barrier P52)
Steak is able to create pure walls of force with his telekinetic abilities.
 * Base AP Cost: 5 (Metro)
 * Total AP: 7
 * Activation: Willpower 5 Activation Roll (7 - 2)
 * Activation Time: Free Action
 * Duration: Scene
 * +5 Bonus (Metro) and + 2 Bonus (Hardened)

Modifiers:
 * -1 Visible (The field is plainly visible)
 * +1 (Expanded Coverage): Your Barrier can cover a number of zones equal to your Affinity Ability. If your barrier takes the shape of a wall, the wall runs along the border of the zone you occupy and a number of additional connected zones equal to your Affinity.
 * +1 (Hardened Barrier): For every additional AP you spend on this Power, you gain a +2 bonus on your rolls to set your block’s Potency.
 * +1 (Alarm): Whenever anyone crosses your barrier, you instantly become aware of it. You may not know who crossed it, but you know someone did. In addition, you may make it so that only creatures of a specific race or species trigger your alarm. You can specify yourself and a number of people equal to your Affinity as those who are free to come and go without triggering the alarm.

You can surround the zone you are in with a near impenetrable barrier. You can see, hear and even smell things beyond the barrier, but it’s very difficult for a physical object or energy to pass through it. This is essentially a block action (pg. 327) that covers the entire zone, with the potency set by an Affinity roll.

The potency of this block action applies to attempts to penetrate the barrier by moving through it as well as protecting against incoming or outgoing energy or projectiles. The barrier lasts for a scene or until dismissed by you.

Psyweave Enhanced Telekinetic Shielding (P.E.T.S) (Armor P43)
Steak is able to focus his telekinesis to create a personal telekinetic shield.
 * Base AP Cost (Metro): 3
 * Total AP: 7
 * Activation: Willpower 5 (-2 if Rote)
 * Activation Time: Free Action
 * Duration: Always On

Modifiers:
 * +0 Strenuous
 * +1 Improved
 * +1 Insulating (attacks that normally ignore armor may still be hampered by this Power)
 * +2 Passive (Always On)
 * +2 Heavy Compatibility (Can use Armor stress boxes)

You have the ability to instantly wrap yourself in some form of protection. This may be hardened skin, a shield of kinetic force, a reinforced skeleton, etc. When activated, this Power grants a natural Armor Rating of 14 (TL + 7 Metro + 2 Improved) for the duration of the scene. If the setting uses multiple TLs, use the highest.

Unlike most bonuses, the Armor Rating provided by this Power does not stack with that provided by wearing actual armor. If you have this Power and also wear armor, you use the greater of the two Armor Ratings provided.

Salut Telepathic Link (Mindlink P92)
Using the same capability the Salut use to unify their race with a telepathic bond, Steak is able to establish this link with other species for a short time.
 * Base AP Cost: 1
 * Total AP: 5
 * Activation: Willpower (5-2 Rote)= 3 + 1 for each person linked
 * Activation Time: One turn
 * Duration: Scene

Modifiers:
 * +1 Distant Link
 * +1 Extended Duration
 * +1 Sense Link (Can broadcast senses)
 * +1 Intrusive Link (Can force link, Affinity vs. Willpower)

You are capable of forging a bidirectional telepathic link with one or more people you can see for the rest of the scene. Roll your Affinity against an activation difficulty of 4 +1 per person involved in the link (not counting yourself). Once the link is established, everyone connected can broadcast their thoughts to all others with a simple act of will, over any distance. Note that not all thoughts are broadcast, just the ones the character intends, and all participants in the Mindlink must be willing.

Thought Lash (Mind Probe P94)
A stronger manifestation of his telepathic abilities, Steak is able to pry truths from the most closed minds.
 * Base AP Cost: 4
 * Total AP: 7
 * Activation: Willpower 7 Activation Roll - 2 Rote= 5
 * Activation Time: One turn
 * Duration: Scene
 * Edge Rating +4

Modifiers:
 * +0 Strenuous
 * +1 Deep Probe (x2) (Your Mental Attack when using this Power is considered to have a Edge Rating of +2. Each time you select this Modifier, that Edge Rating is increased by another +2.)
 * +1 Ranged (You can use this Power at range instead of requiring touch. As usual, the range rating is equal to your Affinity.)

You’ve learned how to delve the mind of another living being, sifting through its thoughts and memories for the information you seek. To use this Power, you must first be touching your target and then activate it.

When activated, you may make a mental attack against your opponent using your Affinity, and the target may resist using his Willpower (but suffers a -2 penalty if unconscious). If your attack generates Spin, the target will not be aware of your attempt to probe him. Otherwise he senses your intrusion into his mind. If you fail to deal any stress on your attack, you suffer an amount of stress to your related Stress Track equal to the difference between your attack roll and the defender’s defense roll.

Each time your mental attack causes the target to take a Mental Consequence, you may discover one piece of information you seek. The amount of information gained depends on the severity of the Consequence suffered.


 * A Minor Consequence results in a single word answer to a question.
 * A Major Consequence results in a simple sentence answer to a question, or a bit of sensory information like a mental image, a sound, or even a smell.
 * A Severe Consequence results in an answer consisting of a few sentences, or the probing character may experience an entire scene the target was present for as if he himself had been there.
 * An Extreme Consequence results in the probing character learning just about any fact the target knows or gains the ability to experience several days of the target’s life.

Mind Scan (Read Thoughts P121)
Using a more powerful mind link, Steak is capable of understanding surface thoughts.
 * Base AP Cost: 2
 * Total AP: 3
 * Activation: Contested (See below)
 * Activation Time: Simple Action
 * Duration: One Round or Scene

Modifiers:
 * +1 Adept Reader (x2) (+2 to Affinity Roll each)
 * +0 Strenuous (It requires some effort on your part to read another’s thoughts. To activate this Power, Roll your Affinity (+3) contested against the target’s Willpower. If you succeed, you may hear the target’s thoughts. If you succeed, and generated Spin on your Affinity roll, you can hear the target’s thoughts for the rest of the scene. If you fail, you do not hear the target’s thoughts and you suffer an amount of Mental stress equal to the amount by which you failed. If you fail, and the target generates Spin on his defense roll, he senses the attempted mental intrusion and knows the general direction from which it came.)
 * +1 Sensory Link (Can sense the senses of target)
 * +2 Universal Link (Language is not a barrier)

You have the ability to listen in on the current thoughts of another sentient creature. Roll your Affinity contested by the target’s Willpower. If you succeed, you may spend a Fate Point to hear the target’s next few surface thoughts in your mind as if they were speaking them out loud. If you succeed and generated Spin, you can hear the target’s thoughts for the rest of the scene. If you fail, you do not hear the target’s thoughts. If you fail and the target generates Spin on his defense roll, he senses the attempted mental intrusion and knows the general direction from which it came. The GM may place modifiers on the roll if the target is not of the same species as the character using this ability. For instance, a human using this Power on a goblin may suffer a -2 on his Affinity roll. You must also be able to speak the same language as the target to understand what he is thinking.

Use of this Power may allow you to discover one of the target’s Aspects if it is relevant to the situation and his current thoughts. The user of Read Thoughts who discovers this Aspect may invoke or compel it for free the first time. This Aspect may be very fragile however, and could go away depending on the situations and how it changes.

Synaptic Surge (Surge P137)
Accelrating synaptic response in his mind, Steak is able to complete higher brain function at a franticaly increased pace.
 * Base AP Cost: 3
 * Total AP: 3
 * Activation: Willpower 7 (-2 Rote)= 5 Activation Roll
 * Activation Time: Free Action
 * Duration: Turn

Modifiers:
 * +0 Strenuous (It requires some effort on your part to surge. Select a Power Source and Affinity Ability to go with this Power. Instead of spending a Fate Point to activate this Power, as a free action, roll your Affinity against an activation difficulty of 6.)

When you activate this Power, you become capable of moving and thinking at a greatly increased rate. You gain an additional simple action in the turn in which this Power is activated. You may not activate this Power more than once per turn.

Disclaimer
This page contains excerpts from Strands of Fate and Strands of Power.