PC that can see death on people

[FrankL]

Hey there,

 

Having trouble figuring out how to express this on a char sheet.

 

The character has the ability to see death on people. If a person is going to die of natural causes within 24 hours, he (and only he) sees a skull floating over their face. If a person makes a decision that will lead to their death within 4 hours, the same thing happens. If someone decides to kill another within that time, the target also gets the skull. PC has no control over it, and it isn't always accurate. There are times when the skull appears but there is no death (75% accuracy). At the same rate, there are times when someone dies without PC seeing the skull.

 

PC can also see ghosts when others can't. Clairvoyance?

 

Reason PC has this: his uncle, a powerful necromancer, marked him on his ninth birthday, hoping to draw him into the magic. PC has no idea this is the reason and considers it a curse.

 

Any thoughts? Thank you!

[Nolgroth]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

Clairsentience with Precog, No Conscious Control, Only to see people marked for Death would be your starting point. Flavor as you see fit.

 

EDIT: May want to throw on Vague and Unclear into the mix.

[Ice9]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

Agreed on the Precognition. For seeing ghosts, it depends on why normal people can't see them:

 

On another plane?

Transdimensional (ghost realm) on Normal Sight

 

Invisible?

Detect Ghosts (Unusual Group), Ranged, Sense, Discriminatory, Targetting, Affected as Sight (assuming he can't see them when blinded)

 

Not a "creature" in the normal sense?

Detect Ghosts (Sight Group), Discriminatory

[BobGreenwade]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

Personally I'd model both with Detect.

[Beast]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

precog or detect would work IMO but it is really needs a No Conscious Control for the GM to play with

 

It also puts a big requirement on the GM

 

you could also go with making it a Complication using Hunted,Unluck,DNPC Du Jour

[Markdoc]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

Precognition, only to detect impending death (-1), no conscious control.

 

I actually had a PC who had precisely this power*, but in his case, he actually saw the effect - so at one point, he's riding on a wagon, and he suddenly sees a ghostly arrow through the guy's neck - shortly before an attack by bandits. In another case, he meets a little girl, and sees her overlaid with pustules and rotting flesh: she has the plague. The -1 limitation on "only to detect impending death" is because it serves as somewhat non-specific danger sense: but I could easily see it as worth a -2, if it is generic and thus gives no clues.

 

One caveat. It was a cool power and as GM, I had fun with it, but it requires some fine pacing to make it work.

 

cheers, Mark

 

*this was in my Powers of the Tarot game: the PC was Death.

[Badger]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

I wonder how often though it should come up in game. You shouldnt come into contact with too many people who are going to do within 24 hours. (barring spending a lot of time in hospitals or battelfields and the like). Granted it should happen more often to a PC in a game than your normal person. And it would be genre-specific for how often. Just thinking on your usual Silver Age super it might not be a regular thing.

 

Just saying

 

 

Note: Though this did make me think about the shinigami eyes from death note. A little different power but they would be similar (with shinigami eyes showing how much longer any person has to live not just those near the end)

[AlHazred]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

I could see it as a suite of powers. For instance, does the character suddenly have a skull superimposed over his own field of vision if someone plots his death with 24 hours? That would be Danger Sense to distinguish it from the Precognition, since they do different specific things.

[Roy_The_Ruthles]

Re: PC that can see death on people

 

The character should buy precog, danger sense, and a detect (since the detect should be used through the precog). Add in some combat luck if you want him to be able to use his power for actively defending against death.